Starter reloading components

CarlMc · Feb 10, 2012

I'm planning on acquiring reloading gear soon for reloading a small variety of pistol and rifle calibers we have. I plan on starting with reloading .38 and .357M since it seems to me that that's the place I can start that makes the most monetary sense. I'll be reloading .308 soon, and eventually 9mm and .223.

I'm looking for a choice of bullets that will always or usually be available and are reasonable in cost. These are for target practice only. Going through the options, it gets dizzying, so I thought I'd be better off by asking those with experience. I'd like to settle on one or two loads that don't cost that much in the long run.

Thanks!

taylor · Feb 10, 2012

Powdervalley.com seems to me to have the best prices on bullets, cases+powder even cheaper than direct buying from maker. They sell primers+powder cheap with free shipping and no hazmat fees( I don't know how thay do it).
I'd check out the Berry's bullets they have plated and cast and run around $80 per K.

Throckmorton · Feb 10, 2012

taylor,on their home page they explain how much their hazmat fees are,no way they are not charged to the customer. fyi

deadshot2 · Feb 11, 2012

Throckmorton said:
taylor,on their home page they explain how much their hazmat fees are,no way they are not charged to the customer. fyi

Every once in a while they have a "No Hazmat Fee" promo but only on certain products with minimum quantities.

deadshot2 · Feb 11, 2012

CarlMc said:
I'm planning on acquiring reloading gear soon for reloading a small variety of pistol and rifle calibers we have. I plan on starting with reloading .38 and .357M since it seems to me that that's the place I can start that makes the most monetary sense. I'll be reloading .308 soon, and eventually 9mm and .223.

I'm looking for a choice of bullets that will always or usually be available and are reasonable in cost. These are for target practice only. Going through the options, it gets dizzying, so I thought I'd be better off by asking those with experience. I'd like to settle on one or two loads that don't cost that much in the long run.

Thanks!

If all you are interested in is target shooting, consider simplicity. I would buy Montana Gold ,357 bullets in 125gr JHP's. They will work in both the .38 and the .357 loads with surprising accuracy. Also less recoil than the larger 158 gr which is also an option.

For .308 I buy Nosler Custom competition BTHP's in 168 gr from Powder Valley. If you buy a box of 1,000 shipped via USPS Flat Rate for $14, the net price per bullet is $0.224 each. For .223, Montana Gold has a 55gr. FMJ-BT that is economical and always available. I buy them in cases of 3500. I also buy my 9mm Montana Gold getting 124 gr JHP's in cases of 3750. Montana Gold Bullets are shipped Via USPS Flat Rate at no extra charge.

You can also buy smaller quantities but I figure I'll shoot these up in a year so I just make one annual purchase and call it "Christmas".

For loads I haven't loaded .38 or .357 for several years so I'll defer to those who are more current on the economical loads. For 9mm I load 6,4 Gr of Power Pistol with a 124 gr JHP. For .308 I use lots of Varget with loads that vary from 44 gr to 45.5 gr, depending on distance and conditions with the Nosler Custom Competition 168 gr. .223 loads for my AR's consist of 25.5 gr of AA2230 with the Montana Gold 55 gr. FMJ-BT.

To be "economical" it pays to buy in bulk. I order from Powder Valley and try to fill a box to the max weight under a single hazmat fee for primers and powder. This prorates the hazmat fee to the point it amounts to about $0.50 per pound of powder or box (1,000) primers. This makes the average cost of my powder about $17.50 per pound. Primers are even better as Powder Valley stocks the Wolf and Tula Brands of primers. I've found them to be excellent with the Tula's actually performing almost as well as my Bench Rest primers in my .308 loads. Cost of these primers can run between $15-$20 per thousand. Bench Rest Primers from Powder Valley are almost $25/box less than what my local Dealer wants for them. At that rate I save enough on one box of BR-2's to pay the hazmat fee and just adding a few more will cover the freight with the added savings.

Since you mentioned "long run", this is the best way to save. Buy bulk and forcast your needs. I figure my shooting expenses for reloading supplies to be about $150/month and my annual savings just under $500 by loading up once per year from Powder Valley. (BTW, I used to have "Bar Tabs" bigger than my monthly shooting expense at "Business Meetings". Shooting is far healthier and less expensive than meetings like those.)