Trying to decide to reload or not

Since becoming an official fudd I sold off my Dillon Progressive (loved that "Dillon blue" color) and all my pistol dies.
I kept dies in 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 Colt/454 Casull because I have rifles that shoot those calibers.
Still have 2 or 3 Lee presses and an old RCBS Rock Chucker that I load rifle rounds with.

I used to shoot thousands of rounds of 9mm, 40 S+W, 45 ACP a year.
It would have kept me broke if I didn't reload back in my old competitive shooting days.
 
Well, I can tell you why I reload, perhaps that may help you decide if it is for you.

1- Cost: You save money per round fired, but depending on what your time is worth, you may or may not save money in the end. And yes, the adage that you will probably just shoot more to offset your savings holds true.

2- Performance/Customization: It is nice to improve performance by tailoring ammo to your rifle (i.e. through case prep, seating length, load development) and to customize your components to get the ammo you want.

3- Enjoyment/Satisfaction: Not only do I enjoy the therapeutic process of reloading, but the satisfaction of showing up to the range or field with custom ammo that I produced is worth much more than the money I saved doing it.

4- My OCD: To be honest, I think I trust my ammo more than any factory ammo out there currently. Not to mention that I just cannot stand to waste perfectly usable material of any kind, which is how I see brass.

Hope this gave you some usable info.
 
I reload because where I live you can't just walk into the hardware store and grab a box of .44 mag off the shelf. Because I reload I will always be able to shoot as long as I have the components I need. But I agree with most of the others in that reloading is addicting. And you will shoot a lot more. So it can't be all bad.
 
MetalMike said:
Well, I can tell you why I reload, perhaps that may help you decide if it is for you.

1- Cost: You save money per round fired, but depending on what your time is worth, you may or may not save money in the end. And yes, the adage that you will probably just shoot more to offset your savings holds true.

2- Performance/Customization: It is nice to improve performance by tailoring ammo to your rifle (i.e. through case prep, seating length, load development) and to customize your components to get the ammo you want.

3- Enjoyment/Satisfaction: Not only do I enjoy the therapeutic process of reloading, but the satisfaction of showing up to the range or field with custom ammo that I produced is worth much more than the money I saved doing it.

4- My OCD: To be honest, I think I trust my ammo more than any factory ammo out there currently. Not to mention that I just cannot stand to waste perfectly usable material of any kind, which is how I see brass.

Hope this gave you some usable info.
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Pretty much nailed all the talking points from my view, especially the catharsis and OCD factor are big for me.
 
I shoot 9/40/45 right now at 5000/year. By muy calculation, with plated ammo, CCI primer and good powder(~40/lb), I would probably save 600/year. With a Dillon 550b(1500 if buy from states with all 3 caliber accessaries), that's 10 hours labor.
Then, you can roughly figure out how much you could save.. In the end though, like others said, all those savings will become extra ammo if you are really into this sport and want to improve. That's my plan exactly because with my skill improves, the faster I will shoot, the more ammo I will need. Projection is 8000-10000/year soon. I am not even going into competition.

robab said:
I know there us a wealth of knowledge here. I'm researching trying to find out if I should invest in the gear.
I shoot approx 2000 rounds/ year of 9mm. And 1000 of 223. I would shoot more if ammo were cheaper.

Assuming I owned the reloading gear. What could I expect to spend per round on 9 mm and 223. Nothing fancy I'm not competing and I don't mind shooting Chinese made products.
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At those quantities - 2000 9mm and 1000 .223, based on how I calculate costs, you'd save ~ $300 per year by reloading with today's current market rates for loaded ammo. Given you'll need to spend a fair bit to set up shop to reload, the payback is likely to be 3-4 years.

As others have said, if you start reloading you'll very likley shoot more and therefore your savings will increase over buying factory.
 
MetalMike said:
Well, I can tell you why I reload, perhaps that may help you decide if it is for you.

