Delete please

[coldblood]

I am not ready to start reloading yet and am buying commercial .243 Win (Federal), 95 gr ammo for range fun.

I pay 30$ for a box of 20 and it gets too expensive to feed my beloved Sako since I usually shoot out about 4 boxes per range visit.

I wonder if you can point to some less expensive source to buy .243.

Also, speaking of reloading, how much cheaper it would be for me to actually start reloading as this is the only caliber for now that I use that I can keep the brass from. I plan in the future to buy .223 and .308 guns. But for now (may be till next year) the .243 is my only friend.

Thank you in advance for help

 

[foxytrapper]

Depends on the bullet you want to load. The price of bulk bullets vs partitions is significant. I figure it costs me around 50 cents to load a 6mm Rem.

 

[heavyBullet]

I only started reloading last year, never did calculate the price, but my rifles have never been more accurate since I switched to handloads.

As for the cost to start reloading, since you are keeping your brass, you can buy a $20(U.S) Lee Classic Loader in .243, along with a small hammer, a scale, a manual, and you can start reloading on the cheap. Its a great and inexpensive way to introduce yourself to reloading, and by next year you will know if reloading is for you or not.

 

[coldblood]

I only started reloading last year, never did calculate the price, but my rifles have never been more accurate since I switched to handloads.

As for the cost to start reloading, since you are keeping your brass, you can buy a $20(U.S) Lee Classic Loader in .243, along with a small hammer, a scale, a manual, and you can start reloading on the cheap. Its a great and inexpensive way to introduce yourself to reloading, and by next year you will know if reloading is for you or not.

I will have to check this out. I was told that initial investment to reloading bottom-lines to 1500$ including dies, powder, slugs and tools.

 

[old enfields]

1500 bucks? Wow they sure want you to buy ammo or think you wont look around.

You can get into reloading with basic a basic kit from lee for about 200 dollars. These kits are avialable from wholsale, cabelas, almost any dealer on this site that deals in Lee.
A lee loader is about 30 bucks brand new at Cabelas. I traded for my lee loader in 243 for the cost of postage. You will need a scale.

Don't let people convince you that Lee is garbage, my friend has been using Lee stuf since he was a young pup. Sure he has RCBS and Dillon stuff now but he still uses his Lee too.

I have a Lee challenger, Lee saftey scale, Lee auto Prime, and rcbs trickler and Lee Dies and I for 303 and 243. I also have rcbs dies which were given to me. I am in for no more than 250 Bucks.

My personal preference is for the lee dies since the RCBS dies take far more fidling to get set up and for some reson I always break a decaping pin during a sesion.

Either you have a gear snob, or a person who would like you to think that reloading is a mystical process beyond your ability.

 

[dinsdale]

I will have to check this out. I was told that initial investment to reloading bottom-lines to 1500$ including dies, powder, slugs and tools.

LEE 50th Anniversary Kit - $150
Lee Deluxe Rifle Die Set .243 - $50
1000 Small Rifle Primers - $40
1000 .243 Bullets - $300
6 lbs powder - $200

Assuming you have Brass for free Total for 1000 rounds = $740 total start up and 100 bullets made.

That cost will get you 500 rounds of commercial ammo at your cost.

 

[Cole]

I will have to check this out. I was told that initial investment to reloading bottom-lines to 1500$ including dies, powder, slugs and tools.

Somebody is feeding you a line of bullsh&t. I got my set up that included a RCBS Partner press , all the little hand tools and a RCBS 5-10 scale, dies bullets and 2 cans of powder and primers for 7 Rem Mag a while back (1990's ) for about $200 back then.
I'm pretty sure that if you shop wisely and keep an eye out on the EE here, you would deffinately do better than that .

 

[SPRTN308]

Put the Lee Anniversary Kit on your birthday wish list, and in the meantime start buying components and saving your brass.

I think by now you've learned its time to start reloading, and it is very economical. You'll pay for your stuff in no time if you buy it yourself.

 

[coldblood]

Wow! That's an eye opener! Thank you guys for comments regarding reloading. I probably would start looking into reloading way sooner but I ditched the idea after talking to people in the range. They made me believe that it some kind of "voodoo" very expensive art that average woman will never learn!

Well, I save all my .243 brass I shoot. Oh, wait a minute ... (A-ha moment! ) May be they just wanted my brass!!! Such b*stards, lol!

The cost of ammo cooled me down as well to postpone with my dream .308 rifle until...never. But if I can reload, it will feel better that I won't pay 10$ per shot, lol!

Back to books and research, lol! Thank you so so so much!

 

[pilgrim]

your first loaded round would be from 500 to 1000 bucks depends on setup....later it will be like 50-75 cents (depends on components)

 

[Al-Sway]

I don't know who you might have been talking to at the range, since you are in Edmonton area, but they are wrong, as has already been pointed out. You can also check the used market and start even lower in price.
Don't forget that many 'experienced' reloaders have lots of stuff, some acquired over the years, and some because they might be equipment junkies. Not necessary, but they think it is. Some have forgotten that it is not all necessary to start with.

