I don’t need more ammunition (joking, but I have plenty). I don’t shoot enough to work up loads. Should that change, how does one work up a load? Load five or so of different ones and keep track of which one shoots best?

I used to enjoy reloading shotgun shells with my father during the off season while watching golf. I’m pretty sure that shotgun shells are just a matter of cranking them out as they were initially checked and functioned just fine. Thereafter, we would just crank them out.

Should I give it a go? The most uncommon round I shoot is a .300 H&H, but have a wide array of others.

Reloading adds one more piece of satisfaction of a successful hunt for me. I made the ammo and it was a big part of the culmination of my hunt. An added skill. I also live in Minnesota and it gives me something to do when it's cold.

You don't need to worry about working up loads at this point; all you need to know is that reloading/hand loading is a sport in and of itself; like shooting. You reload to shoot, and you shoot so you will have brass to, reload. It is a circle of life.
Get it?

I use to reload shotgun shells when I shot trap and skeet extensively. That was a money saving measure since it was expensive to buy fresh shells every week. I did the same with pistol ammo, though that wasn't as big of a savings and honestly was more work than I thought it was worth. Rifle reloading has always been one of those things that I liked to do, but honestly I always felt that I could buy better ammo than I was capable of reloading. Consequently I buy 90% of my rifle ammo these days.

I certainly wouldn't try getting into it right now, there ain't no components available.

reloading is playing the long game, and you need to pick and poke at it during the good times.

Thanks to all. I should’ve thought about this when the shutdown first started. Once again, I think I don’t get enough range time in to make it worthwhile.

I also have a lot of factory ammo. I could see it as a fun hobby if I didn’t live in the middle of Dallas.

Most of what I shoot, you can't buy ammo for off the shelf.

I don't think anyone can talk you into reloading. You either want to or you don't.

The main advantage of reloading is accurate fodder for you own rifle(s). If factory does it, don't. The second advantage is that you shoot more -- practice makes permanent. If you already shoot well/ain't no beginner, again, don't.

The pros are:
Availability - you would not be as dependent on finding what you are looking for.

Specialization- you can tailor your ammo to what you want.

Satisfaction- you have some ownership of what you are shooting, and it can be a rewarding hobby in itself.

Accuracy- after you get safe reloading practices down, you can get your ammo tailored to your specific gun. I don’t think you can make ammo more accurate across the board than factory but you can make it better in that particular rifle.

Cons:

Money: right now it is at a relatively expensive point to get into it, as availability is causing price jumps.

Time- if time is short, you will find that you have to give something up.

Ability- if you can’t follow directions well and are sloppy, it isn’t safe.

Space- the set up and storage take up room. Do you have what you need?

Reloading is what you make of it. People can get really OCD about it. Buy a good reloading manual and read it! Other than 22LR I have not bought factory in years. Shoot a lot with big bores, it will save you lot of money in the long run. I find a lot of pleasure in the control it gives me in components. It is another part of shooting and hunting to enjoy! Just a casual hunter, with a common caliber, factory is getting a lot better.

quote:

Originally posted by DCS Member:
I don’t need more ammunition (joking, but I have plenty). I don’t shoot enough to work up loads. Should that change, how does one work up a load? Load five or so of different ones and keep track of which one shoots best?

I used to enjoy reloading shotgun shells with my father during the off season while watching golf. I’m pretty sure that shotgun shells are just a matter of cranking them out as they were initially checked and functioned just fine. Thereafter, we would just crank them out.

Should I give it a go? The most uncommon round I shoot is a .300 H&H, but have a wide array of others.

How does one work up a load? You start by reading a couple of loading manuals, that explains the process and gives you some grounding. A loadingmanual gives a minimum load to start from and a maximum not to exceed for each bullet powder primed and brass combination. From that starting point you start to increase the powder charge in small measured increments. You fire groups of three to five shots at each increment. I always use a chronograph because it provides a check on what I am doing and whether I am within a safe range. When I have an acceptable level of accuracy for my intended purpose and I have an acceptable velocity I fire a few groups more to be certain I have both and then load whatever quantity I feel I need. Sometimes a given ,combination just will not give you decent accuracy in your rifle, and you start over.

Yes you should give it a go! You can get a great deal of satisfaction out of shooting dinner with your own ammo! Finding an odd load that you particularly like in a given rifle is double the fun. A lot of the loads I now use are not real common and by a wide margin I feel they are the best for what I am doing with them.

