Understanding Reloading as a newbie

[Tytalus]

So, being new the entire gun/hunting scene, where does reloading fit in? How important is it to reload? Is it expensive to get into and do?

Thanks.

 

[JD338]

Reloading your own ammunition can be very rewarding. It allows you to tailor loads to your exact needs. This can allow one to save money and shoot more for less making one more proficient. It also allows you to wring out the best performance and accuracy in your rifle.

There are starter kits available that have all the basic equipment to get started.Look at spending about $300 to get started.

JD338

 

[Guy Miner]

So, being new the entire gun/hunting scene, where does reloading fit in? How important is it to reload? Is it expensive to get into and do?

Thanks.

I've been loading my own ammo pretty much all my life. Fondly remember seating bullets for Grandpa's rifle, with Dad and Grandpa out in the shop. I was only about five years old then, and real proud to be included with the men! Likely 50 years of loading now, and I really wouldn't have it any other way. I think handloading gives a fellow a far better understanding of how his rifles & handguns work, rather than a more superficial view.

Actual benefits:

1. A guy can crank out inexpensive reloads to do a lot of practice. This is certainly a benefit, and one I'm fond of, particularly with inexpensive lead bullets for my handguns.

2. A handloader can work up some really high-quality, precision ammo for his particular rifle or handgun. I think this is where a lot of the guys on this forum are at - carefully tailoring handloads for their specific rifles, for a specific purpose.

Guy

 

[Guy Miner]

I'll try not to get too wordy here - but a couple of examples might be worthwhile. In the Marines I was able to use some "match" ammo for a .308/7.62 NATO bolt action rifle. It was pretty doggone accurate at long range. Later I found that Federal "Gold Medal" match ammo was also very accurate through my .308 Win rifle, as well as from other rifles. It set an accuracy standard that I felt compelled to try to match. That kept me busy for a while and ended up with me buying some high quality match grade loading dies and putting quite an effort into bumping up the quality of my handloads.

After investing some time and effort, I know that my .308 Win match ammo is just as good, or better than Federal's match ammo. Met my goal, and yes, the .308 is satisfyingly accurate at long range. I've been using variations on the same load for nearly 20 years and several barrels now. Several others here have produced very accurate ammo.

I also thoroughly enjoy hunting, and have enjoyed crafting ammo for each of my various rifles, for specific purposes.

Varmint shooting - needs a large volume of high quality ammo with a very fangible bullet. Not unusual when sage rat shooting to go through a couple of hundred rounds every day.

Coyote hunting - well, I don't get too specialized here, some guys do. I just shoot them with whatever is in hand...

Deer hunting - depends on if I'm hunting up close with a handgun or a .30-30 lever action, or if I anticipate a shot out at 300 yards or more. Most of my hunting is for mule deer, and I've got what I consider a "perfect" load for my rifle and my hunting. Could I just hunt with store-bought ammo? Of course! But it's more satisfying to craft my own.

Bigger game - I don't do a lot of elk or bear hunting, and moose is something I'll likely only dream about, but it has been fun to work up loads that will handle very large game. A little pointless in my case since the opportunities have been few, but fun all the same.

For me - the handloading itself is a very satisfying hobby and adds tremendously to the whole experience of being a gun owner, a shooter and a hunter.

Regards, Guy

 

[Elkman]

So, being new the entire gun/hunting scene, where does reloading fit in? How important is it to reload? Is it expensive to get into and do?

I have always reloaded, for me its part of the total hunting/shooting package. It can save money especially over the long haul, I loaded some bullets the other day with a $4.95 price tag. I have had them for a while. In the begining it allowed me to use high quality state of the art componenets that were not readily available over the counter. There was not custom ammunition avaiable as now. Nosler for example did not make ammunition. Todays example would be Berger, Swift or Woodleigh products. Not available at your local Walmart. I beleve that with careful loading (as Guy pointed out) that I can enhance my accuracy with my rifles. Can you imagine the expense of trying 8 or 9 different ammunition brands in a new rifle, and still not getting the accuracy you felt comfortable with. For me it also relaxing, ( I load pistol ammo on a progressive press) all of my rifle ammo is loaded one round at a time. I work in my place, with a radio in the back ground, building components that meet my exact needs for a reasonable price,

 

[Polaris]

I would recommend buying the Lyman reloading manual. An older edition secondhand will suit your purpose for now. The introduction/how to section will give you a no-nonsense overview of the basic process and the cost/benefit analysis of it all much more thoroughly than we can here on a forum. It will also be a valuable resource for years to come if you do decide to take up reloading. If you don't it has some interesting articles on ballistics and cartridge histories and comparisons.

Basically, if all you shoot is 7.62X39, .223 and 30-06 and all you shoot are casual targets and the occasional whitetail, you could go your entire life without reloading and never know the difference.

If you're like me and your arsenal includes such rounds as 6.5X55 swedish, .280 rem, 7.5X55 swiss, .300 savage, 7.62X54R, 8X57mm, and .41 rem mag, and your shooting involves formal matches and special purpose hunting loads for predators, long range, heavy cover and large game, you have the world to gain from reloading. With the less popular calibers, you can create special purpose or high precision match ammo that just aren't available in commercial loadings. Also with handloads you will typically see an increase in precision in general and especially when you find a load that is "sweet" in your particular rifle. You will also see a cost savings that is more or less significant depending on the popularity of your caliber and the quality of the load you are creating. Generally the cost savings is much higher when creating premium hunting ammo loaded with bonded or Partition bullets and match ammo loaded to very tight tolerances. These types of loads are labor-intensive so commercial sellers of them have a high markup vs "green box" Rem 30-06 180gr SPs.

