This is what happens when I get stuck working 110 hours in 2 weeks, and need to load some ammo for a trip to the range after dealing with people for 10 hours
View attachment 3971
thats a lot of caffiene and tums
For those of you who don't reload....
- Thread starter trickg
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thats a lot of caffiene and tums
Adams74Chevy
Hits broadsides of barns
I can't get the wife convinced. I tried the obvious money savings, but no go. She's afraid I'll either screw up a load and the gun will blow me to bits or with the powder in the house we'll have an explosion. So I guess I'll just waste $ for now. I think at this point it's also a matter of we're cramped on space until the house is built, so maybe I can get a space set up in the basement when we're in. 
These days I get my powder and primers where I can - sometimes Virginia gun shows for powder and primers, sometimes local shops. I ordered powder and primers once, but I couldn't stomach the HAZMAT fees. I have gotten Powder at Bart's Sports World in Glen Burnie - they seem to be pretty good for the powders I need.
I was getting stuff from Bay Country Guns over by Annapolis, but they closed up shop - they just weren't getting enough business, which is kind of a shame because they usually had what I needed.
Trapper
I'm a member too.
, so maybe I can get a space set up in the basement when we're in.
At least save your brass, that way if you do get into it later you'll have some. I didn't, and it has been a pain to find good .45 brass to reload. I've got about 400 cases now, and 1 box of factory ammo I will scavenge from, but I don't know where I'll get more when these give out. I managed to pick up 1000 .38 cases for the wife ($53), and I still have 1000 rounds of factory .38 (she doesn't shoot as much as I do), so she'll be set for a while. I'm picking up 100 in a couple weeks, so that will be some, but I'd like to fine 1000 or 2000, that would keep me good for a while.
Check the classified section here. I think some one is selling .45 brass.
http://www.mdshooters.com/vbclassified.php?do=ad&id=1227
Adams74Chevy
Hits broadsides of barns
I do keep my brass, in case she changes her mind or I can get my uncle to show me the ropes, if he even reloads anymore.
Trapper
I'm a member too.
Thanks Topher, PM sent!
Its fairly simple. The only hassle I've had so far is getting good load data for plated bullets (Berry's). The rest of the issues have been mechanical and easily correctible on my equipment. I have a small handfull of broken rounds (too short or bent cases), and over half a box of "squibbers" (2 out of 18 squibbed, loaded too light) that I need to pull the bullets on and re-do the charge. With my progressive presses double charging isn't a problem, you'd have to try really hard to do it. and its easy to make up 10 - 15 rounds and try that load before making more. I made 200 rounds of .38 special in about an hour this evening, made 60 rounds of .45 in the half hour between getting home and picking the kids up from school.
wlc
Ultimate Member
- Nov 13, 2006
- 3,521
I'm a SQL Server DBA - I still think it's worth it to reload.Of course that all depends on how much you earn an hour
wlc
Ultimate Member
- Nov 13, 2006
- 3,521
I'm not wiping my backside with Benjamins, but I do well enough that I "could" buy ammo if I wanted to - I simply choose to reload because:exactly my point
1.) I enjoy it
2.) I get to decide how the load goes together
3.) it's much less costly than buying ammo outright.
wlc
Ultimate Member
- Nov 13, 2006
- 3,521
I don't reload becuase
1. I have no desire to sit in my basement for an hour pulling the reloading arm - I just have better things to do with my limited free time. I know what would happen - I would never find the time to reload, the equipment would sit and I would have to run out and buy ammo when i want to shoot.
2. Why do it my self when I can pay some one to do it for me - that's become my mantra as my free time dwindles. I would rather pay someone to do work for me so I have more free time.
3. See #2
Maybe when i retire and need another hobby I will look into it.
I am not bashing those that do it - i actually think it's very cool.
But the thread was asking those of us that do not reload - why?
1. I have no desire to sit in my basement for an hour pulling the reloading arm - I just have better things to do with my limited free time. I know what would happen - I would never find the time to reload, the equipment would sit and I would have to run out and buy ammo when i want to shoot.
2. Why do it my self when I can pay some one to do it for me - that's become my mantra as my free time dwindles. I would rather pay someone to do work for me so I have more free time.
3. See #2
Maybe when i retire and need another hobby I will look into it.
I am not bashing those that do it - i actually think it's very cool.
But the thread was asking those of us that do not reload - why?
JKrew
Active Member
- Jul 2, 2008
- 822
I've been thinking about reloading for some time now, but I'm not too sure it will be worth it for me.
Here's what I have, that I could reload...
9mm- From the prices for components I've seen on different websites, reloading for 9mm would be a little cheaper than the Walmart ammo I buy (if I can find it). Still, the savings don't seem to be too much compared to the savings of other calibers. I have saved most of my brass that I could get, so that would help make it a little cheaper for me.
7.62x39- Right now there might be slight savings for this, but there is more of the cheaper ammo coming back in stock. Like the 9mm, I have saved a bunch of this brass too.
8mm Mauser- There is still a lot of surplus 8mm ammo available, and what I have used so far has been very accurate, so at least for now I don't think I would reload for this caliber.
