Does it make sense to start reloading or PITA?

diopter said:
Questions
1) Rifle is in .357mag?
2) If not for hunting, why specify HP bullets?

Should be able to find a cheap old single stage press very cheaply. Shipping likely more expensive.
Try local Kijiji for used equipment.
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1) yep. 1892 (16" and 20" barrels)

2) It blows up plinking targets much better (I know I know....)


Actually I have had a hard time finding used reloading equipment that isnt rusted to crap or at near new value .... Buying a new press wouldnt be the end of the world ..
 
I reload because I have better ammo than I can buy in stores. It is custom made for "my" rifle to shoot best. I do not save money but in fact shoot more and better ammo with the same money. Reloading is also the only solution to shooting uncommon, hard to find, and rare ammunition.

Reloading equipment has different requirements depending on what you want to load eg. handgun vs rifle vs shotshells, but many devices are common such as calipers, scales, trimmers, powder tricklers, and tumblers. Straight wall handgun bullets are easy unless you require a progressive press for large volume. The cost of these devices does pay for itself over time.

I recommend new people to reloading to have a sit through session with an experienced reloader to see what it is about. It is not a good hobby for someone who is impatient.
 
fiddler said:
I reload because I have better ammo than I can buy in stores. It is custom made for "my" rifle to shoot best. I do not save money but in fact shoot more and better ammo with the same money. Reloading is also the only solution to shooting uncommon, hard to find, and rare ammunition.

Reloading equipment has different requirements depending on what you want to load eg. handgun vs rifle vs shotshells, but many devices are common such as calipers, scales, trimmers, powder tricklers, and tumblers. Straight wall handgun bullets are easy unless you require a progressive press for large volume. The cost of these devices does pay for itself over time.

I recommend new people to reloading to have a sit through session with an experienced reloader to see what it is about. It is not a good hobby for someone who is impatient.
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I used to cast bullets and reload but then for many many years have not shot pistol rounds much (I never reloaded rifle since I dont shoot rifles other than .223 enough).

I want to reload .357 for cost and to load them a bit lower for younger folks to shoot. I think even with jacketed bullets .357 makes great cost savings when reloaded
 
Teac said:
1) yep. 1892 (16" and 20" barrels)

2) It blows up plinking targets much better (I know I know....)


Actually I have had a hard time finding used reloading equipment that isnt rusted to crap or at near new value .... Buying a new press wouldnt be the end of the world ..
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I hear you. Have a 357 Martini Cadet with Mannlicher forestock. I feed it from 148gr HBWC target 38spl to full house 357 loads.
 
Yes. Some of the old presses can be missing hard to find pieces. CH has quite of bit of parts useable for old presses, so long as their are not seized.
 
ColinD said:
I recently got into reloading as well. It's a big upfront cost and I doubt most people will ever "break even"

Everything is really easy to find either locally or online. (there is a site sponsor with great prices and selection)

Reloading has been a way to for me to shoot more, and get the most out of factory brass. It's also therapeutic to be able to duck out in the garage for a bit and be alone creating recipes to try for later.
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It can be way better than break even. I figure I'm in for under $2000 for everything reloading related and have saved over $13K on .44mag alone. While saving 5 to 8 cents per round on 9mm is less impressive, the ability to custom tailor or fine tune ammunition is worth far more than that. Fooling around and making subsonic .223 or .22 Hornet level rounds is fun as all get out too.
 
Teac said:
So at the moment I only want to load .357 which I use for plinking ... I have an electronic balance and dies and as major equipment need press and power doser only.

BUT


Will this be something thats great in the US and constant suck in Canada due to parts and components not being in stock and maybe available in 2-6 months?

It starts with that I have been unable to find .357 HP bullets ...

Is powder a PITA to get here? Should be store bought in LM BC.

So I am hesitant to get into it just to be faced with a barrage of "not available" and "wont ship to Canada"


Teac
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Well, powder, primers and brass are easy to find. You can't order them from US, but canadian retailers will deliver all of that to your door. You seem to be a bit specific on what you want for bullets, so maybe you'll have a hard time finding what you want, but if you find the bullets you want (check x-reload or budget shooter supply), then you can buy a lot of them. If you absolutely want to buy only from your local stores you might have some trouble, but if you're willing to buy online, I don't see how you could end up not finding everything you need quite easily. For example, x-reload has the whole HP/XTP line for about 30$ per 100.

