Am I missing something on the cost of reloading?

[wilderness medic]

Forgive my ignorance but...What's going on then

Background checks for ammunition purchases.

[RestrictedColt]

If you're near me you can come over and make a few so you can get a taste of it. I don't have match level .308 components like you priced out, but you can make some free plinkers to get your feet wet.

[wilderness medic]

If you're near me you can come over and make a few so you can get a taste of it. I don't have match level .308 components like you priced out, but you can make some free plinkers to get your feet wet.

I appreciate the offer, but I am very far north

[Metal God]

Yep your primer price is off and

Brass 77 cents per piece of brass but I get 20 loads out of 1 case = 4 cents a round

The above quote is the big price you were way off on . You should be able to load 308 match grade ammo at no more the half the cost of factory stuff and really more like a 3rd of the cost of factory .

Well that's only if you are not taking time off work to reload . If your doing it on your FREE time where you'd otherwise be doing something else none productive like watching tv or talking with the wife you should be gtg

[the_tunaman]

Forgive my ignorance but...What's going on then

Here’s a thread with details: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...ight=July+2019

In addition to the check, all purchases will be logged in a database. Also, if I recall correctly, if the ammo you are attempting to purchase doesn’t match a caliber you have registered, the check can (will?) fail and there would be more hoops to jump through with associated costs? Not real clear on how this is all shaking out now, since I’ve been stocking up and am already able to load for everything I shoot (14 calibers).

[wilderness medic]

Yep your primer price is off and



The above quote is the big price you were way off on . You should be able to load 308 match grade ammo at no more the half the cost of factory stuff and really more like a 3rd of the cost of factory .

Well that's only if you are not taking time off work to reload and doing it on your FREE time where you'd otherwise be doing something else none productive like watching tv or talking with the wife

Whoa. I thought it was just a couple before they were trash. I'm in on this deal. Thanks.


Is a reloading manual necessary, or would online information be fine? If so which is the most current up to date one.

[NapalmCheese]

Sierra Match King bullets $38

Lapua brass $77

CCI primers $37
IMR powder $17

Total cost $168


$1.68/round

The next time you load 100 rounds it'll be:

SMK - $38
IMR Powder $17.

For a total of $55.00, or $0.55/round.

The next time it'll be:

SMK - $38 dollars (you had half a pound of powder left the first time you loaded, and half a pound left the second time you loaded).

For a total of $38.00, or $0.38/round for (presumably) match quality ammo.

[NapalmCheese]

Whoa. I thought it was just a couple before they were trash. I'm in on this deal. Thanks.


Is a reloading manual necessary, or would online information be fine? If so which is the most current up to date one.

There are places to get reputable data online, but a reloading manual is so much more than just the recipes. Every reloading manual worth it's weight has a few chapters in the beginning of the book going over internal and external ballistics, the reloading process, what to look for while reloading, and how to develop good ammo in a safe way. Often there are tricks and tips that aren't at first apparently when you are doing this yourself. There are discussions about equipment and technique and advice on what to do if you get stuck.

You need at least one good reloading manual. Lyman or Sierra IMO.

As for the actual recipes, loaddata.com is a site run by Wolfe publishing that gives you access to data from a number of reloading manuals, as well as data generated by the people who publish Handloader magazine. Double check the data when you can, some of it is old and relatively out of date.

Other than that, Hodgdon, Alliant, Barnes, and a few others have reloading data online. Some have their entire catalog, some just have amendments to their current book online.

A word of advice if you start chasing velocity: many of the velocities reported by bullet and powder manufacturers are for 24 inch barrels, some (Sierra I'm looking at you) test their ammo in a 26 inch barrel. It's not uncommon that you won't get the same velocity with a max charge of powder as was listed in the book. After I started looking at Velocity/Charge ratios it made it easier for me to see the relationship between barrel length and velocity loss when I was reloading stuff. It's important to remember that you can generate max pressure without showing any real signs of being over pressure.

[the_tunaman]

Whoa. I thought it was just a couple before they were trash. I'm in on this deal. Thanks.


Is a reloading manual necessary, or would online information be fine? If so which is the most current up to date one.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=108907

[Divernhunter]

If you think you will save money then do not reload. You will not save anything. At the end of the year you will have spent just as much as if you bought factory ammo. The thing is you will shoot a whole lot more.
Reloading is a great hobby related to firearms. It can be very relaxing and fulfilling. If you count your time as a cost(most do not) then it may not pay for you to load. Most do not count their time as a factor since it is a hobby in itself.

But if the only reason you are thinking of reloading is to "save money" then forget it.

If you want to shoot more for the same money and possibly have better ammo then reloading is a great hobby.

[hambam105]

If the #1 reason you want to Reload is saving money then you really shouldn't.

[JagerDog]

Not quite fair to amortize brass over 20 firings and not adjust for the fact you get brass (albeit generally not Lapua) on a factory round too.

You sure don't need Lapua brass to load rounds which rival anything you can buy. It'll be well down your reloading experience before you find say Lake City or Starline to be a limiting factor.

[TKM]

Look into getting a Curio & Relic FFL ($30 for three years), it's a collectors license not a business type license. Many online suppliers have a dealers program that you can access that will reduce your costs.

http://www.cruffler.com/ and http://castboolits.gunloads.com/cmps_index.php are good resources, the ultimate in cheap bastids.....

If you also get a COE, somewhat more expensive and has to be renewed yearly, you will be exempt from the upcoming ammo nonsense.

[kcheung2]

For plinking-grade .308, it's possible to get it much lower than 58c. Get once-fired brass from the reloading marketplace here, the projectiles from Everglades or Rocky Mountain Reloading (or Hornady 150fmjbt if you can find it on sale), and the primers & powder is the same. Cost should be around 42-ish cents, which is comparable to the steel-cased Tula you used to shoot, but it won't damage your gun. While not truly match grade it will still be quite precise.

[edgerly779]

Brass is reusable. You can get good bullet prices from nosler overruns when on sale.