Not sure if should reload.

[Osideguy]

I believe reloading can and will save u money. But you need to buy in bulk to maximize that saving. I hear people say it won't save money but you can shoot more. That's the way they look at it and that's fine but for me and my wife I believe it saves money. I already go to range as often as I can and I shoot until I'm done, that's its. Reloading isn't going to make me want to shoot more, I'm already going as often as I can. What reloading can do for me is save me 20 cents or more at today's prices in 223 and 10 cents in 9mm using walmarts value packs of 100 as comparison . If buying the normal 50 round boxes of 9mm then the saving is more like 15 cents. At my current usage I could pay off a press, press upgrades and what not in well less then a year. Your mileage may very. Depends on how much u shoot.

[drdarrin@sbcglobal.net]

to really save get in to casting but then thats a whole nother hobby.

My cast 45 boolits at $1 per lb lead are 3 cents each, powder @ 5.0 grains is about 2 cents primer about 3 cents for a total of about $4.00 per box loaded 45 ACP NOT counting my time or equipment costs.

I made about 200 bullets today; half 45 225gr and half 40 175gr. With another 250 lbs waiting to be cast, I won't be without for a long long time.

Sorry I'm sick of hearing that logic!
My first year of reloading resulted in 13,000 rounds. I had calculated 10,000 rounds was the ROI. Now fast forward a few years & 60,000 rounds later..I'm saving money whether I shoot 1,000 rounds or 10,000 rounds this year. How is that not saving money?

Ditto! Most of my ammo cost me pennies per round; way way less than current market and way less than market when I put it together.

i think reloading is not entirely about saving money.

if you are a pro competition shooter, reloading will definitely save money because you shoot a lot. either custom pistol loads, or precision rifle loads.

im trying to start reloading because i want to learn the skill.

also, shooting is not cheap. if you just want home defense, buy a shotgun and a value pack of shot shells from walmart.

I agree. It's about pride, consistency, economy and self sufficiency for me. The state can do whatever they want regarding ammo. I'll fight it, but I'll not be affected by it for a very long time.

[Whiterabbit]

I have a friend that's getting out of reloading, and will sell his RCBS single stage and related for a good price.

But I'm having trouble putting the pieces together. .15-17 cents each for bullets (.40 and .45) factoring in time, powder, and primers, is not super economical.

Also, I haven't found pistol powder anywhere. My friend has some rifle powder at least that will be OK, if I can find some .224.


Granted, I probably won't run out of ammo in the next 6 months - but are these components really that hard to find? I'd hate to get a full set up ready to go, and not be able to produce rounds.

My advice, worth what you paid for it:

Buy it and gear up to reload. You have 6 months of ammo? Then dont buy expensive components at bad prices, wait and buy little bits here and there when you see a steal of a deal.

But frankly FOR YOU, I'm not sure reloading is something you should consider FOR THE ECONOMICS.

It's like those 80% lowers. After completing it to 100% and making it functional, is it really cheaper than buying a stripped lower? No. So what's the benefit? Well, there are other reasons that people like about the 80's that make them in fact a valuble investment.

In YOUR CASE, I beleive reloading will have this benefit for you, in the long run. In particular, discovering you are fully insulated from the market at all times. That is a powerful benefit. Powerful. It's also a tinker's dream, if you like shooting boutique loads or oddball bullets.

But even if all you wanna do is plink common ammo cheap, reloading gives you insulation. And that makes it worth the investment. Maybe not that you DO (or do all the time), but that you CAN.

[krwada]

My advice, worth what you paid for it:

Buy it and gear up to reload. You have 6 months of ammo? Then dont buy expensive components at bad prices, wait and buy little bits here and there when you see a steal of a deal.

But frankly FOR YOU, I'm not sure reloading is something you should consider FOR THE ECONOMICS.

It's like those 80% lowers. After completing it to 100% and making it functional, is it really cheaper than buying a stripped lower? No. So what's the benefit? Well, there are other reasons that people like about the 80's that make them in fact a valuble investment.

