RE: Never tried reloading, have some questions
Hello, It depends on wich caliber you are reloading to tell if you will save money. 9 mm luger, 30-30, 308, 7.62x39, 223,etc is not worth reloading if you are looking to save money. You can usually get it cheap around hunting time or go to a gun show for the military surplus. Reloading is a hobby to me. I enjoy custom tuning a round to match my gun. RCBS is Quality stuff and a nice way to go. I use my dads old JR press(cast iron weighs a ton) that he bought new in 1954. Yea its slow but I reload in stages.
Tumble the brass(using a $5 flea market rock polisher), Deprime size and reprime, check and trim if needed(rifle a must, auto pistol you usually get 3 reloads before trimming), Bell, flair or expand the mouth of the case to accept a bullet, charge the cases and seat the bullet, and finaly crimp the case mouth.
I usually get my brass done to the bell stage then when I need rounds all I have to do is charge, seat the bullet and crimp(the fun stuff). A reloading scale is a MUST, you dont need a digital(they are nice if you can afford one then get one). Even though I am partial to RCBS I will tell you that Lee presses are good quality for the mild reloader. Look on Cabelas web site for presses and you will see that the lee are very reasonable. I would recomend a turet press on what ever brand you buy. A progressive press is more for pistol shooters and is usually not worth the upfront expense. Also buy some Ammo cans to store your supplies. They are water proof and usually cheap at a gun show.
I usually buy my jacketed bullets 100 at a time, and lead I buy 1000 at a time. I buy powder 1 lb at a time, and primers 1000 at a time. Once you get a good load you can really buy bulk and save more money. Whats it cost to reload well here is my break down
40 S&W 180 gr JHP
bullet Winchester bulk .11
Primer CCI small pistol .017
powder AA#5 6.5 grains .02 (7000 grains = 1 lb powder usually around $20 lb)
cost per box of 50 to reload $7.35
40 S&W 155 gr LSWC Lead bullet
Bullet Hard cast bulk .038
Primer CCI small pistol .017
Powder AA#5 7.2 grains .02
cost per box of 50 to reload $3.75
300 Winchester Magnum
Bullet Speer 180 gr splitzer .15
primer CCI large mag Rifle .018
Powder Imr 4895 57grains .17
cost per box of 20 $6.76
So if you figure that 40 S&W JHP ammo is more than $12 a box, and 300 win magnum is hard to find under $20 a box, reloading saves money(not counting your time). If you figure out your savings after 100 rounds of Rifle ammo the lee press is free.
Jay