To buy $800+ on ammo or get gear and learn to reload???!!!

[nativeo]

I need ammo and I also want to start reloading my own. The question is should I use the money I am thinking of spending on ammo now and buy all the gear and start learning and reloading now?
1. How long would it take for me to get good enough to load great shooting ammo? (I'm a very fast learner)
2. How does the cost compare (how much waste of practicing and learning) compared to buying factory ammo
3. I want to reload forever anyway soooo....

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[Spitpatch]

#3 is the clincher. You answered your title question for yourself.

#1: following instructions (available in load books) will allow you to load great shooting ammo on your first try. First purchase should be a book. Nearly every bullet maker includes a large portion of their book devoted to instruction. Study up! This will also assist you in your equipment selection (what is "nice to have" vs. "necessary to start", etc.)

#2: If you shoot regularly and purchase your equipment wisely, you will pay for the equipment inside of a year (or even sooner) from savings that may have gone toward factory ammo. (Hint: you don't need $800 of gear to begin producing very fine ammunition).

Once you are into it, you will look back on your thread here with mild amusement.

 

[Lilhigbee]

If you are shooting standard calibers, .223, 9mm, .40S&W, .45ACP, the only way it really pays is if you WANT to reload for it's own sake. Otherwise just buy the ammo. Unusual calibers/wildcats or very specific target-load goals then reloading is worthwhile, but still only if you want to do it. Factoring in a realistic value for your time will put off the break-even point for years on standard calibers!! If it is a hobby you enjoy then the cost/cost-savings are a secondary consideration anyway. There is another thread on this topic that got quite contentious after a while. We'll see where this one goes.

 

[Spitpatch]

"Factoring in a realistic value for your time will put off the break-even point for years on standard calibers!! "

I will admit (proudly) that assessing "labor" costs toward my estimate was not even remotely considered. I am even more proud that it never will be.

 

[nativeo]

I will be loading 5.56, 7.62x51, 9mm, 45/10mm and in a bit less of an amount 300AAC, 6.5 G and 6.5 Creed.

I have a family of 7 and we all want to really really step (start) up the amount of shooting we do or will do.

I always have a hard time of factoring in my time because I imaging I would enjoy doing it along with teaching my 5 kids.

I also want to be ready when the zombies/Guvment comes for us all soooo.....

 

[P7M13]

If you are shooting standard calibers, .223, 9mm, .40S&W, .45ACP, the only way it really pays is if you WANT to reload for it's own sake. Otherwise just buy the ammo. Unusual calibers/wildcats or very specific target-load goals then reloading is worthwhile, but still only if you want to do it. Factoring in a realistic value for your time will put off the break-even point for years on standard calibers!! If it is a hobby you enjoy then the cost/cost-savings are a secondary consideration anyway. There is another thread on this topic that got quite contentious after a while. We'll see where this one goes.

^^ THIS ^^ @Lilhigbee is one of the more pragmatic members I've met.
For bottle necked, find an older RCBS Jr. They work great and you're doing any long magnum calibers which require the Rock Chucker. Lee Classic Cast an any other number of presses will do also.
For pistol and 223 reloading, the Lee Loadmaster is hard to beat. You can upgrade to a Dillon or other brand when your kids don't cost so much....

 

[Ura-Ki]

You can get a pretty good deal on a brand new Rock Chucker set at Bi-Mart and it will get you started and the press will keep you going well into the future! OR, you could jump into a Hornady Lock-N-Load and really go full steam ahead, then there's Dillon.................................
Nuff Said!

 

[PaulB47]

The economics of reloading work best when you are doing a lot of shooting of esoteric (expensive) cartridges. I wouldn't bother for 9mm, .223, etc. But if you just like fiddling around with tools and such, go for it anyway. Put a nice little defensive load together for your old .38 revolvers, etc.

I've only used single stage presses. Get that down before getting into progressives.

1) Won't take long at all. Loading for semi-autos, though, is a lot more fussy, and you have to be extra careful.
2) It's a lot cheaper, if you save your cases. Yet another strike against semi-autos: you lose a lot of cases in the weeds.

