Is reloading worth the effort?

[TheCilician]

I know there are lots of materials one might need, but is it worth the time,effort, labor ( hours of siting and pressing from what I've read)...money spent on equipment?

Especially for .223 or even .40 pistol?

Awaiting some informative responses. Thanks.

If you say "Yes" please explain why, I'd like to know from fellow Calgunners.

[Timberwolf]

It depends on one factor - is the cost of ammo probibiting you from enjoying the shooting sports more than you presently are? If your answer is yes then the answer to your above question is yes.

[jptsr1]

not to me. id have to shoot much more than i do for the equipment to pay for itself. even once it has i don't think there is a huge savings over buying bulk all things considered. my grandfather on the other hand likens reloading to a religious experience. he finds it very relaxing and often "rolls much more than he can smoke". it also comes in handy when you want to fine tune loads for specific purposes (according to him).

[mif_slim]

I know there are lots of materials one might need, but is it worth the time,effort, labor ( hours of siting and pressing from what I've read)...money spent on equipment?

Especially for .223 or even .40 pistol?

Awaiting some informative responses. Thanks.

If you say "Yes" please explain why, I'd like to know from fellow Calgunners.

Yes and No

Yes because you can customize the ammo to be what you want, not factory spec.

No because even if you buy all the equipment right now, you wont be able to find components to load ammo. But, if your rich and have money to dump, GB are selling powders for 600 per 8 lbs (thats 6x what it use to be priced last year) and Primers for some 100-200 bucks, which use to be 26.99-35.99 last year. So, its up to you. You choose.

[jptsr1]

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

here's an interesting calculator i found. sorry if you have seen it already.

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

[TheCilician]

Yes and No

Yes because you can customize the ammo to be what you want, not factory spec.

No because even if you buy all the equipment right now, you wont be able to find components to load ammo. But, if your rich and have money to dump, GB are selling powders for 600 per 8 lbs (thats 6x what it use to be priced last year) and Primers for some 100-200 bucks, which use to be 26.99-35.99 last year. So, its up to you. You choose.

That makes sense. (as does the rest of all other CG's responses.)

Until I've got lots of time on my hands, (and $$) I guess this can wait. But thanks for the info. y'all.

[mattman]

In my own experience its more fun than practical.

[jb7706]

For me, yes. The initial set up cost for me was high, but I took a few years to save up and bought quality gear. I took that time to talk to other shooters that are active in similar sports and learn from their successes and failures. Now that I am set up I find that reloading is a hobby unto itself. There is so much to learn and understand so many variables to account for, it's very much an art form. It's a total break from my "day job" and that is a great stress reliever.

The cost and availability of components makes the cost savings argument hard to sell right now, but that will change eventually. You can still do it cheaper than commercial ammo if you try hard enough, and you can still beat the quality of mass produced ammo.

I also find that I can get my kids involved in some aspects, so it gives me a way to spend time with my boys and that is priceless time. With luck by the time they head off to the military, college, or whatever life has in store for them they will each have 10+ years of experience loading and shooting. Just one more skill they have to let them enjoy life or help them through tough times.

Depending on what you are looking to do and what kind of shooting you are into you can easily spend hours in the garage tinkering with bullets, brass and powder. Those hours will result in dozens to thousands of rounds of ammo that are "cheaper better and faster" than your local Walmart can provide. For me there is a lot of satisfaction in seeing the results of those hours translate into better shooting at the range, and the time I get with my boys is the cherry on top.

[qbi2001]

In my own experience its more fun than practical.

Exactly, it just gives you time to sit in the garage away from the wife to play with bullets. Whats not to love. I find it my own type of therapy. The only thing I don't like about reloading is not being able to smoke a cigar at my bench.

Honestly though it is cost effective if you shoot alot, however I would wait for the market to return to normal before I started buying reloading equipment.

[rksimple]

No. Stay far away from reloading. We don't need any more demand for non-existent supplies.

Really, if you reload precision/match ammo, the payoff is huge and your initial costs are recovered quickly. Takes a little longer for just plinking fodder.

[Jonathan Doe]

It is worthwhile for me. I load my rifle rounds for my specific rifles and they are very accurate. Plus, it costs a lot less than buying those match ammo.

[a.tinkerer]

For your service pistol and carbine (assuming here that you are talking about martial .40 autoloader and .223 black rifle) factory ammunition can be just fine - but if you're shooting *a lot* or competing in 3-gun or similar 'race' competitions, making your own ammo in bulk can save some money.
(I won't address the current market squeeze on components and ammo - this will pass)

For me, handloading is the only way I'm going to be able to shoot most of the guns and rifles that I own and shoot. For the modern guns and rifles that I use, there is factory ammunition available, but I prefer to set up my own loads to perform to my personal preferences.
Having someone else do it for me would simply be too expensive.


Most guys are happy to buy factory ammo and blast away.
They either don't want to bother or don't have the resource or aptitude to set up and load their own.
That's fine - and there's opportunity for everyone within that arrangement. If you don't have to mess with handloading and don't want to do it, buy your ammunition off the shelf and blast away!



Cheers
Tinker

[DB2]

The only thing I don't like about reloading is not being able to smoke a cigar at my bench.

Ah come on, where is your sense of adventure?

I find it to be part of the hobby. It also gives me "quiet time". I probably don't NEED to reload, but I find it relaxing.

[bigmike82]

It's absolutely worth it for me.

I shoot 300 win mag. Match ammo for this sucker can cost upwards of 2 bucks a round...

My setup cost was pretty cheap. I've got the Lee Hand Press; along with the Lee 300 win mag dies, it came to something like 75 bucks starting cost, without powder, brass, primer and bullets.

At this point, I think my cost, is about 50 to 75 cents per round. And they shoot straight and true....every time.

[hamster]

For me it is worth it. I mainly bought my reloading gear so I could come up with a perfect load for my Rem700. I am a scientist by trade and for me, I enjoy being able to manipulate the variables until I find my perfect load. Also, when you're talking match grade ammo in 308, it cost about $1 a shot. I can reload my own bullets for about 25cents a shot.