So you want to get into reloading, huh!

[Lawnboi]

Reloading won’t save you money.

Treat it like a hobby and you will have fun.

Budget gear won’t make the quality of ammo you can now get from the factory. Some may disagree but that’s my findings over the life of my brass.

The money saver is in bulk loading. Not in a pound here or there. Now adays I try to buy brass and bullets for the life of the barrel and have plenty of temp stable powder on hand

 

[Gila]

This is what makes all the money and bullets worth it though! Both groups are 100yrd bottom group was 5 shots top group 3 shots.

Tikka 7mm08 compact 20in barrel
140g berger vld hunter
Federal brass
Cci 250
AA 2520
2.800 coal

Top group 42gr 2520 2819 average mv
Bottom 41.8gr 2520 2791 average mv

SWEET! Good job! Gotta like the Tikkas. I bought my first Tikka in 2005. Once you run a bolt on as Tikka, no other action seems adequate. I will be loading for a Tikka t3 in .270 win and a t3x in .300 win mag.

 

[Gila]

Reloading won’t save you money.

Treat it like a hobby and you will have fun.

Budget gear won’t make the quality of ammo you can now get from the factory. Some may disagree but that’s my findings over the life of my brass.

The money saver is in bulk loading. Not in a pound here or there. Now adays I try to buy brass and bullets for the life of the barrel and have plenty of temp stable powder on hand

I am going to enjoy it immensely. I have always wanted to reload but I always had so many irons in the fire that It was lower on the bucket list. Now that I am retired I have more time for hunting, fly fishing and range shooting. I have always been price conscientious about anything I buy. I even haggle at the stores. I never had the need to have the best of everything but I always find a way to afford quality. ! am the “only cry once” type of person. The ammo I want to shoot is not available now most of the time. I bought some brass, bullets and powder this week. Cost for a .300 win mag round is $1.75 which is far cheaper than any factory ammo that may be in stock some day. I have full confidence in my self that I can handload more accuarate ammo for my rifle than any brand of factory ammo.

 

[CamoHunter1]

I too am just beginning the first stages of reloading. If you haven't already, find some buddies that are already reloading, and have someone 'mentor' you along your way. It's helped me a bunch just getting started.

 

[Gila]

I have plenty of mentors...all of you guys (and gals)

 

[Lawnboi]

I have plenty of mentors...all of you guys (and gals)

As much as I wish I had a mentor around me, I learned entirely on the internet. I still don’t own a reloading manual. I can load ammo more consistently than I can shoot it.

Just be careful what you listen to.

 

[Gila]

As much as I wish I had a mentor around me, I learned entirely on the internet. I still don’t own a reloading manual. I can load ammo more consistently than I can shoot it.

Just be careful what you listen to.

There are some really comical YouTube videos about hand loading. One guy was working up loads by starting at 400 yds to find the best group. Another guy said he could save on components by starting at the max charge and working his way down. Don’t see any recent videos so maybe he blew himself up. I was shooting at an indoor range one day and the guy in the booth next to me blew up his 44 mag. The cylinder looked like a mushroomed bullet and the top of the frame was blown out. The barrel was pointing down. I went to get a Coke and the vending machine had a bullet hole at chest level. Luckily the barriers between booths were very heavy.

The thing about buying reloading manuals is that they are obsolete as soon as they are printed. I think Hornady is charging 99 cents for each load data. Nosler is good about getting recent load data out there as well as Berger. i am sure there are others. Experimenting with various powders isn’t possible right now because you can’t find much in stock. And if you do find the powder that works for your load, you probably won’t be able to buy any more of it.

 

[Lawnboi]

There are some really comical YouTube videos about hand loading. One guy was working up loads by starting at 400 yds to find the best group. Another guy said he could save on components by starting at the max charge and working his way down. Don’t see any recent videos so maybe he blew himself up. I was shooting at an indoor range one day and the guy in the booth next to me blew up his 44 mag. The cylinder looked like a mushroomed bullet and the top of the frame was blown out. The barrel was pointing down. I went to get a Coke and the vending machine had a bullet hole at chest level. Luckily the barriers between booths were very heavy.

The thing about buying reloading manuals is that they are obsolete as soon as they are printed. I think Hornady is charging 99 cents for each load data. Nosler is good about getting recent load data out there as well as Berger. i am sure there are others. Experimenting with various powders isn’t possible right now because you can’t find much in stock. And if you do find the powder that works for your load, you probably won’t be able to buy any more of it.