 

[coldblood]

I don't know who you might have been talking to at the range, since you are in Edmonton area, but they are wrong, as has already been pointed out. You can also check the used market and start even lower in price.
Don't forget that many 'experienced' reloaders have lots of stuff, some acquired over the years, and some because they might be equipment junkies. Not necessary, but they think it is. Some have forgotten that it is not all necessary to start with.

I will keep this in mind

 

[Papaclaude]

Brass

Wow! That's an eye opener! Thank you guys for comments regarding reloading. I probably would start looking into reloading way sooner but I ditched the idea after talking to people in the range. They made me believe that it some kind of "voodoo" very expensive art that average woman will never learn!

Well, I save all my .243 brass I shoot. Oh, wait a minute ... (A-ha moment! ) May be they just wanted my brass!!! Such b*stards, lol!

The cost of ammo cooled me down as well to postpone with my dream .308 rifle until...never. But if I can reload, it will feel better that I won't pay 10$ per shot, lol!

Back to books and research, lol! Thank you so so so much!

It's absolutely disgusting that some men look at a woman and all they can see is her brass.But seriously, reloading costs about 40% of the cost of cheap ammo, but you're getting much more accurate loads. You also have a greater variety of bullets to choose from.

 

[hk33ka1]

Lee 50th kit $82
Lee 243 Dies and shellholder $16.50
Lee Case Length Guage 243 $3.80
Lee Manual $12.50

1lb IMR 4895 $32
100 Winchester/CCI etc Large Rifle Primers $4
100 .243 Bullets $35

This has you making ammo for $186 plus shipping and tax.


To change to say .308 you need a set of dies and case length guage and .308 bullets so say another $50.

You should also have a table to bolt the press to and work on, a digital calipre to measure shell length, safety glasses, a pen and paper and your once fired used brass.

 

[sunray]

"...some less expensive source..." Where are you? What ammo are you buying?
Shooter's Choice, in Waterloo, Ont., wants $19.95 per 20 for standard 100 grain Remington.
"...bottom-lines to $1500..." Maybe if you buy a top of the line Dillon press. That you don't need. Certainly not for a beginner's kit. An RCBS Beginner's Kit runs around $500 plus dies and shell holder. Very roughly $60 more. Usually pays for itself in about 6 months, depending on how often you're shooting. Mind you, reloading, while it will cost you less, depending on the bullet(like foxytrapper says) isn't about cost. It's about tailoring the ammo to your rifle.
The .243 and .308 use the same shell holder.
The Lee Classic is a very low cost option. Started with one myself. Don't use the scoops though. They can vary the powder charge plus or minus a full grain. Use a scale.
"...10$ per shot..." That'd be for .338 Lapua.

 

[rookie wildcat]

Don't even go that deep. You can start off with a
Lee Loader. $30 +.
100 bullets $30
1 lb powder $30
Brass (Free)
Small nylon hammer $10
Small scale (RCBS makes a decent digital for $60)
100 primers $4

Now, math...7000 gr in a lb. I use 35gr IMR 3031. and that works out to exactly 200 rounds!!

So, for your first 100 rounds , it will cost you (using the equip above) about $150.

Your next and subsequent 100 rounds will cost you about $50 a batch. That is about $10 a box of 20 and you will get better ammo.

Bear in mind that with the Lee Loader, you need to use YOUR fired brass since it will only neck size. It is a little slower, but it does work very well. The only difference is that it takes a little more of your time. I started with one in .303 when I was 17. I loaded hundreds of rounds with it (using the supplied dipper) before I had enough cash to move up. Even then it was to a second hand Challenger press, but still used the dippers.
Now, the kids are gone and I still have the Lee Loader, but 2 challenger presses, and a RockChucker, beam and digital scales, powder throwers, etc. I bought the 50th anniversary kit because I thought it was a good deal. It was and it wasn't. It was and is the only time I was ever disappointed with a Lee product. I absolutely hated the scale and the powder measure. I threw them back in the locker and haven't used them since. You can have them if you think they will work for you but I highly recommend getting something better as you go.

If you have a little more wherewithal, get the 50th anniversary kit. (about $125) The scale works but takes too much fiddling for my tastes and I found that the measure didn't throw consistently. However, the rest of the gear is not only necessary but I still use it all. The priming tool is superb, as is the case length trimmer. Add a set of dies for $40, a crimp die for $15, a powder trickler ($20), and you will really never need much else. You can load tremendously accurate ammo with just this stuff. Throw in your powder, primers, and bullets for 200rds and you are still around $300 bucks before tax.
You can use the dipper that comes with the Lee kit as a trickler, just tap the cup and drop it kernel by kernel on the scale pan until you get the right weight. DO NOT use it as a charge dipper like they say you can. It is not accurate enough, trust me, I used them for years and never had good results, I thought it just must be my rifles. I now weigh all my workups and them use a measure to throw my most accurate charges.
Good luck. This is a great hobby and I am sorry your first info was so far off the mark, but some people simply can't drive Hyundai's and shoot Stevens rifles (although you shoot a Sako, they may have thought you were one of them). Neither can they reload with less than Dhillon and Forster equipment. I shoot milsurps, Savages, Mossbergs and Remingtons. I can certainly load with Lee Precision products.

