UWone77,

Like Dstrbdmedic167 said, initial buy-in costs of equipment is high. Even if you already have reloading equipment, the dies can be pricey, depending on what brand you go with, but I don't factor these in, since they'll pay for themselves over time. Even though I got a press for free, it still cost a couple hundred to get everything I needed to start. As for the cost of cartridge components, I think Medic has a better source than I do, or around where I am, components cost more. I have a box of Hornady 150gr SSTs that I got for around $35, if I remember correctly. I get CCI #400 primers at $5/100, and the only powder I've been able to find is IMR 4227 (not the best, but still should work), and I'll have to double check on this one too, but I think the price I got it for was around $30. So my cost per bullet is around 43-45 cents. I'm searching for other powder sources, but I'll probably end up paying a little more for the bullets I want.

Factory ammo is hard to come by; locally the cheapest I can find is the higher end stuff, like Barnes and Nosler, for $35+ for 20 rounds. Online I've found Fiocchi super sonics for $30 plus shipping. Gunbot.net is a great resource for finding ammo.


tcoz,

I hadn't heard that about the Lee dies, I'll have to take some measurements and see if the cases are to spec. I don't mind them being mid-range, so long as they're not outside SAAMI spec, and fit my chamber. I have a DD 300 BLK barrel, so if that tells you anything... Thanks for the heads up! The cases seem to be forming ok. Obviously takes a little more effort to force the brass through, but they don't appear any different than the few pieces of "original" 300 brass that I have.

I had read something somewhere, and it may very well be from 300BlkTalk.com, about the different brass qualities. The brass that I had stockpiled was a mix of my once-fired, from various brands, to range pickups, of unknown brands, so I went through and sorted them. Turns out, the vast majority were stamped "LC", which I was pleasantly surprised with. I think I read that federal brass was good to go, also, so any marked "FC" I added to my "good" pile. All others, including Wolf, Hornady, a veritable mix of others, but especially PPU, were put in my ".223/5.56 ONLY" pile.

Again, thanks! I was hoping others would chime in and possibly remind or inform me of something I had missed. I'm glad you did!