Sunday Gunday: Learn to reload Pedes. Bullets are the batteries for your gun!
(media.patriots.win)
posted ago by SoAngryRanger
+2518 / -1
Comments (139)
sorted by:
DEFAULT COMMUNITIES
•
Front
All
General
AskWin
Funny
Technology
Animals
Sports
Gaming
DIY
Health
Positive
Privacy
How much would you need to invest into something like this to start from scratch?
Is it worth it for a light shooter? How much do you need to shoot before something like this becomes cost effective is what I'm asking.
These are great questions. I need the same answers.
Also, for "range ammo" quality what am I paying per round for 9mm and .223? Can you do a price compared for reloading versus buying online?
I’ve always factor in reloading costs when I buy a new gun like that.
Don’t bother with factory ammo.
10mm just checking in and to smile and nod - 45-70 will be here in a bit we are both straight and easy going, ,,
And honestly that's why I made a point of only buying 9mm and .223 guns. I figure the best improvement in self-defense I can make is getting better, which means more time on range, which means more cheap ammo.
I buy things like trophy bonded bear claws and gold dots and load them for the price of 55gr fmj so I'm still saving loads of money.
Thanks for the reply!
It's also very relaxing.
I got the exact same calculations with home brewing. Factor in equipment, grain, hops, yeast, sanitizers, caps etc.. you will make great specialty beers, but can buy craft beers for roughly the same cost less the labour. So unless its for the hobby fun part of it, it wasnt worth it financially.
Reloading stuff like 9mm isn’t really worth it. Reloading 223 or any other bullet that may cost 30cpr or more is usually worth it though. If you are a big fan of 50BMG, you better be rich if you aren’t reloading lol
But reloading can also be a hobby in itself, so if you do want to reload 9mm go for it.
I think its safe to say anyone with a 50 cal anything isnt too far from rich anyways.
If you know where to find 223 for 30cpr let me know. 40 is a deal now
Sorry but i was just using the last value I remembered, I have no idea current prices are that high now. I dumped so much money into 223 and 556 when it was going for 25cpr that I didn’t need to check up on ammo in over a year now.
Walmart by be clearances shotgun shells. I don’t even know how many boxes of federal 00 I got for $2.50/25rds
In Texas: Academy.
I've been getting about 0.31-0.34 a round
They are also sold out most days. Probably because of the obvious.
Cabela's is usually cheap on bulk also, but they are depressing to go to lately. The shelves are empty and people buy ammo off of pallets before they even get to the shelves some days
That’s still going on? I haven’t been in a couple of months and that was occurring then. The ammo shelf was replaced with clothing, and like you said the carts wouldn’t make it to the shelves before it was all picked.
In Texas too.
The bottom two shelves of the gun cases are all empty. They increased the number of display optics to fill what would have been empty gun cases. Require a phone number (and about an hour wait time) to get a text message when it's your turn to talk to someone about gun purchases.
Some handgun ammo is back. Most is sold out
Oh wow. Thanks
A friend has a Savage in .338 Lapua Mag. Gun was a little over $1000 but the bullets are like $4-$5/ea, like 50 cal.
You can catch .50 on sale for $3/rnd but yes, definitely cheaper to reload.
Have you priced 9mm lately?
Nope, last time I bought 9mm I bought a case of 1k for $165. I’m guessing it went way up since then
If you can find it, steel cased plinking ammo is $.025 -.30 per round, JHP brass upwards of $.45. IF you can find it. Every site shows "out of stock," so the prices are actually irrelevant.
That's the bad news. The good is we're the people who bought 95% of it.
I can reload 9mm for about $8 or so per 50, which is slightly cheaper than buying factory ammo. I get all of my brass for free at the range. 9mm offers the least cost benefit to reload because factory ammo is cheap. The biggest benefit though is that I am immune from ammo shortages; I have enough primers, brass, bullets, and powder to shoot 9mm for years. When I need more, I make more.
Slightly cheaper but if someone looking to get into this isn't interested in a hobby, they should calculate the cost of their time
Agreed, and I would discourage anyone who isn't genuinely interested in reloading and willing to dedicate time to it from doing it at all, because it is serious stuff and requires a level of commitment to learning and doing it right.
