with all you experts out there, i was wondering if i could get some questions answered.

1)what can i expect the cost to be for .38 spl reloads to be?
2)has anyone used the "lee turrent presses", and what is your opinion on it?
3)how many times can you reuse brass?

thanks to all for your time and advice

Reloading 38 Special can be as cheap as you can get.

My main 38 load is a cast 148 BBWC, 5.0 grs Unique. Not counting brass, I am at 2.5 cents per shot..that comes out to $1.25/50. Lead is wheel weights (free), 38 brass is cheap and reloaded so many times the price is negligable. Who knows how many times my Special brass has been reloaded, but I am confident it is in excess of 50 times...

Now if you start buying bullets, the price goes up...even way up. I don't shoot jacketed in 38 and the only bullet I buy is a HBWC and its been awhile since I bought new...probably about 10 bucks for 500...comes to 2 cents each, plus powder (2.7 gr Bullseye) and primer so we are at about 4 cents each or $2/50...still pretty darn cheap shootin'!

Hobie, you mean I'm not the only one with those problems with reloading!!!! You make me feel better, I was afraid I was the only one that pissed off the wife by spending the evening in the "reloading room".
Yardbird

Ok, here's an example of cost:

500 hardcast bullets, $18.50 = 3.7 cents ea.
1 lb unique at $18.50, 5.0 grain loads = 1400 loads @ 1.32 cents a load. Primers = 2.0 cents ea.

We'll assume you have brass already. That's 7.02 cents a cartridge or $3.51 for 50. About half of what it would it would cost for a box at Wally World.

For beginner I'd suggest a single stage press. They're cheaper and you're less likely to make a mistake. When you get to the point that you're reloading 500 rounds a week then get a progressive.

-M

Let's get to the bottom line. People do not reload to save money. That's just advertising BS.

The REAL REASON people reload is so that they can shoot more for the SAME MONEY.

In other words, if your ammo budget is $200/year, then you can only shoot X number of boxes of shells per year. PERIOD.

If you reload, (not counting the cost of tooling up...which will just about equal one years shooting budget) then you can probably shoot 3X to 5X the amount of ammunition. Depends how creative and crafty you are. Something like a 38 Special, you should be able to shoot it as cheaply as you can 22LR if you go at it right.

[ 02-14-2003, 23:38: Message edited by: Pecos45 ]

Begin with the RCBS Master Kit and you will not go wrong and it will work for many different chores.

Don't get the Lee turret press. It is a piece of crap. I had problems with primer feeding and inconsistant powder drop. Sent it back and ordered a Dillon 550B. Have been happy since. Someone at work told me not to waste my time on Lee, of course I did not listen. Learned the hard way. I did get a full refund on mine because of Midway USA's great customer service. Get a Dillon and don't look back. Watch eBay, they hold their value real good. If you don't think reloading is your thing, you could always sell it with little to no loss. I am betting you will be hooked and will be happy with your life-long Dillon.

[ 02-15-2003, 01:35: Message edited by: tundrarules ]

Regarding the Lee Turret - a lot of guys may "bad mouth" it, BUT if you're on a budget (polite way of saying CHEAP!), it WILL work AND a turret press is almost a necessity when reloading for hangun due to the 3 die setup needed (saves screwing and unscrewing dies a bunch).

You got to hand it to Mr. Lee for coming up with CLEVER ways to do things on the CHEAP. His stuff obviously isn't the heaviest duty, but if you operate it carefully, don't try to make it do something it wasn't designed for (like full length resizing a .599 Super Nitro Blastatomic KaboomerBanger MAGNUM), and maybe be prepared to replace or "tweak" parts (and enjoy that sort of thing), it'll work for you. It's OK to start out with - many here have done so. Another good tip for a beginner is find an experienced reloader or retailer willing to show you the "ropes".

for me reloading for me is an addiction, the main reason why i think reloading is good is for making precision exact reloads that is what i enjoy and that is what i think the whole purpose is, to me this does not make sense for loading for pistols or shotgun shells. There is only so accurate you can get with a pistol and i don't think shooting reloads are gonna be worth it. .38 spc is pretty common and can be had for cheap factory loaded. plus I always tell myself just for saftey reasons that i don't even want pistol of shotgun powder anywhere near my rifle powder.

I agree with the sonofagun - some of us just have to start where we can and then move up.
Lee are cheep, even they say so, but if you only load a handgun in small quantites a cheep press is better than no press. Lee has a deal to get you going and I think you can still get it at MidwayUSA. You can get their single stage little press and their Book for about $18!!
The book is a good resource and when you want to upgrade (and you will) you can keep the starter press for de-capping prior to cleaning.

I also ment to add -- Caution, this is most definitly an addictive endeaver.
I've spent most of my money on woman, beer & guns, the rest I just wasted.

Whadaya mean "the" sonofagun? It's just plain "sonofagun"! (or Sonofagun or Sonof A. Gunn or Son-of-a-...!)

Oh, the insult; Oh the humanity!!!

P.S. Wow, somebody who actually agrees with me!
Wait a minute, I'm dreaming, right?