To reload or not?

Having been in your exact same situation 6 months ago I think I can related to you (heck, I even have a Vanguard in .308).

I greatly suggest reloading, but only when YOU feel comfortable getting into it. I went back and forth trying to decide, kept postponing for one reason or the other and reading, reading, reading...

One day I just decided to do it, placed the order, and haven't looked back ever since. I LOVE coming back from work, having dinner and then sit down and decide "humm, I want to do this little tweak and see that turns out".

I went with the Lee Breachlock kit (from CGNer Mysticplayer); I already had a 100 or so brass available and everything needed cost me ~500 (kit, manual, components, portable bench).

For a book, I REALLY recommend you "The ABC of Reloading", although the Lyman 49th has also a semi-decent introduction.

All the best.

PS: as for the time, it's just a matter of priorities. I can't stand to watch TV; that leaves me plenty of time to reload.
 
To me reloading is a necessary evil. With the amount of competition shooting that I do (plus practice time) I load between 1000-1500 rounds of .308 a year. I know I would not be able to afford buying that much match quality ammo without taking out a 2nd mortgage on the house, or selling off a kidney.
I am pretty anal about my reloads and load everything with a single stage press (can't get the accuracy I require from a progressive) and weigh every charge with an Acculab scale.

So is it fun....I would rather have a root canal. Is it nessasary... depends on what your definition of accuracy is, and the amount you shoot.
 
Reloading is a great hobby, and creating THE ultimate round for your rifle is quite rewarding. You can reload a particular round for $.XX / round, but if you only shoot a few weekends over the course of the year, it ain't for you.

I am an avid re loader of several calibers, but I shoot quite a bit. My biggest motivator for reloading is I'm seldom out of ammo, and refuse to be subject to a lack of selection at the local WalMart.
 
I reload because:

- It helps me better understand how everything works
- I can shoot more for the same price
- I can load premium hunting loads that are either not available locally or not at all
- I can fine tune loads that suit my rifles better than off the shelf stuff

I have a bad habit of shooting everything I have. With reloading, I know I have components at home to make more :D

As soon as I can scrape up some extra $$, I will be moving to a progressive loader and start loading for my handguns...
 
If you are thinking of reloading for the greater accuracy potential, then save yourself some money and spend lots! What I mean by that is don't be afraid to buy expensive equipment right off the start - ie. bushing neck die sets vs. regular neck die, or Match Lapua brass vs. cheap Win brass. If you cheap out at the beginning you run a very good chance of selling the cheap stuff at a loss and repurchasing more expensive, quality equipment - this will save you money, time, and frustration in the long run.

Some have commented on how much time it takes; it does take time to reload, but if you buy quality equipment things can go a lot faster. For example, an electronic scale will save you more time compared to using a balance scale; a quality powder throw will save you even more time. Buying match brass will eliminate all the time you would have spent prepping cheap brass by cleaning, trimming, deburring the the case neck and primer pockets, neck turning, weight or case volume sorting.


If on the other hand all you want is more ammo for less money, and you don't care about the extra time commitment or where your bullets go flying - then by all means go cheap.
 
I can only speak for myself, but I wanted to handload as soon as I started shooting centerfire cartridges. That was a long, long time ago when I started loading .38 /.357 with a Lee Loader. By comparison, today the cost of handloading tools are much more affordable and both the tools and dies are better. You can enter at any level you are comfortable with, the least expensive being Lee's little aluminum C press for about $35. Beyond that, you need dies, a powder scale, priming tool, case trimmer and case lube, and not much else. You do need a loading manual, or better yet several loading manuals. The two most important I believe are the Lyman and the Sierra plus you should have at least one by another bullet manufacturer like Hornady, Nosler or Barnes. At one time I would have said that the Hornady was the top choice with the Lyman, but I have found enough data mistakes in their last two editions that I can no longer do that.

