Reloading as a hand craft, vs powered equipment...

[yodave]

When I want something artsy to admire for days/weeks/years....I either make sawdust on the power tools or sit at the other bench and tie flies......I take my time shooting nice small groups that get displayed on the wall like cross stich or needle work........

I can see the avenue your looking down with the hand crafted ammo, but really your just assembling pre estabished components and the end results all look alike, its hard to take credit for that.........speed has its place, your only processing...not creating. Less time on the press and more time on the trigger is more rewarding, want to be locked in the basement all day? or at the range on the firing line?

 

[Stormchaser]

Newbie question: are there any financial savings to reloading, say a .308 round? What might be a cost per round? Thanks!

 

[cariboo 221]

I tend to deprime with a tong tool, clean the brass, check length, use a Hornady trimmer if needed, prime with a hand primer, if using cast expand case mouth with tong tool or single stage depending on caliber, use a Lyman 1200 DPS to weigh the powder, finish with tong tool or single stage. I know that a good powder trimmer would be nice.

 

[cariboo 221]

Newbie question: are there any financial savings to reloading, say a .308 round? What might be a cost per round? Thanks!

I don't know if an addiction saves money, but I do get premium rnds, send lots more lead down range, to try and reclaim said lead , to melt down, cast & load etc

 

[thump_rrr]

Newbie question: are there any financial savings to reloading, say a .308 round? What might be a cost per round? Thanks!

My cost per round for Lapua brass, 168 gr Sierra Matchkings, CCI BR-2 Primers, 42.7gr of Varget is $0.67 per round.
I am calculating that I will get 10 loads out of my Lapua brass.
The price goes up to $0.75 per round if I only get 5 loads out of my brass.

Here is a link to a reloading cost calculator.
h ttp://ultimatereloader.com/tools/reloading-costs-calculator/

 

[Stormchaser]

My cost per round for Lapua brass, 168 gr Sierra Matchkings, CCI BR-2 Primers, 42.7gr of Varget is $0.67 per round.
I am calculating that I will get 10 loads out of my Lapua brass.
The price goes up to $0.75 per round if I only get 5 loads out of my brass.

Here is a link to a reloading cost calculator.
h ttp://ultimatereloader.com/tools/reloading-costs-calculator/

Thanks!

 

[canoetrpr]

Very timely thread. I hope to get into reloading sometime in the next few months and have been going back and forth; should I just get a RockChuker Supreme kit and give it a start and low cost or should I bite the bullet, and get the EXACT list of stuff that I'd rather get to make the process as fast as possible.

Reality is, time is a luxury for me. I think I will enjoy the process of creating ammo by hand and knowing every charge is weighed properly. Would love to shoot more for less as well. Historically, when I've spent less on something upfront, I've regretted it - particularly if more expensive timesaving option was available. Then I end up getting the more expensive thing in the future anyway.

Right now my platinum list is:
- One of: Forster Co-Ax, Redding Turret, Redding Big Boss 2, Lee Classic Cast, RCBS Supreme - in that order of preference
- RCBS Trim mate case prep center
- RCBS Chargemaster
- Little Crow power trimmer with a dedicated cheapo drill
- RCBS hand priming tool
- Redding deluxe dies for .308 and 30-06
- Not sure what to get for case cleaning. Figure using a rotary / vibratory tumbler with a quick separator for cases might be best.

What do you guys think? Worth getting a setup like this to start with or should I just go with a 'bronze' version and get the RCBS Supreme Master Kit and see how much I enjoy reloading anyway before investing more? Reality is I think I will enjoy the chargemaster so why pay for a manual powder dispenser and a beam scale.

P.S. Only reason I'm considering a Turret press is I figure I may want to do a factory crimp and it it might be easier to have that die loaded and only handle the case once for bullet seating and factory crimp. Thoughts?

 

[Gatehouse]

When I did my first ever handloads, I cleaned the brass by hand. Bought a tumbler right after that.

These days I use a drill press to trim, Casemaster station to chamfer and clean primer pockets and Chargemaster or Redding thrower to dispense powder. I enjoy handloading, especially working up loads, but in no way do I feel as if I am cheating myself out of some part of the process because I use electricity to take care of some of the work for me. I enjoy butchering the animals I kill, but I'm not going to turn in my 2hp grinder for a hand crank model so I feel more "connected" to the process.

 

[cariboo 221]

just to muddy the water a little for you canoetrpr have you ever looked at the Ponsness/Warren; METALLIC II, it is A Semi-Progressive Single-Stage Rifle and Pistol Reloader

 

[Fassteel]

I bought the hornady powder dispenser, i bought the hornady case prep center, I use a CoAx press and I load 17 hornet, 19 calhoon, 204 ruger, 222, 22 hornet. These are for gopher action in the spring and early summer. For hunting season I'll load for a couple of calibers and if i'm shooting any amount of sporting clays I'll load some 12 gauge for that.
I just cannot use hand tools to chamfer, deburr and clean primer pockets and process as much brass as I do. FS