Yeah, it isn't a good idea for people who aren't obsessively detail-oriented. The wrong charge - in either direction - in just one round could ruin your whole day.
At a bare minimum, I recommend weighing each and every completed round. Setting up a gauge block to verify OAL (on every round) is a good idea too.
I've always thought it could be dangerous.
What do you mean by ruin your whole day? Gun exploding?
It’s pretty hard to do that (boom your gun) because it usually requires a series of failures.
But using the wrong powder, pistol powder in a rifle cartridge for example, can produce dangerous pressures and potentially damage you and the gun. Most modern guns are proof fired with a high pressure round to test for this.
I worry about under charging a case and sticking a round in the barrel mostly. It’ll wreck a good barrel if you notice and potentially blow up if you don’t and shoot a second round into the stuck one.
Too much charge and you could exceed the pressure specs on your receiver. It probably won't literally blow up, not with modern steel, but it could, and you should use that outcome as the thing that you are hoping to avoid - i.e. the reason why you are being careful.
Too little charge, and you could end up with a squib. That is when the bullet is ejected from the case, but doesn't have enough energy to leave the barrel. It gets stuck there, and you really don't want to send the next round into a plugged barrel. Internet opinions on just how dangerous this is are mixed.
A squib is probably more likely. either way, Injury is possible, damage to gun parts is probable.
I don't mean to discourage anyone who is interested in reloading and will take it seriously. Lots of people have reloaded tens of thousands of rounds without incident. You can too, but you shouldn't enter lightly.
I cast and powder coat my own 9mm bullets so it's like $4 per 50 for me.
Yep, bullets are the biggest expense for me. It definitely saves money if you are set up to cast your own.
In a word I would say depends.
For something like 9mm or 223 blasting ammo I usually tell people they’re better off buying loaded factory stuff in bulk. My math breaks out like this 11.4 c for a fmj 9mm projectile 3.5 c for a pistol primer 1.5c for powder 4.6 c for a once fired 9mm case. (Obviously you can reuse this so it will be lower)
So like 21c for a decent 9mm cartridge. Plus your time. And machine cost which can be anywhere from 100 bucks to 1000s depending on what volume and quality you want to produce. And since I’ll shoot 1000+ 9mm a month it doesn’t make sense To load this way.
Where it comes into its own is match rifle ammo.
It’s been a while since I’ve done the math on that one but for my big bore precision rifles I was saving over half a buck a shot.
Edit for my match rifle ammo math. I bought this all last year so it’s off given the current supply demand situation. .308 Winchester 500 lapua cases cost me 335 bucks 8lbs of varget powder was 200 500 Sierra matchking bullets were 165 5k primers were 140 Total of 840. Plus or minus a little.
If I did the math right last year I’m able to load 500 rounds for 1.18 each.
You can buy a comparable load for 1.50 currently.
I'm pretty much the same. What I shoot the most of is stuff that is mass-produced in such bulk that reloading doesn't save much money.
Mostly I just squirrel away brass that I pick up from the range, and primers, powder and bullets to go into them.
But I do a few batches of reloads every year to keep my skills up.
What about in a place like commiefornia where you have to have licenses to sell ammo, and in limited quantities so places run out of stock quickly. I can't get my hands on ANY ammo, so "cost effective" isn't a concern for me. If I want ammo at all I need to make my own as far as I can tell in this environment.
We’re in the same boat friend. Which is why I have all this.
Bulk 9mm and 223 you want something like this https://www.dillonprecision.com/xl-750-reloader_8_1_26745.html
Mine for a similar setup has run me about 3k all up. But I make 500+ loaded 9mm an hour and 250 or so 223
Oh man I need to get me one of those! Thanks!!
Much obliged for the breakdown. Thanks!
12 gauge field loaders are cheap!
Not very much if you want to spend the time. I've found that unless you want to tweak rounds for a specific purpose, it doesn't pay. HOWEVER, I think it is a skill all gun enthusiasts should experience.
Around $300-$600 depending on how many and what calibers you want to start with for a single stage setup.
In times of normalcy you can reload for about 1/3rd the cost of factory ammo, and you can make much more accurate ammo. but its a decent time commitment. Its a small side hobby for me.