The cost saving runs about the cost of the brass, so if it cost say $100 to purchase 100 factory rounds of .308, you can handload the same 100 rounds with only 50 rounds of brass for a saving of $50. A $30 pound of powder will give you about 150 rounds, 100 primers cost about $4, 100 .308 jacketed bulk bullets cost about $50, so the cost per handloaded cartridge is about 74 cents, plus the cost of the brass. Now consider that you could get as many as 40 handloads for each piece of brass, a package of brass will last for nearly 2000 rounds, although it is fair to say that some brass will have to be culled after the first 5 times it has been fired, so 20 handloads per brass case or 1000 rounds is probably closer to the average for 50 new cases. That means each brass case has only cost you a nickel each.

Beyond simple economics, I like the versatility handloading gives me. I can load for extreme accuracy and long range with match bullets or I can load for inexpensive plinking with cast bullets for pennies a round. I can load rounds with custom bullets that are not available as a factory option for protection work. I can load game specific loads that are not explosive on medium sized game, that are explosive on varmints, or that will not expand at all and penetrate deeply, and result in quick kills on the biggest game in the world. But besides all that, handloading is an interesting and rewarding pastime. When the wind is howling and the rain or snow is horizontal, is when I prefer to be at my bench. Like most things, the more we learn about shooting, the more questions we have. Handloading then becomes the laboratory to answer those questions. Without the ability to inject your influence on the individual characteristics of your ammo, you may never be able to answer those questions or gain the versatility that your rifle is capable of providing you.
 
yidava25 said:
Do yourself a favor and reload. you learn so much about ammunition and its a rewarding experience even if you dont save money. i know i haven't $aved but thats because im easily addicted (you could do it a lot cheaper than i do too).
But you asked for advice on what to buy so i say go with RCBS. every reloader i know either uses RCBS, looks at the ground in shame when they tell me about their Lee equipment (im sorry), or reloads a box or two every year or two with their Lee equipment.
Also as far as brass goes, buy new if you possibly can. Preferably NoslerCustom from my limited experience. The cheap stuff (like Remington factory ammo casings) is so squishy I'm scared to use it more than a few times.
my long 2 cents
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You should look at the ground in shame after making a coment lik that....
 
First of all, in my opinion, reloading can be very satisfying and keeps the shooting hobby going all year long, especially in late winter when the good shooting days are few and far between. Secondly, there are a number of reasons why I reload; Un-availability of ammo, cost saving in some loads like centerfire rifles (but less so in stuff like 12G shells), and superior loads. Its no secret that properly made home loads are more accurate than the "off the shelf/one size fits all" commercial loads.

There is a capital cost of getting into it such as scales, presses, dies, trimmers, brass cleaners, calipers, ect, but once done it is only the cost of the dies to introduce a new caliber to your loading bench.

Sure you need to save a few pieces of good brass but as said, its a way of knowing that you want to continue to shoot that caliber. The best way to get into it is to find a buddy or mentor who's been around the block with reloading. An experienced person is invaluable and takes away a lot of the confusion from the out-of-the-book methods. 35 years ago , My father and his buddies used to make and load wildcats. There was not many available books back then and I learned a lot from their efforts and their "wall of mistakes" of damaged brass and firearms. General reloading of popular cartridges is quite safe and simple with a huge resource of loading formulas as long as you stick to book recipes and carefully monitor your powder measurements and case sizing's.
 
go out and buy the RCBS equipment .......sure its a few $$$ more..but trust me you will be happier with it:D...and even if you find out later that reloading is not for you......
you can unload the equipment real quickly in the EE..and get most of your investment back
 
After looking at youtbe vids and reading some more. I have decided to buy a Lee breachlock 50th kit. If I need to do more, I'll buy a progressive later and I will still have the lee to do special loads. I have been reading through as many posts as I can find to see what has worked for other reloaders, starting to see some trends that I will try first, I have about 50 rnds of brass to start with.

