Reloading question

[Ghosted3]

I do not reload, but with the cost of ammo for a 223/5.56 being so high right now, would I be able to save money by reloading, or would I still be better off just buying new rounds? I would probably (if it would save money) reload my two pistols as well, 9mm & .40cal. Thanks for the help

Corry

[RichK]

You will save money reloading but right now components are quite hard to find.

[Ghosted3]

So the components are getting as hard to find as the rounds and the lower prices for the weapons, wonderful. People who just like to shoot just have been on the losing side for the past few months unless they were well stocked up before time.

Corry

[RichK]

Yes, 5.56 brass is selling for 3X what it did two months ago.

[Ghosted3]

Sounds like a lose lose situation for now lol. 5.56 rounds can not be found in my area, .223s can be found, but as soon as they get stocked they seem to be gone within a hour or so. Maybe instead of just buying a reloading kit I will just slowing get one a piece at a time and hope that after awhile prices go down and things become more readily available. Thanks for the feedback, it is much appreciated.

Corry

[jimbo&rooster]

We reload for every rifle and most of the pistols we own. At one time it was Certainly cheaper to reload. The problem whish has been mentioned is that components are hard to find. Also by the time you buy all of the equipment, and buy the components and find a good manual you could spend anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars to get started.

Anymore we basically reload for convenience and precision. It is fun to fine tune a load to a specific gun.

But for the average casual shooter I do t know if you can justify buying everything to get started. The biggest savings here for us is when we load up for our prairie dog trip to SD and we stuff about 2000rds of 223. But if you don't have a ton of 223 brass not only is it expensive right now. It is vetting hard to find.

[Double Shot Banks]

We reload nearly all our rounds, my dad said he only saves a few cents per round, and now he probably saves more or less because the cost of new rounds is up, but so is the equipment, Its not very easy, but it is a fun thing to do on a rainy day, the worst part is picking up all your brass, (you can usually find other peoples too)
Isaac and Banks

[Ghosted3]

the worst part is picking up all your brass, Isaac and Banks

I do not have it yet, but for an AR there is a mesh style bag that hooks up to the shell ejection area to collect all the casings so you dont have to walk around and look on the ground trying to find as many casings as you can. If I do decide to go with the reloading route that will be something that I will look into on the days I blow through the rounds.

Corry

[jimbo&rooster]

the worst part is picking up all your brass, Isaac and Banks

I do not have it yet, but for an AR there is a mesh style bag that hooks up to the shell ejection area to collect all the casings so you dont have to walk around and look on the ground trying to find as many casings as you can. If I do decide to go with the reloading route that will be something that I will look into on the days I blow through the rounds.

Corry

Most of those shell catchers are only good for the first 10-15rfs before tjw weight of the brass in the bag pulls it down just enough it won't let the rifle knock out the empties and you end up jammed.

Jim

[Double Shot Banks]

the worst part is picking up all your brass, Isaac and Banks

I do not have it yet, but for an AR there is a mesh style bag that hooks up to the shell ejection area to collect all the casings so you dont have to walk around and look on the ground trying to find as many casings as you can. If I do decide to go with the reloading route that will be something that I will look into on the days I blow through the rounds.

Corry

Most of those shell catchers are only good for the first 10-15rfs before tjw weight of the brass in the bag pulls it down just enough it won't let the rifle knock out the empties and you end up jammed.

Jim

We just got one of those, although with the lack of snow we have hardly been out yote hunting this year and havnt tested it out, but the one we have (off ebay) seems like it would hold a lot of brass before falling, no telling until we test it out for real though.
Isaac and Banks

[Ghosted3]

We reload for every rifle and most of the pistols we own. At one time it was Certainly cheaper to reload. The problem whish has been mentioned is that components are hard to find. Also by the time you buy all of the equipment, and buy the components and find a good manual you could spend anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars to get started.

Anymore we basically reload for convenience and precision. It is fun to fine tune a load to a specific gun.

But for the average casual shooter I do t know if you can justify buying everything to get started. The biggest savings here for us is when we load up for our prairie dog trip to SD and we stuff about 2000rds of 223. But if you don't have a ton of 223 brass not only is it expensive right now. It is vetting hard to find.

I think I am going to eventually go to reloading not only for my pistols and my 223, but also because I like to shoot a 16ga. I understand that I may not notice a money save for the first year or maybe longer because of the funding for all of the equip like you said, but hopefully soon this stuff for reloading and regular rounds alike start coming back onto the shelves before too much longer.

Corry

[Brazosvalleyvizslas]

Graf and Sons usually gets components in faster than most others. They are quoting 3-4 weeks now on shipping.

[wvmountainhick]

I've heard through my pals in the gun industry that it will be anywhere from 1-1.5 years before it stabilizes.

[Ghosted3]

Question on equipment, do you still need tumblers if you have the sonic cleaner for brass casings?