I started reloading with my Dad at 8yoa or so.

I have reloaded hundreds of thousands of rounds.

I could not have afforded to shoot as much as I did if not for reloading.

I found/find it to be fun and interesting hobby.

But if I can buy cheap as I can reload I am not above buying.

If you own rifles in modern calibres that factories load full-power ammo for, you are probably better off just buying that, but pick up the empty cases, anyway, unless you're heading for Africa.

There can be dangers in reloading and saving money is largely a pipe dream because equipment and working-up-load costs will take years to amortise.

It's a hobby that might amuse you in retirement but that may not be a great time to take it up because our memories rarely get better then.

DON'T DO IT!

STAY AWAY FROM RELOADING!

One might get rid of the Chink virus, but never of the RELOADING VIRUS!

I got introduced to reloading in the zoo!

Honest, by a zoo keeper and his friend!

His friend was a disaster on two feet.

That very first day, he poured liquid lead on his toes - he was casting bullets.

He broke the lubricating stem on a Lyman bullet lube.

He broke the decapping pin on a 223 resizing die!

I was hooked!

I said to myself, just imagine the mayhem one can get into with this hobby!

And I have proven myself right beyond my imaginations!

The tricks one can play with reloaded ammo!

It got so bad that I have gravitated to make my own dies, my own bullets, my own "crazy stuff" as some of my less talented friends say!

Very sad indeed!

DON"T DO IT!

quote:

There can be dangers in reloading and saving money is largely a pipe dream because equipment and working-up-load costs will take years to amortise.

All depends on how much one shoots.

If one shoots less then a thousand rounds a year for sure.

If one shoots thousands of rounds a year not very long at all.

I couldn't imaging a world in which I didn't reload. It would be a dark a dreary place.

Yes, factory ammo is fine, even good, but is it the best for your rifle? is it consistent lot to lot? Can you count on finding it in the same lot year after year? Nope.

Good enough has never been good enough for me!

With all that said, if you're looking for an easy way to quality ammo, Buy factory stuff.

I've seen more guys who reload and shouldn't that those who don't and should. Let that be your guide.


Zeke

if factory ammo fits your budget and accuracy requirements, there's only excuses, not reasons.

I personally love reloading

Some random thoughts:
Don't do it to save money.
If you have the time and inclination it is an enjoyable hobby. Any savings on a per round basis will surely be lost in the increased quantity that you will end up shooting.
If you only shoot a box or two per year per rifle don't bother. If you want to shoot more frequently and think you will enjoy working up loads go for it.
The more calibers that you have the more it makes sense. You can spend as much or as little as you want to.
For a few hundred dollars you can buy all the hardware that you will need and it will all outlast you.

Some people reload so they can shoot
Others shoot so they can reload
Me, its something I was taught at age 12 and have continued it for the next 55 years (hopefully longer)
I take great pride in the fact that every big game animal I have killed was with one of my reloads. Taught my son the same when he was 10 and he holds the same record for himself.

Other than rimfire, I haven't bought commercial ammo since 2005. When I built or acquired a rifle in a new caliber, I just got the dies and components to load for it. It was all part of a new "experiment," so to speak. I got to be creative (safely) with my loads, and tune them to the particular gun.

Lastly, before retiring from my day job as a manufacturing engineer, I found loading to be almost therapeutic. Nice to turn out a box of .40 S&W or 7.65 x 53 before dinner.

If you're anal, you'll love reloading

I've been reloading since the early 70s so all my equipment has long ago been paid for. It can be pricey tooling up but doesn't need to be. Start small + accumulate. I find anymore that I find reloading even more enjoyable than hunting. Plus I play with a lot of wildcats so I have to "roll my own". Yes, there is a problem with components now (just like every election year) but most reloaders have accumulated a lot over the years. It's never too late to start.