Dave
 
for the money you are going to toss into factory loads, just buy some brass off someone else and start loading...

Ive only been hand loading now for about 6 months... Im a junky... I shoot just to reload... so for me the hobby is reloading, I just need to shoot the product of my hobby so I can make more of it :)
 
I should have the press by next week.

Now the big question. What do guys recommend for 308 target loads, I have the weatherby vanguard and a norc m14. I have read many of the posts on loads for 308w and most seem to be for hunting or am I getting to technical. A load that is cost effective and accurate. What are the loads that work for you?

Dave
 
Davie Sprocket said:
I should have the press by next week.

Now the big question. What do guys recommend for 308 target loads, I have the weatherby vanguard and a norc m14. I have read many of the posts on loads for 308w and most seem to be for hunting or am I getting to technical. A load that is cost effective and accurate. What are the loads that work for you?

Dave
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Search for "308" in the Precision Rifles Forum and you will find a pile of loads for target shooting.

Mark
 
A couple of things to remember - even though your rifles are the same calibre you should keep the brass for each seperate. You'll find that the brass for the bolt gun will last longer (especially if you neck size). Also you'll find that the load that works best in your bolt gun probably won't be the load that works best in your M14. Oh yes, and it's very rare that the most accurate load is found at the "never exceed" end of the load data.
 
Finally have some time this weekend to try some reloading. Have my lee press setup and some norma brass I got here on cgn, federal primers and H4895 powder. I'm going to split the casings into two groups one for my weatherby and one for the m14. I have Hornady 168gr bthp bullets for the weatherby and 150gr sp interlocks for the m14. I'm going to go a little light on the recommended powder load until I'm more comfortable with reloading.

I have a couple of questions for guys out there, the lee deluxe dies I have don\t have a crimp die. Do I need to use a crimp die or is crimping just for better consistency?
I have been reading sites and watching vids on ytbe, but I am still not to sure on setting the dies up in the press. I will post up my progress and hopefully some pics if I am successful. Have a great thanksgiving.

Dave
 
Davie Sprocket said:
I have a couple of questions for guys out there, the lee deluxe dies I have don\t have a crimp die. Do I need to use a crimp die or is crimping just for better consistency?
I have been reading sites and watching vids on ytbe, but I am still not to sure on setting the dies up in the press. I will post up my progress and hopefully some pics if I am successful. Have a great thanksgiving.

Dave
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If it helps, I don't crimp for my Garand and have never had issues with it. Definitely don't crimp for the bolt gun.

Set up your dies as described in your instructions. To set the full length die you typically put the ram all the way to the top, then screw in the die until it hits the shell holder on top of the ram. Then you move the ram down and screw in the die a bit more, according to the instructions.

The seating die is the same, put the ram to the top and screw in until you touch the shell holder and then turn the die in or out according to the instructions. If you want to crimp with the seating die (if it is set up to do this), I recommend that you seat the bullet and crimp in two separate operations. To do that you first seat the bullets, then take the seating piece out of the die and readjust the die body according to the directions until you get a LIGHT crimp. Do not crimp too much or you can screw up the bullet and/or collapse the brass.

I find it helps to take a marker and put a line across the top of each die to make it easier to see how much you have turned things while adjusting everything.

I am no expert on this, but I have loaded a couple thousand rounds so far with no issues, so I can at least get you started. PM me if you want any more help with the die set up.

Mark
 
1. Try finding someone local to you... that's willing to spend some time teaching you... and use his/her equipment to get started.

2. If you're like most other guy on this forum, you won't save much $$... you'll just shooter more/better ammunition.

Also, be warned that reloading can be a dangerous hobby for your bank account... Because you might stubble upon this nice rifle is some odd caliber... and instead of skipping it because of the lack of readily available ammo... You'll end up buying it because heck! It's just one more set of dies and some brass...

Safe shooting,
Mike
 
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