reloading

lil_juiced_coupe

lil_juiced_coupe

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so ive bin tossing the idea back and forth for awhile now....should i start reloading?

i am not a hunter i shoot guns strictly for the fun of it,the 2 guns i shoot the most are my 45-70 and 44 mag lever guns.

would i be saving money by reloading? and can you guys sorta point me in the right direction of how to start reloading if it comes to that.

cheers
 
My friend, I started with a '98 Mauser. Ammo was $5.25 a box, for 20 rounds, and I was making $1.27 an hour, less union dues and taxes.
For less than the price of 10 boxes of shells (200 rounds), I bought 300 rounds of wartime .30-'06 brass that had been run through a Browning, some slugs, primers, a tin of powder and the tools. It is now 46 years later and I still have the tools and they still work just fine.
I load my own ammo for less than half the price of commercial stuff and, if I'm willing to 'lower myself' to using cast bullets, I can shoot my beautiful old 1896 Lee-Enfield for just over $3 a box. You can't even buy Boer-War-surplus ammo for that kind of money, even grimy and greasy stuff.
If it were not for handloading, I would have missed out on the biggest part of 46 years of fun.

You can load your own .45-70s with lead bullets (which are super-easy on the bore; your rifle will last almost forever) for under 30 cents a shot. That means that you can blaze off a couple of boxes every weekend and still have enough bread that you can take your fine lady out for dinner.

Another nice thing about handloading is that you can craft ammunition that performs just WIZARD in your gun..... and likely no other. I have an old .303 that shoots half-inch groups off the sandbags, but it only does it with one very particular loading. That's because the cartridges are designed for THAT rifle; I don't use them in my other .303s. I also have worked out a load that gives good performance in almost ANY .303 military rifle; I use it for checking the condition of rifles.

And NONE of that could be done without loading my own.

There are lots of good manuals and there are 10,000 guys here who are willing to help you.

You'll save a bucket of money, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that YOU built the ammo you are using AND you'll end up a better shooter...... and likely shooting a lot more.

Give it a try. And don't let expensive equipment scare you. There IS relatively inexpensive equipment that works well. Just ask guys about Lee tools; they make just about everything you need for your artillery and none of it is super-high-priced.

And be sure to have fun; that's what it's all about.
 
In those calibers you will save a lot or more likely, be able to shoot way more for the same money.

Also gives you something shooting related to do when its too dark or cold to be out actually shooting.
 
Reloading is an interesting hobby by itself and it will allow you to shoot a lot more for the same money that you spend on factory ammo. You may also want to consider bullet casting as well to reduce the cost.
 
I handload less for the cash saving, which isn't saving at all, the same money is just better spent, but all of my centerfire guns are more versatile as a result. As stated above, cast bullet shooting is a rewarding inexpensive way to shoot. Your brass lasts indefinitely, and if you find a supply of cheap/free lead, your only cost is a primer and a pinch of pistol powder for propellant.

If you become interested in long range shooting, handloading is the only way to develop the down range accuracy you'll need with VLD bullets, just try and buy VLDs in factory ammo. If you decide that power is an important consideration, handloading is the only way to achieve it in many cartridges, particularly the .45/70.
 
I'd recommend it to anyone, it's fun, and the onus is on you to ensure quality and consistency. A great addition to your shooting hobby.

I started off with a cheap RCBS kit, it came with the press, a scale, a case lube pad, a primer holder, case cleaning/deburring tools, and and a loading manual with full instructions. All I needed to add was a dial caliper and bullets/brass/primers/powder. I slowly changed to a digital scale, and added a case trimmer and tumbler for cleaning the brass, and a few more manuals. Last thing was a separate priming tool. The stuff never really wears down at all, in fact it still looks pretty much new. I consider it a long term investment into my hobby/sport.

There is a lot of hit-and-miss in terms of loading and components and trying to find your rifles sweet spot, but when you "hit", you'll be left with a big grin on your face.
 
I reload .44 mag and you can save a ton of cash especially if you sart reloading cast bullets. I am reloading both cast and jacketed but the savings are still there. Even with jacketed bullets and magnum loads of 2400 its only costing me about 40 cents a round not including the price of brass.(.44 mag brass lasts forever) With lead 240 grain bullets It comes down to about 30 cents per round. Compare that to the 80 cents around if you get em from a retailer. I also reload 30-30, 9mm, and .45 ACP and the results are the same all around. The important thing to remeber is that you are gonna save money on a per round basis but you are not gonna save money in the long run at all. You will just end up shooting alot more and it all balances out in the long run. This is why if you are just a casual shooter it may not be worth it if you factor in time and such. I shoot at least once a week and sometimes more so it is well worth it for me.
 
mlehtovaara said:
30-30
Click to expand...

You can do fun things with this, too, like using cheap bulk 150gr cup-and-core pointed bullets in lever guns. Insert a round, chamber it, insert another round, there's your follow-up. Works great and extends your performance a fair way.

Can't do that without reloading unless you spend a lot more on that fancy soft tip Hornady ammo.
 
If you are interested in reloading, read "The ABC's of Reloading" great book with lots of information that is not manufacture specific.
 