For 357, finding the stuff you need is easy. Reloading is also quite easy.
 
Define plinking? 1000 rounds a yr... 5000,10,000?
What calibres are in your cabnet/closet?
What's your budget? I wouldn't reload .22, 9mm, 7.62 x 39...never get out of the shop.
Always good deals on 1F brass on EE for lots of others, and dies for that matter...
 
HuskyDude said:
Define plinking? 1000 rounds a yr... 5000,10,000?
What calibres are in your cabnet/closet?
What's your budget? I wouldn't reload .22, 9mm, 7.62 x 39...never get out of the shop.
Always good deals on 1F brass on EE for lots of others, and dies for that matter...
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1000 - 2000 .357/year

only reload .357, maybe .44 in small qties. all other handgun rounds dont make sense for me (9mm: cost, 45: volume)


Got brass and dies already :)
 
A wise man once said "Nobody ever saved money reloading. They just get to shoot more!"

If you're looking for a particular loading you can't buy off-the-shelf, or if factory ammo costs way more than the reloading cost, then it makes a lot of sense.

Brass is the most expensive component, so if you're shooting pistol rather than rifle (brass doesn't get stressed and wear out as fast) or you're shooting something other than a semiauto (spraying brass where you won't find all of it) then there's a definite savings to be had.
 
Just to make clear ... the main question I have is not if its difficult to do but if I can get components when I need without having to wait months for stuff to sock up and searching aorund
 
Getting components should be easy, especially for .357. Just shop around and be willing to buy online.

I'm probably the odd one out here. I have probably $1500+ in fancy RCBS reloading gear inlcuding a Chargemaster combo and I only reload target loads for my 7mm right now, and only when I have none left to shoot. I find reloading tedious and boring, and I don't even like the load work up stage at the range. I wanna put ammo in my gun and shoot, not screw about trying to get an extra 0.045" tighter grouping. Minute of zombie head is good enough for me when plinking. I buy factory ammo for hunting, and with my scope zeroed to MPBR anything within 400 yards is going down.
 
Teac said:
So at the moment I only want to load .357 which I use for plinking ... I have an electronic balance and dies and as major equipment need press and power doser only.

BUT


Will this be something thats great in the US and constant suck in Canada due to parts and components not being in stock and maybe available in 2-6 months?

It starts with that I have been unable to find .357 HP bullets ...

Is powder a PITA to get here? Should be store bought in LM BC.

So I am hesitant to get into it just to be faced with a barrage of "not available" and "wont ship to Canada"


Teac
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What's a doser??
 
So it’s a hobby....it’s also addicting...like coffee ....if your just doing one or two calibres ...buy a used single stage ....load 50 a night or more and away you go .....keep it simple ....keep it simple ......if you have money to spend and won’t bother you ...get a Dillon 650 or the new 750 ...YouTube videos watch ....you can load up to 800 rounds an hour ...
Again how far do you wanna go with this hobby $$$$$.....or if you can put the word out to people in your neck of the woods that you wanna try a progressive press... and then you can judge from there
 
I bought most of my reloading gear second hand, so small investment. I also bought things as I needed it - first reloading with a Lee Original Loader for .303 British, but soon a RCBS press, RCBS scale and dies.
I have stuff for at least 10 rifle cartridges and 12, 16 and 20 gauge shotgun. I buy a lot of my reloading supplies from gun shows where you can find an occasional bargain or rare stuff that is scarce.
Reloading can be an addiction, but it can also be a feeling of independence from uncertain ammo supply. I have tailored my loads to build confidence with my hunting rifles.
Then there is the allure of Black Powder smoke - you can't beat it for fun.
Only you can tell how interested you are, and whether you might get into reloading.
 
It’s not just the reloading I enjoyed, trying different loads, hours at the range testing different variations. Tough to tailor the load to the firearm if you don’t reload. I’ve had a few rifles over the years that once the loads were tweaked shot very well, but were well over 1 MOA with available off the shelf ammo. This was a number of years ago, and the variety of factory offerings has definitely improved since then.
 
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