BC3 very clearly summed it up with his short post. ——- I started reloading because I had a .308 Browning Lever Action with a very discerning chamber and it took RCBS three try’s to build me the set of dies that would do the job I needed to successfully resize the brass. Once that happened I had a tack driver for a deer rifle. I then started Elk hunting with a .300 Winny which required another set of dies and I was on my way to reloading to save money in order to shoot the number of rounds to tune up for other game. At that point my son started hunting and shooting with me, followed by six grandsons and a great grandson. Shooting for hunting buddies and reloading for their rifles brought on many new calibers, dies etc. remember I started to save money but I soon found I was making quite a commitment for the hobby. Now it became my joy to supply the rifles and ammo for all in the family and each new clambering brougHt an excuse for the next popular thing on the market. Now years of shooting and loading thousands of rounds a year I have enough components that my great grandson will never have to worry about buying anything, and with bargain buying all these years it all was bought extremely cheap compared to today’s prices. I consider it my legacy to have set up the basis of their reloading for the rest of their lives and they are debating as to who will get to have all that stuff someday and provide the rest with super accurate ammo and I am egging it on and teaching them all I know while I can. Good Shooting.

Reloading is a hobby just like other hobbies.

you need the interest, the time, the funds, the place to put your equipment, and a place to shoot the reloads.
Did i miss anything?

An activity that is somewhat technical and precise. Some of us need to do things like that.

Some people spend their 'extra money' on beer & cigarettes. Some rebuild old cars. Good friend of mine who was a pilot rebuilt a small airplane.

I started in the Dark Art of reloading because i wanted more accurate ammunition[30 years ago ] and maybe save some money. Right.

Learned that after the initial cost, the cartridges were cheaper EACH... but i shot more of them. Didn't save.
Was going to reload for 1 or 2 calibers. Now i reload for 5 different calibers. Mission creep for sure.

Hobbies are what you find the $$$ for.

My equipment isnt fancy or all high tech. I started with the bare necessities and slowly added what I NEED. It does what i require. i dont load large volumes. Its a good hobby for cold winter days or really hot sticky summer days.

Last week i showed my grandson, age 8, what all that 'stuff' was in the basement. I showed him how i resized, primed, measured out a powder charge, and seated a bullet. 223. At the end i seated a bullet in an unprimed & uncharged case. For him. He is not too young to see what i do for a hobbie.

Now i shoot a lot more that i did before. One of the things i enjoy in my retirement.

Its all good.

I shoot the following chamberings extensively preparing my bunch for the coming hunts, wherever they may be. .223 rem, 243 wssm, 25 wssm, 270 wsm (4 rifles), 7mm stw, .300 winny, .340 wby, .338 Lapua, .358 sta (2 rifles), .416 rem, .416 rigby. I reload for all of them and test all loads then furnish the rifle for the particular hunt. My son is 50 years old and has never shot a factory load in any rifle nor has any of my six grandsons or great grandson and wont while I am living. This is what I do instead of golf or whatever hobby others may have. I have my own private shooting range and my bunch and buddies prepare for the next season all summer and fall shooting from 100 to 200 yards most of the time, stepping on out if I feel the need. I have muzzle brakes on all above .300 win and have the private range with no complaints from noise. This is the way I do it for what it is worth.
Good Shooting.

Good points RCflash. We used to have quite a few "turkey shoots" around here for different charity organizations. Not so much anymore as the population has grown out here in the country. I was at one match + was winning consistently at the 50 yds. open sight 22 competition. I was shooting my Anschutz + one of the losers was so butt hurt he just had to pop off about how it wasn't fair that I was using a match rifle against his Western Field. Kinda pissed me off but I did calmly say, look at your pickup with the light bar over the cab, your roll bar, your dually pkg., your custom mud flaps. You chose where to spend your money+ so have I. Don't bitch if you have spent it in the wrong area.

Well said Norman.

I guess it depends where you live, too.

If you have limited hunting seasons but love to shoot, reloading and range evaluation of your product can be a nice way to fill in the rest of the year.

Most years we in Victoria can hunt deer, pigs and varmints all year round and ducks for a couple of months. Therefore, a lot of my friends are too busy hunting to be bothered reloading in their limited spare time.


That's not me but it applies to 60 per cent of the guys I hunt with. This year I'm glad I'm a reloader because when we're not allowed to venture beyond the city in order to limit the spread of covid, at least I've got something I can do at home to fill in time.

There have been some very good points raised here regarding reloading. I agree that if you are taking up reloading to save money on ammunition, you probably will be disappointed. At current pricing, the various components will cost you about the same as factory loads ---especially when you amortize in the cost of all the very neat optional equipment you will want, above and beyond the basic reloading set up. I think there are a couple of additional benefits from reloading that haven't been discussed: First, if you shoot calibers that are sporadically produced by the factories, you assure yourself of a constant supply of ammo. Second, and to my mind the most important, you will learn an immense amount about ballistics and cartridge construction that will greatly improve your overall shooting skills. A good means of economically dipping your toe into the pond would be to forego for the moment buying the actual reloading equipment, but to acquire a couple of good reloading manuals and read them thoroughly. I started with Lee's Modern Reloading and found it an interesting read.

