Thread: To reload or not reload?

OK, so this is very much a question of personal opinions, but I'm looking for other people's view on it.

I've recently gotten my FAL and bought a T3X in 6.5 CM. I've sold one of my kidneys, which paid for 3 boxes of ammunition, and I've used most of it up at the range, just getting used to the rifle. I've also got a 17 HMR for target practice, but would like to shoot more with the 6.5.

I've always thought of hand loading as being far too difficult, time consuming, and a rabbit hole of more gear to purchase (I'm already in trouble for all of my toys related to other outdoor pursuits). But maybe it doesn't have to be so bad? Give the cost of ammunition here in NZ, and the lack of cheaper training rounds, it's tempting.

So, I'm interested in hearing people's views on reloading for the sake of economy. Am I fooling myself, and I would just end up spending as much on reloading gear as I could ever spend on factory ammunition? The risk I'm seeing is that I buy a starter kit, then getting sucked into upgrading everything, and getting more and more specialised equipment. Is it better to just focus on rimfire for target practice?

I've considered joining the Handloaders Association - is that a better starting place, rather than buying my own gear straight away? I'm already a member of NZDA, but from what I found, the North Canterbury section don't have any reloading courses or similar.

My purpose would be for hunting and target practice, so I only need the accuracy required for hunting in alpine environments. I expect that the accuracy of my shooting is down to me, not the rifle or ammunition, so I don't think I need to get carried away with chasing the perfect load.

What else have I not considered? What questions should I be asking myself?

You'll need more than your other kidney to do hand loads.

Consider primer, powder, projectile and brass prices, and compare with your favorite factory ammo. And then the equipment, on top of that.

for 308 (roughly!)
ADI 2208: 160 - 170 $ per kg (~350 rounds of 308) - 0.45 per round
primers: 25$ per 100 0.25 per round
around 100$ per bullet - 1$ per round
1-2$ for brass. - lets say 1.5 per round

around 3.3$ per round ballpark.

Thad said if you want to go down a rabbit hole and enjoy tinkering go for it. Just for economics sake, definately do not.

If in reality you are shooting less than 10 boxes a year then buy it BUT if more then reloading would be worth considering however you will not save money reloading as you will find you will tend to shoot for practice much more and usually much much more.
Reloading is always a rabbit hole with new bullets/powder appearing all which must be tried looking for the "unicorn" group or load.

I've not brought factory ammo in 20 years but if I didn't reload (and could) I would just buy factory ammo and sell the once fired brass to help offset the cost of buying more ammo at the store.

imo it comes down to how much you shoot. if you want cheap, shoot 22lr out to 300. good value and learnings from that.

Greg Duley made the comment many moons ago most hunters in NZ might only shoot a box of ammo a year. Nothing beats your own rollies just like trout fishing. Also opens up a world of discussion with Micky Duck about the "right" way. Go for it . Life is for living.

I would also add that for those with a certain type of personality (wife says OCD but we all know it should be CDO to keep it alphabectical) then reloading can be a fine way to pass time in the shed and sate some of those traits.

But hell it is a rabbit hole if you let it be...

@nonvegan - you're already asking yourself the right questions. The answer to the reloading question is always completely down to what you want out of your shooting i.e. it depends...

In your situation joining the Handloaders club is going to help you answer a lot of the questions for a relatively small outlay. The newly set up reloading room has everything you need in it to reload and the use of it is included in your annual membership fee. Aside from the use of all that equipment you get 24/7 access to the 100m range so you can go reload and shoot when it suits you (other than public night hours on Tuesday). My only suggestion would be to consider buying your own set of dies to take along and use as some strange things happen to the club ones.... There are several heavy duty presses there now and even an auto-trickler to take the tedium out of weighing out powder charges.

If you've kept your brass from your factory loads and you buy sensibly priced components like Speer Hotcor140 grain projectiles and ADI2209 powder you can make top notch ammo. For the price of the components alone it is cheaper than even affordable factory ammo these days.

The tricky bit is if you get a hankering to use super expensive projectiles or powders that are really hard to get and expensive. And there's the judgement call that only you can make around the time required to load that ammo. If you feel your time has monetary value then very likely reloading isn't for you. On the other hand if you take pride in making things yourself and taking your mind off all the other stuff going on in your life then reloading your own ammunition is really rewarding.

As others have said it can end up being quite a rabbit hole and an end in itself. I've been there and find the process as enjoyable as getting the result. A day spent tinkering on the range is a good day in my world. You'll get plenty of opinions on here from people who consider bullets shot through paper as wasted. To hell with them - it's your money and time, go do what you enjoy!

There are courses on reloading held at the Handloaders as well to get you started so certainly worth joining for a year to make the decision before having to start spending money on gear.

If you want to chase accuracy/ plus match projectiles for a specific application, definitely reloading is the way to go...

If your trying to save money,, your most probably better off sticking with factory ammo in these present times..

If you reload chances are you will pull the trigger a lot more testing loads, seating depths etc. Youll probably become a more accurate shooter if your pursuing the most accurate load, shooting off a benchrest.
Handloaders Association is probably a great way to get started, they do have training for folk wanting to learn to reload plus gear to use....

Originally Posted by STC

You'll need more than your other kidney to do hand loads.

