It’s a great hobby. It’s nice knowing when ammo disappears off the shelf that you can just put some together if need be. Primer prices and availability are insane right now though.
Yep.. there are times when ammo is so plentiful that it is almost cheaper to buy than handload... this was the case a while back with 9mm say... I would suggest tho that any shooter buy in bulk when prices are good... any handloader needs to buy in bulk also.... 5-10k primers at a time and powder in 8lb jugs this also saves money on hazmat fees... The fee is the same for one lb or 40 lbs I have a lot of loaded rounds I have loaded over the years and the way I handload is to have cans full of primed brass for each caliber. that way if I want to try a new load all I have to do is charge and crimp em. Coated bullets... the only way to go. I have uncoated carefully crafted in most calibers that I made years ago... I don't like to shoot em much tho now because of the coated being so much better in every way. But.... they will get shot up. I do keep records of most all the rounds I make that include targets and velocities and comments. Not much of a rifle shooter here so for the most part I don't load all that many every year 100 of 270's are gonna last me a long time. something like .223 or 30 carbine? not so much easy to power through 100 of em in one sitting. I try to bring 4 or more guns at a time tho out shooting so normally is is like plus or minus 50 rounds each... I almost always bring too much ammo but... I mean who would guess the girl I brought would love my model 1917 in 45 acp? She went through almost 100 rounds LOL
Sadly, reloading components are the first to disappear and the last to come back when ammo shortages happen. If you buy in bulk, you can keep reloading through shortages, but you could also buy factory ammo in bulk, and it will also be easier to store for longer. The benefits of reloading are the ability to customize the ammo to your specifications, trading time instead of money, and the enjoyment of producing something yourself. The ability to reload and knowledge in homemade BP and primers would be great for long term self-reliance for preparedness though.
Reloading is a great hobby and the price has definitely went up for reloading supplies over the years but it's really cool to make something with your own hands that you can almost shoot through the same hole with 😁
I've been reloading for 40 years. Yes, the price has gone up, but once your initial investment in equipment pays itself off, it's still less expensive than buying factory ammo, especially if you cast your own bullets.
Is it Lee who makes the red colored Reloaders. My roommate inherited a couple Reloaders and gave them to me. They were her dad's and she does not know much about them. If I remember correctly Dylan was the bluish green Reloaders and Lee are the red Reloaders, is this correct?
@@elterga6224 I'm no expert, but a precision machine like that is likely going to be the most expensive piece of equipment out of everything they listed.
Been reloading for about 30 years now. Run a dillion RL 550B 4 stage press and cast my own. Trick is to stock pile powder and primers as that is the choke point and they know it. For rifles also look for gas check cutters (E-Bay) some people produce. That will save you a fortune and avoid another choke point. They are having a real problem controlling firearms so are going after ammo now so the window may be closing on this option. Another thing is, it is great for old military rifles where ammo may be difficult to find.
Reloading is very zen for me. I take my time, listen to a book or music. It's magical. My grandson, when he visits looks forward to helping me. I love it because his parents are anti 2A. Gotta educate the generations that follow us.
After reloading a while I found that you really don't save that much overall but you shoot a higher quality of ammunition at a cheaper price. The real reason I still reload is the peace of mind knowing that you don't have to rely on the store shelves being stocked during high demand periods. Unfortunately reloading components have been scarce for the past few years unless you already had a stockpile.
Agree. I stocked up on S&B primers when they were $18.99 a 1000 a few years back, and have been reloading since. It’s not just about price but availability.
Started reloading because of the last ammo apocalypse. Now I'm hooked! Now that I've done enough to recover costs and learn what works for my setups, even plinking and range days are more consistent and I've stopped chasing zero for each commercial load .