All of the following comments relate to hunting ammo. I started reloading in the early '60s. I had two reasons, cost and accuracy. Back then it was easy to load more accurate ammo than factory. Now it's hard to get meaningful accuracy improvements from factory. On the cost issue I started with a used C&H press, dies and a balance scale. Cost me a case of beer, about 4 or 5 dollars. Reloads are cheaper and I shoot a lot more. Over the years I've acquired enough reloading equipment to negate the cost issue. My go to hunting rifle, an '06 I use factory with premium bullets. My reloading efforts are for my doubles and obsolete cartridges.

Dave

No need to reload unless you need a new hobby to pass the time, intend to stretch the barrel (grandfather's quote) and do 350 yards plus shooting with it or intend to shoot a lot in the same caliber. Bullet prices have jumped 30% in just the last year at least for Nosler Partitions. Factory ammo can be decent these days. Remington Core-Lokt Hornady SST ammo can be quite accurate these days. There are others.

Consider this: My average group size using factory ammo was anywhere from 1.75" to 2.5" at 100 yards shooting factory ammo in barrels from 19 inches to 24 inches.
It took several trips to the range and several different reloads to come up with a nice group 1/2" to about 1 inch at 100 yards. I did the full length sizing dies and also once-fired neck-sized only. Found out that my single shot doesn't allow 1X neck-sized cases to seat fully and only half the reloads would chamber, barrel would not close because of the tight fit.
Point is, reloading can present hurdles and there is that learning curve.
But, if you must, buy a LEE handloader in a common non-magnum caliber and give it a whirl. It's as basic as you can get and results are pretty darn good. Then, see if you want to move up.


About group size..., where is the group in relation to the center of the target? Example: A 2 inch group only missed the dead center of the bullseye by 1 inch. Not so bad?

I enjoy reloading and I have established a good routine over the last 26 years.

I have met people who actually consider reloading a chore. That is dangerous. They may not be paying attention, not committed fully, miss a key principle etc. Very risky IMO.

I started with listening to some good advise and bought the Lyman reloading manual and read the early chapters twice.

I worked up loads 20 years ago for 2 calibers for which reliable modern data was not available - 6.5X55 in Winchester action and 280 Ack Imp in a Sako L61R action. I really had to be patient and very disciplined.

My gear is quite basic - single stage press.

BTW for your 300H&H you can expect 5 reloads per case before you star having risk / issues with brass.

If someone gave me some factory ammo I would not even bother with the stuff.

About the only factoru ammo I have used in the last umpteen years is sometimes have bought one box of Wby ammo just to try out of curiousity in a new Mark V.

If I could not reload then I would just get a 308 in something like a Howa and just as a means to an end.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mike McGuire:
If someone gave me some factory ammo I would not even bother with the stuff.


This is exactly how I feel.

I'd reload even if it cost me MORE money! Oh wait, it does cost me more money. haha

Zeke

My handloading experience spans 40 + years. Never had less than total satisfaction in working up and hunting with loads I developed myself. I like finding accurate loads without being overly anal about it.
I've shot a bunch of factory ammo too over the years, mainly to keep the brass for re-use and despite claims of great improvement of factory ammo performance none I have tried comes close to accuracy and velocity I achieve with my own handloads. Probably some of the better factory ammo I shot was from Federal and Norma but no other brand I tried was worthwhile in my view.

If you are not self motivated to learn reloading you should stay away from it.
There are careless people who blow up rifles all the time.
If you are not really interested you will just be another guy who gives the hobby a black eye.
Black eyes matter you know.

quote:

Black eyes matter you know.

Funny.

Dave

Well, Marcus, this thread has gone on for over a week now.

If we haven't talked you into reloading by now, we must not be as persuasive as we think we are.

What say you?

buddy setup his chrono at the club pistol range.

we chronoed his 38Super loads. SD was 7fps.
We chronoed some PMC "GOLD" box 9mm. SD was 26fps.

this is just a random sample but 7fps with progressive loaded ammo is very good.