Reloading
I’ve never done it. I don’t shoot enough and, honestly, it looks like a pain in the ass. But now that ammo is pricey enough that it may be worth it, I’m not opposed to the idea. But this ain’t a post about that, it’s a post about linking to Kevin’s guide to reloading.
October 3rd, 2007 at 8:31 am
I’m dying to try it. I just don’t feel like I have the free, uninterrupted time to do it right now until we get some more childcare help.
October 3rd, 2007 at 8:34 am
hehe dying.
October 3rd, 2007 at 9:03 am
I’ve always been interested in reloading, just as a practical skill… for the same reason i like to brew my own beer.
But time has always been more valuable to me than money, so the $ savings of reloading isn’t that important. Being able to tweak my ammo for better performance would be a huge plus, but i’ve found my firearms all shoot “good enough” with the right brand of factory ammo. If I ever got into competitive shooting, perhaps loading my own my be worth it.
October 3rd, 2007 at 9:03 am
If you get a Dillon RL550B, you can crank out 50-100 rounds of ammo in 10-15 minutes. As far as cost goes, 9mm is just barely cheaper if you have a Walmart nearby that sells those 100 round value packs of Winchester FMJ, and then only if you never have to buy brass. .45 comes in at about a 40% savings vs. the 100 rnd value pack. If you happen to have an affordable means of buying brass, such as a nearby range that cleans and sells what they clean up at the end of the day, you can still probably save about 25% of the cost of a value pack.
If you only have 50 round boxes of ammo available for purchase where you live….it’s all cheaper.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:21 am
Greg, me too. I used to homebrew (last time was about four years ago) and in my twenties I hunted edible mushrooms. For me it’s more about the experience than the potential savings.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:29 am
I like reloading both for the savings, and in the case of 10mm, being able to load the caliber closer to its potential. Just about the only thing good that can be said of most factory 10mm ammo is that it provides good brass for reloading because it’s only loaded to slightly-warmer-.40-Short-n-Weak levels. But Lord, chasing the brass is a pain in the arse — although much easier for .45ACP…
October 3rd, 2007 at 2:09 pm
My friend is a big fan of reloading, and has saved me a lot of dough by reloading my s&w .500 rounds for me instead of buying them off the shelf. After the intial start up, the savings are astounding. It is also great to overpower or underpower the rounds you want to shoot, greatly aiding in understanding your firearm, what you like to shoot, and how you shoot it.
October 3rd, 2007 at 3:16 pm
shooters digest this month has an extensive article on how to turn .22lr brass into jackets for 223 rounds…. looked pretty easy to do too
October 3rd, 2007 at 3:21 pm
I started loading for pistols for the cost savings, but started doing all my calibers because it turned out to be a lot of fun and very relaxing.
Don’t ask me why handling stuff that can go *boom* is relaxing, but it really is.
October 3rd, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Chris Byrne makes a good case for the Lock-n-Load press, over the Dillon XL650.
Me, I sporadically use my old Lee turret press. 45ACP, 44 Mag, some 45LC and 44-40 cowboy stuff. I’ll want a nice progressive, at some point.
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:54 pm
A man needs a good hobby, otherwise you will end up cleaning the bathroom or something.