New to rifles and confused...

[darkker]

What are the cheeper loads that will give the consistant performance? The cheep stuff will give me 1 good 5 shot group out of 50 rounds

You gotta get off this "cheap" nonsense.... If you want cheap plinking, buy anything you find cheapest, Wolf typically. If you want match accuracy, buy match ammo. Anything else is somewhere in between.
Want a guarantee? Buy the match ammo.

There is no paint by numbers magic single answer for anything in this life. As Texas10 said, a barrel tuner(typically looks like a rubber donut) will help overcome any loading errors on your part. If you want to do a REAL cost analysis, and pay for the dies and press; gonna take a LOOOONG time to pay to reload. If you want to control your own destiny, then you aren't talking money anymore.

[71velle]

You gotta get off this "cheap" nonsense.... If you want cheap plinking, buy anything you find cheapest, Wolf typically. If you want match accuracy, buy match ammo. Anything else is somewhere in between.
Want a guarantee? Buy the match ammo.

There is no paint by numbers magic single answer for anything in this life. As Texas10 said, a barrel tuner(typically looks like a rubber donut) will help overcome any loading errors on your part. If you want to do a REAL cost analysis, and pay for the dies and press; gonna take a LOOOONG time to pay to reload. If you want to control your own destiny, then you aren't talking money anymore.

This is what I am trying to figure out. Im not trying to be cheep but cost effective. Some say sub MOA from cheep stuff and if thats the case reloading may not make sense for me, of the several I have tried none look promising. So if I am up against a buck plus a round for good stuff, reloading could be an option. I sure I am missing something but it looks like I could reload a quality round for between .40-.50. Im not sure of all the costs of reloading but if I figure $1000 to get going, about 2000 rounds pay for the equipment. I would shoot 2000 rounds in less than a year and may use some of the equipment to reload pistol ammo too.

I know you guys have been at this for a while and hope to tap into you experiences to get me in the right direction.

[foxx]

If you are gonna shoot 2,000 rounds a year, you should get into hand loading. It IS cost effective at that rate.

[Rick_W]

If you are gonna shoot 2,000 rounds a year, you should get into hand loading. It IS cost effective at that rate.
^^^^^
This is true!

[Wide Glide]

Im not sure of all the costs of reloading but if I figure $1000 to get going, about 2000 rounds pay for the equipment. $1000 could get you a great setup if spent wisely. I spent more on buying a bunch of junk trying to save money than it would have cost to buy my current setup outright. At first I wanted to save money now my gear is oriented to saving time without sacrificing accuracy.

Trying to save time reloading is where things get expensive. My $150 rcbs case prep Center replaces $30 worth of hand tools. My $350 rcbs chargemaster replaced a $30 lee powder measure. Neither does any better of a job but the time each saves me could be measured in hours per week.

What I'm trying to say is that your reloading setup and cost all depends on how much time you want to save yes there are some expensive things to increase accuracy like custom dies but most just save time

[darkker]

1) Im not trying to be cheep but cost effective.
2) Some say sub MOA from cheep stuff and if thats the case reloading may not make sense for me, of the several I have tried none look promising.
3) So if I am up against a buck plus a round for good stuff, reloading could be an option.
4) Im not sure of all the costs of reloading but if I figure $1000 to get going, about 2000 rounds pay for the equipment. I would shoot 2000 rounds in less than a year and may use some of the equipment to reload pistol ammo too.

Again.... Forest for the trees....

1) You are confusing those terms. You kept coming back to not spending money, but complaining about accuracy. For accuracy it was more cost effective to buy match ammo, but it wasn't cheaper.
2) Because again, there are no absolutes in life. Some rifles shoot this or that well, some don't. Factories change propellants all the time but don't send out a memo, that also affects accuracy in any given rifle. If you don't want those variables, it ALWAYS makes sense to reload. It isn't always cheaper, but makes sense if YOU want to know what is happening in your rifle. Back to being cheap, not cost effective.
3) It's always an option, not just then; stop with the absolutes.
4) First, yes you know the costs of reloading; it's called shopping. So do some Google-fu and get your prices. Cases, primers, powder, bullets, press, dies, scale &/or volume device, load manuals, shipping, and don't forget hazmat on the powder and primers.
If all of that takes $1000, them you bought gold plated something. As was suggested, the Lee Anniversary kit is easily the best way to go, and the cheapest by far. I used mine for a decade before I broke the press in a little accident. That kit comes with EVERYTHING you would ever need.
Not for nothing, but if your are shooting a bolt gun, I doubt you'll burn 2,000 rounds a year. It is easily doable, I've done it more than a few times. However most folks worrying about a Nickle here and there on a project, but then will dump a G on reloading equipment that isn't needed.... Sounds like a mag dumper.

[Texas10]

Not sure how you're going to save 50 cents a round by hand loading when 223 ammo costs as little as 5 bucks a box of 20. Even the AI Outback ammo I recently bought on sale at Cabelas was under eleven a box, and shipped free, and it was tipped with 69 SMK. If you compare your handholds to the high priced spread selling for upwards of two fifty a round, you still have to include your cost to work up a load that shoots comparatively, and then defray those expenses, including range time and gas to get there in order to come up with a cost per round calculation.

That's why this is called a HOBBY, and not a business.

All I'm suggesting is that you be true to your expectations and go from there. "Saving" money is not what hobbies are about. They're about saving your sanity and maybe even giving the ol' gray matter a bit of a work out.

Just saying....

