Newbie Looking at Loading / Reloading

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Ranger77

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Hello All,

I am an uneducated newbie looking at potentially getting into the reloading scene. I have done a little research into the topic, but before I spend any more time, energy and take the financial plunge I was hoping I could have a little advice from the forum on the efficacy as well as the pros and cons of getting into reloading.

For context, my main ammunition needs are 9MM and 7.62x39 with a little 308 action. I am looking at a 556 rifle as well. I do shoot a lot of 22LR but I do not know about the economics of loading / reloading 22LR.

For additional context, I am also interested from the DIY / self sufficiency perspective.

My current best prices on 9MM are around 0.40 per round on 1000 rounds and roughly 0.34 per round on 1000 rounds for 7.62x39.

So given the above, in these uncertain political / economic times, is it worth getting into the loading / reloading scene? Can one reliably find the materials needed?

Thank in advance!
 
Hey Ranger77 -

Let me share what I understand -- though I am also pretty new at this. You can price out components and do a bit of math yourself to see whether or not you're saving any money. I would expect that cheaper ammunition like bulk 9MM and 7.62x39 would not save money, while .308 and 5.56 might be very close to break even. You'll get much more savings out of making your own 'expensive' ammunition like specialised hunting or match ammunition.

.22 should not be reloaded since the primer is integrated into the rim of the case, it is a pain to do this.

If you are looking to only get your feet wet, consider a Lee Classic Loader, which, when paired with a mallet, will give you the ability to reload that caliber for ~$60.

There is a bit of a shortage right now, especially for Large Rifle Primers. So expect to be faced with more expensive components.
 
Is getting asked often on CGN. Guesstimate $300 and up in previously used tooling / books and then being shown how to do it. Mostly all reloading gizmos are HEAVILY marketed - some do nothing useful for you; some are trade-off for "faster to do" a step - so that goes to how many rounds do you want to produce - how often and how much time have you got to do so? Look around in stores where you are - bullets, primers, powder and cases. What do they cost? Maybe with some rifle loads, you can re-load a case 15 times before it is cracked or you get loose primer pocket - other people get 3 re-loads before case is cracked / loose primer; or that case gets lost, but you will "use up" a bullet, some powder and a primer every time you fire a round.

Most any reloading manual will give you some sort of recipe for 9 mm and for 7.62x39 - can work out that there is 7,000 grains in one pound - so one pound powder good for 350 rounds at 20 grains per load; 200 rounds at 35 grains per load - you can work out your cost of powder per round from that - if you have idea how many grains to use - not all powders used will be the same. You can work out the cost of components (if you can find them) - case, bullet, powder and primer. Then have to get access to tooling and develop a bit of "know how" to use the tools and to select / develop your "recipe" for your firearms - is no "standard" recipe that applies everywhere and always, unless you want Start Level loads - stuff that goes "bang".

Depending what you get for tooling, maybe you get to do 50 rounds per hour - spend more money on tooling and produce 1,000 rounds per hour - spend even more and get 2,500 per hour.

Reloading mentors will be different - one type has reloaded 42 different cartridges and has developed 3 or 4 different loads for many of those - has used dozens of types of powder, bullets and primers - and has used various reloading tools and techniques. The other type is loading the same amount of IMR 4350 into 30-06 cases, using the same tooling as he did in 1973. Both will tell you that they have 50 years experience at reloading cartridges.

For absolute cost example, I just did 100 x 22-250 rounds with components I had bought a few years ago - 55 grain V-Max bullet was 29 cents (then). CCI BR-2 Large Rifle Primer was 7 cents (then). Varget powder load was 29 cents (then) - so 65 cents per round to reload - using previously fired cases that were already on hand. AND, likely $1,000 of tooling involved to do that, although could also be done with much, much cheaper than that - just more time to do, and some steps not done, because they are not absolutely necessary to do - like stainless steel pin wet tumbling.

