Is it worth it?

[thejeanmachine16]

Hi everyone,
I am seriously considering going in half and half with my father and start to handload. I was wondering how much money do you save by handloading and if it is worth the intial cost of buying all the equipment. What are some other benifits of reloading? Also how dangerous is it?Let me know

[rwilson452]

If you follow the Directions and don't stray from published data it's safe. I don't know how many people do this hobby but it's a LOT and you don't see people getting injured handloading. The problem of answering your inital question is indeterminate. What are you going to reload and how much are you going to reload. If it's just for some occational range time in 9mm the answer is no it is not worth it. generally, you will not save money reloading you tend to shoot up your savings. Another down side of reloading is it's a very addictive hobby. once your get bit by this bug your hooked for life. depending on what you reload. another major benefit is you can make ammo for your specific firearm and increase it's accuracy by at least 50% I would suggest before you take the plunge you buy a few books. I would suggest "The ABC's of Reloading and Lymans Metalic reloading. If your loading pistol stuff and are not buying high end bullets and save your brass. you can cut the cost a lot. with a low end setup you can amortize the cost in around 2-3000 rounds. Presses can be had new for under a $100 to well over $1000.
The low end single stage presses make ammo much slower than the High end progressive presses.

Hi everyone,
I am seriously considering going in half and half with my father and start to handload. I was wondering how much money do you save by handloading and if it is worth the intial cost of buying all the equipment. What are some other benifits of reloading? Also how dangerous is it?Let me know

[Shoney]

Rwilson452 gave a very good answer, so I will be brief. I started reloading in 1960, and have seen many changes over the years. How much do you save by reloading? Complex answer which I will address second.

First, by reloading, you get premium ammunition, custom tailored to your weapon for it’s intended use. Accurate, reliable ammo is the real benefit of handoading.

Savings vary depending on may factors such as cost and quality of equipment, and whether buying bulk components mail order or from local shops in small quantity.

Savings can be from $3 - $10 per box of 50 on pistol ammo, and $5 - $25 per box 20 on rifle ammo.

Read the following thread
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=18835

[thejeanmachine16]

Thanks for the info. I think i am going to go ahead and buy the equipment and start reloading. I will mostly be reloading .270 win and 30-06. Its getting expensive for 20 rounds its $15.

[tINY]

If you are on a budget and are happy with the results from $15 ammo, get the Lee Press. That will save you a bunch on equipment and you can always get better stuff later.

You are gonna have to load over 1000 rounds before you "save" any money, though.....




-tINY

[Buckythebrewer]

You can get TOP notch ammo from inexpensive Lee kits.The only time you will need more is if you do competition shooting(maybe special purpose dies or other equipment)..I have used my challenger press for years now and it still works fine along with my original lee dies.I have used those dies to shoot 1/2 inch groups with my encore 223,and then used the same dies to shoot Under M.O.A to 600 yards with my ar15..So for normal shooting and hunting you will never need more than a Lee setup.And for more serious stuff you might just need some special dies and measuring tools..I highly recommend getting a case gauge(for making quick checks on your sizing) and the rcbs precision mic if your loading bottle neck cartridges so you can measure shoulder displacement and then adjust your dies accordingly.It will make your brass last longer and it will be better for safety as well..

As far as worth it??I think you can save alot with some types of ammo,and I also think it is worth it because you can usually always make better ammo than what you can buy.

[SIGSHR]

IIRC the Old Rule of Reloading was that you do about 2-3 times more shooting for the same money, and you can load for wildcats and Improved
version, obsolete and semi-obsolete calibers-in my case 8x50R Austrian
and 8MM Lebel Rifle.

[JJB2]

lots of good input here ! i guess i'll just add that reloading is also a great hobby in itself for me... it's something i can do during a cold night here in iowa when it's -20 wind chill outside... i hope you have saved your empty cases or got yourself some once fired cases to reload.... it's true you can make better than factory cartrages on a modest reloading setup. i've done it for over 20 years..........

[mrawesome22]

I'm going to say this. Reloading costs much less per round. But since I've started reloading I shoot much more. I'd say the price is about the same but you get to shoot much more and the ammo is custom built for your gun. My Grandfather once asked me if my muzzleloader was safe. I told him "every gun is only as safe as the person holding it".

[tINY]

Reloading is a good thing to do, but $15-22 for a box of Fusion cartridges makes the cost proposition a hard sell anymore. At around 35¢ of consumables per round (or more) and the overhead of working up to the pressure you want, it takes a while to amortize the several hundred dollars of tools - even if you get 20 loadings out of a case.