I'm getting a $50 gift card for Cabelas from my credit card rewards, and I'm trying to decide if I should put it toward reloading equipment, or just get normal ammo. With the calibers I have, would it be worth it to start reloading?
Here's what I have, that I could reload...
9mm- From the prices for components I've seen on different websites, reloading for 9mm would be a little cheaper than the Walmart ammo I buy (if I can find it). Still, the savings don't seem to be too much compared to the savings of other calibers. I have saved most of my brass that I could get, so that would help make it a little cheaper for me.
7.62x39- Right now there might be slight savings for this, but there is more of the cheaper ammo coming back in stock. Like the 9mm, I have saved a bunch of this brass too.
8mm Mauser- There is still a lot of surplus 8mm ammo available, and what I have used so far has been very accurate, so at least for now I don't think I would reload for this caliber.
I'm getting a $50 gift card for Cabelas from my credit card rewards, and I'm trying to decide if I should put it toward reloading equipment, or just get normal ammo. With the calibers I have, would it be worth it to start reloading?
j8064
Garrett Co Hooligan #1
+1
I agree on all those points and I'll add one:
4.) I have enough reloads on hand and the where-with-all to build more while most folks are finding empty ammo shelves.
For example, it's amazing how many 9MM rounds a pound of Bullseye, Unique or other powders will load. They may not be "match quality" rounds, but they do go bang at the range each and every time.
Loading for rifles is different than handguns, but the fundamentals and mechanics are the same for both. Ammo for some rifle calibers is difficult to find and often expensive. I wouldn't be routinely shooting my Arisaka if I weren't reloading for it. My unissued SMLE has never tasted a corrosive .303B milsurp round thanks to reloading. Etc.
Someone mentioned the "time spent" to reload as a drawback. I've always looked at that time spent as part of my shooting hobby. It's an extension of my range time. To me, when all the gear is packed up and the shooting is over, the guns need cleaning and the empty cases need to be reloaded for next time. It's part of the fun.
It was also mentioned that 100#'s of lead makes a lot of "boolits". That's true. Lee bullet molds are not expensive and have always worked well for me. I've been casting lead for my various handgun calibers and some rifles for many years. Never had a leading issue with my reloads because I've learned the limits of cast lead. Supplementing my full powered jacketed loads with lead boolit loads adds more range time for me.
If you get into reloading, Learn it and understand it. It's not a perfect world. But perfection is a MUST when you fire a reloaded round. There is no margin for mistakes. But when you pack up the gear at the end of a day, knowing every round you fired -> you built. It's a nice feeling.
P.S. Go ahead and save usable range brass you find. Sooner or later you'll accumulate enough of a particular caliber that you'll buy a gun so you can reload the cases.
HoCoShooter
Ultimate Member
How can you tell what is usable brass vs. nonusable? There's always a ton on AGC's pistol range.
WLC - if you don't want to reload and have the bucks that it's not even a small consideration, that's perfectly cool. For me, I'm comfortable, but I know that the missus would balk if I started spending a lot of extra money on factory ammo when I can reload it myself for a fraction of the cost.
This thread is my thread - I started it because I was shocked when I went back and actually did the math what the cost difference was on top of the flexibility you get when you roll your own for how you want your loads to go together. I would venture to guess that most of the people on this forum don't have a great deal of disposable income and I simply wanted to illustrate that with a small investment in equipment and a bit of time, a shooter could afford to do much more shooting than if they were buying all of their ammo.
I'm not that way with everything though - an oil change is a fine example. For years I changed my own oil simply because I could and it cost less than taking it somewhere to do it. It became enough of a pain that I decided a few years ago that I had had enough of changing my own oil and I save a lot of time and headache by simply pulling in to a nearby Jiffy Lube. Ammo, on the other hand, costs more than an oil change and I burn through it quicker!
So, now that I've said my piece, can I have your spent brass?
This thread is my thread - I started it because I was shocked when I went back and actually did the math what the cost difference was on top of the flexibility you get when you roll your own for how you want your loads to go together. I would venture to guess that most of the people on this forum don't have a great deal of disposable income and I simply wanted to illustrate that with a small investment in equipment and a bit of time, a shooter could afford to do much more shooting than if they were buying all of their ammo.
I'm not that way with everything though - an oil change is a fine example. For years I changed my own oil simply because I could and it cost less than taking it somewhere to do it. It became enough of a pain that I decided a few years ago that I had had enough of changing my own oil and I save a lot of time and headache by simply pulling in to a nearby Jiffy Lube. Ammo, on the other hand, costs more than an oil change and I burn through it quicker!
So, now that I've said my piece, can I have your spent brass?
If it's made out of brass, it's usually ok to reload. Steel and aluminum cases I don't even bother with. The main difference is in how they are primed - mass produced bulk ammo is usually Berdan primed and unless you have special equipment, you pretty much need boxer primed brass to reload. There's also something quirky about military surplus ammo - primer pockets need to be adjusted or something, but I haven't run into any of that either.
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