Nice video. I have been loading for 30+ years now and the cost of loading has went up faster than the cost of loaded ammo. Primers are the key component here if you don’t have tons of them not worth buying equipment. Primers have went up 10x 15 times the price they were 30 yrs ago. $5.99 9mm is not $59.99 a box now. I did the math on your cast 9mm bullets and I can’t see the savings. .06 a bullet x1000 is about $64 a 1000 bullets minus shipping and tax. It’s $90 a 1000 copper plated shipped for the bullets I buy and I didn’t included time or health risk from lead exposure, or equipment to make them. Not saying you can’t save money…. But you won’t see it you just shoot more and make bulk purchases or components bullets, powder, and primers…
Last year when I did my winter reloading, I found that it was not worth reloading 9mm. It was cheaper to buy cheap 9mm. My costs are due to mostly shipping and hazmat costs that are added to my reloading costs. 9 to 10 cent primers are not helping either in the costs. I try to go out of state to buy my reloading supplies but I never know what they have until I get there so I often have to order it online. I do have the ability to reload all the calibers that I own because I live in NJ. I refuse to be a part of the ammo registry in NJ. When I go on vacation and get to the free living states, I always buy ammo or loading supplies.
I don't know where you all are buying primers but they were at 100 bucks/thousand, maybe a little more. Now I've seen them in many places at 60-75/1000. Still twice the cost they were but I can reload my own cast bullets in 9mm or 38/357 for 8-9c each. Call it 10 bucks for 50. A 50 round box of factory 9mm will set you back 15 bucks+ so basically your saving 30% on the cost, go to 38/357 and the savings are twice that. 44 Mag and rifle rounds depending on bullet choices saves you at least 50% over factory and it doesn't cost you a fortune to get started either, visiting gun shows and buying good used equipment to get started has worked well for many of my friends.
I fully agree if not have primers before pandemic not worth it anymore all components high now not cheap anymore just look for good deals online for loaded ammo
I want to thank you guys for giving such a complete explanation for reloading. Not only being safe and economical you can produce a more accurate round of ammo. Thank you both and have a very merry Christmas !!!
I've been reloading for over 40-years. I reload pistol, rifle cartridges and shotgun shells. It's not only cost effective but it's a great hobby. I always stay within the loading parameters of my favorite reloading manuals. Great video, guys...!!
I bought my press in 2019 right before Covid. So far I’ve loaded 9mm, 9x25 Dillon, 30-06, 44-40 black powder, 45 Colt, 32 acp all on a Dillon 550. You won’t save any money but you will be able to tailor your ammo and shoot calibers that otherwise are cost prohibitive or unobtainium. You can also experiment and push the envelope in ways that are never going to be purchased off the shelf for legal reasons. Reloading just gets you deeper into the hobby of shooting I recommend it.
Well, I have been reloading since I was about 14-15 YOA, I will be 66 end of this week. It's also been a great hobby. I find that the customization you can do is amazing compared to factory. I have been buying "Blem" .308 Match bullets and have been getting some great prices. This also includes shotgun. You will really save if you shoot a lot of buck and slugs. 5 rounds of slugs is $ 9.99 for 5 rounds! You save a lot for defensive rounds on 5.56 or .300 Blackout. Thanks for the info....
If you already have great skill in reloading, yes. If you are trying to start fresh and learn to make shooting cheaper, no. Component prices increase and time spent isn't enough to switch.
For someone who is recently disabled with limited mobility, this was an excellent video. Great information. I love your channel and all content covered. I just ordered the Modern Reloading 2nd edition by Richard Lee. Thanks guys.
I just found your channel, and it's really terrific. Another feature about reloading is you can design the ammunition to be exactly what it is you need. For instance, I used to shoot bowling pin competition, as wall as USPSA. For bowling pins, while shooting revolvers, even a commercial .44 Special round was way more than you needed to clear bowling pins off of tables, and I used to load up some .44 Magnum rounds with 240gr LSWC, but only moving at about 800fps, and it was a really light load, and very pleasant to shoot, but it cleared pins off the table. About 11 years ago, I had to sell my house, and I couldn't bring my reloading gear with me (Dillon 550B), so I miss being able to load my own .41Mag and .44Mag ammo, as well as .45ACP - Back then I used to shoot about about 500-600 rounds of .45ACP a week, and was reloading them about about $0.07 a round with my own brass.
