reloading help

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ohihunter2014

New member
I'm looking to get into reloading 223, 9mm, and 45-70.

I have heard its not worth it for 223 cause of how cheap it is. I like to shoot so I thought it would save me some money. I've got about 500 empty cases for each caliber.

say I want to make up some plinking ammo for all the calibers listed what are your thoughts? worth it-not worth it?

what about powder and primers would it be the same cost buying the stuff as it would just buying factory rounds for 223?

I have a press and primer tool, just need dies and shell holder.
 
I do save a few cents on .223, .308. 9mm, etc per round, but I reload load for the following reasons:

1. I can taylor my loads for accuracy and to fit my needs.
2. It keeps my reloading skills in tune.
3. I really enjoy tinkering with things so reloading is perfect.
4. I can stock up on supplies so when panic buying takes place and ammo becomes scarce, I'm not feeling as pressured to buy things at ridiculous prices.

I'm sure I left a few things out, but just some things to consider.

PS: I started reloading because of the 10mm. I do not save reloading simply because I shoot more!
 
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It's only worth it if you like reloading, it could cost me three times as much to reload over factory ammo and I would still think its worth it....oh wait...it does and I do! Really the only way to know is to give reloading a try. I should warn you though it may become an addiction like it has to many of us and you certainly aren't going to save $$ but you will get to shoot a lot more!
 
Very much worth it..
all the reasons by CoonDog, plus the reward of making the best possible loads for your interests.
 
Originally Posted By: ohihunter2014what do you guys think savings would be for the 223 and 9mm? that's whats going to be used a lot.

Round for round if you shop around and look for deals on equipment and components you may be able to save 10-20% but you will shoot more there's no question. If you enjoy doing it becomes a never ending quest to find the perfect load. It's kinda like driving twenty miles outta the way to save 5 cents a gallon on gas, only worth it if you enjoy the ride. It may be cheaper/ round in the end but if you don't like doing it it may not be worth the time and investment....if you do like doing it you will shoot more and its not gonna save you any $.

Ultimately what I'm saying is it may save you a few bucks on your shooting if that's really what you want it to do but only you can decide if its "worth" it.
 
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I started last year and thought "I'll save some money and make some good ammo"....one happened, the other didn't. I have put out some really good ammo even being a rookie but it becomes pretty expensive if you do it like I do. I bought the Lee Challenger kit and trimmer which I think is a very good kit for a beginner and you can usually find it for $120 or less on amazon. The thing that costs so much for me is components. Everytime I go to Scheels I always buy a different type of bullet, powder, brass, etc. I honestly think you can save money by finding one powder, bullet, primer that work well together and make that your only load but I promise you won't be satisfied with that. It has turned into my "happy time". When I have a [beeep] day at work I will go home and prep brass, trim brass, etc. to wind down. I say get into but not for the money reason. Good luck!

Shelton
 
I'm not really worried about the time just want to save some money. all I have to buy is the dies, powder, primers, bullets, and scale and I can barrow the rest from a buddy.

I'm also an accuracy nut so getting something to shoot better would be great and not spend $40 for 50rds of hornady v max like I already do. just wondering if the price of powder, bullets, and primers would be cheaper than buying factory.
 
It also depends on what you are comparing it to. If you are trying to compare it to bulk ammo with FMJ's you will save a few cents. But if you are comparing it to good quality match grade ammo then you will save even more. But I reload because that is what I have always done. It also gives me something to do when it is 110* out or -30*. But it won't save you very much when you start shooting because you will have a tendency to shoot more. But it is another hobby.
 
I would like to just get some fmj plinking ammo but them save some money on hornady v max ammo. gun loves that stuff.
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I figured it with 1-lbs of powder, bulk 223 bullets it would be about $46-50 for 200rds. new to rifles so not sure if this is cheap or not.

25.49 1lbs powder 200rds
31.99 1000 primers
10.99 100 bullets
 
Originally Posted By: ohihunter2014I'm not really worried about the time just want to save some money. all I have to buy is the dies, powder, primers, bullets, and scale and I can barrow the rest from a buddy.

If thats all the money you will have in it and he will let you use his stuff whenever you want, I would say you should for sure save some money. You can keep costs down by buying lee dies which I have made some good loads with.

Shelton
 
Here is what I came up with reloading for the 223 using H335, 55gr NBT and Remington 7.5's for primers. Brass is range pick up's. Running the load of 24.5gr of h335 it cost me per round at .31 and for 50 it cost me $15.48 and per 1000 it is $309.50. And if I use the same things but change the bullets to the varagedon bullets it drops them to per round .274 and then for 50 it cost $13.72 and for 1000 it cost me $274.50. This is just one round and not shopping around for powder and primers. It also does not include the press, dies or powder charger.
 
if you want to see if you are going to save money..

Shop it..

for 9 mm for example,

Look for the bullets that you want.. I was just showing a co-worker this yesterday. He had the same question.

1000 bullets were $110
1# of powder was $30 (7000/4gr charge should be able to load 1700/#)
Primers were $34 (per 1000)
total to load 1000 = $174 Can you buy 1000 9mm for less than $200? I checked Midway and I found some winchester for $280/1000

I reload for the accuracy, and to be able to load ammo when i want, and not worry about shortages. Buy some when it's on sale, so you don't have to buy it when it's over priced.
 