As per the Post above that came up while I was typing, like many others, I started with the Lee Loader kit and a hammer - might have even got my first couple deer with those loads - I know I fired hundreds of rounds produced with one of them. But, "marketing" got to me, and over the years, one piece at a time, each step in the process got replaced with a specific tool that had various "advantages" and "disadvantages". If you just want something that goes "bang" and have either new brass or brass previously fired in your chamber, you would be good to make re-loaded ammo with a Lee Loader - if you can find the consumables. I have not bought a Lee Loader for years - was a chart and a scoop in the kit - the chart told you what weight bullet to use and what powder to buy, to use that scoop. Once you get a reloading manual (or two or three) and a scale (or a scoop kit) - gives you the option to use other powders, other load "recipes".
 
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As mentioned cost is easy to figure out if cost is your main goal but you need to consider other things.

1) Reloading in and of itself is a great hobby if you like testing things out, finding that " perfect load", and wasting away hours at your bench.
2) Being able to produce ammo when you can't find it commercially.

If you want to dive in there are some good kits out there and at the end of the day you'll just keep spending to buy upgraded gear and components anyway.

For me I like finding that "perfect load" so I buy a gun, find the load, sell it off and buy something different and do it again. lol...
 
Reloading is one of the best hobbies to take up, it can be a bit expensive at first with the initial cost of reloading equipment but the satisfaction of having your rifle dialed in with the perfect load can't be beat. If you are shooting bulk and surplus 9mm/223/7.62x39 then maybe its not worth it. For hunting rifles I think its worth every penny and you can make your ammo when it may be very scarce on shelves. Reloading components can be hard to come by at times too so you will have to gather a healthy supply of components when they are available.
 
First question is can you find components in your area? Primers and some powders are not available at all! So it is hard to reload if not able to get primers and powder! Second is get a few books, not only one, 2 minimum and 3/4 is best! Find some one in you area that could help/mentor you it will make your life easier! After that it is a matter of trying things out and and staying on the safe side of things, being methodical!! I bought a kit from Lee but other than the press and dies the rest of the kit ended up being cheap stuff that I replaced by better quality products!
So if you are not in a rush, buy used or on sale stuff!

As for cost, you won’t save money! What you will be able to do is possibly better ammo tailors to your rifles!
You will shoot more!
 
Ranger77 said:
Hello All,

I am an uneducated newbie looking at potentially getting into the reloading scene. I have done a little research into the topic, but before I spend any more time, energy and take the financial plunge I was hoping I could have a little advice from the forum on the efficacy as well as the pros and cons of getting into reloading.

For context, my main ammunition needs are 9MM and 7.62x39 with a little 308 action. I am looking at a 556 rifle as well. I do shoot a lot of 22LR but I do not know about the economics of loading / reloading 22LR.

For additional context, I am also interested from the DIY / self sufficiency perspective.

My current best prices on 9MM are around 0.40 per round on 1000 rounds and roughly 0.34 per round on 1000 rounds for 7.62x39.

So given the above, in these uncertain political / economic times, is it worth getting into the loading / reloading scene? Can one reliably find the materials needed?

Thank in advance!
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You don't really say what you want to do with the ammo you make.

For plinking and zombie slaying, I'd take a serious look at the difference in cost between components, tools, the value of your time, etc. and bulk ammo. 9mm, for sure, isn't worth hand-loading. Just buy lots when it's on sale. I suspect 7.62x39 is the same. You definitely can't make 308 at home for 0.34/round, not even with range brass and crappy plated bullets.

However, if you're into precision shooting and/or hunting, bulk ammo probably isn't going to cut it - hand loading is the way to go for sure.

If you want to do it just because it's fun, and because you can stockpile a bit for the lean times when components and ammo are hard to find, well, that's a good reason to get into it too. Lol, get your wallet out though - the starter, single-stage, balance beam stuff is sooo slow. The gear you need to efficiently turn out large quantities of quality ammo is not cheap at all.

Lots of good info on this site and online about the very questions you're asking here.
 
You are shooting the cheapest caliber pretty much so the economics on reloading just these are not great.

Once you are starting to reload more expensive calibers then the savings really start.

My equipment is pretty much all bought used and then there is not much (if any) depreciation as I can sell it down the road for the same or close to what I paid for.
So in my calculation of cost for reloads I only calculate with the cost of the components.

Try to find a mentor in your area, I have seen a few guys give up because they started with the wrong equipment and did not have some guidance from a mentor or friend.
 