Also, taking a game animal, placing in a match or just smoking some beer cans is much more rewarding for me with homegrown ammo, just as eating my own eggs, gardenstock or game is more rewarding than getting it at Wal Mart.
Hope this helps, that's what we're here for.

 

[SJB358]

Reloading your own ammunition can be very rewarding. It allows you to tailor loads to your exact needs. This can allow one to save money and shoot more for less making one more proficient. It also allows you to wring out the best performance and accuracy in your rifle.

There are starter kits available that have all the basic equipment to get started.Look at spending about $300 to get started.

JD338

Jim nailed it. Get a decent kit to start out with. Buy a manual upfront, read it three to four times first though. Once you get through that process, you'll know if it worth your time. I think it is one of my favorite things to do, but I like doing more of my own work..

 

[gerry]

I bought a RCBS Reloader Special 5 kit over 20 years ago and it works great. I don't know if you are part of HuntingBC but usually every year Omineca Source for Sports offers a prebuy special on a Redding kit, my buddy bought one and it looks quite good. You usually get almost everything you need in these kits other than a few items which can be added. As for manuals I use the Nosler and Speer the most, Speer in particular does a great job on explaining the whole process. The RCBS kits come with a Speer manual, not sure if Redding's kit comes with one. It is a fun hobby and quite safe as long as you do things properly which isn't hard to do.

 

[wisconsinteacher]

Saves money. Ha, that is what I said at first. You will spend the same or more on shooting because it is a hobby that is fun, safe, and relaxing. If you enjoy it you shoot more so it costs the same. I love to tinker with brass and get ready to load rounds up. I also like using my own loads to make small groups and shoot animals. The best part is making rounds with great bullets for a fraction of the cost. Look at the price of .338WM ammo at the store, I can make it with PT bullets for 1/3 the price of cheap ammo. I love reloading but that is just me. One last thing, if you reload, stay connected to this site. The guys here are great and have years of knowledge.

 

[Tytalus]

Wow, thanks for all the information guys. I'm probably not going to get into reloading anytime soon then (I work full time, come home to kids and a M.Sc thesis I need to finish) but I'll look into that once I've got more time.


I've tried to join huntingbc, but they won't activate my account for mysterious reasons I don't understand.

 

[JD338]

Tytalus

Let us know when you are ready. We will help spend your money. :mrgreen:
There are several good kits available at several good dealers. We will provide you with all the necessary links to get you going.

JD338

 

[Oldtrader3]

I bought a RCBS Reloader Jr. kit in 1964. A year later I ungraded to a RCBS Rock Chucker Press one year later because it was more rugged and handled the magnum cases for my 7mm Rem Mag better (more leverage). Reloading not only gave me reloads that were more accurate than factory ammo, they also gave me the ability to tailor loads to each rifle which I own but gave me economies which allowed me to use better components in my reloads than I could buy in factory loads during that era.

Now ammunition is quite expensive for high quality stuff, so I can make high quallty for a fraction of the price.

 

[Mud]

I started reloading to save money. I was tried of spending 80 bucks for a box of ammo. Start up cost was a little expensive. But looking back it was well worth the money. My hand loads are far better than what I was buying.

Larry

 

[FOTIS]

I know where you're coming from. The price of a box of 416 Wby will put you in shock!

 

[SJB358]

I know where you're coming from. The price of a box of 416 Wby will put you in shock!

Shoot, I couldn't shoot my WSM's or even my 338 Win Mag very often if I had to pay factory prices. Now that I shoot Nosler 2nds for just about everything, I can practice and hunt with the same bullets.

 

[Tytalus]

I'll have to read and carefully consider the economics of reloading vs using factory ammo. When I'm done my M.Sc I'll have my full time job, 3 kids, 5, 3 + newborn, & something like 2 or 3 academic papers to publish in my free time on the side... I may just use factory ammo for a while. I've never been much for working working with my hands, and I have to work on my wife being ok with guns & ammo in the house first!!

That said, if it's something that can be done with relative safety and is teachable to young kids (10+) that would be good too.

 

[DrMike]

Better that you should teach your children so they respect the power of firearms then that they should be misguided by the views of thoughtful and clueless individuals who imagine themselves to be well-versed in the things of the world in which we live.

 

[300WSM]

All good things. Nothing negative.

Cheaper...better accuracy...the gratitude of shooting your own made ammo...

The only negative could be time. But the more experienced you get the more efficient you become. Now the time thing is minimal.

 

[Tytalus]

Better that you should teach your children so they respect the power of firearms then that they should be misguided by the views of thoughtful and clueless individuals who imagine themselves to be well-versed in the things of the world in which we live.

Actually half the reason I've decided *now* of all times in my life to get interested in firearms and hunting is because I want to know what I'm doing in 5 years when my oldest is 10 yrs old and eligible for a junior hunting license.

Hunting seems to be a great past time to bond with kids over, most of my pursuits are actually very solitary and sedentary: Video games, novel writing, reading books, my job is sitting in front of a computer all day, my research likewise. The only hobby I have that is remotely social is weightlifting/bodybuilding, so I figured it's now or never that I learn about the great outdoors and start building a new skillset.

I plan on giving reloading a good serious look, teaching kids about how to work with their hands in daddies garage is a great idea... I just actually have to know what I'm doing first!

 

[Oldtrader3]

I am buying bullets and casings for my 9.3x74R for half price. Factory Ammo is $88/box for 20 rounds. I can load it for $15/box.