There is a reason I don't have 30-30 dies (but I have been saving the brass...).



-tINY

[Buckythebrewer]

Ill give you an extreme case of why you would not want to reload some cartridges.

Ready??!!
The ak74 round 5.45x39

OH,, MY,,, G O D !!! Try reloading that One cheap!! Many hundreds of dollars ,even after you already have a reloading setup.
If anybody has found an easy and cheap way,, LET ME KNOW!
My friend has a wicked accurate ak74 and ive been trying to get him setup to reload for it...

FORGET THAT!!!
For the most part you can reload alot of cartridges and save money.But some(7.62x39 or maybe 223 for example) are not really worth it unless you do it for a special purpose(hunting or target shooting mostly)

[trigger45]

my dad bought me the cheap lee set with dies and everything. $20 for powder $22 for 1000 primers and $16 for the first 100 bullets. in the month of oct i fired 125 rounds of .243 and it was fun. what i should have been doing all along. next is .270win and 8x57js

[mjrodney]

Here are my actual costs at today's prices using ordinary Clays powder, 200g SWC lead bullets and range pickup brass.

For .45ACP, $6.33 per 100.

For .38spl, $5.62 per 100.

I mailorder powder in 8 lb. containers, gun shows for 5000 primers at a time in each caliber, and a local caster for bullets 5000 at a time.

[Ben Shepherd]

Rifle rounds can be handloaded for around 1/3 the cost of commercial. Loads tailored to your gun can be more accurate.

Quality time with dad doing something you both enjoy? What's that worth? A hell of a lot more than money.

[Daniel BOON]

is that you can close the door and concentrate on what your doing; no worrying about the kids/wife/christmas/job/dog pooping on the floor; its very relaxing. and if you don't concentrate on what you are doing, well..you won't have to worry about much of anything anymore

[Deputy1199]

If you like to work with your hands, try reloading. When you reload, you are a craftsman, hand crafting custom ammunition. I started reloading .38 Special in 1971 on a Redding turret press, producing better quality rounds than could be purchased in those days. In 35 years I've advanced to 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, 30-30 rifle and lately .357 Sig. The advantage of reloading is the ability to choose and match each and every component, from the bullet, brass, powder and primer, to the specific gun and for a particular purpose: range shooting, competition and/or self defense. You can determine the best combination of accuracy and reliability for any gun, and at a considerable savings over factory prices. A box of 20 rounds of .357 Sig carry ammo cost me $14.95 plus tax, or more than 75 cents a round. I reload that caliber for 10 cents a round. As long as you are careful and don't rush, reloading is absolutely safe, and a rewarding activity.

[44 AMP]

At least for me. I currently load for over 25 calibers (I keep losing count), and began reloading in the early 70s.

Plus side: Ammo tailored to your gun(s). Reduced cost (for most rounds), personal satisfaction.

Minus side: Takes time, cost of tools, picking up brass after firing

You can make ammo for about 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of new factory stuff, EXCEPT for milsurp ammo. Common military calibers can still be bought in case lots for about the same price, sometimes even cheaper than you can reload for them. Ammo prices are going up, the cost of components will go up as well, but the relationship between the cost of factory ammo and reloads should stay about the same.

The most expensive part of the ammo is the case, so save them.

Get a couple of reloading manuals, and the digest book ABCs of reloading. These will teach you all you need for basics, and a few of the "advanced" techniques as well.

Presses, dies, etc. need not be bought new. Unless abused, these things seldom get worn out. The can be found in gunshops (sometimes), gunshows, and in the want ads, as people often sell their setups when they quit reloading. Also, check E-Bay, once you know what you want for tools. I would get your scale new, or at least a good set of check weights if you get a used scale.

Read the manuals, get an understanding of both the process and the tools, than make up your shopping list. Good Luck, and enjoy.

[DWARREN123]

You can taylor ammo to your specs. It can be cheaper but usually turns out that you spend as much just shoot more. It is a hobby in its own right and for some is great fun.
Shooting great targets or taking game animals with ammo you reloaded is a really great feeling.

[qajaq59]

for your rifles is sort of like tying your own flies for fishing. Saving money is only a small part of it.

[Edward429451]

When your reloading bug bite gets infected, you'll realize that you can cut your costs even more by casting your own boolits from wheelweights. Another setup, another hobby, another huge savings in itself...

Brings your cost of slugs down from ~.10 to ~.01 as compared to jacketed, and down from ~.05 or .06 ea from commercial cast, including gas & lube, but not time.