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newb with reloading question

2K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  woodeckt 
There are base costs for reloading. Lee stuff is least expensive and works just fine. I use it almost exclusively because I don't have the cash for the Dillon or even Hornaday stuff. The aniversary kit is a minimum kit for start-up, but lacks the dies for whatever caliber your loading. Lee 4-die sets run about $22-28 on Midway. Thehighroad.org has a great reloading forum with stickies for basics and costs calculations.

There are a few things you need to learn about reloading first (I wish I had this).

-1:It's time consuming. With a single stage like the Aniversary kit has, you're looking 100rounds/hour max. Plan to spend the better part of a weekend loading for a two-hour pistol shoot session. Rifle goes a bit better because you usually shoot less.



-2:Costs:reloads-vs-factory. If you factor in bullets/powder/primers, it's quite a bit cheaper, for the most part. You really have to sit with a calculator and figure it up to get an acceptable load going for you. Once you factor in shipping for all of that, you're looking at a lesser savings. For 9mm or 223, you'll be hard pressed to shoot cheaper than the lease expensive factory. It's often cheaper to shoot the aluminum cased ammo in 9mm than to even consider reloads. That's not to say it can't be done. Lead bullets are a lot cheaper than jacketed. Plated aren't as cheap, but take some of the sting out and can be used where lead cannot. Unless you're close to a manufacturer, you'll have to ship or buy in massive bulk at shows. 1K of 155gr bullets weighs 22lbs. If you save up and get bulk 3Kpacks, Midway pays the shipping. As it stands, I can load 40cal 155plated for 11cents/rnd.Less than half factory jacketed. Lead goes cheaper.
 
-3: There are a lot of extras that you need (or at least help). Dies are a necessity. Books are important. The ABC's of Reloading is a must read. It explains everything in detail and is an easy read. You can live with just those charge lists, as well as the ones that come with the dies. A good tumbler helps, but isn't absolutely necessary. Clean cases keep your dies clean and prevent scratching. All of this leads up to number....



-4:You will never recoups your costs if it becomes an actual hobby. First, you'll reduce your costs in half, but start shooting twice as much, negating any savings. You'll always want/need another accessory to make better loads, then a new press, then etc....

Lastly:

-5: You'll start collecting brass at any costs. Trash-bin diving is a symptom of reloading.



If it's really important to save a lot of money off the startup costs, you can try the Lee Hand-Press. It's basicly a single-stage that you have to muscle. It uses the same dies as the bench-presses, but only costs $20 bucks. I use it when travelling or when I'm no-where near my press. If you get that rather than the Aniversary kit, add up your costs for the Safety Scale and maybe a Dipper set. It'll probably come out to about what you'd spend on the kit, shich gives you the scale, a measure, and other things.



Beginning costs for reloading are difficult to keep under $100. A more realistic is $150-200.



Hope this helps, and don't hesitate to ask questions.
 
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