Do you really save money reloading?

[SportingShooter 0]

As with a few people on this thread, I'm fairly new to reloading.

 

I only load one calibre, .222

 

In my case, I don't load for a very common calibre, it is usurped by the .223 and .243 and also there is not a great deal of selection of ammunition in most gun shops to try to find the best factory load.

 

At the moment, I'm shooting 50gr Sierra Blitzkings on top of 23.1gr of H4895 on Hornady brass. Its shooting 1/2" and below I recently bought 100 50gr Hornady V-Max and they were £94. Which in turn equals 94p a bang. At the moment I'm reloading the above loads 41p. So I'm saving roughly half per load.

 

But...I have also bought all the equipment to go with it which means that each load is working out expensive at the moment, but in time the savings will mount up, if I take out the savings from the equipment, I should break even by my 600th round I've reloaded and shot around 150 so far.

 

There are two sides to it, the longer term saving and the instant noticeable difference in accuracy.

 

SS

 

P.S. I have a single stage Redding press BTW.

[rjimmer 4]

aah cheers all, Also how long does it take you to say reload 20 rounds at a time and do most of you use a single stage or progressive press?

 

Cheers!

Rather than a progressive press, think about 2 single stage presses. A heavy duty one for the resizing and a lightweight one for seating the bullet. It might save a lot of time for small quantities.

 

I'm thinking along the lines of a Lee Cast Iron for the heavy and a Lee Challenger for the light.

 

Don't know if the prices here http://www.peterlawman.co.uk/catalogue.php are up-to-date.

 

As for the cost of cases, for .308 and .223, have a look at the Samson IMI factory rounds here http://www.gunshop-eb.co.uk/CF%20Sporting%...0Ammunition.htm and consider buying a large batch, if they are the right calibre. I'm told they will reload 5-6 times quite reliably.

Edited May 27, 2009 by rjimmer

[weejohn 3]

well since i have started now i feel i can comment on this thread. i reload for 243 and i estimate i save £1.40 per round, i took a visit to the gunshop yesterday and for 20 rounds of federal the price was £40 so in theory i save loads but in practice i now shoot 4 times the amount.

[SNAP SHOT 194]

As with a few people on this thread, I'm fairly new to reloading.

 

I only load one calibre, .222

 

In my case, I don't load for a very common calibre, it is usurped by the .223 and .243 and also there is not a great deal of selection of ammunition in most gun shops to try to find the best factory load.

 

At the moment, I'm shooting 50gr Sierra Blitzkings on top of 23.1gr of H4895 on Hornady brass. Its shooting 1/2" and below I recently bought 100 50gr Hornady V-Max and they were £94. Which in turn equals 94p a bang. At the moment I'm reloading the above loads 41p. So I'm saving roughly half per load.

 

But...I have also bought all the equipment to go with it which means that each load is working out expensive at the moment, but in time the savings will mount up, if I take out the savings from the equipment, I should break even by my 600th round I've reloaded and shot around 150 so far.

 

There are two sides to it, the longer term saving and the instant noticeable difference in accuracy.

 

SS

 

P.S. I have a single stage Redding press BTW.

 

 

anorak

 

The initial cost outlay is fairly high, the upsides is you can shoot a wider range of bullet weights rather than just what your dealer has,

 

accuracy is vastly improved with the right reload, cost saving anywhere between 45 to 70 % depending on where and what you purchase.

 

once you find a relaod thats works for bullet weight powder combo, R&D is over for that bullet so no more testing is required....

 

my advice is to stick to a few bullet weight and styles, and you don't need to keep testing....

 

 

snap.

[SportingShooter 0]

As with a few people on this thread, I'm fairly new to reloading.

 

I only load one calibre, .222

 

In my case, I don't load for a very common calibre, it is usurped by the .223 and .243 and also there is not a great deal of selection of ammunition in most gun shops to try to find the best factory load.

 

At the moment, I'm shooting 50gr Sierra Blitzkings on top of 23.1gr of H4895 on Hornady brass. Its shooting 1/2" and below I recently bought 100 50gr Hornady V-Max and they were £94. Which in turn equals 94p a bang. At the moment I'm reloading the above loads 41p. So I'm saving roughly half per load.

 

But...I have also bought all the equipment to go with it which means that each load is working out expensive at the moment, but in time the savings will mount up, if I take out the savings from the equipment, I should break even by my 600th round I've reloaded and shot around 150 so far.

 

There are two sides to it, the longer term saving and the instant noticeable difference in accuracy.

 

SS

 

P.S. I have a single stage Redding press BTW.

 

 

anorak

 

The initial cost outlay is fairly high, the upsides is you can shoot a wider range of bullet weights rather than just what your dealer has,

 

accuracy is vastly improved with the right reload, cost saving anywhere between 45 to 70 % depending on where and what you purchase.

 

once you find a relaod thats works for bullet weight powder combo, R&D is over for that bullet so no more testing is required....

 

my advice is to stick to a few bullet weight and styles, and you don't need to keep testing....

 

 

snap.

Quiet you

[humperdingle 0]

100 Factory .22-250 rounds will cost me approx £110

 

100 reloads will cost £49

 

Those 100 reloads will pay for the equipment (Lee classic loader and other bits) If you buy a more expensive kit initially, obviously it'll take longer to recoup any of those initial costs.

 

But then you've got the added benefit of better accuracy than factory loads.

[Mr_Logic 5]

Well, I've spent a fortune on loading bits and bobs since I started, so I don't think I can say it's saved me money. But it's opened my eyes - now I know the accuracy the rifles can produce, the velocities they reach etc, and that data means more clean kills, and at longer ranges.

 

And, getting out on 600 yard and 1000 yard targets, respectable scores for a beginner!

 

So I wouldn't go back to factory, expense or otherwise!

[nicksource 0]

I've only done reloading a few times with friends equipment and the time spent isn't worth the money saved for me.

 

Shoot to kill!

[dicehorn 38]

I've only done reloading a few times with friends equipment and the time spent isn't worth the money saved for me.

 

I take my time reloading but I can still reload 20 cases by the time you have watched one episode of Casualty

[rob reynolds uk 3]

i reload , and i shoot loads of my own ammo off ,so it must be cheeper, i would be paying £23.50 for a box of 20 live rounds 100 bullet heads £19.95, 1lb powder £32.50 makes about 270 bullets ..primers £4 pr 100 ..plus all my loads are bang on for the rifles i shoot ..far far cheeper

[rjimmer 4]

What's the sense in spending, perhaps, £400-1400 on a scope and then quibble about spending half that amount on equipment to produce ammo to match the scope's capability?

Edited July 1, 2009 by rjimmer

[quicksilver 0]

What's the sense in spending, perhaps, £400-1400 on a scope and then quibble about spending half that amount on equipment to produce ammo to match the scope's capability?

 

thats a very fair point, i had some good replies to a question regarding the kit need to start reloading and a rough cost for everything required. the post if interested can be found here

 

http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/index...+equipment+cost