Never seen a photo like this for sunday gunday. Very good stuff! It gave me Fallout New Vegas flashbacks.
How I de stress at the end of the day. Go load 20-30 rounds
Indeed it is.
12 gauge reloaders for survival conditions are must in the field. You can load shells with rocks if need be.
Anyone ever tried shooting bits of obsidian?
Yea, I did that when I needed to kill white walkers and the Night King.
Dude just have your teenage sister fly in from off camera and stab him
My god, your username is great lol.
Call Taofladermaus
Long list for me and it’s gonna vary based on what you want to load. At a minimum you need a press, dies, scale and powder measure, calipers and a couple other little things. These can usually be had in a starter kit. And your components too. Powder, primers, bullets and cases.
https://www.rcbs.com/kits/rock-chucker-supreme-master-reloading-kit/16-9354.htm
On the topic of accessories, everyone needs some basic medical gear. Start with the stuff in a military IFAK, like SOF-T tourniquets and Israeli bandages. You need to know how to patch holes too.
This.
Beans bullets and bandaids like the saying goes.
If you accept the responsibility of carrying a gun you must also accept the responsibility of at least helping till the professionals get there.
More importantly the gear you carry is to save your own life first and foremost. Don't expect medics to have supplies for you. Help your pedes save you. Tourniquets.
And chest seals.
Those two things eliminate 98% of battlefield mortality right there
I've talked to people about reloading, the problem now is finding both Primers and Cases.
It took forever for my BlueBullets projectiles to come in, Primers are where I'm screwed... I found CFE Pistol powder but I have NO more small pistol primers.
I keep my brass but I've yet to invest in a reloading setup
You can sell it to reloaders to buy in.
Nope I'll keep my brass for when I can make the investment.
👌
Yes, but then you wouldn't have anything to reload....egg...chicken egg...
Shoot more
Ahem. I believe the term is gatteries. But yes, reload if you can, especially now with boolits in short supply. For being so anti-gun, lefties sure are good salesmen of firearms.
The left are buying them now too is pet of the shortage
That Forster is a SWEET press... I have a Dillon 550 for cranking out 9mm 45 or 223. I have a rock chucker for my precision loads 6.5 creedmoor 30-06 or 308win but the day it fails on me I'm upgrading to a Forster, probably will be a long time before that happens.
I love it. Improved my loads immediately. I use it for precision and have a full 650 setup for mass production.
Until you realize you can't get reloading supplies either right now! Lol.
Proper bench press form. Nice recharge station.
It's fun too. The best thing is that you never have to worry about ammo shortages again. I have enough range brass to reload all of my pistol caliber needs for the rest of my life.
Like the OP says, it depends with reloading.
Besides the materials and equipment costs to be amortized, most forget to factor in the value of their time. Reloading a thousand cartridges consumes a bit of time. Whether that is how you want to burn a weekend afternoon or an evening is a personal choice.
For the larger rifle loads, in volume, or for a competitive shooter wanting a highly-customized load, reloading makes more economic sense.
But for the average Joe firing most common pistol loads (and a number of rifle loads, too), unless you are doing it for pleasure, reloading is generally not going to be worth it. Especially once you factor in the value of your time. For something like range-grade 9mm, stick with a good brand of commercial production ammo, and stock up when the deals arise.
Oh man. Since you asked.
Forster press a mix of either Forster, Redding or custom dies A V3 auto trickler for my powder. Amp annealer Giruad trimmer Primal rights cps primer
And a couple other little things for measuring and such.
I also hate money
I have Forster die sets in a few cals and they blow Hornady, Redding, RCBS and Lee out of the water. Their seating dies are the best I've used, even the non-mic's (micrometer die's are really only good if you load multiple projies in the same cal all the time).
Bullets aren’t like batteries for a gun, you don’t have to recharge... wait
Never mind. Bullets are like batteries for a gun.
Yeah it’s not the best example.....
We used to make that joke at the gun store I worked in back in the day.
Toys aren’t any good without batteries.
When we're all rocking laser guns it'll all make sense.
TBH that sounds awesome
I got started reloading because I was shooting long range precision rifles.
I enjoy mastering the skill of reading wind and calculating for range, spin drift and all the other factors involved.
If you can see it you can hit it kinda sounds shitty.
