Starting Reloading from the Pros

[ChasingSqwach]

I could never justify just going out shooting before I started reloading. There is upfront cost to reloading but after that the cost is pretty minimal - maybe 40 cents per round or so.

Now that I reload I end up shooting way more.

 

[huntsd]

don’t do it to save money because you won’t. Do it to improve your rifles performance! And honestly it’s a very addictive/ fun rabbit hole! Bonus it forces you to get out and shoot more!

 

[TaperPin]

Some of us also make up a light weight inexpensive portable range setup so we can make up additional rounds of those that seem promising, or testing how many reloads a case can handle before case failure. With anything in this sport, some go all out with range kits. This same portable outfit can be a good entry level setup that will always get used even if you replace everything with better stuff for the home.



Heck this used partner press kit with 270 dies is like new and right at $200 shipped. This light weight press mounted to a board is perfect for range or medium duty home use.



Good presses that don’t get a lot of respect today are older C-frame presses. Pacific brand was purchased by Hornady to get them into the reloading tool business and I pick these up when one comes along for $35 to give out to future reloaders in the family. For some detail oriented kids, their very own press (to be used only when carefully supervised) can be an exciting addition to their first centerfire rifle. Adding parts to their reloading kit can be spread over many gift giving holidays. If 10 rounds with a kid takes an entire hour, it’s time shared together learning a new skill and lifelong hobby. Even before the age of video games and movies on demand that was a win. It’s also an important part of our shooting heritage that should be taught and passed down if kids are interested.

 

[SDHNTR]

Factory ammo is not a solution to me, regardless of how readily available it is. I don’t want to have to buy my ammo by the case. And that’s the only way to do it these days if you expect to shoot factory ammo with any sort of precision. With lot changes, I don’t want to have to re-zero or re-dope every time I shoot through a few boxes. Reloading is the only practical way to ensure consistency, unless you want to spend 4 digits on ammo up front.

And BTW OP, the .300 wm and 6.5 cm are cartridges. Not calibers. Those calibers are .308 and .264.

 

[flyfisher117]

If you have free time and free money then Yes it worth it. If you don’t then it may not make sense.

Some of my ammo costs significantly less than comparable factory. Some of it is a break even. All of it is vastly more consistent than factory. I have fairly basic equipment at this point.

 

[Ballcap]

I’ve been reloading for 40 years and love it. If you want precision it’s the only way in my opinion. Every chamber is different, factory ammo is consistent but rarely “right” for your chamber. Start with a single stage press and regular dies. Spend extra on calipers and headspace measuring tools. Your groups will shrink significantly. If they aren’t small enough there are multiple reloading rabbit holes to go down to shrink them more. Basic gear will let you get all the accuracy a factory rifle can give.

 

[WMDM]

Starting reloading was the worst decision I've made in a long time. Hate to think about the money and time I've wasted. In a nutshell, I found it to be an ultra frustrating, never ending rabbit hole. Giant time suck. Big learning curve in a market plagued with junk products. Most every reloader I have personally spoke to talked a big game but never backed it up. Unless you have limitless time and endless budget or simply aren't after precision, I would not start.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Here’s the potential if you do it right. 20” CTR factory rifle. Yeah, I know my groups are too small. Several more groups loaded up where those came from.

 

[WhoGarrDen]

How much free time and space do you have? How much do you like to tinker on piddly shit? If the answer is plenty, plenty and anything past "mildly", reloading may be for you.

If you already struggle to fit in date/movie nights, dinner prep and time with family after work - you should probably just buy some packs of ammo in enough volume to get free shipping. If you're hunting <500 yards, the improved accuracy probably won't matter.

If a "cheap" reloading setup is $1k, how many years practice is that for you in ammo?

 

[HairyScandinavian]

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

This state can be fluid depending on lots of things, such as gun control talk or who's in the Whitehouse, etc. Once you've got an ammo shortage it's too late to get started. I'm not expecting any savings whatsoever but I'm getting started now because I don't want to be behind when I need to do it in the future. Plus I want ability and knowledge that comes with it. If bad times were extended I could reload for all my sons, family, etc, and keep them up and running assuming they shoot stuff that I've stocked up on.

 

[WMDM]

Here’s the potential if you do it right. 20” CTR factory rifle. Yeah, I know my groups are too small. Several more groups loaded up where those came from.

I shoot groups that size in several rifles with both reloads and factory .. here's the rub, Hornady factory ammo is routinely about 200 fps faster.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

So you’re telling me your Hornady factory ammo shoots 200fps faster regularly? Yeah, I guess I’d be frustrated at reloading too if
I had that issue.

 

[coyotekilla]

I got into it cause I was tired of factory ammo lack of consistency & availability. Plus it's fun. Factory 223 is hard to find faster than 3250 fps, some handloading, light bullets, and you can see 4k, or load some heavies if you want and hunt big game with it.

