I don't think I have a choice but to get into reloading. I like to go through 500-1000 rounds of 9mm per range visit, and would go through as many in .308 if I could afford it. Right now I can only afford to shoot once every 3 months or so... I'm hoping reloading will allow me to go at least once a month with the amount of ammunition I'd like to let loose.
Progressive Owners! Front And Centre!
- Thread starter Glenfilthie
- Start date
. I'm with you 100% Colin, though I'd include ALL brands in this statement.
Its a common practice on CGN to ignore tools and other significant costs associated with reloading and to mistakenly compare the retail price of a 50 rd box of NEW ammo to that of BULK produced RELOADS in order to maximize margins used in cost comparisons. This is wrong, and misleads prospective new reloaders as to potential cost savings.
Using 45 ACP 230g FMJ as an example, you can buy commercially reloaded ammo for $0.36 then sell the used brass for $0.10 for a net cost of $0.26 per round. Alternatively you can purcha$e your own gear and put together your own component$. It will cost you the same, or perhaps a tad more, to assemble this round yourself using your own gear. Thats reality.
Confronted by the economic realities of "component assembly", many of us attempt to cure the situation by investing even more $$ and lots and lots of time, in order to build lead bullets. "NOW" you save $$ we're told and while this may very well be true, I expect an hours OT on one's job per month would supply the $$ in a far more efficient manner.
Personally, reloading and shooting go hand-in-hand and I find a lot of satisfaction in developing loads that meet my exact needs, none of which is met by commercially reloaded or factory ammunition. Cost is also a factor, reloading allows me to shoot the large amount of ammo I need to become proficient and maintain that proficiency.
I look at the cost of reloading equipment as a one-time thing and not as something to be amortized and accounted for to be justified in its' purchase. For that reason I buy the best equipment I can because it is the cheapest and the fastest in the long run, a joy to use and it will last forever.
My greatest joy has always been in casting my own bullets, whether one at a time for rifle or by the millions commercially (Accurate Bullet Company, Wiarton, Ont., 1988-1994)and then using them to obtain the best accuracy/performance and win matches.
Reloading , to me, is a hobby within a hobby and has always been deeply rewarding in and of itself.
Your experience and perspective may differ.
Its certainly possible, albeit a lot more work, to feed a 2000 rd per month habit using a single stage press and you don't need an expensive one to do it. This could greatly reduce the initial sticker shock of getting started and free up $$ for the bulk component buying you're gonna need to do.
Also, if you select your other components, ie powder measure, with a view to compatibility with a progressive later, everything you buy now, can stay with you when you upgrade. By everything, I mean everything including the single stage press. No matter how much you upgrade as time goes on, there'll still be dozens of handy ways to employ your single stage press. Most reloaders keep em.
A single stage press is adequate for rifle but is an instrument of torture for any volume of pistol. I still have the first Lyman Comet C press I bought in 1960 and use it occasionaly for odd jobs. It still works like new.
A far better choice, in my opinion, is to invest in a Dillon 550, or other make with similar specs, that will do everything you will need well into the future. If it is kept in good nick it can be sold in the future for what you paid for it or more if that becomes necessary.
Personally, reloading and shooting go hand-in-hand and I find a lot of satisfaction in developing loads that meet my exact needs, none of which is met by commercially reloaded or factory ammunition. Cost is also a factor, reloading allows me to shoot the large amount of ammo I need to become proficient and maintain that proficiency.
I look at the cost of reloading equipment as a one-time thing and not as something to be amortized and accounted for to be justified in its' purchase. For that reason I buy the best equipment I can because it is the cheapest and the fastest in the long run, a joy to use and it will last forever.
My greatest joy has always been in casting my own bullets, whether one at a time for rifle or by the millions commercially (Accurate Bullet Company, Wiarton, Ont., 1988-1994)and then using them to obtain the best accuracy/performance and win matches.
Reloading , to me, is a hobby within a hobby and has always been deeply rewarding in and of itself.
Your experience and perspective may differ.
, The benefits of reloading go far beyond the penny pinching angle. Thats why I do it 
.The point of my rant Opcx6, isn't to discourage reloading. It just seems unfair to me, however, that prospective new reloaders get the "Rose Coloured Glasses" version of the cost benefit side of things. Everything you've said is 100% as far as I'm concerned and I'd encourage anyone to start rolling their own for these and other reasons I can think of too.
On the other hand, do posters who indicate they plan on buying components for a few thousand rounds of 9mm per year, and a new progressive to put it all together, just to save $$, really deserve to be told they're going to succeed at this,?? and not be entitled to another point of view? Like yours for instance
?
It's not just about "volume" Nothing is more frustrating than a press that clogs up every 50 rounds...and feels likes it's going to snap in two every time you pull the handle...whether you load 25,000 per year...or 2500 per year.