My dad and his two brothers were avid hand loaders. I would sit in the backroom in the cellar and watch for hours. He would run out of componants, and he would send my brother or me to the Army and Navy store for a pound of Red Dot and a bag of #7 shot. We hopped on our bicycles, and off we went. He always called ahead to make sure we got what he needed. Many years later, my brother and I got into the hobby as well. It is a relaxing, fun time. One rule I have is that I will not reload for anyone other than my one closest friend. I trust my handloads, but the liability is too great. A firearm blows up and injures someone, through no fault of mine, is too great a risk. It's sad that the hoarders are jacking the prices sky high. It just takes that much longer to recoup your expenses. All my uncles and my dad are gone now. I have all their equipment. Yeah, some of it has seen better days. But it could be brought back in an emergency to turn out the fine loads they once did. My dad would be struck speechless if he saw the sorry state of availability of components. My brother and I are the only shooters who followed in the hand loading tradition. We have a great time at the range and it doesn't break the bank.
I separate out what I do at my bench into 2 disciplines. 1 Reloading and 2 handloading. Reloading is what I do to save money and do in volume. My reloading is typically done on a progressive press and it is mostly for simi auto. Handloading is done for EDL or hunting ammo and is done on a single stage press. I independently weigh every charge, brass is meticulously prepped, and every round is checked at every step for consistency. Two completely different reasons for producing your own ammo. I enjoy both...
@@monkmoto1887If you have proper ventilation it's not a concern. I cast a ton and get tested once a year, never had above a normal range of lead. I just do it outside. I also cast well below the 900 degrees F it takes to produce lead fumes. It melts at 621 degrees, I usually cast around 700. Lead dust is way more of a concern, and ingesting it if you get it on your hands and don't wash it off. I rarely handle the bare lead during the process.
Handload vs Non-handload...No-brainer! Been doing it for thirty years. Not only is it a great hobby, but it also defeats the frustration of ammo shortage and price gouging. Oh, and did I mention there's nothing more satisfying than taking game with a cartridge you produced for your rifle? The investment and cost breakdown is a non-issue for those of us who do it for the sheer love of doing it.
“Let them go to the brass heap in the sky”. That’s hilarious! Coming coming from a fellow US Army, Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran. Keep up,the great videos, Ranger! 😃🇺🇸👍🏾
It matters more for larger and more obscure rounds. I have made the most money back from stuff like 300AAC, 308/30-06, 6.5 carcano, and lots of other old military surplus rounds.
Your channel is the one that convinced me to get into reloading over ten years ago. I buy a lot of pulled bullets for plinking. Midwest powders. Bought a lot of supplies from Estate sales. Saved a lot of money. Thank you!
I've been reloading pistol, rifle and shotgun ammo for the last 35 years. I load my ammo for a couple of reasons. 1) I can load the exact type of ammo I need for the task. At the extreme, I have a favorite 22-250 load using a 40gr bullet and 700X shotgun powder that emulates 22 magnum performance for squirrel hunting. Try finding that loading on any store shelf. 2) I always have ammo. For example, many rifle hunting ammo was extremely hard to find during COVID. I actually had to load hunting ammo for some friends for deer season as store shelves were bare.
Around the 25:18 mark you give the best advice in this video. If a person only chooses to buy one, this is the one to buy. Helpful and very informative video, guys. Good stuff.
The main reason to load your own is more to get exactly what you want rather than to save money per-se. Especially with older calibres like 35 Rem, 32 Spl, 300 Savage...
