PDA

View Full Version : Reloading Equipment: A Primer for the Novice



Fried Chicken Blowout
28 October 2012, 08:03
As a high volume ("hobby" reloader, not commercial) ammo reloader I'm often asked how to get started reloading. So last week I sat down and started writing... I wanted to cover just the gear topics and not the actual how-to initially. It's my opinion that many people are turned off by reloading due to the confusion regarding what gear is needed and what kind of results they can expect. So that's what I hoped I could cover here. In the last 4 years my reloading press has produced over 120k rounds of ammo which directly allows me to shoot more, stock more and be more prepared. I could just as easy buy imported steel cased ammo and meet the cost factor in the middle. It wouldn't be quite as cheap but I wouldnt spend as much of my time working on ammo. But, that imported ammo would would not work to my standard and it would still cost more. Plus buying imported ammo supports foreign economies where as my reloading Compoents support Americans, that work for American companies!

It's taken me 4 years of reloading to really respect what reloading can do for me and how good my ammo really is as a result of my expanding reloading experience. I've actually grown to enjoy reloading were I used to dread it. It's that ability to make a piece of art that will perform exactly the way I designed it to, that has gained my respect and increased my enjoyment.

Due to the lenth of the post and the number of photos, I've posted the write up on my blog. While not all relaoders may agree with my opinions, I can tell you that my reloading is time efficient and produces near flawless ammo in high volumes for personal use. I've well earned back the money spent on equipment have have knowledge of ammunition that I would have never gained without reloading experience.

Hope you all enjoy the post. Please feel free to start a discussion on any related topics in this post

Reloading Equipment: A Primer for the Novice (http://weaponkingpin.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/reloading-equipment-a-primer-for-the-novice/)

And for those that wonder about real numbers here's an example of prices and time...

It takes me about an hour's worth of my time to prep 5k 9mm cases. That means to sort them and process them through the tumbler. Then it takes me 5 hours to actually reload them to complete ammo. So 6 hours total time to completed 5k rounds of loaded 9mm ammo to my spec.

In order to load 5k 9mm rounds my costs are...

5k 124gr Bullets - $68.42/1k = $329.10
3 Pounds of W231 Gun Powder = $48.75
5k primers = $140
Total = 517.85 + 6 hours of my time

Currently the best price I can find on Wolf Ammo is $8.95/box which works out to $895 for 5k rounds + $123.68 for shipping of 100 boxes. This puts us at a total delivered price of $1,018.68 for 5k rounds of Wolf. Which is hardly the quality of what I'm making.

So if we start with the cost of the Wolf at $1,018.68 and deduct my parts cost of $517.85 we have a total of $500.83 that I SAVED by reloading my own ammo in 6 hours. That puts my HOURLY wage at $83.47...

How many people here make $83.47 HOUR? I sure don't, even when working at time+half. Now compare this to the same quality ammo that I'm producing from an American Manufacture and the savings will go up even more. Compare it to .40S&W or .45ACP and it goes up a huge amount. You will save substantially more loading the larger calibers as they component costs go up very little, but loaded ammo costs of those calibers go up a lot in comparison to loaded 9mm.

Now you don't get this speed of reloading during your first year of doing it and you can't do it with cheap equipment. I'll use about $2k worth of equipment to make this batch of 5k rounds of 9mm. But in the savings it quickly pays for it self as a long term investment.

It gets more complicated to compare match grade ammo vs reloading it as there's a lot more time involved to reload it. But I would venture to say that the hourly payoff is still there because the cost of the match grade long range rifle ammo is about $1 per round. Where as I'm making it for $0.38 per round if we're talking about a typical short action long range match load.

Oh and the bullet cost I quoted above are from Precision Bullets if anyone needs the link it's on my blog post. The primer and powders I quoted the prices on are from my local supplier Elk Bomb Shooting Supply. The Wolf ammo quote I used from AIM Surplus. I didn't just make up the prices for the example, those are real world numbers from in-stock dealers.

zero7one
28 October 2012, 11:01
Great write up! Thanks for sharing it.

Uglyduck
28 October 2012, 20:25
Good stuff SCB. That would've been helpful when I started a year ago. Good tip on the ammo can too, that'll be my next addition.

skd_tactical
29 October 2012, 06:12
Thanks, I keep researching this. I just take the plunge.

SOS

Paulo_Santos
29 October 2012, 07:18
Great write up. The best investment I've made was the Giraud Trimmer. I use the Dillon 550 and have very little complaints. I only reload for the .45 and .223.

ExTester
29 October 2012, 14:42
I just got into reloading as well, and am amazed at the quality ammo I am able to produce. Found a sweet deal on some 75 gr BTHP 224 bullets for 65/500.
Decided to get a single stage Forster press, and the quality ammo it produces amazes me. Reloading is the way to go.

Steeles
5 February 2013, 19:51
Thanks for the wonderful write up. several of the guys at IDPA had suggested reloading to me. I wasn't even close to "where to begin" but when I'm ready I have this bookmarked. I do have a question. I do own my condo but it's kind of a top floor unit. not exactly shop status. is there a less messy way for the tumbling?? I saw a few of the hypersonic cleaners, would that be a better setup if I'm trying to keep the mess out of the carpet? lol

Fried Chicken Blowout
5 February 2013, 22:34
Thanks for the wonderful write up. several of the guys at IDPA had suggested reloading to me. I wasn't even close to "where to begin" but when I'm ready I have this bookmarked. I do have a question. I do own my condo but it's kind of a top floor unit. not exactly shop status. is there a less messy way for the tumbling?? I saw a few of the hypersonic cleaners, would that be a better setup if I'm trying to keep the mess out of the carpet? lol

The ultrasonic cleaners have their place. But if the brass is really dirty or tarnished, then there's no way around an abrasive tumbler. That being said, a tumbler with a more sphere shaped bowel as well as a media seperator like th RCBS with the lid will work better for not making a mess. If you're doing smaller batches of brass it's not as messy and you can likely spread out a tarp to keep your apartment floor super clean. Or if you get any storage in your carport, may be setup in there.

randltex
4 March 2013, 15:48
question: Hi my name is Randy just joined, love the site a lot of info. Love it. I am looking for info on reloading for Rock river Arms AR 8 in 308 .cal. I have had the rifle about a year and love it. I have reloaded for a long time but getting confused about what primer to use for the AR 8 308 rifles in semi auto. I want to load some 147 grn FMJ and 150, 168 grn bullets just for hunting no long range yet. Some info use CCI LR, CCI# 34 and other info says to use military LR primer or magnum LR primer. What in your opinion would be the best primer in the AR 8?
Thanks
Randy