 

[greywolf]

the anniversary kit includes the lee book btw, and shop around . I buy my primners still for 32$ , powder for 35$ , and bullets (hornady for around 30$ and up depending on caliber. Anniversary kit cost me 111$ taxes in . The lee loader is good , but, as pointed out is limited . I'd go with anniversary kit, shop around to buy it, cheaper out west than in east, cheapest in provinces where cost of living is lower. Like MB or SK

 

[greywolf]

Don't even go that deep. You can start off with a
Lee Loader. $30 +.
100 bullets $30
1 lb powder $30
Brass (Free)
Small nylon hammer $10
Small scale (RCBS makes a decent digital for $60)
100 primers $4

Now, math...7000 gr in a lb. I use 35gr IMR 3031. and that works out to exactly 200 rounds!!

So, for your first 100 rounds , it will cost you (using the equip above) about $150.

Your next and subsequent 100 rounds will cost you about $50 a batch. That is about $10 a box of 20 and you will get better ammo.

Bear in mind that with the Lee Loader, you need to use YOUR fired brass since it will only neck size. It is a little slower, but it does work very well. The only difference is that it takes a little more of your time. I started with one in .303 when I was 17. I loaded hundreds of rounds with it (using the supplied dipper) before I had enough cash to move up. Even then it was to a second hand Challenger press, but still used the dippers.
Now, the kids are gone and I still have the Lee Loader, but 2 challenger presses, and a RockChucker, beam and digital scales, powder throwers, etc. I bought the 50th anniversary kit because I thought it was a good deal. It was and it wasn't. It was and is the only time I was ever disappointed with a Lee product. I absolutely hated the scale and the powder measure. I threw them back in the locker and haven't used them since. You can have them if you think they will work for you but I highly recommend getting something better as you go.

If you have a little more wherewithal, get the 50th anniversary kit. (about $125) The scale works but takes too much fiddling for my tastes and I found that the measure didn't throw consistently. However, the rest of the gear is not only necessary but I still use it all. The priming tool is superb, as is the case length trimmer. Add a set of dies for $40, a crimp die for $15, a powder trickler ($20), and you will really never need much else. You can load tremendously accurate ammo with just this stuff. Throw in your powder, primers, and bullets for 200rds and you are still around $300 bucks before tax.
You can use the dipper that comes with the Lee kit as a trickler, just tap the cup and drop it kernel by kernel on the scale pan until you get the right weight. DO NOT use it as a charge dipper like they say you can. It is not accurate enough, trust me, I used them for years and never had good results, I thought it just must be my rifles. I now weigh all my workups and them use a measure to throw my most accurate charges.
Good luck. This is a great hobby and I am sorry your first info was so far off the mark, but some people simply can't drive Hyundai's and shoot Stevens rifles (although you shoot a Sako, they may have thought you were one of them). Neither can they reload with less than Dhillon and Forster equipment. I shoot milsurps, Savages, Mossbergs and Remingtons. I can certainly load with Lee Precision products.

He can always upgrade the scale and so on later once he gets going and better at it, i bought the chargemaster combo with scale. later on , and upgraded the rest my components as i felt the need for better equipment. I still have some of the old stuff , all functional, just in case

 

[heavyBullet]

Also keep in mind that eventually you may need to FL size your brass, and that's something the Lee Loader cannot do, but by the time you get to where all your brass needs to be FL sized, you will know if you want to quit reloading or move ahead and buy a press.

If you quit, you can easily sell your Lee Loader for $20 on the EE, scales seem to go quick on the EE also, so you would not be out to much coin.

If you like it( I am sure you will) you will already have the basic's, and can easily move up to a press.

I do not have much time to shoot a lot, so I do not make a lot of ammo, so I still use my Lee Loader. I have a press, but really have no where to use it. Its so easy to use, my daughter helps me, which in turn gets her to understand the basics of reloading. She wacks all my primers out, she does the trimming, and she likes wacking the hammer to resize the brass.

 

[ianp123]

Well, I save all my .243 brass I shoot. Oh, wait a minute ... (A-ha moment! ) May be they just wanted my brass!!! Such b*stards, lol!

Considering the general friendliness I encounter at ranges no one offered to load for you. (At my club, we have one guy who does nothing but sell reloads to whomever wants them)

Hell, if you were local I'd ask you to give me a set of .243 dies and the components and I'd keep you in finished ammo.