Same here.
And because I couldn’t find the type of low power, accurate .44 Magnum cartridges they sell at western shooting shops. Usually it’s either .44 special or full fat 158 grain loads.
I'd love an instructional on this.
YouTube is your friend. Plus the gun forums reloading section.
Years ago I watched as many videos as I could find before I got started.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PmeiRMDiuBs
MAGA Muh Motherfuckers!
Rechargeable "batteries".
I think they're more like the bullets for our guns,
Too expensive to get into for some. Better to steal ammo from the local John Brown Gun Club (antifa gun owners) or similar organizations. The world will be safer.
38 spl is a good starter round, straight wall, pretty straight forward, but learn what to do first... some important bits like caution with powder, and primers, and double check your charge.
Old west guns were easier, just fill the shell with black powder, press in the bullet, and you were good. Smokeless(modern) powder requires way less per round. It is not impossible to do, but you really should devote your concentration to it while making them.... Lead is probably the wild card in pricing, hunt for those bargains... much harder nowadays with all the mines being EPA'ed out of existence.
Indeed, the arrows in your quiver...
How do you like the V3 autotrickler?
I just bought an FX-300i scale and what a difference it is having a nice scale compared to the cheap POS scales I used to use. I'm seriously considering getting the auto trickler setup next as soon as I can afford it.
Nice setup by the way
In its factory configuration it’s pretty impressive and major improvement over the V2.
I tried to improve it more with some of the upgrades from area 419 but I’m got some drift issues now that I’m trying to diagnose.
Still recommend the setup highly.
Been doing so for 30+ years
Regardless of savings (or not), reloading is just flat enjoyable to some folks. My dear old dad introduced me to reloading when I was about 13 or 14. Great memories of me and dad reloading at his workbench.
I really hope that I’m able to pass this on to my kids and (hopeful) grandchildren some day.
Yes, if you can, do it!
Any good books and tools y’all would recommend for a beginning reloader?
The ABCs of Reloading, 9th Edition is what I read when I first started, and would highly recommend. It goes into detail and makes everything easy to understand.
Also a good reloading manual is a must. Hornady 10th edition is really good, the Lyman manual is really popular as well.
Most manufacturers have good resources on the YouTube.
Here is RCBS. Without watching the full thing it looks decent.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PmeiRMDiuBs
Learn to reload they said... Now I'm currently having to haul 500lb of ammo across the country for my move lol.
I don’t see a problem here.....
It's fun if you're an enthusiast who wants to get the most out of rounds that are watered down by factories coughs 10mm! coughs.
Pass the LSD
I’m nervous about kabooming my gun though.
Learn To Code.
Learn To Reload.
Reload Is Code.
I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO RELOAD!
Can you buy the materials online?
If you can find them in this day and age, yes.
You will pay a hazmat fee of 30ish bucks regardless of the amount ordered, so the order should be large enough to justify the fee.
There’s always a shortage.
Would love to, but literally sold out everywhere now.
I wish I had more ammo reloading is so satisfying
Yup, long time reloader here...Dillon and Hornady presses setup on the bench with Dillon and Inline Fab mounts. RCBS Chargemaster, and lots of good stuff to keep the firearms well fed.
During component runs, make sure you have an ample supply of primers, powder, and projectiles. They become scarce in a hurry as well. Learned the hard way about that after Sandy Hook.
When using new components, don’t produce too many without first testing velocities and accuracy. So much info in the topic. Would recommend some of the reloading forums.
Wow OP I get the feeling you sir know your stuff.
Took a couple years to get to this point.
Nice guns need good ammo
Meh. Easier just to stock a shitload of em. I ain't got time for all that.
Would it be worth it to reload with 357/38 in your opinion? Tend to carry 357 a lot and my favorite range toy is in it too
Truthfully .38 is probably right on the edge of breaking even. It’s only a little more expensive than 9mm.
Probably the same case for .357 but you’d break even a little sooner just based on more powder and heavier bullets.
Hmm makes sense, thanks!
I've seen .223 cases at the range with a pretty good dimple in the side, I guess from ejection. Are those cases re-loadable?
Usually.
Most damage gets ironed out by resizing. Any other dents usually get fixed with firing.