Reloading

[JJMoody]

If you wanna really make your wallet a true lightweight, keep reading this forum on a daily basis. Guns, ammo, optics equipment and time are a great substitute for a fully funded retirement account, right??!

 

[LVJ76]

Boy you may get an awful lot of advice regarding this area. Here is some decent advice that won't cost you much. Buy the book "The Practical Guide to Reloading" by Nathan Foster of Urenui, Taranaki, New Zealand. I am not affiliated in any way with this fellow but he knows his stuff and this book can probably save you quite a bit of cash in regard to deciding what equipment to purchase. I didn't know what worked well and what didn't and I went with the advice of some of my friends as I acquired the different elements of reloading equipment. Most of them do not reload to the level of accuracy that I generally manage to achieve. Over several years I ended up spending probably between $3000 to $4000 or more on different pieces of equipment. Had I known what I know now I could have been much more particular about what I bought and what I use the most. I just worked a 14 hour night... after I sleep some I could shoot you a note with some of what I think is necessary and what is fluff. You can certainly save a lot of money by reloading and you can certainly make more accurate ammo than you can buy. However, you can also spend an awful lot of money chasing that one hole group by doing more things to make your ammo just a little more accurate. Kinda like going down a rabbit hole... That book will go a long ways in regard to enlightening you about what to do, what you may want to buy, and how to use it properly.
Let me know...
Tens

Tensilon you hit the nail in the head with Nathans book, its a great if not the best way to learn how to reload.

Excavator, when you shoot a lot it is cheaper to reload and you can get better accuracy as well

 

[bstomper]

If you have the recipies for the bullets you are shooting, you have half the battle won already simply because you won't be wasteing a bunch of money, or time, buying components you "don't need" to develop a load. Not to mention, you must already have the brass if you have $1100 worth of bullets you just bought. Ask your bullet maker if you can see his equipment and how he makes them, then go buy what he has. Clearly his bullet making equipment is doing a good job for you. You don't need to have top of the line equipment to get great results. Do some reading, watch some videos, and ask questions here. I'm relatively new to reloading and as far as cost savings goes I really don't know how much I save, I just like doing it and get satisfaction from it so to me it's a no brainer. If it does get more expensive because you will be shooting more, oh well, to me thats a win/win because I also like shooting.

 

[D in lv]

Your custom rifles are probably quite capable of high accuracy, 1/2 moa. For hunting purposes extreme accuracy,1/4 moa or less, is pardon the phrase, overkill. The cost to go from high to extreme accuracy increases exponentially. My experience is varied but on average I expect that standard reloading gear will produce sub 1 moa results, high end gear and good technique gets to 1/2 moa and pretty much custom with great skills both reloading and shooting after that. It is very easy to get pulled into the sirens song and start chasing those 1/10 moa victories, once you start down the reloading road. That's why a lot of advice is to get the best to start and save the intermediate gear steps, essentially saving the $$ in the long run.

 

[keithcandler]

As a barrel gets worn, pressure drops, you can add more powder to make up for the velocity loss with a chronograph. A load will have a velocity that it likes when the barrel is new, record that velocity. As the barrel wears, you will loose velocity, then you can add a touch more powder to get barrel up to the velocity(harmonics) that it likes.

Also, as a barrel wears, the leade in the barrel grows. When you reload, you can "chase" the lands wear and keep the rifle shooting it's very best.

If you are shooting a magnum case, I would opt for a Rock Chucker vs a Co Ax press

Put a want to buy on press, dies, Rcbs 10/10 scale, advertise you are starting to reload, lots of guys have stuff they don't need or from friends that have passed away.

Forster dies are top drawer and do not break the bank.

Reloading is a hobby, you will love it or hate it. If you hate reloading, you will be replacing barrels more often.

 

[JAYgs8163]

You'll save a bunch. Take your time and do your research. Buy quality reloading equipment scale, press, etc. and you'll never look back. Good luck. One you have brass for a specific round it's a huge savings. 100 loads of 6.5 Creedmoor = $50 for 100 Berger VLD bullets, 3.50 for 100 primers, $10 for powder. Kind of a no brainer.

