Downside is the time spent, I don't have a progressive press yet, so loading takes up a lot of my time....time I could spend shooting....![]()
Lets see, I can load rounds for my .308 that shoot better in my rem700P than Federal Gold Medal Match or Norma match for about .75 cents a round instead of 3 dollars per round. You can get a case trimmer, and trim the brass whenever it has reached the maximum safe overall length. The cost savings and increased accuracy make reloading totally worth while. Do yourself a favor buy a good reloading manual like the Lyman 49th, it will walk you through reloading step by step. Better yet, find someone that already reloads and learn from them.
Someone who says that handloads are likely to jam has probably never reloaded themself, or has not reloaded properly!
You might save lots of money reloading down the line, or you might be like many of us, and just get to shoot 3 or 4 times as much!!
There's one thing to remember, don't go into harms way with re-loads. Factory loads are more dependable using the laws of average.
Free reloading data reloadersnest.com The money you save reloading will only encourage you to shoot more and there goes your savings ! Vicious circle.Should start a reloaders annonomous. Signs of addiction include component hoarding,hrs spent researching data and finally in the later stages bringing more guns home from the range than you took.[to fool the wife] It's downhill from there..................Harold
In almost 20 years of handloading, I have had exactly one round fail to ignite when I asked it to. And I guess I could have prevented that one also had I inspected the primers. An autopsy of the round showed there was no priming compound in the primer.
I would guess an equivalent amount of factory ammo would have yielded the same results as far as duds, if not more.
Factory ammo is not scrutinized as carefully as yours can be. Why would you trust factory ammo more?
Joe is right. Don't start picking out stuff just yet. The very first step should be a good reloading manual. After you've read understood that, you'll be able to make an informed decision. Yes, RCBS is good.......so is Lyman........and Redding...........older stuff like Texan.....
I almost forgot one of the best things about reloading. The ammo store never closes and it's never out of stock on what you want unless you let it get that way![]()
There is only one drawback that I am aware of: You feel sick to your stomach when you buy factory ammo. It is so bad now for me -- I can't even dig deep to buy premium factory 22 WMR ammo because I can reload .223 for cheaper...