Consider primer, powder, projectile and brass prices, and compare with your favorite factory ammo. And then the equipment, on top of that.

for 308 (roughly!)
ADI 2208: 160 - 170 $ per kg (~350 rounds of 308) - 0.45 per round
primers: 25$ per 100 0.25 per round
around 100$ per bullet - 1$ per round
1-2$ for brass. - lets say 1.5 per round

around 3.3$ per round ballpark.

Thad said if you want to go down a rabbit hole and enjoy tinkering go for it. Just for economics sake, definately do not.

Depends on the cartridge. Can’t speak for 6.5CM, but what I loads for (7WSM) is $5.60 per round of the cheapest factory ammo (when I can find it) so it’s definitely more economical.

Brass cost is less when you divide it by 5-6 firings, and if you’re using brass from factory ammo then you’ve already had one firing out of it.

I make my hand loads around $3.10 per round ($1 powder + $1.10 projectile + $0.35 projectile + $0.65 brass per reload). I can afford to practice at that. And it should be compared against premium ammo, which for 7WSM would be more like $7.25 / round.

Yeah, 22LR is cheaper for punching paper but you need range time with your hunting rifle before pointing it at an animal.

And it’s fun

Basic start up will be the biggest expence. If your mainly wanting to develop hunting loads you can do it with some pretty basic gear. The gear will be personal choice. I use a lot of that shitty lee gear and been using it for over 25 years without any problems. If your content with just finding an accurate load and sticking with it it shouldnt get too expencive. If youve got a mate with the same cal you could maybe split the costs a bit. Theres something about putting meat in the freezer or doing ok at a comp with your own handloads...

Wow, that's some really good advice and food for thought there, thank you all!

So, maybe chill for a bit, join Handloaders at some point this year to have a go and get a feel for it, and see how I go from there. I like the idea of just picking up the 6.5 dies and otherwise using club equipment to get familiar with the process.

As with everything else in life, there's a conflict between interests. I value my time, but I also take pride in making things myself, and I do enjoy the tinkering. I don't have a lot of spare time generally, but the kids are getting bigger, which is freeing up more of my weekends, and a half day here and there isn't impossible to spend on tinkering. It's the full weekends away playing in the mountains that I have to economise with, if I want to stay happily married

If your a bit tech and mechanically minded its not that hard once you get the hang of it. Joining a club is always a good idea and most manuals give a pretty good run down of the basics

Originally Posted by blip

Basic start up will be the biggest expence. If your mainly wanting to develop hunting loads you can do it with some pretty basic gear. The gear will be personal choice. I use a lot of that shitty lee gear and been using it for over 25 years without any problems. If your content with just finding an accurate load and sticking with it it shouldnt get too expencive. If youve got a mate with the same cal you could maybe split the costs a bit. Theres something about putting meat in the freezer or doing ok at a comp with your own handloads...

100%
Can be simple and cheap or complex and expensive.

Can easily get started with Lee Classic, just add components. Add a scale and it gets better.

Costs? Here is a calculator.

How, two possible options. Lol
https://youtu.be/UeEl9wZyabc?si=_OfhDKLB9lEX4m03

The values won't be right. Just look around for used gear.Lee gear is fine. But the scales leave a lot to be desired.

RE-LOADING EQUIPMENT
You don’t need heaps of stuff to start reloading. Some can be made or purchased second hand
YOU MUST HAVE *
* “O” (best) or a solid “C” Frame 7/8” press, some come with the priming tool.
* Priming tool. Although its possible to use a punch
* Shell holders to suit the cartridge
* Dies- MUST have for each calibre. Lee RGB are the cheapest to get you started. ~$50
* Loading block(s) Buy or easy to make
* Sizing lube – Almost any oil will do. e.g. diff, engine, coco nut or Lanox
* Powder funnel-Must have one of these.
* In the absence of scales powder scoops will do the job. But you will need to check them if you DIY
* Components, Powder, Primers Projectiles, Cases
* Access to ADI Powder manual-for loading data. http://www.adiworldclass.com.au/data-rifle/
* Manual on how to do it or someone to show you. https://marvinstuart.com/firearm/Man...ing%20Manuals/
OPTIONAL or Can wait a while
Scales - A high priority. Beam or electronic. IMO beam are best. Some whinge about the lee scales? But at a pinch they do the job.
Trimmer- You need to buy one of these with each cartridge in the lee kit. But a generic one is preferred. It will do almost any cartridge, most companies sell them.
Powder measure. (If you load lots) Lee Perfect powder measure is abt $55. These are great
Primer pocket cleaner, Easy to make, drill or screw driver
De-burrer, A sharp pocket knife and fine file will do this if you have nothing else. Plumbers pipe de-burrer
Trickler, or very tiny scoop. Or just use a 308 shell and dribble it in. Easy to make too
Vernier caliper to check case length & OAL. I got away with a plastic dial caliper for years. Dial type seem to be best.
Tumbler- But I use the salt/vinegar/detergent solution in an ultra sonic jewelry cleaner.

BASIC RE-LOADING PROCEDURE

1. De-Prime
2. Clean (optional) I use an ultrasonic cleaner. Water, vinegar, detergent. Rinse and air dry
3. Visual inspection of fired cases looking for signs of pressures, case separation or neck cracking
4. Anneal every few reloads or as required.
5. Lube & lightly lube inside of neck
6. FLRS or neck size
7. Wash/clean and air dry. Or you can just wipe off the lube.
8. Trim all cases & de-bur. Every load or as required.
9. Prime.
10 Charge. I then check them all using a torch to ensure none have been missed.
11. Seat projectile and check length. (OAL)