Poor Mans Reloading

[wes.crockett]

Hey All,

Some back story... I am a low-volume shooter. I have the desire to do reloading, but really think getting a full bench kit would be WAY overkill for me, and would also blow my budget (almost non-existent).

I happen to have a $100 Cabela's gift card and had the thought of getting the Classic Lee Loader (in 308.)

If I were to get this, could you guys point me in the direction of budget friendly supplies to make my first, say, 100 rounds? All I would need (other than the non-included hammer) is brass, primers, powder, and bullets... right?

Also, what hammer do I need?

Any information can help! I realize this isn't the preferred method of reloading, but I am just really looking for something that is a bit more economical than buying factory all the time and I really don't have anything else at Cabelas worth blowing my card on.

Thanks guys!

-Wes

[stand125]

I would use the money and get the hand press kit and a set of 308 dies. I started with the classic loader and it works great but you will want to move up quickly to something more versatile. You will want a manuel ( LEE MANUAL ) since you will have LEE equipment.

[jimmykan]

Add another $50 on top of your $100 gift card and get this:

Cabelas.com - Lee Breech Lock Challenger Kit

If you get the classic kit, use a 1/2 pound mallet with a brass head and a plastic head, like this one:

Harbor Freight - 3 Oz Double Sided Mallet

[wes.crockett]

I would use the money and get the hand press kit and a set of 308 dies. I started with the classic loader and it works great but you will want to move up quickly to something more versatile. You will want a manuel ( LEE MANUAL ) since you will have LEE equipment.

Which hand press kit are you referring to? Is it a bench-type system or still something portable and compact?

Thank you.

[wes.crockett]

Add another $50 on top of your $100 gift card and get this:

Lee Breech Lock Challenger Kit

Not a bad entry level kit, but I would also have to add about $30-40 for the .308 dies + shell holders. It would be a more ideal setup, but doesn't work with today's constraints. Luckily, if I do really get in to it, I can justify a better setup in about a year (after grad school...)

[jessdigs]

I would use the $100 gift card on primers, powder, and projectiles. Buy brass on the cast boolits forum or Calguns, and buy a single stage or better bench mount. You are going to out grow the one in the link very fast. I sent you a PM with a link for a press I find, never used, in 308.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[wes.crockett]

Add another $50 on top of your $100 gift card and get this:

If you get the classic kit, use a 1/2 pound mallet with a brass head and a plastic head, like this one:

Harbor Freight - 3 Oz Double Sided Mallet

Perfect. Thanks!

[stand125]

Which hand press kit are you referring to? Is it a bench-type system or still something portable and compact?

Thank you.

It is the LEE hand press kit, totally portable.

[jtake]

If budget is a problem, you should think about whether it makes sense to handload.

Why? Because if you are buying components is small volume, you pay much more than purchasing in bulk. For example, a pound of powder really cannot be purchased via Internet. Why? because you need to pay a $35 hazmat fee for each shipment, from 1lb up to around 48lbs of powder. Thus, you need to purchase from LGS unless you are buying in bulk so to defray the hazmat costs.

Price it out and see how much you save from a pure dollar standpoint versus match ammo. Assuming you reuse brass and don't include it in costs, your costs might be around .70-.75 a round for 175 smks (1lb of powder at $40 (150 rounds), 100 bullets for $38, 1000 primers for $40).

In comparison, you can buy 168 FGMM for around $1/round on sale through the Internet (yes, time is short for mail-order sales).

Now, do you get better ammo and potentially a cheaper unit? Yes, but you also need to factor in time and it will take a little longer if you use a non-bench set up. Using a single stage press, from start to finish, I would not be surprised if it took me 3+ hours to load 100 rifle rounds (decap, clean, size, tumble to remove lube, trim/chamfer, prime, powder, seat). This is actual handling time, and does not include the time the brass is tumbling/cleaning/drying.

You will also have to develop a load for your rifle, which is fun, but still consumes components before you settle on a useful load.

Also, reloaders often stockpile components as (1) you can purchase things cheaper in bulk (2) you have enough to load without having to rush to the store or order something before you can load, (3) you can try different combinations and (4) you might be limited in what components you can purchase (particular primers and powders are often hard to come by both online and in LGS, but things have been getting better).

So if you are truly on a budget, you may be better off just purchasing ammo if you are an occasional, low volume shooter. Of course, low volume is relative. A 1000 round-a-year shooter is low volume to a 20,000 round shooter.

[stand125]

You will be very limited with the CLASSIC LOADER. The kit only requires a mallet and a set of calipers which could be as cheap as a few bucks if they are the plastic slide ones from harbor freight. The kit has everything including the powder chart which you will have to follow since the powder dipper coincides with the chart. Here is video I made a few years ago with my 308 classic loader

https://youtu.be/F_zD6B6Ph60

[wes.crockett]

You will be very limited with the CLASSIC LOADER. The kit only requires a mallet and a set of calipers which could be as cheap as a few bucks if they are the plastic slide ones from harbor freight. The kit has everything including the powder chart which you will have to follow since the powder dipper coincides with the chart. Here is video I made a few years ago with my 308 classic loader

https://youtu.be/F_zD6B6Ph60

For the volume I am looking at, this would be perfect.. something I can do at my desk in spare time.

Someone brought up the powder issue of the hazmat fees... I think I can get powder locally though. For a first run of primers, brass (to get started... reload the brass twice after initial fire), and bullets, what would you recommend?

[stand125]

I started years ago loading 45acp on a classic loader and still keep a 223 and 45acp loader in my bug out bag. I bought the kit, a 1.99 plastic slide caliper, a 1.99 small hard platic mallet, 3.99 for a sleeve of primers, 1 lb of powder and the brass i had from picking it up off the ground. I got the LEE manual and I made 50 rounds and was hooked on reloading. I quickly realized though that i wanted ( NOT NEEDED ) a reloading press and got the best all around press ever which is the LEE CLASSIC TURRET PRESS. You will probably always keep the Classic Loader for field loading and you will only spend the cost of the kit more than if you went directly to a press so no money really wasted.

The powder dipper throws a minimum powder charge amd only neck sizes so you will get way more than two reloadings, LEE CLASSIC LOADER IS RECOMMENDED FOR BOLT ACTION ONLY RIFLES, so would not work for semi auto rifle.

[NorCalFocus]

A cheap addition to make the ammo a little more precise would be a beam scale. Use the scopper to throw it, then trickle up to your desired weight.

After you go through this another way to make really accurate rifle rounds and not need a whole area is using a arbor press and Wilson dies.

[NapalmCheese]

I started reloading with this: http://leeprecision.com/breech-lock-hand-press.html

which is what I think stand125 is referring to.

Get the hand press, a set of dies, a priming tool (I used the priming 'die') and a beam scale. Digital scales take up less space but when you are weighing every charge the beam scale is faster (and doesn't drift). A set of dippers is somewhat useful but you can make your own from spent brass. A powder trickler is not necessary, just pinch some powder between your fingers and sprinkle in.

Resizing is slow and laborious this way since you don't have great leverage, but you do have a way to make ammo at the range or while on a shooting vacation or something for load development. I once spent a couple of weeks in southern California sitting in my hotel room reloading the same 100 pieces of brass every few days.

I used the hand press for years in low volume shooting and load development until I recently purchased a turret press and powder thrower.

[wes.crockett]

LEE CLASSIC LOADER IS RECOMMENDED FOR BOLT ACTION ONLY RIFLES, so would not work for semi auto rifle.

Can you explain why it would not work in semi-automatic rifles? I have an AR-10 that I was hoping to load for.

Thank you,
Wes