I am thinking on reloading

There was a forty or fifty year old local guy here some time ago - he wanted to reload some rounds - he was astounded to discover there is a plethora of powders, many reloading manual recipes, many dozen of bullet diameters and weights available - all he had to do was pick one of each and we could reload, if he wanted to, if he could find some primers, that powder that he chose and those bullets that he chose. Some are happy with something that will go "bang" when the trigger is pulled - others want a bit more than that - like hitting what you aimed at - and is usual that a miss is ALWAYS the re-loader's fault, the rifle's fault or the scope's fault.

And there is no rule anywhere that what components that got picked to use are the "best" for your outfit - have to load some and see what you get - you can narrow down your choices with reloading manuals and other people's "recipes" who use similar rifles to yours, but there is no guarantee, at all, that the specific recipe that works or is "best" for someone else, will work well with your stuff. Many, many examples of swapping amount or brand of powder, swapping bullet, swapping primer or swapping brand of case - and the holes show up on the target in a different place, with varying size of groupings for 3 or 5 or 10 shots. Factory made commercial ammo is probably loaded with a custom blended powder that you can not buy - their powder probably mixed specifically for that production run. Is probable they did not use your rifle to test for pressure or velocity - most will tell you what they used. And, it is not likely they used the exact components that you will use - they will tell you what they used - what brand of case, what primer, how much of what powder, what weight and size of bullet - chances are about "0" that you will acquire exactly the same stuff that they used. Is not unusual here to fire 20 rounds to establish maximum pressure - then various from that to establish best accuracy - if you only fire 10 rounds a year now, you will probably fire 3 years worth, just to establish a "recipe" to use for your gun.
 
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Is it worth it? For calibers like 30-06 or I am thinking on getting a new 07-08 or 30-30?

I do not go to the range very often, just before a hunt to make sure scope is zeroed and some practice to be ready. Would I save money reloading instead of buying bullets?
Nope....
You could buy three boxes of ammo for each and be further ahead for many years to come.
 
Even though you don’t do a whole lot of shooting I would keep my eye out for some used deals out there on reloading equipment
For a low volume shooter you can get away with a cheap Lee single stage press and dies. Shouldn’t cost much to get started
Get a reloading manual too the Lyman one is good
 
There’s a lot of good reasons to reload; but trying to save money on 5 shots a year isn’t one of them. With a 30-06 thats what, 10 bucks a year for the factory? Thats not worth the holes you’d drill in your bench, assuming you have a bench😂
 
I would just shoot factory ammo in your situation. I have heard good things about the 7-08. If you can hit a pie plate at 200 yards your good to go for hunting since you will be able to hit the vitals. If you want to shoot small 3-5 groups then you may consider reloading it may take sometime before you find the perfect load for your rifle. Is it cost effective it depends how deep your pockets are. Reloading supplies are expensive the Lee single stage I bought before the liberals took office was $109.99 today it retails for $269.99 at the same place I bought the one I have.
 
I reload because sometimes I want to go to a gravel pit and shoot 50 45/70 for fun... and it is. I cast for it and when I bought my components, with casting, my cost is ~$12-15/50. I saw the dark clouds coming and spent a couple grand on primers, powders and bullets before they tripled in cost. I can recreationally shoot for decades. Getting into it now, I'd still do it if I only had a rifle or two. I'd find my go to load and make sure I could make 300 of them in the future. Boxes of rifle ammo are now like $40-100 / 20. It's worth it to shoot what you like. Ammunition is the cheapest part of the hunt. My favourite hand load isn't commercially offered, and I have been hunting with it for 6 or so years with no sign of wanting a change. I have a modern rifle, I use good brass and I shoot a 120gr ttsx at nearly 3000 fps out of a cartridge designed in the 1890's. You just can't buy that.
 
Is it worth it? For calibers like 30-06 or I am thinking on getting a new 07-08 or 30-30?

I do not go to the range very often, just before a hunt to make sure scope is zeroed and some practice to be ready. Would I save money reloading instead of buying bullets?
I've had a few friends tell me they were going to start reloading too.
They spent a small fortune to get everything needed and most never reloaded a round.
IMO opinion you are a bit late to the game.
My advice. Save your money, and instead spend it on factory ammo when you see a sale.
I promise you will not save money. It has got a bit better, but some components are hard to come buy.
Buy factory ammo.
Reloading in many ways is not cheaper, but it allows you to shoot more.
If you aren't a volume shooter don't bother with reloading.
 
Or you could do like my buddy did, partner up with a neighbor or close by friend like me that already has the equipment and load together.
It was a win -win situation for both of us, he got into shooting a lot easier and very much cheaper than if doing it himself , he gets to use my thousands of dollars worth of equipment bought over many years and my experience first hand, and I have gained what i consider a lifelong friend that I get to spend time with when he is over using the equipment.
 
If you want to learn how to reload then look into it. I wouldn’t focus on saving money as that is hard to do if you want higher quality reloads. I have told a few people to go shop for the components and see what you can find. Usually the primers stop them as they are very hard to find. It seems some powders aren’t available for long periods also.

I started reloading to save money but soon started shooting more and focused on accuracy. Then I got reloading for wildcats and unusual calibers. Forming brass etc. I used an RCBS partner press until it wore out. I’m on my second press, third scale over 30+ years. ROI is easy when you load for that long.

Reloading might be the trigger for enjoying shooting more.
 
If you have never reloaded - there are sort of minimum quantities of most components for sale - if you want to reload 5 or 30 rounds - you are going to have to buy at least one tray of primers - they are usually 100 primers. You will buy a bottle of powder by the pound - that is good for 80 to 150 rounds - depending on the cartridge and the load that you settle on. Bullets are often sold in bags or boxes of 50 or 100. New brass cases might be sold in boxes of 20 or bags of 50 or 100. So, you will lay out a far bit of money to get started - and you will have a fair bit of some items left over. That I know of, it is NOT POSSIBLE to just buy enough stuff to reload a few rounds - you will have to buy more than you immediately need - unless you have an acquaintance who has what you need and can spare some.

Unfortunately, there is much evidence that primers and powders can deteriorate over time, if not stored properly - it is not inevitable, but some folk simply do not appear set up to store that stuff.
 
As a rabid reloader, I hate to think I have INVESTED into reloading. 2 Dillon 550Cs, RBCBS RC Supreme, dies, wet tumbler scales, calipers, case gauges, loading blocks, press upgrades, toolhead holders, parts. That's the hardware side, then there's the load development costs. Ladder, powder, bullet tests. Yes it all adds up very slowly your looking at thousands.
Well if you only shoot a box or 2 a year, buy factory DO NOT RELOAD. Hard advice but completely honest, unless you're shooting a very obscure caliber. You say 30.06 Springfield, that's a caliber that's not disappearing any time soon. I shoot a lot of very standard sizes, but only fail to reload 3 calibers 12g because I only use maybe 2 bx a year, 7.62x54r, I shoot that more but I'll put up with cleaning to flush my crate of corrosive. 3rd one is .22LR.
 
Is it worth it? For calibers like 30-06 or I am thinking on getting a new 07-08 or 30-30?

I do not go to the range very often, just before a hunt to make sure scope is zeroed and some practice to be ready. Would I save money reloading instead of buying bullets?
Well...loading your own ammo can give you options in bullet weights...velocities.. High pressure...low pressure...it opens alot of doors... Some ladings youd put together may out perform factory ammo...its a great hobby, however...you want to speak to a well seasoned reloader before attempting... Safety 1st...
 
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