What a coincidence. Iraqveteran8888 releases a video on reloading the same day I got Lee's Modern Reloading 2nd. I just cleaned my first brass today too. The rest of the components are on my Christmas list lol. I'm glad you speak highly of reloading 44 magnum because that's what I'll be reloading first. Hoping to pick up where Elmer Keith left off. Thanks for the tips
I got into reloading and casting my own bullets back in the late 1980's because of an uncle who got me hooked by reloading shotgun shells for him. Been picking up brass for almost as long and store brass by the 5 gallon buckets worth. Back in 2020 when you couldn't get 300 Blackout I was casting 160gr lead and powder coating them then putting Hornaday copper gas checks on. Loaded thousands upon thousands of 300 Blackout, 308, and 30-06 with them. Last year nobody had 30-30 except our hunting group in the area.
Old gods, thank you for your channel! I have to admit when i first discovered these guys videos i thought these are those long and boring "chewing" videos where a person can't talk and completely unprepared. Turns out these are completely opposite, once again, thank you for recording these!
I have been buying new/used reloading equipment when I come across it, and over the years, I accumulated everything but the expendables. I just never did it because I manly shot 7.62x39, it's manly steel case, and it was always cheap n plentiful. But every since covid and Ukraine I can't find it at any local shop in my town. So last night, I bought the 11th edition of Hornady's handbook and am about to pull all my equipment out of the crawl space today. Thanks for giving me more motivation this morning.
As a Brit with a Firearm Licence, we can only hold a certain amount of ammo at any time per firearm. Reloading components aren't factored into that total, so reloading lends a degree of practicality. We were also not hit so hard by limited availability of components like primers. Plus it's fun, satisfying and can produce some exceptional results
@thegunsngloryshow Bro just chill out. We all know that and I'm sure he knows that. He was making a a comment that was not political and you decided to attack him for no reason. There's this skill called reading the room and you seem to lack social skills.
The most comprehensive breakdown of the cost of reloading that I have seen to date. Thank you both for breaking the cost down so those of us who aren't the brightest bulb in the chandelier can understand the pros and cons of reloading. 😂
Just mastering the skill set and possessing the components and tools makes it worth it. Reloading isnt a financial savings for me, its a hobby within a hobby. The knowledge you end up with makes reloading a great asset. Totally worth the price of admission to me. My only advice is buy once, cry once when it comes to Dies, scales and measuring tools. Let your press grow along with your experience.
Great video, also for giving Lee products proper credit. I used to reloan many different cartridges had several brands of presses and dies, all worked well but for the money Lee products #1 starting out especially. I gave several thousands of dollars to my nephews before covid and they then took the time to learn and enjoy reloading.
I bought a Lee turret press and it works well… A big issue most don’t think about is that whatever press you buy, you will have to feed. A dillon progressive is only useful if you are loading 500+ rounds in a session. You have to have the money to feed whatever press you are using.
With a single stage press it is: NOT worth reloading .223 training ammo. In my experience it will take between 3-4 hours to reload 100 rounds and it will cost 70$ (CAD) for powder, bullets, and primers. That ends up being 1:1 cost for buying from the store/reloading, then you need to consider what your time has cost you. If you are shooting large rifle calibers 30-30, 6.5 creed, 300 win mag, or .338 it ends up being worth it by a huge factor. You can tune the load to your rifle and crank out 20-60 rounds per 3 hours (from case prep/cleaning to the last bullet seated). In my case it costs about 30-40$ (CAD) in material to load 20 rounds of 6.5 creed, whereas if I was to purchase a comparable match load from the store i'd be spending 80-90$ (CAD), plus I wouldn't be getting the 1/4 MOA accuracy from the hand load. The takeaway is this. Buy the equipment needed to load .223, 9mm, 45, and 12 ga (or whatever your primary use calibers are). Buy the powder, bullets, and primers that go along with them. Develop a load for your rifles/pcc's/handguns, then keep a small stockpile of the raw materials and reloading data should you ever need to use it. Ideally the concept is this: should a huge jump in ammo prices occur, or if the supply chain is cut you can still produce enough ammo to buffer the effect and keep yourself and your family safe.
