Starting Reloading from the Pros

[edevans]

Wondering about getting into reloading from people who have been doing it for awhile.

With the state of factory ammo (my understanding for popular cartridges is pretty good now), would you still start reloading today?

I am interested in reloading for precision long range hunting. I currently only have two calibers, 300 win mag and 6.5 creedmoor. I don’t really have any current plans for getting into other calibers.

Wife is trying to talk me out of picking up a new hobby.

 

[Matt5266]

How much do you shoot a year? 300 mag and 6.5 are very readily available.

 

[wapitibob]

Depends; 7STW factory ammo is close to $100/box. Reloading made sense.
7PRC is half that and I had everything but brass. I bought 200 pcs of ADG 7PRC once fired for $100, so again, it made sense.

 

[edevans]

How much do you shoot a year? 300 mag and 6.5 are very readily available.

Was pretty casual years prior. But starting to shoot more since getting into competitions and want to focus on accuracy for hunting

 

[teflonhunter]

I would buy the Lyman reloading Manuel and read it. I don't think I save a ton on reloading but I get to shoot more for the money spent.

 

[Luked]

The thing I like about reloading is being able to choose what bullet I want to shoot.
Not all calibers I have use the bullet in a factory offering that I want.
I dont think you really "Save" money, but it gives me options. And I am able to shoot more and also have ammo when I want or need it for whatever rifle I might want to shoot.

 

[TaperPin]

At no time since I started reloading in the late 1970s has reloading not been worth it. As a long term hobby, the cost of a good basic tools spread over decades amounts to a couple bucks a month and if you like all the latest gizmos a couple bucks more.

There is no way to reload and not learn more about the shooting sport. It also allows a lot more options for bullets and velocities. The component shortages we’ve had were real, and what components were available weren’t always our first choice, but we always had something that would work. Relying on factory ammo is even worse - guys stopped shooting rifles because of a lack of factory ammo, and some lots have been over 100 fps different.

Reloading is cheaper, even if acceptable practice ammo is inexpensive. For those of us that enjoy it as a hobby, not just to save a buck, we stop thinking about how much we are saving since it almost doesn’t matter. So many extra components are sitting on shelves some of us may not spend less overall, but we’re also shooting and hoarding more.

We all have our addictions.

 

[bnewt3]

Im in a similar boat. Still havent pulled the trigger yet.

I personally think, based on many, many videos, articles, etc that reloading for rifles is a way to build ammo that does exactly what you want it to do and shoots better for you, not as a money-saving venture. You *may* save money at some point(after your reloads pay for the initial investment), but unless you are a competitive pistol or AR shooter, it can take quite a bit of time to see the savings.

 

[arrow179]

 

[id_jon]

Definitely worth it for precision rifle type stuff. I'm reloading 6.5cm for roughly 1.15/round assuming I get 10 or so firings on the brass and that my time is free. I shot around 4000 rounds of 6.5cm this year, so saving almost 4k on ammo if I compare it to factory Berger ammo. You can load Hornady bullets for way cheaper and the factory Hornady ammo is still like $2 a round. 223 barely makes sense to reload, but I do it anyway because I shot a lot of it and I have the time. With 9mm.... I'm loading the rest of my components and then selling all pistol loading stuff. I can load it for .16/ea or buy for .19/ea

 

[slm9s]

"I don’t really have any current plans for getting into other calibers."
HaHa! We all said that at one time.
If you don't care about small groups & are a "close enough" to the bullseye type of shooter maybe don't get into it. If you really try to get small groups and shooting is a part of your life that you don't see stopping, give it a try. You won't save money as you'll shoot way more, but itll cost less per round - especially if you have a Wby/STW/etc...

 

[TaperPin]

If someone likes to buy and sell used stuff, as long as your reloading tools are bought at or below normal market rate you could use the snot out of them for a year or more and sell them for what was paid. Free.

For a kid, or big kid, who likes weekend science projects the Lee classic loader will make a basic round. It’s impossible to not smile the first time you make cartridges with your bare hands. These take all the mystery out of the process and I think are a great way to dip a toe in the water. The generic powder scoop will give a fairly mild load and the dies only neck size, but it’s good to learn that neck sizing works and basic practice loads don’t always need to be weighed.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

For me it's definitely a hobby. I would reload again, yes. The current bullet I shoot cost about $3 per round.
The brass I use is the original brass I bought 9 years prior. I'm still on the original 8 lb jug of H4831SC with about 2.5 pounds left. Primers when I bought them were 4 cents per primer. Cost of powder, bullet, primer, well less than $2 per round. When their was an ammo shortage I happily reloaded. The shortage did not affect me.