statjunk

Hi All,

I just bought myself a rifle in 300 Win Mag and I realize that I am going to want to shoot this rifle a lot this coming summer to get ready for next years deer hunting. I would like to get an idea of everything that I am going to need to get into reloading so that I can weigh it against the cost of buying factory ammo.

Could someone please provide a list of everything that I would need along with an approximate cost?

Also my other hunting rifle is a .308. Would I be able to use all the same equipment to make hunting ammo for that rifle?

Thanks
Tom

stubblejumper

I would start out by purchasing a couple of loading manuals and reading up on the process.Most will explain the steps necessary to reload and the basic equipment needed.As far as buying the equipment,the best idea is topurchase a reloading kit that includes all of the basic equipment.You can then add any optional equipment that will make the job easier for you later.Other than dies,shellholder and trimmer pilots the equipment is pretty much standard for most cartridges.

statjunk

Hey Stubblejumper thanks for the response. I was hoping for a slightly more detail answer though. Reloading is something that I don't really want to get into because I think I might just get crazy trying to squeeze every ounce of accuracy out of all my rifles! lol. That could get dangerous since I'm young and I have a pretty busy life. I am at this point just trying to play this from an economic standpoint.

So could someone provide a list of stuff that I need with approximate prices? Please add the cost of powder and bullets and primer.

I just bought two boxes of ammo for the 300 WM and it was $62. Pretty steep.

Thanks
Tom

stubblejumper

Start here for a kit.this site also sells brass,bullets,powder and primers so you can get a fairly good estimate of costs.There are 7000 grains in a pound,use this to estimate the number of loads per pound of powder.

http://www.midwayusa.com/ebrowse.exe/browse?TabID=1&Categoryid=8604&categorystr ing=9315***731***680***

mossy33oak

Tom, not trying to be smart......but If this is your honest opinion and situation, then reloading is probably not for you. Economics is not the only reason one would want to venture into reloading. You would see minimal if no dollar savings in the first year.

Reloading kit ~$200 if you buy a good one.
Dies $20-40 (need different ones for each gun)
Powder $20 (you may have to buy 4,5 or 6 powders if you are reloading for more than one gun til you find what works)
Bullets ~$20 /50 .....some are $15 /100 all depends what you want
extras.. primer pocket cleaner, flash hole deburrer, tumbler, case trimmer, plastic storage boxes, bullet puller, all this stuff I didnt buy on my initial trip to the store, but bought after my first attempt.

along with time and trial/error. I have 2 guns that the first time I pressed up charges for it I found a good load. I have another gun that I have been reloading for a year and still dont have an "acceptable" load for. You can easily get $500 wrapped up before you know it. How many boxes of factory ammo can you buy for $500 probably quite a bit if money is your main concern. Just trying to help.

statjunk

Mossy,

That is exactly what I was looking for. I am still going to look into it. I wonder if there are any reloaders out there they are giving it up entirely and just want to sell all thier stuff. I might have too look around for something like that.

Thanks
Tom

James B

Start out with the Lee Turret Press kit. See how you like reloading then upgrade if needed. Midway USA is a good place to start. Get the two book Hornady reloading Manuals. I have a lot of equipment but still use the Turret press for all my pistol and some of my rifle reloading. Get ready to be hooked for life.

fufanu360

cost efficeincy is definatly not going to be a big factor with handloading...

eldeguello

AGREED! But if you want to do it cheap, go on e-Bay and buy a cheap single-stage press that has repriming capability, a set of dies for the caliber you want to load, and a powder scale. That's all you need to start with, but eventually you'll need a case trimmer too.

I started reloading in 1954 with nothing but a Lyman 310 hand tool with .30/'06 dies and a Pacific powder scale. I later added dies for the .270 Win. and the 6.5 Jap. I didn't buy a press until 1960, and got along fine until then. My first case trimmer came along in 1964, and up until then I shortened stretched cases with nothing but a chamfering tool!

There's a lot of other "nice-to-have" stuff, but most of it is not absolutely indispensable!

But you MUST HAVE a decent reloading maunual. If you only buy one, get the Lyman Handbook.

BTW, despite the several thousands of dollars worth of reloading and bullet-making junk I now own, every now and then I still use my Lyman 310 tools & dies, and they still produce excellent ammo!

battle buck

Maybe it would be cheaper to pay someone to take your gun to shootand build some loads for it and just buy your shells off that person.