In YOUR CASE, I beleive reloading will have this benefit for you, in the long run. In particular, discovering you are fully insulated from the market at all times. That is a powerful benefit. Powerful. It's also a tinker's dream, if you like shooting boutique loads or oddball bullets.

But even if all you wanna do is plink common ammo cheap, reloading gives you insulation. And that makes it worth the investment. Maybe not that you DO (or do all the time), but that you CAN.

Out of ALL the responses here ... including my own ... Whiterabbit respnse makes the most sense to me.

I originally was strongly motivated by the ECONOMICS ... Then I discovered all the other stuff about firearms and reloads ... Many $1000's later ... well, let me just say, I LOVE THIS HOBBY. I have learned a ton about firearms in general.

Plus, in general, most of the gun community are fully populated with very nice and helpful folks. The best of them are the competition shooters... everything from IDPA, to bench rest and all between ... The friendliest folks in the shooting community, in my opinion, are the competition shooters.

The reloaders are also pretty tight knit too. I think this is mostly because, in general, there are not too many reloaders within the overall gun community in general.

I could be wrong about the last point however.

[Capybara]

One thing that is rarely mentioned in reloading circles, learning how to reload and buying the gear opens up an entire new world of guns that you might never had considered if you didn't reload. How much more expensive is .44 mag to reload than .45 ACP? More, but not a whole lot. .303 British, 8mm, .45-70? All reasonable cost to reload and very expensive to buy if you can even find them. Of course, if you ever get into precision long range shooting, reloading is essential. I really love going to gun shops now and buying C&Rs in "non-normal" calibers that I know I can reload for 1/4 of what factory ammo would cost. What's not to love about reloading?

[krwada]

One thing that is rarely mentioned in reloading circles, learning how to reload and buying the gear opens up an entire new world of guns that you might never had considered if you didn't reload. How much more expensive is .44 mag to reload than .45 ACP? More, but not a whole lot. .303 British, 8mm, .45-70? All reasonable cost to reload and very expensive to buy if you can even find them. Of course, if you ever get into precision long range shooting, reloading is essential. I really love going to gun shops now and buying C&Rs in "non-normal" calibers that I know I can reload for 1/4 of what factory ammo would cost. What's not to love about reloading?

I have just gotten into the C&R scene. My 1st 'oddball' is the teeny .25ACP. Even though there is a bunch of factory ammo for this ... It is odd enough to start reloading for.

Some of the 'oddball stuff'
.25 ACP
.303
7x57, (actually I load a ton of this stuff)
.44-40, (not too sure how oddball this stuff is)
.32 wcf
7x57R, (drilling)

[3006mv]

One thing that is rarely mentioned in reloading circles, learning how to reload and buying the gear opens up an entire new world of guns that you might never had considered if you didn't reload. How much more expensive is .44 mag to reload than .45 ACP? More, but not a whole lot. .303 British, 8mm, .45-70? All reasonable cost to reload and very expensive to buy if you can even find them. Of course, if you ever get into precision long range shooting, reloading is essential. I really love going to gun shops now and buying C&Rs in "non-normal" calibers that I know I can reload for 1/4 of what factory ammo would cost. What's not to love about reloading?

I got into reloading after I bought a .22 hornet rifle off of a friend who was also kind enough to give me some brass and show me the ropes.
Now I am into casting. I have not bought or shot factory ammo in years.

[SafeguardTactical]

I started reloading with a RCBS single stage press. I sold it after I bought my Dillon progressive press. But man I miss that baby. RCBS don't make their stuff like they used to.

If you really want to train yourself with your firearm, reloading is the way to go. The more you reload, the more you shoot. And the more you shoot, the more trigger time you get. Its all about actual trigger time. Dry firing is good in the beginning and for bullseye shooting, but once you get into rapid firing, its a different story.