[71velle]

Thanks for your input guys.
I am researching reloading and think its something I could enjoy doing. Any tips on what to get or more importantly what not to get?

[Rick_W]

As I stated earlier, I started with LEE.

Now I load on blue equipment (a Dillon 550).

Nothing wrong with Hornady, RCBS or Lyman either.

The first decision is to whether you want a single stage or a progressive press. You said maybe 2,000 rounds per year - that's 167 rounds per month, 42 rounds per week. A single stage press is more than adequate (and quite a few people believe a single stage press makes more precise ammo).

The next decision is to set a budget.

I can't stress enough the value of starting with the LEE Anniversary kit and LEE Ultimate 4-die set.

[darkker]

Absolutely 100% agree!

I'm still using most of my anniversary kit. The actual press was broken in a move, after a decade or so of use.

But Lee since it's a complete system for half of anyone else. Load and learn, then as you do, replace what fits your needs at the time.

[Texas10]

Shortly after buying my first Savage, a model 12BVSS in 223, I went to Cabelas during a sale on the Hornaday reloading kit that also included a powder dropper, scale and ultrasonic cleaner. I asked the sales person about dies for 223 and before he could answer, another patron nearby handed me the Lee Ultimate die set and said this would be all I would need. He was right, and I've bought Lee Ultimates for the other Savages I've acquired since, and they all perform beautifully. I neck size only for most of my reloading.

[RC20]

This is what I am trying to figure out. Im not trying to be cheep but cost effective. Some say sub MOA from cheep stuff and if thats the case reloading may not make sense for me, of the several I have tried none look promising. So if I am up against a buck plus a round for good stuff, reloading could be an option. I sure I am missing something but it looks like I could reload a quality round for between .40-.50. Im not sure of all the costs of reloading but if I figure $1000 to get going, about 2000 rounds pay for the equipment. I would shoot 2000 rounds in less than a year and may use some of the equipment to reload pistol ammo too.

I know you guys have been at this for a while and hope to tap into you experiences to get me in the right direction.

Or you can just buy good ammo and try it out and see what it does. No low cost ammo is going to be consistent. Higher price stuff yes.

Long term you can fine tune better with hand-loads and eventually same money if you shoot in volume, if not then buying ammo is the way to go.


Cost is as cost does, now that's a nothing statement so I will elaborate.

I run a pretty basic reloading operation though I have some decent equipment, I got it low cost back in the day when RCBS has great deals and good presses packaged.

As near as I can tell, my loads are good for 3/8 MOA (note the MOA, while its 3/8 at 100, its 3/4 at 200.

My press is a Rock Chucker, A Chucker in reserve I was given. , a Jr and I have a . Dies are a mix of RCBS and just moved to Forrester for a 06 sizing die (supposedly a bit better case alignment with the flexible de-primer)

As I have limited bench space (its my work bench as well) I only have one press setup and swap the dies.

For 308 I got completion dies (RCBS) as it gets a good sizing dies with the very nice RCBS bullet seater.

I use a digital scale as its faster and more accurate than the beams (people will argue but I can reload almost as fast with that setup and my trickler as the auto dispenser)

So, call it 400 into reloading equipment including a good trimmer (Gerard tri trimmer at $100 which is the only way to go for volume as far as I can concerned, others will disagree but have not used it)

Not cheap, a lot of it a lot less when I got it, some newer stuff added as I found it was the way to go (electronic scales and the trimmer). You do need to know how to watch for drift and zero those more so for the lower cost ones.

I use two reloading books as my go to, Sierra and Hornady. Again others will disagree, but they have a wide variety of bullet choices and they both list a wide variety or powders for those bullets. they don't have some info like the CUP pressures but frankly I don't care, it allows me to buy powder that may not be everyone's go to for that caliber but works fine.

A Sierra 168 gr 308 is going to work about the same as a Hornday, so you can pick a safe powder load from the other book and work up if you want to.

[71velle]

Thanks for the advise guys... I have been reading about reloading stuff and getting dizzy with all the different options and opinions. I should probably get a tumbler and start cleaning my brass.

[Rick_W]

Thanks for the advise guys... I have been reading about reloading stuff and getting dizzy with all the different options and opinions. I should probably get a tumbler and start cleaning my brass.
You might also want to look around your area for a mentor.

Ask around at your range and see who reloads.

Ask them what they use and tell them you're interested in reloading and would like to learn how.

Watch as many people, on as many different types of presses, as you can.

Offer to bring your own brass, powder, primers and bullets and ask them to walk you through the process on their equipment.

My primary shooting sport is Cowboy Action Shooting. I know that if you approach a shooter at a CAS event and ask those questions you'll have to beat people off that are offering to have you over.

[MislMan]

Just throwing this out there, you mentioned shooting pistol, once you start handloading you will also be able to reload for your pistol(s).
Depending on caliber you will reap a cost savings on a per round basis. Maybe not save money so much as you can shoot more for the same budget. I've been handloading for about 2 years now and save money by handloading. Being as I have a budget dedicated for shooting and spend the same amount of ammo per range trip (50 rifle rounds a week - 6.5 Creedmoor) the cost to shoot those rounds is less than factory ammo of the same quality (match ammo = $1.25/rd versus handload at $0.46/rd). I load using a Lee Classic Turret press and have spent $422.00 on the equipment required to load rifle ammo with good results (50 round daily average of 0.344 at 100 yards and 0.920 at 200 yards). Only 723 rounds through the rifle now and I'm working on adjusting the load. I also load for 9mm and 45 ACP pistol.