Thread: Learning to reload

Originally Posted by steven

I suppose the first thing is to re-examine why you want to reload, because a basic reloading setup is going to set you back about $600~700. For instance doing it to save money on commonly available cheap calibers like say 7.62x39mm or 54R, probably 308 and .223 make little sense for hunting and ranges under 300m. eg I can buy barnual steel ammo for less cost than I can reload it for even ignoring the cost of the brass.

eg costs, primer 10cents, projectile 40~80cents, powder 40~50cents (308/russian54R) so about $1 a round. Barnual ammo is 87cents a round.

Then if the gun you have suits reloading, eg an SKS firing 7.62x39mm will lose most of its cases as the damn stuff flies 2~3metres high and off to the right somewhere at high speed, you will never find most of it to reload it. Semi-autos are also harder on brass so you probably wont get many reloads per case....

Now if you want to do it for the fun of it, thats cool, I find it fun.

A lot of people have started out the LEE kits but places like workshop innovations and reloaders would be good sites to check out for full reloading kits most notably workshop innovations as they carry RCBS and Lyman kits and from memory I think forlongs in frankton have started stocking reloading gear too. I have had an old lee press in the past and liked it and got accurate ammo from it but they had a reputation for linkages breaking but now that they have improved the quality of the linkages on the o frame presses from teh cast alloy linkages to steel ones they seem to be getting slightly better comments but the downfall of the lee kits are the scales and the powder thrower not throwing accurate charges with extruded powder but they are great with ball powders. Barnaul ammo is OK and I have used it in a 308 I had but used to cause sticky bolt lift on the rifle I had but it loved the reloads and at the time it was cheaper for me to reload my .308 than buy packets of good factory ammo and probably still is with ammo being 35 dollars plus for a pack of 20 plus having once fired brass to take home that has been fired in your rifle is a plus instead of leaving steel cases laying around in the bush or at the range to rust. Only downside you spend more time at the range because you have ammo on tap but is also good for getting to know your hunting rifle and helps improve shooting techniques too which is not so bad