reloading ammunition

Dirtautoguy · October 17, 2014

I am thinking about getting into reloading some. but it seems like you could drive yourself nuts with it haha. I am curious as to what all I need and if it is worth it. I asked my father in law (who has a reloader) and he said that if i got the dies for him then he would show me how. I am looking as reloading .223/5.56 .270 winchester and 9mm. the powders kind of have me confused. is there rifle powder and handgun powder or is there particular powder for a specific caliber that works better? I'm just trying to learn more about it before i dive into it.

8.1HD/ALLISON · October 17, 2014

Get a reloading manual and start there. They will have different loads, powders, etc. I reload .223, 22-250, 9mm, .40 s&w. I have the hornady reload manual. Love their v-max bullets.

5RWill · October 30, 2014

I agree with what's stated above. It will walk you through powder types, burn rates, etc. Reloading is a hobby of patience, less you have a 650B and some other components. I recommend buying a manual, giving it a read, and then go buy an RCBS Starter kit.

New to this forum but that's due to my truck about to become a hobby. Been shooting long range and reloading for about six years, shot some USPSA in there as well, moving to practical rifle comps and 3-gun within the year. If this truck doesn't brake me. Though the gun enthusiast will note the 5R designation in my name.

sourdough44 · November 6, 2014

If you hook up with the father in law that would really speed things up. Right now some if the handgun powders can be hard to find, that should get better. I'd get a reloading manual and start reading. You don't need all those tools and gadgets you see in the catalog.

In general handgun powders burn faster than rifle powders, some much faster. Just about all would be unsuitable as a rifle powder, save a few specific applications.

There are versatile powders for handgun or rifle that would work well in a range of cartridges. You will see the same listed over and over in different manuals. The powder 'burn rate' chart is also helpful to get an idea.

Just the other day I loaded some 9mm with Hodgdon Universal powder. My loads were higher performance, 124 grain hollow points.

waumo1 · November 6, 2014

I got a Lyman manual 30 years ago to learn reloading and still use it to this day along with others. If you shoot for fun and sport regularly then yes it is worth it to reload to save some money but mostly to experiment and enjoy the hobby. If you are just a casual shooter or hunt a few times a year you will not save any money by getting into reloading. Yes you can typically reload for 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of factory ammo but most people find they just shoot more when they become a reloader so total $ outlay is not less.

Imcrazy · November 6, 2014

It's not really worth it from a cost perspective to reload the .223. I reload 9mm and it's easy but, you really have got to pay attention so you don't blow your gun up!

sdeeter19555 · November 6, 2014

It's not really worth it from a cost perspective to reload the .223. I reload 9mm and it's easy but, you really have got to pay attention so you don't blow your gun up!

It's not realistic to load .223 for plinking, but to create a hunting or target load it most certainly is...

Get a manual, most reloading outfits have a kit, and the NRA and sometimes Cabelas has a seminar on reloading...

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StinkyCheese · November 6, 2014

Reloading is an art in itself. You can be as precise and anal as you want to be. I don't reload rifle rounds just every caliber of pistol I have, except 10mm which I just need to set up and work up some loads. Powders suggestions will vary from person to person. Personally I prefer Bullseye as it requires less powder vs other powders thus saving me money. It may not be the best for magnum calibers if you're going for max spec loads but it still works. The downside is because it uses less powder it's easier to mess up if you're not paying attention and the load variances are smaller.

If you really want to save money reload and start stocking up on wheel weights, bullets are a good chunk of the component cost. Make your own projectiles and you'll really see some savings. Granted if you value your time very highly then reloading isn't for you because then you'll take the cost of reloading and add in what you value your time and it it'll probably come out higher per round than factory ammo. So far I can do any pistol caliber I own for $5-$10 per 100. Like someone else said you really don't "save" money as you just end up shooting more for the same price.

sdeeter19555 · November 6, 2014

There's no better feeling of watching a half grain increase or decrease take a rifle pattern from an inch to stacking shots...that's something you can't get from a box.

I have a .30-06 Savage that we built a load for...its nowhere near max, but it will stack five rounds in a single hole at 100 yards. Store bought rounds were four inch groups at best.

There is a lot you can do with handloading...not to mention it is a good way to shut out the rest of the world and have some me time.

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8.1HD/ALLISON · November 6, 2014

It's not really worth it from a cost perspective to reload the .223. I reload 9mm and it's easy but, you really have got to pay attention so you don't blow your gun up!

Have to disagree there. I have caught some sales and can reload .223 for under .20 a round.

sdeeter19555 · November 6, 2014

In reality, it takes thousands of rounds to make the break even point...the reloading equipment isn't cheap.

All depends on your end use...

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8.1HD/ALLISON · November 6, 2014

Thats true too. No hobby is cheap.

hollis092 · November 10, 2014

Reloading is a very good and cost effective hobby, if you know what you are doing.

Buy the components on sale or in bulk (ie, powders and primers will cost you Hazmat if shipped) to save a bit of money. Pick up your brass and any brass that is left around at the range if you can. 556/223 IMO is much easier to buy in bulk than to reload. If you factor in powder, primers, and projectiles, you will be at or over .25/rnd and you can find them for about .30/rnd on the market - my time is worth more than .5/rnd to load so I would prefer to purchase.

There is a caveat here, if you shoot alot of 556/223, go ahead and get some components to reload them all the while build yourself a nice 300 blk upper or a complete rifle and convert some of that used brass into 300 blk and reload those. Now you can have two versatile weapons and run them affordably.

I currently reload .45 ACP, 6.8mm SPC, and will soon be working on the 300 blk as I think another upper would be a great addition.

As someone else mentioned, you will need a press, dies, tumbler, tumbler media, a caliper, etc to even get started, but I will say it is worth the investment. Thankfully most of my gear was gifted to me by my dad who is a reloadaholic and buys whatever equipment he so desires. The plus side to that is I get great stuff from him when he does.

For that .270 - IMR 4198 is going to be about the best you can find. It handles the 130gr+ projectiles quite effectively and loves the 130gr berger vld.

Imcrazy · November 10, 2014

Have to disagree there. I have caught some sales and can reload .223 for under .20 a round.

Nice, I guess I've never really looked into it that closely. When I first got my AR I think I was paying $5.99 for a box of 20 PMC brass. Now I seem to be paying closer to 7 or 8 bux a box. If I shot more rounds through the AR or did some long range shooting that required high end loads I would probably get into it.