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

[AMT]

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.

I was thinking that same thing too. I was gonna keep the single-stage to de-prime and expand. Then run through the cleaner. Then feed them into the progressive.

Loading roughly 100 cleaned/expanded/primed shells in an hour seems to take FOREVER. Especially when your looking at a bucket of 1000+ shells to do....

 

[Helocat]

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.

The progressive press works great to "process brass" when you have a case feeder. You can universally de-prime, resize and undersize all in one process before tossing the brass back in the cleaner to get the primer pockets nice and clean.

 

[SUPER X]

Buying a few months ago would have been good. Back for a few years before 2016 reloading supplies were almost as hard to obtain as ammo.if you buy ammo get it reloadable cases . Vrs buy brass on line ect. Start saving brass now if you havent already. I will use reloads for plinking but only factory loads for edc.

 

[gtivan]

To me, reloading is fun. Esp with low powered rounds i shoot a lot better than factory ammo. Not factoring in time, you save cash, even on 223. But instead of having extra cash, you will find you shoot more bullets when going out each time.

You may look into turret presses. Cross between single and progressive. Lee makes some nice products and the classic turret is very inexpensive for what you get. Then you have more money for components and can upgrade later if you want.

Edit. I have both hornady and lee equipment with some other stuff. Bonus for hornady when buying "new" presses or dies. You send in for their free bullets. Just pay shipping.

 

[SUPER X]

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?

38 special is great to start out with and isnt as fussy as semiauto .if you have one .

 

[Camelfilter]

Detractors against reloading solely for the costs benefits need to look at the manufactured ammunition prices today.

Then remember that this person has zero or minimal inventory, it seems.

So with that, reloading common calibers would be to the benefit of this member & his family, in this situation. Both costs & availability.

Going forwards as common caliber pricing comes down and availability is common again, the member can decide to flip back towards manufactured. Or not.

 

[2A2Dend]

I'm slow from go. I got the press, ready to load 223/556, sitting new in the box.
Nothing has motivated, yet, because I need a bench. Once that gets sorted, I might get some enthusiasm.
Will it be cheaper, maybe. Will it give me something to do, definitely. Cost and time is not relevant to my wanting to learn.
I know, once I get dialed in-to my progressive press, I'll enjoy it.
I'm waiting for someone to kick me in the keyster.

 

[Camelfilter]

I'm slow from go. I got the press, ready to load 223/556, sitting new in the box.
Nothing has motivated, yet, because I need a bench. Once that gets sorted, I might get some enthusiasm.
Will it be cheaper, maybe. Will it give me something to do, definitely. Cost and time is not relevant to my wanting to learn.
I know, once I get dialed in-to my progressive press, I'll enjoy it.
I'm waiting for someone to kick me in the keyster.

Go to a harbor freight and get a bench. They extended all deals & coupons thru April.

 

[SUPER X]

Detractors against reloading solely for the costs benefits need to look at the manufactured ammunition prices today.

Then remember that this person has zero or minimal inventory, it seems.

So with that, reloading common calibers would be to the benefit of this member & his family, in this situation. Both costs & availability.

Going forwards as common caliber pricing comes down and availability is common again, the member can decide to flip back towards manufactured. Or not.

With the current situation and shotgun joe running against Donny I doubt things are going to get better for awhile

 

[2A2Dend]

Go to a harbor freight and get a bench. They extended all deals & coupons thru April.

I have a top, ready from a fellow member. I have the frames and legs that will support it.
So I have a plan, that I haven't moved forward on, yet.
My bench needs to be an island.

 

[Camelfilter]

With the current situation and shotgun joe running against Donny I doubt things are going to get better for awhile

Yup, I agree, it'll be a while for manufactured ammunition to be back at "stack it deep" prices.

 

[Goosebrown]

I feel like I save some money on 9mm and 45. But on rifles I get WAY better ammo for a lot less than I can buy it.

I would absolutely recommend reloading especially if you want precision and I'd recommend a Dillon if you're going to shoot a lot. I don't, do a single stage is fine for me.

Hope you enjoy reloading like most of us do.

 

[2A2Dend]

I bought the Lee LoadMaster to get me started.
I KNOW I'll enjoy the process.

 

[awshoot]

Detractors against reloading solely for the costs benefits need to look at the manufactured ammunition prices today.
...

To expand on that -- when it comes to precision bottleneck stuff for target or hunting, comparing a good handload to factory plinker price is not the right comparison -- that's like comparing a race car to a perfectly decent Honda, that still isn't a race car. There are companies that will, if you send in your rifle, develop a load for you and then sell you ammo, but the prices are not the same as buying some random box of Federal.

 

[rasquire]

That is a brilliant point If you compare it that way it is easy to come out ahead I would bet

 

[Helocat]

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....

#1 reason to reload is to enjoy it and take pleasure knowing you're making a better round made for your firearms.

#2 Save $$? As soon as you load specialty ammo like subsonic 300blk or 9mm your saving solid $. I save substantially here.
I disagree that loading 9mm and 5.56 is not cost-effective as long as you enjoy the time. I can load 9mm for about $5 per box. And right now I can load for that since I stockpiled my components when the getting was good over the last 3+ yrs.

#3 If the budget will allow starting with a progressive press, it will allow you to step your game up as soon as your ready. In learning just run it with one die in one station as a single stage to learn.

#4 For your rifle calibers you can play with the load to figure out exactly what your guns like for accuracy. 300yrs with three holes touching in paper is amazing and will put a grin on your face.


The downside right now is components are tough to get due to the demand. Learn when your local bi-mart gets shipments and show up each of those days looking for primers and powder. Watch the ads on here for primers, powder bullets etc.

 

[joken]

I suggest a single-stage press to learn with and get a blue progressive later. I have an old Herters press you can have if you can get it from Corvallis. Don't know if it would fit in a flat rate box or not.

 

[nativeo]

I wish I could easily get out to Corvallis because I would. Thanks so much for the offer.

 

[ageingstudent]

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.

I'd go a step further--I might load on a ss one day the progressive the next and a turret the following. Just depends on what I feel like doing because it's a HOBBY with perks. If the OP has 7 kids and he's a quick learner a progressive might make more sense for a first choice indeed. That's a lot of itchy trigger fingers.

 

[Alexx1401]

Learning to roll is dead simple. Now with the net there is a ton of free info and demo's too. Strait wall pistol calibers are a great place to learn. I have long tried to warn others after every panic. This will not be the last one. Few seem to learn. Learn to roll, get dies and components for any caliber you shoot. Then worry about setting aside ammo. Next panic, there will be another, and another, if you run low on factory you can just roll. I rarely bother to roll any more but keep all the stuff to do so. If I need it the stuff it there again. With some stuff the savings are quite good too. Mainly I just want to be able to make ammo if it gets to where I can't buy it. The stuff you set aside never goes bad, store it well and it's always there.