Hunting Washington Forum
Equipment & Gear => Guns and Ammo => Topic started by: Mossy on October 09, 2010, 04:04:36 PM
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Just curious, what would be a ball park estimate on getting into reloading cost? I don't shoot a ton but kind of want to know how long it would take to actually save money if anything nowadays.
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It will cost a couple hundred to get a good starter kit. Look at RCBS or Redding. Most of the other stuff will disappoint. Once you're into it, you'll understand more of what you want in your tools. You will need a press, powder measure, trimmer, priming tool, 6" caliper, chamfering tool, scale. You will probably never reach a point where you save money. For me. it's quiet time to think about past trips and future trips. You will get some satisfaction that your loads are custom fitted and loaded for your rifle. It's about precision measurement and consistancy.
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That really depends on a lot of variables. How many different calibers you are gonna reload and if you care how long it takes to load the bullets. Single stage vs. Progressive is what I mean by the time factor. There are plenty of good kits out there to get you started if your not looking for specifics, some for under $200. I like the digital scale but most kits come with the balance beam style. My first press was a Dillon 550 and I eventually got a turret single stage for loading rifle rounds.
Once you figure out some of the basic things your looking for I would keep an eye out on craigslist and see what pops up on there. I've seen some really good deals on reloading setups, they just aren't always on there.
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I went with LEE. I only spent about $200 plus the cost of powder and bullets and primers. I didn't count the cost of casings since I had saved those from factory stuff that I shot and would normally just give away or throw out. My factory elk round would cost me $1.50/round, my reload elk round is about $0.49. Looking at it that way I broke even after shooting about 400 rounds. Where I really feel it becomes worth it is accuracy. With factory loads I was getting some 1MOA groups. With my reloads I am now able to adjust powder loads until I get some .25MOA groups if I am shooting well and usually not over 1MOA unless I am having a horrible day. I am using a single stage press, concentrating on consistancy more than speed when reloading (making sure powder loads and bullet seat depth are the exactly the same with each round. It is kind of my style of meditation.
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That's not bad. I figured it would be alot more. Might be a great off season hobby. Thanks
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Reloading wont save most any money. Most reloaderes shoot a lot more so it ends up costing just as much.
If I was buying loaded ammo the price tag on the box would keep me from shooting much.
Buying bullets, primers,brass, etc a little at a time it really never seems like I spend a lot but if I added it up I probably spend more on ammo then any other gear.
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Good point jamie, I bought my set up years ago and never used it. I kept shooting factory ammo and saving the brass. Now, years later I've found the price of ammo and brass going up so now I only pick up powders, primers, and bullets. I'm not pressured to buy alot or very often. Only when I find a good deal or have a little extra cash. I also find I dont shoot as much as I used to.
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reloading saves me a lot of money. Factory loads for my 25-06 are $1.50 per round. Reloads are $.34 per round. The 30-30 is the same. For my .357 factory loads are $1.90 reloads are $.33 per round. I would say that thats a savings. Of course I didnt have to purchase my reloading outfit, I inherited it.
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300.00-350.00 will get you a very good setup.
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I got my press, scale, measure, trimmer, 4 sets of dies and misc tools for $100 or $125 on Craigslist. I made it back after the 3rd box of Norma loads I did. Plus I have friends that have come over to load ( I show them and make them do their own) and they always give me the extra primers and powder. I was told to stick with single stage to start and the maybe move up to a progressive after I learn the basics and decide if I enjoy it.
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definately sounds like something I might want to do. Another addition to the man cave.
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Go for it.
Some folks dont really like reloading and find it a chore, they only load what they need for hunting and probably same some money.
Others find reloading/shooting becomes a hobby initself, every bit as expensive as hunting but can be done year round.
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All I can say it's a labor of love with single stage presses. Very time consuming and rewarding at the same time ;)
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All I can say it's a labor of love with single stage presses. Very time consuming and rewarding at the same time ;)
:yeah:
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I second the "you won't save any money" comment. I either shoot so much more than I would if I had to buy the ammo (pistol generally) or I make rounds for the same price as the cheap ammo that are as good as the really expensive ammo for rifle. In neither case do I save any money (gross). I do get a great deal better stuff for my money, and I do get to shoot more, so there is that.
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I started off with a LEE single stage press kit. It was under $200.00. I find it relaxing. Make certain you have no distractions while reloading. I won't even turn on a radio. I don't reload for friends, I don't want anything to do with that. It is nice to gaze at the beautiful works of art you made with your own hands too. I use a turret press for pistols. I enjoy the quiet time with myself, all the worlds worries fade away when I reload.
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Seems to me, it's a win win. I'm on board.
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It saves me money. I scored the majority of my RCBS stuff from an old customer who didn't reload anymore. He gave me a press, scale, trimmer, etc. He was a cool guy, he was all excited we both shot .300 wby's. :chuckle: After buying powder, primers and bullets- I had quite a bit of wby brass, I figure I can load a box of 20 for $15. That's a pretty good savings when you compare it to $70 to go buy a new box of wby. Plus I love the option of loading bullets you can't get with factory box ammo.
MS
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I've taken up reloading in the last year or so. I don't know if it's saving money, but it's saving frustration. I always know were the factory ammo I shoot is stocked on the shelves. I just look for the empty space on the shelves, and that's where the ammo I shoot was stored. I took up reloading so that I wouldn't be at the mercy of the stores.
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Yea, really depends upon what you plan to reload for, and how many rounds you expect to be churning out..
If you'l be making a few small batches of larger cal rounds, I'd go with something simple like the Lee 50th anniversary kit, nice single stage kit. It will be a timely process, but you learn a ton and have much more control over the reloading process. I swear by mine for handloading anything larger than .223
The other option would be a progressive-type loader, which is more of an assembly-line for ammo production. Just pull the handle, place a partition/bullet in the appropriate neck, pull handle, repeat. For .223, 9mm, etc... this is golden, and will save you a sh*t-ton of time, not to mention your back will thank you
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You can get an RCBS Rockchucker (highly recommended) kit for less than $300, should have most if not all you need to get started except the dies. Those should run about $30/caliber or so.
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If you look around youll find good deals on a used press and the rest of the stuff. I got my rcbs for $40 bought a scale for $80 dies/shell holder for two cal's for $80 and made a primer pocket tool and reamer. I have done the math and my .338 win was $3 a shot for the factory and is now 1.07 with the price of brass. so after 200rds Im even with buying factory rounds and every round after that Im saving over $2 a shot.
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You can get an RCBS Rockchucker (highly recommended) kit for less than $300, should have most if not all you need to get started except the dies. Those should run about $30/caliber or so.
x2 just what i was thinkin :tup:
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You can get an RCBS Rockchucker (highly recommended) kit for less than $300, should have most if not all you need to get started except the dies. Those should run about $30/caliber or so.
x2 just what i was thinkin :tup:
I bought this kit at cabelas, got it on sale, used some of my club points and a $30 off coupon. Ended up being about $270 with two sets of rcbs dies and a bunch of extra odds and ends. I like the rockchucker, but I don't trust the die settings didn't move after I take a die out, so when I put it back in, make sure to readjust everything again. I ended up getting a Lee classic turret press and a few extra removable turrets so that I can set my dies once and be done with it. I've got both presses set up next to each other. Both serve their purpose.
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i am a freak when it comes to reloading :chuckle: everyhting has to be perfect i feel the same way cwuwildcat. i never trust them even after i lock the die set screw. i always spend a lot of time with a caliper, inspecting the first few rounds. to make sure they are the same as the ones i have loaded, and am shooting already.
