reloading savings

[Rogueone]

what do you have against the poly bullet? seems to simply be a polymer coating as opposed to a copper covering (fmj is copper right?). I know there are older bullets that had a polymer coating over the fmj and those had all kinds of issues, but from what I saw this weekend and can find searching, the master blaster coating is very reliable, and likely less residue than a FMJ bullet.

[SIGSHR]

I have gotten away from reloading in recent years (among other reasons, I
rediscovered the 22 rimfire) so my knowledge is a little dated, but I recall one
of the gunscribes saying you don't save money so much as you can shoot more for the same money. The analogy I like to use is with cooking and baking-compare home made with constant store bought food-or constantly
eating out-and you will soon find that investing in tools, supplies, books and
mastering the skills pays off. Also like you can experiment-in the case of reloading VERY carefully-to find that "just right" load. My knowledge of bench
rest shooting is very meager but I doubt if there has ever been a bench rest
champion who has relied on factory ammunition exclusively, likewise competition shooters-Bullseye and now CAS-are reloaders-in both sports competitors go through large amounts of fairly mild loads, again reloading is a
must unless you are independently wealthy. The one time I timed myself I assembled 300 rounds of 38 WC in one hour on my RCBS 4x4 press. And like
cooking, there is the satisfaction of having done it yourself

[BigJimP]

on the poly bullet - nothing against it as far as fouling the barrel. I'm assuming you were talking about the practice round ( poly bullet, with no powder, and just a primer in it for .45 ACP and probably other calibers ). I don't know if the poly bullets foul the barrel or not.

My problem with the poly practice round that some guys shoot in their garage or whatever - is there's no recoil / so I just don't think it's great practice. Which is why I went with the .22 LR conversion kit initially for at least a little bigger bang / and really now I've gone to shooting a 9mm in virtually the same gun for my practice ( cost of ammo, etc like I discussed earlier).

A FMJ or a CMJ is often copper / but in the case of Montana Gold bullets that I shoot they have Brass coatings - but most jacketed bullets are copper jacketed. A FMJ full metal jacket usually has a lead base that is not jacketed - so they smoke a lot. I choose to shoot a CMJ or complete metal jacket - so it's jacketed on the bottom also and it smokes less if you shoot at an indoor range ( which I do primarily ).

Hope that helps explain my opinion.

[Rogueone]

ah, then we are talking different animals

the master blaster poly-m bullets are simply a normal lead bullet, but instead of a copper covering, it has a polymer coating, with things like Teflon mixed in. It's actually said to be 75-100 fps faster out the barrel due to the reduced friction. And they are very reasonable in bulk. I was using a reload cost calculator page I found somewhere in this area, and when I punched in all the numbers, I was coming in around .10 per round if I could reload a casing 3 or 4 times. Each additional reload seemed to change it by around 1/2 a cent.

For me, if I can reload at under .12 a round, that's huge. And at .10 or better, wow. To buy the cheapest .40 at walmart it's $20 per 100, so being able to reload 1000 for less than $110 is huge at the rate I'm shooting lately

So the difference is huge compared to prices I found on Midway, where the best bullet deals seem to be around .115 per bullet, still needing to get primers and powder and cases. Now if someone will just answer my thread on what i "really" need to buy besides just the press when I make the purchase ....

[BigJimP]

sorry - I had no idea obviously on what you meant by poly ....

What you need:

Press
Maintenance kit for press / a few spare parts ( washers, springs, etc)
Dies for each caliber / caliber conversion kit for each caliber
Components ( brass, primers, powder and bullets ). Start with a box of primers ( 1,000 ), 1 lb of powder and a box of bullets ( 250 or so ).
A good reloading book ( Lyman, Hodgdon, etc )
A digital caliper
A "case gague" for each caliber you will load.
primer "flip" tray

Case cleaner - vibrator ( cleaning media, polish, and case lube )

Scale - I prefer digital, but balance beam will work

A Bullet puller - and patience, read, read, read some more .....keep things clean, and follow the directions. Start with Minimum recommended loads - and get input on a specific load before you jump in.

As an example: in 9mm I like Hodgdon Titegroup for powder, CCI small pistol primers, 124 grain CMJ Montana Gold bullet . I belive the book calls for a min of 4.1 gr to max of 4.4 grains of Titegroup in 9mm. My personal target for my own loads is 4.3 grains or a hair lighter.

Dillon and others have startup kits they sell. You'll need a bench to load at as well - all of these presses need to be firmly attached to a bench. You could mount them temporarily with wing nuts or something - and then move it to a storage area if you have to - but it has to be firm. A 2 X 6 top on an old kitchen cabinet will work / a typical workbench something with good solid legs. Personally, I like something that is stool height / I use an old kitchen stool so I'm up a little higher than a chair. Good light in the area is important too - flourescents flicker and drive me nuts - but you need general light in the area and light right on the press ( like a good shop task light ).