1- Cost: You save money per round fired, but depending on what your time is worth, you may or may not save money in the end. And yes, the adage that you will probably just shoot more to offset your savings holds true.

2- Performance/Customization: It is nice to improve performance by tailoring ammo to your rifle (i.e. through case prep, seating length, load development) and to customize your components to get the ammo you want.

3- Enjoyment/Satisfaction: Not only do I enjoy the therapeutic process of reloading, but the satisfaction of showing up to the range or field with custom ammo that I produced is worth much more than the money I saved doing it.

4- My OCD: To be honest, I think I trust my ammo more than any factory ammo out there currently. Not to mention that I just cannot stand to waste perfectly usable material of any kind, which is how I see brass.

Hope this gave you some usable info.
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Plus:

5. Allows me to make and shoot obsolete ammunition; and

6. Frees me from the master-slave relationship with ammunition manufacturers.

Next question: should I cast?
 
I just started reloading at the beginning of this year. I didn't get into it for volume but quality and accuracy. I've learned a lot from people and forums on here.

Overall I've found when I do go out it is a much more rewarding experience. Frustrating at times, yes but once it's dialed in for your rifle, I can't get the grin off of my face.

I have a small portable bench set up that I made and it doesn't take up very much space.

I'd recommend it to anyone if not for anything else but the experience.
 
I started reloading a long time ago. Finding components was never a problem, and they were less costly. To recover your cost of supplies and equipment is going to take a while to break even, and at that point it will cost less but not that much. As other have stated "What's your time worth?" I'd sit down and work out cost of store bought ammo and cost of purchasing all the supplies and equipment and see how long it will take to break even. It's an enjoyable hobby but the truth is what ever you save your going to blasting out the barrel.
 
stampede said:
Powder and primers are scarce with no letup in sight. Now is not the time go get in to reloading.
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Why all the negativity? ....... Powder and primers are out there. Not always easy to find components, but sometimes it's not easy to find ammo either.

To the OP .... Ignore the naysayers. Start buying some gear and components and give it a try. Come back in ten years and thank us.
 
I shoot low-powered loads {"squib loads"} and get my lead pretty well free; one of the pistols would burst if it encountered an accidental +P, and the other two cycle just fine at ~3.2gr powder, so why use more? I reload .45 ACP for ~7 cents each, which is mostly paying for the primer; but this is casting, sizing and lubing my own bullets, and does not take into account the massive investment in time; from a standing start it takes me 4 hours to a hundred rounds. It's much faster using bought'en bullets (well under half an hour per hundred on a progressive press), but then the cost jumps to ~15 cents each for cast lead 200gr SWC's. Still way cheaper than store-bought; S-B's are ~46 cents each at the local Cr@ppy Tire, and too noisy for my taste. New Fiocchis for the "old" pistol (.455 Webley Mk VI; I shoot .45 ACP out of a spare cylinder) are $1 a pop - 'WAAAY cheaper than that! I won't buy Norc; have a problem sending my money to China when people here need jobs, but that's just me... V:I:

Reloading is not to be entered-into lightly; the press (Hornady LnL AP) was $700, the lead-casting stuff (not needed if you buy your bullets) was probably the same again. The biggest investment is your time; you must learn to DO IT RIGHT, for your own health 'n safety, and the safety of those around you. But all that'll take you a couple months and some careful attention to detail, and then you're golden. As an example, 9mm is a finicky round to reload; my LnL will not full-length size them no matter how deep I set the die, and they'll refuse to chamber and hang your pistol up if they're oversize. Get a 9mm try block, I recommend the Dillon it's got 7 cavities, and try every round as it comes off the press. I also recommend the deluxe 4-die set; you'll be playing with bullets, case lengths &c, so you'll be adjusting your seater setting as you go; the extra taper crimp die as a last step quickly pays for itself.

- And don't do what a friend did, and roll-crimp your .45 ACP's! :rolleyes:
 
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