When I first started shooting, factory ammo was so so. I was traded some brass and got reloads, my group size was cut in half. Now factory is pretty decent and in a common caliber like 308, there are adequate choices for hunting and casual target work. The other ones don't make any sense to reload. Nor does it for some 308.

Reloading is necessary for competition, odd balls, and expensive ones like Weatherby . Reloading can be a fun hobby in itself.
 
Reloading and cost - among local folk, seems that there is a thought to have 2 or three boxes of shells is a LOT to have - say 60 rounds - guesstimating $150 to $200 these days for most "deer rifles" - what is not appreciated, is that bullets are sold in packs of 50 or 100, powder by the one pound, four pound or eight pound jugs - usually. Primers (used to be) sold in trays of 100 - cases of 1,000. So in about no time, you will have several hundred dollars laid out in supplies - and then tooling - results in WAY more dollars than previously spent. If you "baulk" at paying $60 or $70 for 20 rounds of 303 British, you will likely spend circa 3 or 4 times that much, to be able to re-load your own.

And, as we discovered within past year - need to have ALL the pieces, not just most of them. A local young fellow came over to use my gear to load up some 22 Hornet - in setting up, we discovered he did not have a shell holder for that brass for this press - neither did I - so we were about stopped dead by that missing piece. Concern had been about bullets, powder, primers, dies, case length - between he and I we had stuff for all that - all got stopped "cold" with no way to grab those cases in this press.

Without doing detail calculation, I suspect I could probably reload those 303 British circa $10 to $15 per 20, with supplies on hand that were purchased in the past. But not sure is "slam dunk" cheaper, if you are starting "cold" today, with nothing - no components, no "know-how", no tooling ... You can get into casting your own bullets - usually way cheaper than "store-bought" to buy - even if you buy commercial lead alloys - but a whole 'nuther set of "know how" and tooling involved.
 
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A-bolt243 said:
Reloading is one of the best hobbies to take up, it can be a bit expensive at first with the initial cost of reloading equipment but the satisfaction of having your rifle dialed in with the perfect load can't be beat. If you are shooting bulk and surplus 9mm/223/7.62x39 then maybe its not worth it. For hunting rifles I think its worth every penny and you can make your ammo when it may be very scarce on shelves. Reloading components can be hard to come by at times too so you will have to gather a healthy supply of components when they are available.
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Just the enjoyment I get from reloading alone is worth it. I like every part of the process, even the case trimming. Lol

It’s a great way to pass the time on those cold, dark winter evenings.
 
Once you factor in the current price of the gear you need to load with on top of brass, powder, primers, projectiles you’re probably better off buying factory 9mm, .223, x39 and possibly .308.

That said if you want to get into a fun hobby and like detail oriented things, hand loading might be just the thing for you. I personally enjoy the process and finished product, luckily I bought a bunch of components and gear prior to the scamdemic price jump.
 
OP - if/when you get started, is common enough to be on receiving end of offers like Post #13. If that guy is like me, is all sorts of stuff that I have "squirrelled away" that has never seen light of day for decades - it pleases me (and others) to get it to someone who can make use of it - who will make it do what it was meant to do. Will give some who live by the penny to about have a "conniption" - but is certainly not about money, at all. What "stuff" costs to buy today, versus what it cost 25 years ago will make you cry - and no reason to think it will be a lot different in further 25 years from now.
 
coyoteking said:
Just the enjoyment I get from reloading alone is worth it. ...
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Butcherbill said:
Once you factor in the current price of the gear you need to load with on top of brass, powder, primers, projectiles you’re probably better off buying factory 9mm, .223, x39 and possibly .308. ....
Click to expand...


OP, there you have it, really. It's only worth it if you enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, the savings are not enough to make it worthwhile - Especially with the common cartridges you're planning to load (unless you're planning to do something uncommon with those cartridges, which it sounds like you're not). If you're loading hard to find (i.e. expensive) cartridges, then it's almost mandatory.

I'll add: In addition to budgeting cash for the equipment and the components, realize you also have to have bench space available to work on, and storage space available for equipment and components. And in addition to taking time to do the actual handloading, you need to allow for a significant chunk of time to learn about the process, and to research the loads you want to make.
 
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