 

[awshoot]

Go half and half (you can get a single stage setup for $400ish) and start reloading whatever is NOT .223/5.56 or 9mm. I would suspect you save money on these: "45/10mm and in a bit less of an amount 300AAC, 6.5 G and 6.5 Creed." Time excluded of course but then, how much are you paid to sit around and watch Netflix?

I do load .223 and 9mm personally because I can tune the ammo to my firearms and get better accuracy (if all I wanted was a bang, I'd buy firecrackers or take a hammer to a box of primers). Although with current pandemic pricing, it might be more price competitive on even these popular calibers. Honestly though, once you start reloading, price is the least of it -- tuned ammo is the real joy (although, you do pay less for it).

 

[nativeo]

Now that's what I'm talking about tuned ammo I guess I want to get to the later stages but I'm just beginning so I guess I'm going to start reloading?

 

[slimmer13]

I also want to be ready when the zombies/Guvment comes for us all soooo.....

I was going to throw in my .02, then i read this.

 

[rasquire]

i reload 9mm, 223, 12 gauge waterfowl loads most frequently. None of those make financial sense, but i have found my waterfowl loads dont kick as hard as factory, and kill just as well for me at least, and my 9 and 223 I just have fun with it. I like to make stuff, so the $ part never will make sense for those likely. My kids also argue over who gets to help me when I start on a new batch. All in all it is fun for me and totally worth it!!

 

[Lilhigbee]

IF a progressive press is in your future anyway, go there first. No sense buying a single-stage that will wind up as a dust collector in the way in a corner. I'm a big fan of the Dillon 550. It will do everything a single stage will do and just as well, and when you decide you want progressive you just start turning the star wheel and you are progressing!! you can use the auto-prime IF YOU WANT TO, you can use the automatic powder measure IF YOU WANT TO, you can mount other powder measures if you feel they are more accurate, or measure each load and fill it with a funnel IF YOU WANT TO. If you decide you want a true single-stage in the future $50 or less gets you a perfectly serviceable one at a gun show (remember those??) from someone who bought it and then went progressive.

 

[cookie]

Buy a Dillon 550 set up I have had mine since 1991 and i still love it.

 

[Mikej]

No sense buying a single-stage that will wind up as a dust collector in the way in a corner.

By the way, did you ever end up selling all those single stage presses you had at that last show.



DAMN, I miss gun shows!

 

[nativeo]

They have shows with guns....

 

[Mikej]

But if you just like fiddling around with tools and such, go for it anyway.

This ^^ stands out to me. It's a BIG part of reloading. Same could be said about enjoying taking the carb off your lawn mower when it's running poorly, and cleaning it up yourself and having it run right afterward. You need to have the time too. For me it's kind of a ZEN thing, more than saving money or making better ammo. But so far all I've loaded is handgun ammo.

 

[Mikej]

They have shows with guns....

Aight. As I recall? At least if they never have another gun show, I got to be at the ARPC show on 3/7.

 

[AMT]

It's easy to get going.

My first round I loaded for was self-taught. It was for the 357AMP Auto Mag. I needed to neck down 44AMP brass to accept the 38/357 bullet. It needed to be properly shouldered for my gun. Then I worked up some loads that worked for me. All done with an RCBS JR2 single-stage.

I watched some YouTube videos, read some on here in the reloading forums, and just proceeded smartly and very cautiously.

After loading about 700-800 miscellaneous rounds so far, I sure wish I had a progressive also. That is on my birthday wish-list.

Personally, I started with a single-stage to get the feel for everything. You can find used ones in decent shape, that are cheap to get into.

Go slow and think about everything. If I can do it, ANYBODY can!!!

 

[awshoot]

I've been thinking about a progressive press for about 25 years. I came close a few months ago but then didn't do it, mostly because I like to clean my cases after depriming and I don't think there's so much time savings for bottlenecks. EDIT: deleting some potentially confusing stuff for a newbie.