Good forgiving bullets, good brass, temp stable powders and a good barrel goes a long way.

 

[Mark.c]

I was “pushed” into reloading because my state has a non-lead bullet requirement limiting ammo choice. Personally I would just start to reload the .300 WM with a simple single stage press. You will learn the process better and there is less to mess up doing only one operation at a time. I reload in batches of 20-50 rounds so I can focus on a quality process. Be conservative and respect max loads. An “extra 100 fps” is not with the risk. Many rifle loads are more accurate below max charge anyway. I like the Nosler reloading manual. Also it is very easy to double charge a pistol cartridge by accident.

 

[Mojave]

I have been reloading all of my life.

You will not save money.

It will take up tons of time.

You will make better ammunition than you can buy off the shelf.

It is an anal retentive man's game.

 

[woods89]

Good forgiving bullets, good brass, temp stable powders and a good barrel goes a long way.

Yup. I have a Berger, Lapua, Varget/H4350, Hawk Hill combo that proves this to me over and over.

 

[Gila]

I was “pushed” into reloading because my state has a non-lead bullet requirement limiting ammo choice. Personally I would just start to reload the .300 WM with a simple single stage press. You will learn the process better and there is less to mess up doing only one operation at a time. I reload in batches of 20-50 rounds so I can focus on a quality process. Be conservative and respect max loads. An “extra 100 fps” is not with the risk. Many rifle loads are more accurate below max charge anyway. I like the Nosler reloading manual. Also it is very easy to double charge a pistol cartridge by accident.

Pistol is where a good progressive press comes into play. Case activated powder measure once set and the double charge for the most part is avoided. I loaded thousands of 9mm and 45 ACP rounds on a Dillion and the rounds were very consistent. My bud with the Dillon reloaded thousands of 44 mag rounds and had some very good loads. I like the turret for rifle because the dies are set and ready to go the next time around. The brass came in the mail today with a QR code for 300 win mag load data.

 

[long hunter]

I shoot a lot and hunt alot, I also re-load, my advise to a new loader is find a place where it is quiet and no one bothering you, work all your brass up such as cleaning sizing an length, prime it then load one round at a time taking your time check and re-check constantly throughout the process. Its not a race.

 

[.222 ND]

I can’t imagine not reloading. Let’s you taylor your loads for very specific applications. My kids and myself shoot a lot of reduced loads. Makes for pleasant practice.

 

[Gila]

Since I started I haven’t saved any money that’s for sure. But I can say that my loads are much better than factory ammo at less than half the cost. I practice with the exact same load I am hunting with. I like to know where the bullet is going to go. I was annealing by hand but got lazy so the spent cases started piling up. I got a Burstfire annealer that has a 4 station case prep center. Uses any case prep tool with standard threads. This annealer is the best buy I have made in a long time. I was thinking about getting an autotrickler but i don’t see any time or effort saved there. I use a Lee Perfect powder thrower. I set the charge under by a tenth and trickle in on the scale. The lee classic turret is working well. I just setup the dies and change turrets. Working up loads is a breeze now!

 

[Boatmanxxx]

Gila,

You have started down a long rabbit hole for sure! I have been reloading since 1979. I had a single stage Texan I bought used or someone gave to me, worked just fine. But I too wanted to get into a "better " press. I bought the Lee turret press that you have. I think it's an awesome press for what it offers you. Some people will poo poo the Lee stuff because it's inexpensive , but you set up your dies for each caliber and never have to worry about changing it. It makes for some pretty consistent loads. I got into IHMSA right about that time and I loaded all my match ammo on that little press. Shot myself into International class in everything. Now I couldn't use the auto powder drop with the discs but I did buy a nice micrometer type dispenser and a powder trickler.

You don't have to buy the latest and greatest $400.00 sizing dies and an arbor press to seat bullets for hunting ammo, unless you want to! lol Reloading components have come a long way since then. If you buy good quality brass and bullets it will make your life easier. The annealer you bought will also make your brass last longer and your loads more consistent.

The electronic powder measure/ scales are the bomb. The RCBS scales I have used worked just fine. But there are several on the market that are relatively inexpensive. Can pick them up used on the shooting forums when someone upgrades their scale.

Fast forward to today, I recently turned one of my spare bedrooms into my loading/gun room and decided to "upgrade" my loading equipment ( back to the rabbit hole...) lol

Have fun and enjoy your new found hobby!