What these guys said. Reloading is therapeutic, reloading can fix supply problems, reloading gives you options to match ammo to firearms, and maybe reloading saves you money...someday.

To do a comparison on .223 Rem. ammo, I looked up Hornady 55 gr. VMax factory ammo. It looks like it goes for around $20 box, if you shop around, and don't get killed on S&H. So let's say you pay $1/round for quality 55gr. ballistic tip factory varmint ammo. So I went to Powder Valley and got prices for 55 gr. VMax bullets, Varget powder, and Win. SP primers, and even allowing for S&H, I come up with $.33/round, not including your time and equipment costs, or the price of brass. So for some feelings of guilt, or justification, on paper it looks like quality hand loaded ammo is about one third to half the price of quality factory ammo. But we all know this will cost you more in the final tally. First equipment cost. Even though you may start out with a loading press from a rummage sale, or your uncle's attic, it won't end that way. You will have new scales, powder measures, progressive presses, case prep stations, etc. before you leave for the great range in the sky. And even if you did stay with budget loading equipment, to pinch those pennies, you WILL shoot more...A lot more! So stop talking about "saving money", unless your spouse/GF/significant other is listening, and start talking about getting quality hand loaded ammo as much as you need when you need it, and you will be closer to reality.
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Squeeze

P.S. It might not be too late to save yourself from Terminal Reloader's Disease. It is obvious you have found the colony for those stricken with TRD!
 
^^^ I'm a penny pinching son of a gun so all that fancy, expensive, tons of stuff wont happen. just want to spend a few hours a day after work reloading. my buddy said spend a few hours daily doing each step then finish. I shoot my 22lr more cause its fun'er than my 223 shot last weekend and shot 50rds of 223 but 200rds of 22lr so I don't think ill eat it up that bad. I don't shoot every weekend, maybe every 5 months and when I do I shoot 500rds in a day so I would have plenty of time to get back up to where I need be. ive got about 500-800 empty cases for each so wont need to buy brass for awhile.
 
lol. I usually get the cheapest stuff I can get and its all over the place. I got some v max rounds for free and shoot them when I want to shoot past 100yards but im all out of them.
 
I started reloading when factory ammo disappeared from local store shelves. Now I reload because of the many different types, weights and styles of bullets you can buy that are rarely or never found in factory loads.

Another plus: you will shoot a lot more
 
i started reloading to save $ on my shooting habit. i quickly found you only end up shooting more for your ammo budget.

and then i hit an accuracy node for my rifle and shot one of the best groups of my life. i was hooked.



as noted by others, you'll have the most "savings" from reloading premium grade ammo.

once you find that sweet load for your gun, look out
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ps: try not to think about the total investment in equipment. just spend your "savings" to upgrade and make life easier.

an automatic powder thrower (like a chargemaster) is a great early upgrade to your reloading kit.
 
When I was on the competition circuits, reloading was a must due to the volume I was shooting in practice, as well as the accuracy factor between my reloads and factory, which is made for the "average" firearm chamber and function...

Tailored ammo for any weapon should be more accurate than factory if you apply consistent reloading practices...

By buying in bulk at near wholesale prices as it becomes available will save money in the long run as component prices continue to rise steadily...Now that I'm shooting much less than I used to, I have a wide range of supplies on hand and am not bothered by most price swings...My average .224 round will cost about $0.30 to shoot, as opposed to almost a $1.00 per round for factory...my .204 is only slightly higher...

I think it depends on your anticipated shooting needs as to whether it is financially feasible to get into reloading...If you are only using the ammo for hunting purposes and take the time to find the most accurate factory ammo for your firearm, then reloading may not be your cup of tea, but if you shoot for pleasure or competition where you need a copious amount of ammo for practice/plinking, then over a period of 3-5 years, the cost of an individual round drops substantially...

You really need to take into consideration the initial equipment cost investment and, like a business, depreciate that cost over a 3 or 5 year basis...i.e., let's say your total equipment cost is $500 and you depreciate that over 5 years...Your equipment cost is $100 per year, on top of your component cost, but since the equipment will likely last more than the five years, after that point your only ammo cost drops down to the actual component cost and if you buy in bulk for those components, the cost of inventory will drop relative to the current market value in the future on a normal inflation basis...I have a progressive press for my handgun rounds that I've had for over 10 years with no signs of deterioration...

I have recently switched from a .308 to a 6.5 (.264) and my reloading costs have risen due to having to buy new brass, bullets and dies for the round, but since I won't be shooting it a lot, once I get my test loads developed, it will be several years before my cost per round drops and I will still build up a supply of bullets and powder at current prices in anticipation of future components costs..The 150 rounds of brass I have on hand will last several years if I don't run 'hot' loads to blow out the primer pockets and I have several thousand primers on hand from the .308 loading process..So my only expendable costs to anticipate will be for bullets and powder...If I find a good buy on more brass, I will stock up a little, just to have the reserve...
 


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