 

[WMDM]

So you’re telling me your Hornady factory ammo shoots 200fps faster regularly? Yeah, I guess I’d be frustrated at reloading too if
I had that issue.

Yep, pretty common to find pressure signs before matching velocity. They have a cheat code and blend powders apparently.

 

[North of 60]

Lots of good suggestions here OP.

Worst case, try it and then sell all your reloading gear if you find you don't like it.

Best case is finding the optimal combo of the many choices of powders, cases, primers, bullets, seating depth, etc. for a particular rifle that will have it shooting with more precision than factory ammo. That, and being fun, are the main reasons i reload.

Being a bit OCD will help

 

[JRay]

I don't. I have friends who load pretty good ammo on progressive presses, but I just haven't made that leap. With that said, I'm still fairly quick even with a single stage. I have my process down where I'm cycling ammo in 100 round groups and it takes 72 minutes from start to finish with 100, but I always have several hundred behind them in process, so its like a revolving process.

Would you mind sharing your process? Maybe I can pick up some tips to streamline my process.

 

[RockAndSage]

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.

Here are a couple of generalities I've found to be true over time:

1) The more common and varied the loadings are for a given cartridge, the less worthwhile reloading is.
2) The more valuable your time is, the less ROI you get out of reloading.
3) The more stable the ammo supply is, the less worthwhile reloading is.
4) The less capable of a rifle shooter you are, the less worthwhile handloading for accuracy is.
5) The less you shoot, the less worthwhile reloading is.

So, right now, you're shooting two of the most common cartridges out there, the ammo supply is flush and stable, and you made no mention of competitive shooting or being able to outshoot the current accuracy of your factory ammo, and likely aren't shooting ammo by the case. In this context, it's not worth it.

It was worth it to me, big time, back in the 1990s, when industry and personal economics were very different. The photo is from a box of ammo from a local gun store in 1985, for reference on those economics. These days, I like having the capability, I keep plenty of components on hand (buy when cheap, stack deep), but the only handloading I expect to do is for a .223 AI project I have coming. Other than that, just not worth it these days.

About the only time handloading/reloading is worth it, is when you're talking high volumes of production, your time isn't that valuable, you have guns in obscure cartridges you want to keep fed, you're a sub-MOA shooter who needs ammo to exceed your capabilities, or you want to be prepared to load anything you or your family needs to shoot in times of shortages or crises.

Or, you shoot a Weatherby.

All that said...

Being able to handload/reload is incredibly satisfying as a hobby. And similar to what @HairyScandinavian said, it's not a skill you want to have to learn well into in a shortage or crisis.

 

[Finaddictions]

Would you mind sharing your process? Maybe I can pick up some tips to streamline my process.

Sure. Here’s how I load. I’m generally loading 300-500 rounds weekly to keep up with my shooting schedule, so it has to be pretty streamlined.

I work in 100 round batches. It makes everything flow for me.

Here’s the sequence. It’s a bit out of order, but it what makes the flow work.

When I get out to my shop I pull out the 100 cases that were in my tumbler. I use the tumbler to clean my brass, but it’s main job is removing the case lube. I pull the cases out 15 at a time and check the primer pockets for pieces of media in the flash hole, and then a light chamfer with a Redding piloted VLD chamfer. Takes about 12-15 min. I set those cases in loading blocks next to my V4.




(This is one of the few times I was processing 200 at a time, but the sequence is the same)

Then I take the 100 cases that were on my cooling tray from annealing, and run them through my LE Wilson full length dies. I use a bushing .002 less than my loaded diameter. I do not mandrel. When sizing i push the shoulders back about .003”. When I pushed them back .002, I would occasionally have a few heavy bolt closes, and when shooting matches I need the bolt to close like butter. Takes about 10 min. The sized cases go straight into my tumbler I’m holding 9-10 in my hand at a time, and as I’m sizing one, I’m dropping the last sized case in the tumbler. Goes super fast.



Then I take 100 fired cases and anneal them. I have an AMP machine. Takes about 15 min per 100. I leave them in my cooling tray.

Then I prime the 100 cases that came out of my tumbler. This takes about 10 min.

Finally, I weigh my charges with the V4, and seat the bullet while the next powder charge is trickling. Takes between 30-40 min to charge and seat bullets on 100 rounds. I use an LE Wilson inline seating die and an arbor press on a portable stand. This keeps the motion of my press from interfering with the scale as it trickles. When I tried seating on my loading bench, it would make the scale go wonky when I seated a bullet.


(Should also note, I shot Hornady for the first year i competed, but I’m now shooting Sierras.)

When I need to load a bunch, I start over right then, but I prefer to load 100 each morning and let the brass tumble most of the day so it gets pretty shiny.

 

[WMDM]

^ Sweet!

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Yep, pretty common to find pressure signs before matching velocity. They have a cheat code and blend powders apparently.

What cartridges?