I handload for everything I own. I like that it lets me get optimum performance out of whatever I'm loading. Want it a bit slower? Faster? Heavier bullet? Lighter bullet? Maximum accuracy?

And you can save money too. A box of ammo for my 470 costs $230 for 10 rounds (Norma) and I can reload it for $1.75 per shot for bullet, powder and primer. How's that for saving money?
 
You'll save a huge amount by reloading your own 45-70 and a lot but not as huge for the .44Mag rounds.


For 45-70;
Cast boolit from Bullet Barn - about .30 depending on weight
Powder - 20 to 30 cents depending on load recipe
primer - a nickel
That's around 55 to 65 cents per round. And around 80 cents per if you opt for their gas check boolit.

For the .44Mag it adds up to around
Boolit - 15 cents
Powder - 7 to 15 cents depending on powder
primer - another nickel
Total 27 to 40 cents a round depending on the powder used.

And best of all for a simpler sort of non progressive press you can set up for quite cheap to do your reloading. I managed to score on an older used Lyman cast iron 6 position head press. So I only needed to set up the dies once and then just index to each caliber. This worked out so nicely that I think it's worth getting some sort of press that allows the die plate to be swapped out easily to avoid the need to re-adjust each time. It'll be a little more expensive than a single position press but the convienience will be worth it. Especially since you've got two calibers to reload already.

I de-cap in the press but then clean and use a hand primer following the cleaning. Cases are then charged individually with them sitting in home made loading blocks. I charge by weight using a cheapie digital scale and combination of dipper and trickler to set each load. Once you get used to it this goes quickly. Once charged the press is used to set the bullets and crimp those that require it. Single shot guns don't need crimping usually.

It's no big deal to reload 150 rifle rounds in a couple of hours this way once the de-capped brass is cleaned.
 
Both your calibers can use cast bullets effectively so your cost savings would be significant especially if you can find a source of non commercial cast bullets in your area.
 
went and picked up the RCBS Rock Chucker kit today, got everything i need to start reloading, now just gotta build a bench this friday and ill be reloading my first 65 rounds of 45-70...got them with an ee deal, kinda what inspired it all....

now this is probably a dumb question but is there like a checklist or somthing that has the proper steps in reloading, like a quick 1,2,3,4,5,6 reference to make sure im not skipping any steps...

and what books a good one reloading manual 14 came with the set, but the guy at the store recommended the horandy book.
 
Hornady makes a good book. So do most of the other big ammo manufacturers; there are a lot to choose from. Their data is pretty much the same as it is based on chemical and physical formulae and empirical testing.

Almost all of them will answer your step 1, 2, 3 question as well. Your first step in reloading should be to put the gear away for a day or two and read the book. Also, your dies should have come with an explanation of how to use them - 1, 2, 3.

As to cost, reusing your brass and even using jacketed bullets, you can easily save 50% per round compared with the cost of equivalent ammo in the store. Cost that out using the type of equipment and the number of rounds you shoot and payoff date should be clear. Above and beyond price, as already noted, are the flexibility it offers.

Good luck.
 
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lil_juiced_coupe said:
now this is probably a dumb question but is there like a checklist or somthing that has the proper steps in reloading, like a quick 1,2,3,4,5,6 reference to make sure im not skipping any steps...
Click to expand...

I think this is what you're looking for- http://www.rcbs.com/guide/printsteps.html

However- it's just a general guide. You'll still need to read your manuals, and the ABC's of reloading is one of the best.
 
Let's say 150 rounds per hour, but that's really top-end and will bring lots of shrill laughter from the sidelines. It could be as low as 30-40 RPH, but it depends on a lot of things.

Much of your time is spent in setup - ensuring that your cartridge overall length is correct and adjusting the seating die to make it so, setting up a powder thrower so it throws the right weight of the right powder, cleaning cases, calibrating scales, etc.

So, 150, with no distractions, no wheels coming off the track and with some experience, provided that:

  • you're not aiming for high-precision, super-accurate loads, just average-Joe ammo
  • you're satisfied that the overall length of your cases is OK and you're not contemplating trimming them or deburring them
  • you have already cleaned the crud off the cases with something like a rag soaked in lighter fluid
  • you have already inspected the cases for splits, etc
  • you do all the following steps in one operation - decapping, mouth belling, repriming
  • you are using an automatic (tube) primer feeder and it's ideally already full when you start
  • you use a powder thrower instead of weighing each charge individually and that thrower is already filled and adjusted
  • if crimping is required (not for 9 x 19mm but, say, .357 Mag), you seat and crimp in one operation

Is that all realistic? Probably not, but I have tried to isolate just the loading process vice the fiddly setup. With setup, for 9mm, I would say I normally do better than one a minute.

There are some shortcuts you will discover. For instance, the 9mm sizing die I use has the locking ring cinched down on the die. I don't have to adjust it each time because it's already adjusted and all I need to do is screw it into place and once in a while make sure it hasn't worked loose. Wouldn't do that for super-precision loads, but it works well enough for routine target-busters.

If all you are reloading is one calibre, one load, not much will change on your setup and things will go much faster. If, say, you are using different calibres, different propellants and different bullets, you are going to have to change things around each time.
 
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