Reloading pros and cons?

[Full Clip]

So, smoking candy cigarettes really can lead to shooting dope....

Ha, truth.

[ghideon]

Shizoot, I THOUGHT about getting a dedicated press just another caliber (or just rifle)!

2-4 Minutes is too long to switch calibers?

I think if I ever get another press, it'll be an XL750. I'll turn the 650 into a brass processing press with a swage it. I'll just transfer my other three tool heads to the 750.

[Mr. Blue]

Pros



- as long as you have components... you HAVE ammo!
- helps you spend quality time in the basement, AWAY from the wife & kids!
- you become intimately familiar with the various bugs of your AO, and discover, that they LOVE your basement too!
- discover LOTS of new friends in the shooting community, who will love hanging out WITH you in the basement, and... saaaaayyy... would you mind reloading some ammo for ME?

All great comments but this was very funny. Well said, especially about the friends politely asking if I could pump out just a few hundred rounds for them.



Cons


- you CAN possibly blow yourself up... along with the house, wife, & kids, if you're careless...
- it doesn't REALLY save money, until your several YEARS into it
- if components AREN'T available... like... NOW; you're back in the same boat as the rest of us.

- the wife & kids MIGHT miss you!

Very funny, well said.

[Mr. Blue]

Not a great time to consider reloading.
But you can start by saving your brass. I did that for almost two years before i bought my first reloading setup, a simple Lee Loader kit that came with all you see here:

[ATTACH]936037[/ATTACH]

All I needed was a a Lee reloading book, mallet, scale, 100 bullets, 100 primers and a pound of powder to make about 30 rounds an hour.
I think it was about $150, all-in.
After making and shooting all 100 rounds, I was hooked and bought an RCBS turret press, which sped up production quite a bit.
You don't have to spend a lotta money to find out if reloading is for you.

[Mr. Blue]

I think there's going to be lots of opinions on this, probably way more than most other posts.

But when you boil it down, it's either a way to save money on big calibers, a way to make better bullets for your firearms, and finally a way to be self sufficient.

Economically I've only been able to make my money back based on current prices for ammo, for 9mm bought at $.18/rd it makes no sense to reload if you factor in your time.

Accuracy wise you'd have to spend a lot of money on other equipment usually not included in reloading sets, like a comparator, calipers, digital scales, seater dies that seat by ogive, ogive measuring tool for your rifle, match grade bullets, benchrest primers, concentricity tool, neck turning tool.
All to get that last quarter inch knocked off. I laughed when I saw the new scale system selling at about $800, just to get your powder dropped and measured faster. It makes sense if you're a competative shooter shooting thousands of rounds a week.

At this point it is also hard to find components (bullets/primers/powder/brass) which has incrementally gone up in price also.

Lastly, the budget lee hand loader "system" can technically load a bullet but you'll hate it. Knowing what I know now I'd still have my Lee Classic Turret press and RCBS Rock Chucker. A progressive press is a want. A Shotshell press is for those really picky shotshell shooters.

[XDJYo]

Biggest pro I can think of is having the production and amount of ammo in your control. As long as you can source components (which even now is difficult and/or expensive), you can reload to your hearts desire.

I first started shooting in 2012, a little before Sandy Hook. Ammo prices went thru the roof. Paid $60/100 for 45 acp. I know it's higher now. Ammo was scarce and you couldn't find it at all. A lot like today.

After that, I bought a Dillon 650 and gradually added powder, primers and bullets as they became available and costs came back down. Currently sitting on about 1k 45 acp factory, 2k 9 mm factory and 3k reloaded 45 acp ammo. I can make another 1k maybe. I'm slacking on the bullet side of things. But, I have primers and powder for another 10k which should keep me busy for a while.

That to me, is the biggest advantage.

[the86d]

Pro #3: "There is an Ammo Shortage?"

Con, all the little EXTRAS: Sizing lube, Cob, brasso/polish, walnut, tumbler, primer pocket swager/cleaner, (, wet tumber, soap, citric acid), PLASTIC roller handle upgrade (worth it), etc.
Carbide .223 Dillon dies are a pricey set, like $200 for the full set, shipped, as opposed to Dillon steel @ like $100, shipped.

Make sure to OVER-lube when sizing .223/5.56.

[Cowboy T]

Here's a shopping list to get you started with reloading. The motivation was a friend who wanted to get started with reloading. Unfortunately, the folks she asked kept insisting that she only buy a progressive press right off the bat, and she decided it was too complicated (rightly so). Therefore, I came up with this list to help newbies, like I was not so long ago, get into the hobby without A.) overcomplicating things, and B.) spending a bunch of money unnecessarily.

The prices may vary a little based on who you buy your stuff from, but it should still be right around $300.