 

[skipglo]

Between my brother and I we have 8-10 custom rigs. They are all shooting hand loads. So all load development is done, by the shops that built the guns. We have the recipe for each. That being said, we have never reloaded. However with having a 700 yard range out the back door. It is getting expensive buying handloads from the gun Smith. So my question is what is the cost savings to loading your own? An what is the cost to buy all high end components to start reloading.

In Canada. reloading for just about everything over .223....savings start at 50% and go up from there. Especially large savings if you are shooting something out of the everyday realm of shooting. I reload .460 Weatherby for about 37.00/ 20. Off the shelf they are 197.00-. 245.00. Bigger the shells...bigger the savings....and it is a great way to spend a few hours....very satisfying to make your own.

 

[rdsii64]

I only shoot two center fire rifle calibers and they both use the same powder.

 

[skipglo]

Between my brother and I we have 8-10 custom rigs. They are all shooting hand loads. So all load development is done, by the shops that built the guns. We have the recipe for each. That being said, we have never reloaded. However with having a 700 yard range out the back door. It is getting expensive buying handloads from the gun Smith. So my question is what is the cost savings to loading your own? An what is the cost to buy all high end components to start reloading.

Cost to start up....
Probably safe to say....Under $1000.00 to get good equipment. Rock Chucker kit, and 5 lbs of powder, and primers... good news is....there are two you! I bought it all and have updated components over the years....and now load for about 10 family and friends.....AT COST... sucks to be me....lol....but I enjoy doing it....fills in time in the evening's
..

 

[TBell]

Between my brother and I we have 8-10 custom rigs. They are all shooting hand loads. So all load development is done, by the shops that built the guns. We have the recipe for each. That being said, we have never reloaded. However with having a 700 yard range out the back door. It is getting expensive buying handloads from the gun Smith. So my question is what is the cost savings to loading your own? An what is the cost to buy all high end components to start reloading.

Cheaper, and rewarding.

I went through probably 250 - 300 rounds of 338 Lupua before ever shooting a single round of factory load. Most factory loads were $90 - 120 bucks per 20 rounds.

brass was 2.00 each, primers .o3 each, bullet approx .60, H1000 powder .36 ea. So approx $60. For 20 rounds. Next reload approx $20 a box since I had the brass to reuse.

338 is an extreme example but it shows it does pay to reload.

 

[Bandit49]

If you are to factor in your time spent reloading you are all wrong. Remember fellers this is a hobby not a profession.
I am retired now and load for everything I shoot, 5 rifles,3 pistols and 12ga. Even when I was working the time I spent at the loading bench was relaxing and rewarding.

 

[thwatson2]

I think the real savings comes from the fact you are buying custom ammo. You can reload the same stuff much cheaper. But once you start reloading the fun begins,,new presses,new scales new powder drops, new everything. I've got 3 single presses, 1 shotgun reloader , 2 Dillon 650s with powder drops for 5 different rounds, 3 scales, 2 other powder drops, and the list goes on. I've given more reloading equipment away then my first setup. But I wouldn't do anything but recommend you do it. We even have a press at our range in case we want to try something new. Do it and enjoy the fruits of your labor. You can change your bullet length, powder charge, etc..you may find a real sweet round for your rifle that you didn't know it could produce

 

[tooOld]

Between my brother and I we have 8-10 custom rigs. They are all shooting hand loads. So all load development is done, by the shops that built the guns. We have the recipe for each. That being said, we have never reloaded. However with having a 700 yard range out the back door. It is getting expensive buying handloads from the gun Smith. So my question is what is the cost savings to loading your own? An what is the cost to buy all high end components to start reloading.

Buy 2 or 3 reloading manuals (Hornady, Speer, Lyman, Nosler, etc.). Each will give instructions on loading. Get 2 or 3 catalogs of reloading materials and tools (Midway, Midsouth, etc.).

 

[Philward]

The hardest part will be recreating the loads the builder makes, you will need to follow his procedures to the letter without his experience. $1100 for how much ammo? Your paying for his time spent loading not just for the ammo. And what calibers are you shooting? Some of the prices quoted here are kind of extreme, $350 for 150 cases? $1100 for dies? Let's get real guys...