I'm considering getting into reloading and was wondering how much money if any is actually saved by reloading instead of buying ammunition at the store
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Well, if you like to shoot but dont because you cannot afford to because of ammo prices then its cheaper. But the initial investment is pricey and it will take you some time to recoup your investment. If you want to try out reloading on the cheap, look into the Classic Lee Loader in your particular caliber you wish to reload. You can get a brand new kit for around $15 and it will have everything that you need tool wise minus a rubber mallet to get started reloading. You will then want to pick up some empty brass if you havent been saving yours and some primers, and powder and bullets. You will be into it about $50-$60 depending on where you buy at and what brand you buy. This is how I got started and it is a fun hobby and I have shot a lot more than I would have at $25-$30 per box of .270 rounds and I have since bought a 30-30 loader, and a .44 magnum loader. I have loaded a few hundred rounds for what I would have spent on 60-80 rounds of factroy ammo. You can figure once you are set up it will cost you .03 per primer, .20 per bullet and $20 per pound of powder and anywhere from 70-200 rounds per pound, depending greatly on what you are reloading. Those are the inflated prices from the local gunsmith too, so you can save more $$$ by shopping around. I am hoping that I get a reloading press for Xmas to make it even easier to reload.
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Just a gun enthusiast looking to gain more knowledge.
Reloaders use math to justify reloading in a money saving sense, but it never works out that way. You usually start out by calculating that you need to reload 800 of xy-caliber to break even on the price of a press, dies, and otehr equipment. Problem is that after loading that number of rounds or a multiple of it, you decide you can now justify a $500 progressive setup so that you can really crank out the rounds. Along the way, you buy expensivetools that make the job easier- tumblers, chronographs, various case guages, better scales, competition dies, etc, etc. Pretty soon you are into $1000+ in reloadign equipment, and another 1000+ in components. All the while instead of shooting a 1/2 box of factory loads per range session, you start shooting 75-100 rounds at a time- all in the name of saving money. Then one day you are browsing the local gun shop and see a used rifle on the rack that is chambered in .264 Norma UltraThundercatMegavelocity Ackley Improved Magnumand you know that you can make cartridges for it if you buy a bit more equipment, you want to be the first guy on the block to have a .264 NUTMAIM- just because you can.
If you really want to lose a lot of money by trying to save it, start casting bullets. For about $400 you can get a good setup and start casting away. Then you'll decide that you want to try different moulds at $50 a piece, and maybe a 1/2 dozen new powders at $20/lb. If you consider how much time it takes to cast bullets, and if time is worth anything to you, buying bullets from a store with jackets made of 24ct gold might actually be cheaper.
Its a worthwhile hobby, but don't fool yourself about saving any money- save the money saving calculations and estimates to propose to your significant other on why you need a fully automated progressive reloading system
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Obamanfreude - 1. taking pleasure from the misfortunes of an Obama supporter as he or she is adversely affected by the policies of their Dear Leader.
Reloaders use math to justify reloading in a money saving sense, but it never works out that way. You usually start out by calculating that you need to reload 800 of xy-caliber to break even on the price of a press, dies, and otehr equipment. Problem is that after loading that number of rounds or a multiple of it, you decide you can now justify a $500 progressive setup so that you can really crank out the rounds. Along the way, you buy expensivetools that make the job easier- tumblers, chronographs, various case guages, better scales, competition dies, etc, etc. Pretty soon you are into $1000+ in reloadign equipment, and another 1000+ in components. All the while instead of shooting a 1/2 box of factory loads per range session, you start shooting 75-100 rounds at a time- all in the name of saving money. Then one day you are browsing the local gun shop and see a used rifle on the rack that is chambered in .264 Norma UltraThundercatMegavelocity Ackley Improved Magnumand you know that you can make cartridges for it if you buy a bit more equipment, you want to be the first guy on the block to have a .264 NUTMAIM- just because you can.
If you really want to lose a lot of money by trying to save it, start casting bullets. For about $400 you can get a good setup and start casting away. Then you'll decide that you want to try different moulds at $50 a piece, and maybe a 1/2 dozen new powders at $20/lb. If you consider how much time it takes to cast bullets, and if time is worth anything to you, buying bullets from a store with jackets made of 24ct gold might actually be cheaper.
Its a worthwhile hobby, but don't fool yourself about saving any money- save the money saving calculations and estimates to propose to your significant other on why you need a fully automated progressive reloading system
As true as all that is, you can save money if you stick to your guns and reload to do so. Now, if you are like Briman and turn reloading into an obsessive compulsive hobby then you may as well go to vegas and drop a grand on #7 because you are just as likely to save money on reloading as you are at winning it on #7. It is cheaper to shoot reloads, but you still may not save any money in the end.
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Just a gun enthusiast looking to gain more knowledge.
As true as all that is, you can save money if you stick to your guns and reload to do so.
Buy a Lee Loader. They only cost about $20, and you only end up loading 20 rounds at a time. It definately could save a person money over factory laods.
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Obamanfreude - 1. taking pleasure from the misfortunes of an Obama supporter as he or she is adversely affected by the policies of their Dear Leader.
I believe a person should buy good equipment from the start. I recommend the RCBS Master Reloading Kit. I also recommend a digital scale & thrower.
If I were to buy everything I needed/wanted to start reloading with today? I could buy it all for just under $1000.[&:]
I do not think I will ever save money reloading. I reload so I can customize my ammo for my gun.
Save money no. Per cartidge, maybe. But theres always a new powder or a new bullet you want to try, because it might be MORE accurate than what you have now. So you buy them, load them, and go to the range to test them. Take your results, go back to the bench, load some more, and fine tune them. Then go to the range and test again. About the time you've taken that bullet/powder combination as far as it can go, you buy a different bullet or a different powder and start over from square one.
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NO! NO! NO! NO! .......................and NO!!!!!!!! Trust me Ive tried to justify it with the wife and no matter where I fudge the numbers it never comes out. Shes an accountant BTW [X(]
is reloading cheaper??