1.) Single-stage "Lee Reloader Breech-Lock Press", $50
2.) Set of three dies (Lee Precision) for your cartridge, $40 (standard shell holder is already included)
3.) Lee Auto-Prime XR, $18
4.) The special shell holder for Lee Auto-Primes for your cartridge, $2.00 or so
5.) Beam scale, either RCBS 500 or Dillon Eliminator ($90) (Note: I do *NOT* like or recommend the inexpensive digital jobs--too unreliable)
6.) Set of analog dial calipers, $25 (the digital jobs go through batteries WAAAY too fast--I've already been there)
7.) Kinetic bullet puller, $15
8.) Vibratory tumbler, $35
9.) Brass cleaning medium, fine crushed walnut or corn cob, $11 at PetSmart or PetCo ("Lizard Litter")
10.) Good car polish, e. g. NuFinish, for helping the crushed walnut--DO NOT USE BRASSO or anything else with ammonia in it, though!
11.) Colander-type sifter to separate the brass from the cleaning medium once the brass is clean (mine was $7.00)

Total: $293. This is a complete, functional setup, and the same thing I used to make my first 1,000 rounds.

[Kokopelli]

Advantage is accuracy. My handloads are more accurate than factory ammo. In some firearms, you can load hotter. My Ruger pistol and carbine manuals say that the firearms are rated for +P ammo. However, I reload for accuracy, not power.

There are several dangerous aspects to reloading you should be aware of...

• Accumulations of unfired primer dust on your reloading equipment.
• Fired primer dust contains lead.
• Squib loads.
• Double charges.
• Damaged cases.
• Excessive bullet seating depth increases pressure.
• Primers not seated properly.

Always wear safety glasses when reloading. Keep the reloading area neat and tidy. (I'm preaching to myself here.) Be aware of local ordinances limiting the ammout of powder and primers you may have. Don't store powder and primers together.

Learn how to cast and powder coat. Powder coating has made my reloads shoot with no leading of the barrel.

[bruce381]

Not a great time to consider reloading.
But you can start by saving your brass. I did that for almost two years before i bought my first reloading setup, a simple Lee Loader kit that came with all you see here:

[ATTACH]936037[/ATTACH]

All I needed was a a Lee reloading book, mallet, scale, 100 bullets, 100 primers and a pound of powder to make about 30 rounds an hour.
I think it was about $150, all-in.
After making and shooting all 100 rounds, I was hooked and bought an RCBS turret press, which sped up production quite a bit.
You don't have to spend a lotta money to find out if reloading is for you.

yes do this tip your toe in first very easy to use kit and cheap.
follow direction exactly and you will be fine maybe start with pistol rounds first.
How I started now full on dillion case feeder etc plus cast my own bullts too.

[GeeBee49]

Shizoot, I THOUGHT about getting a dedicated press just another caliber (or just rifle)!
2-4 Minutes is too long to switch calibers?

With the Lee Turret Press you can change calibers in about 4 seconds.

The biggest "pro" to me was sense of accomplishment. You sit down at your reloading bench, go through the motions and when you're done you have fifty shiny brass and copper cartridges. It feels so good you just start over and do the whole thing again.
I can't think of a "con" right now.

[tabascoz28]

I’d like to overlook cost being a factor and ask the practical pros and cons of reloading. More specifically, is there an advantage to loading your own cartridges? Being able to apply a hotter load? Do people load defensive bullets? If a novice were to load could he/she ruin any part of the firearm by not doing it correctly? Obviously a squib would be bad but I’m thinking more of long term wear on a barrel/chamber. Now what would the cost be to start reloading? $500 minimum?

Sorry, didn't read your questions.

The advantages are: You don't have to buy ammo when there's none to be found. You can make better ammo, potentially, cheaper. Think about hunting all copper bullets and how much they cost before 2020. All of this is dependent on having the components of course. Even before 2020, some powders were hard to find at the cheapest price at the stores. Sometimes there are runs on highly desired powder like Varget/H1000. H4350 was hard to find for a bit because of the 6.5CM craze.

Damage: Yes you can blow up your gun by putting too much powder or using the wrong powder, they make lights and a die just to check powder before it gets loaded. Parts wear depends on how hot you load your rounds. The worst that can happen is if you load your bullets too long, they won't fit in the chamber or mag.

There's also an optimum press for the desired cartridge. A single stage is good for larger calibers and can do anything, slowly. A turret or progressive is faster but lacks the strength and tolerance or clearance for large calibers, but it can bust out most handgun cartridges much faster.

At this point we don't know how long this run on all things guns will last. It's hard to find all components too so at the very least, when you buy ammo, if it's there, you got it. For reloading, you have to find 4 things, primer, bullet, powder and brass. And everything has gone up in price.

Price: I started with the Lee Classic Press all for about $200 and you can get loading pretty good and fast, but it's not going to win any long distance and accury competitions. I immediately got the lee auto disc powder drop which is more consistent, now I have 2 of them. Mine never came with the primer dispensor which I've never had a real issue with just using my fingers. To get the advanced of making really accurate ammo you're going to have to get some more equipment which will keep adding to the sunk cost.

[BajaJames83]

I sure dont save any money but I shoot allot more....
As long as you watch what you are doing and stick to the published data it is safe and easy.

[Mr. Blue]

With the Lee Turret Press you can change calibers in about 4 seconds.

The biggest "pro" to me was sense of accomplishment. You sit down at your reloading bench, go through the motions and when you're done you have fifty shiny brass and copper cartridges. It feels so good you just start over and do the whole thing again.
I can't think of a "con" right now.

This makes a lot of sense to me. Is there anything to watch out for when looking for used equipment?

[rodsvet]

If you buy Dillon stuff, most of it is guaranteed for life even if you are not the original buyer. However, I would want to test drive the machines b4 buying.