Corry

[BlueRiverSpringer]

Gost. As said the stuff to start is spendy, but after that you can save a bunch. If you have a hungry AR you can shoot a heck of a lot of ammo on a weekend having fun at the range. And as said work up better loads then the cheap or even not so cheap ammo off the shelf. If your going to do it get good equipment to start. such as a nice national match redding 3 die set, Forster single stage press, and so on. I went with the thumblers wet tumbler with stainless media. I wanted my primer pockets and insides of the cases done. So I use a universal depriming die then clean the cases. The brass is super clean everywhere. Then I resize, trim, uniform the primer pockets and debur the flash holes. All cases are trimed to 1.750. It is some screwing around, but then you can make true uniform loads to fit that gun. Also concentricity gauges are a must for checking run out. If you want to shoot consistent loads it is the way to go. The wet tumbler does the best job in my opinion and you simply rinse it off and reuse it for years. No other way cleans the entire case the way stainless does.

[Southwind]

I am reloading .223/5.56 for $.29 per round now. That is considering that I am re-using brass, and already consider it paid for. $.29 includes bullet, primer and powder. Once you have the brass and equipment, it is still about half the cost of buying loaded ammo. I would try to continue to buy loaded ammo and make sure you keep the brass. You can piece together your reloading set up bit by bit until you are ready. By then, you should have enough brass to get started.

[jack the dog]

I have been reloading for a lot of years, and do not claim to be an expert.
But my advice is, buy reloadable brass and keep the brass as you shoot it up. In the meantime, look for deals on reloading equipment and supplies and purchase some along and have it on hand to start loading when you have accumulated everything you need to get started. That way you won't bust the bank like you would if you bought all new stuff at one time.

I reload .223, 30-30, .308, 30/06, 7.62x54 in rifle, .32, 38spl, 357 magnum, 9mm, .45 acp, and 7.62x25 in pistol, and 410 bore, 12, 16, 20 and 12 ga. in shotgun. It's not a cheap hobby. If I had bought all that reloading equipment and the necessary components at one time, I would have to take out a second mortgage on the house to pay for all of it. Check out used or private tables at the gun shows. Some private guys will be there with brass etc and are usually willing to trade brass, powder, bullets or shot and also trade equipment. Keep an eye on current prices so you don't get taken.

And when you are at the range, scavenge what brass and shotgun shells you can. You will pick up calibers you will never use, but you can trade these for something that you need at a later date.

But I have ammo when a lot of my friends could not find any to purchase. I try to keep 1k of each on hand, and I like to shoot a lot.

[DonF]

if you do start reloading, you probably won't save a dime. Problem being a box of ammo is cheaper so you'll end up shooting a lot more. If you don't shoot more, it'll take a long time to recover the cost of equipment. But I would not give up my equipment! been paid for several time's over. if your convinced that premium bullet's are the only way to go, from what I hear about ammo with them, no way would I ever buy a box of the stuff. Firing the 223, I doubt you'll save a lot unless you shoot a lot. I would not shoot those cheap imported ammo, case's I wouldn't run into my dies and the bullet's all seem to be FMJ. if you don't shoot 10 or 12 box's a year, I doubt you'll ever recover your equipment cost. You could on the handguns, cast your own bullet's and use fast shotgun powder's. Only factory ammo I shoot is 22 LR and 28 ga shotgun. Then I only buy 28 ga in target rounds. They work good for dog training, and smaller birds and are a whole lot cheaper, I buy them by the flat just for the case's.

If you went to all cast bullet's in your handgun.s and got your equipment from lee it would be pretty inexpensive. lee has the press, the dies, the lead mould's and the re-sizer. All a lot less inexpensive than anyone else. Handloading is not really inexpensive unless you shoot a lot. or maybe if you shoot premium bullet's, magnum's or other really expensive ammo.

[buck]

It boils down to how much you shoot and what you time is worth. I load for 9 handgun and 6 rifle calibers. My 2 sons and I shoot approximately 600 rounds of centerfire a month. While cost per round is less from reloading, we are shooting more rounds. Seems to be the norm...if you have $100 a month to spend on shooting....you spend $100 a month. While you can get started for $300 or less, most folks seem to think they need one of everything and a progressive press. They spend $1500 on a setup to produce 300 rounds a year. .223, 9mm and .40 S&W are some of the cheapest factory ammo one can buy. Recouping your initial setup costs with those calibers will take longer than if you reload for something like .45/70 and .460 S&W like I do. On top of the cost to get started, one needs someplace to reload. Depending on the type of equipment and amount of equipment this might be anything from a card table to a 12 X 14 room.Because of the cost to get started and the learning curve, one needs to realize it will be a long term commitment. If you are not willing to take the time needed to do it right or you only shoot a few hundred rounds a year, you're better off with factory ammo.