i reload 45acp on a Lee classic turret press. Not including the cost of brass (I'm reusing the brass from whatever factory ammo I use), each reload runs me about 17 cents. This is for titegroup powder, winchester primers, and 200gr LWSC bullets. This works out to $17 per 100 rounds, which take me about 1 hour to make.
I would estimate that my reloading gear has set me back about $350 so far, which includes the press, carbide dies, hand primer, reloading manual, digital scale, micometer calipers, and a powder thrower, among the other smaller stuff.
Reloading for me is not just about lower cost per round: It also is about making a higher quality round custom tailored for my firearm.
That's about right, I think.
At the very bottom end (price, not quality), you can get a Lee Loader for about $50; that and a hammer are all the tools you'd need to produce perfectly good ammo, but it's slow and labour-intensive.
At the top end are the progressives and, with all the bits and pieces, figure closer to $1,000 although, as noted, you might be able to do better. They'll churn out ammo at a great rate.
For a beginner firing the amount of ammo you do, I would suggest a single-stage press would be sufficient and the cost all-up would be well under $500 including your first components. The single-stage press has the advantage of being simpler, making you concentrate on one thing at a time. For a newbie, that's a good thing. (I'm still using the first one I bought 40 years ago and have never wanted to upgrade.)
Asides from components - powder, bullets, brass and primers:
Must-Haves (unless you are using a Lee Loader)
- a workbench of some sort. It can be custom built, a folding work-mate or even a way to use your kitchen counter, but you must have something reasonably solid.
- a reloading manual put out by one of the major component manufacturers. Read it before you do anything. Until you get some experience, I wouldn't take any loads off the net.
- dies and a shell holder for the calibre(s) in question. Dies are of course calibre-specific; shell holders can fit a variety of cases. These are the only pieces of equipment you will need to get for each new calibre as everything else works on just about all calibres.
- scales. Electronic or balance.
- a reloading block - a tray to hold your cases as you work through the process. You can buy them or make them with a piece of 2x6 and a drill press.
- a legal way to store primers and powder. Lockable box with EXPLOSIVES written on the outside is the starting point.
- a book of some sort to record your efforts so you can tell what works and what doesn't. You can buy specially-printed ones but a school notebook works just as well
- good lighting. If your reloading place isn't bright, buy a cheap gooseneck lamp. I got mine (a floor model) at Ikea - it's flex neck allows me to put the light where it is needed
- often overlooked - safety googles and a fire extinguisher. Chicken Little only has to be right once. Besides, they create an reassuring aura in the eyes of spouses and landlords.
'Should-have-but-not-critical' stuff
- powder measure. It dumps a measured volume of propellant.
- powder trickler (the 'throw low and trickle up' concept is useful)
- small flashlight
- accurate calipers and, if you've the inclination, a micrometer.
- a primer pocket resizing tool (different kinds) and primer crimp remover if you are trying to reload military ammo cases.
- EDIT automatic primer feed - tube or strip - to avoid having to handle individual primers
'Nice-to-have' stuff
- primer pocket cleaner
- magnifying glass
- tumbler. You can reload without one, but asides from making things shiny, they also make it easier to examine your brass for cracks, etc
- I found the lube pads provided in kits messy and the provided lube a pain to clean off. I dropped $6 on a tiny tin of Imperial Sizing Die Wax. Tap one of your fingers lightly on the wax and roll the case between your fingers. Much less messy and it lasts almost forever. You must use some sort of lube or cases will stick in the dies - bad.
- case trimmer. You'll need it eventually, especially if reloading hot bottle-neck ammo
- a deburring tool to 'round off' neck edges, especially after trimming.
- a small funnel for pouring powder into cases.
- bullet puller. Everybody makes mistakes. Most people use a kinetic one, shaped like a hammer.
Some things you won't need until you really need them, and that will be on a Saturday night, 15 minutes before the store closes and in the middle of a blizzard:
- a couple of spare depriming pins for your dies
- a stuck case remover.
You can get both for under $10 and they'll save you a lot of grief