I've been reloading for 30 yrs and this is by far the worst time for reloading I've ever seen.. the cost of primers is the tipping point. Today I can find 9mm fmj for .25 - .30 each ,with primers at .10 - .15 each that pushes my cost point to about the same for target ammo BUT that's using my brass. If I can buy new ammo for the same price and actually get new brass .. why would I use my components? The cost of primers is out of wack with the cost of ammo right now!!
Really enjoyed this content. I've been reloading for about 12 years now but I'm always open ears to new information and opinions from intelligent minds. This video had a very old school IV888 feel and I liked that. 👍 👍
Long time reloader, fancy myself a bit of an expert. You can save money, you probably won’t for a long time though. You’ll still get much more consistent ammo and it’ll always be on the bottom end price wise
You have to be in it for the long term investment to reload. Slowly stock up on components when they’re available or on sale. 9mm isn’t worth reloading right now but most rifle cartridges are
I've reloaded and casted my own bullets for > 55 years and never really did it for the cost savings , more for being able to dial in the perfect load for any particular gun or use and to reload the odd ball stuff. I prefer the Lyman reloading guide myself and generally start with there suggested accuracy loads and 90% of the time that just happens to be what most guns will like best, if not start tweaking it 1 tenth at a time till you find what works best in your gun. That's been my experience anyhow and I figure the folks at Lyman have shot probably a billion rounds compared to my million , so they pretty damn well know, way better than me when they suggest a accuracy load for a particular caliber , there pretty spot on . I haven't done any reloading lately as I recently moved and am still getting organized, but I already have a spot picked out for a enclosed reloading room as soon as my new garage is done. Plus I had almost all my brass reloaded before I moved, have plenty on hand and haven't really had the opportunity to shoot as much as I did before the move anyways, so no push . I want my new reloading room and hot rod garage to be a dandy ! Ya Ya ,,,I know, it seems I like all the expensive hobbies now don't I ,and hot rods sure ain't cheap either ,,,got 3. Thank God I got out of flying too ! No wonder I'm broke all the time ! 🤦♂ Gezzzz
I’m so glad I started loading my own ammunition twenty five years ago, I love it as a enjoyable hobby, however with the cost of primers now and powder and only able to buy a 1000 primers at a time and only one pound of powder if that’s all that is available the cost now is very close to factory, so I’m very glad I loaded a shit pot in both handgun and rifle, great video guys.
I got smart with my dad 12 years ago. Buy it cheap an stack it deep. Large magnum rifle primers roughly 22k , Large rifle primers 40k, small rifle primers about 32k, small pistol primers easily 50k plenty of once fired brass, plenty of Projectiles. After we acquired all the reloading supplies just been buying extra ammo here an there for different stashes. I love going up to the cabin i know what to look forward to do with my dad. Reload reload an watch football an enjoy nature with no one around for miles. Its just relaxing. Im so glad my dad talked me into playing things smart 12 years ago. Thanks pops
I think the fact that primers are now $90-$100 have skewed the savings of reloading drastically. That's a 3x increase for that component. I don't get why it's so expensive, while ammo prices were dropping months ago, primers have barely changed.
Agreed, I’ve been doing the math every few years and each time the cost of the raw parts cost the same as buying factory ammo. That cost doesn’t include my time or equipment either.
It completely depends on what you're reloading. Is 9mm worth it? No, not if you can get a box of it for 15$ at your local store. 38/357/44/45lc/45-70 ect absolutely it is worth it
It depends on how much you are shooting. If you monthly shoot around 100 rounds than box ammo at the store is the way to go. If you shoot more than you have to sit down and do some math which is more convenient. Time is also something to be in equation
I had surgery earlier this year and was off of work for about 3 weeks. I intended to load up a bunch of 9mm throughout the 3 weeks. I ended up loading 2000 rounds of subsonic 9mm in about 4 days. That's another aspect to consider for saving costs- specialty ammo like subsonics. I also load .300 blk subsonic and .38/.357 for my Henry Big Boy X. I got really lucky with my reloading set up and had a family friend give me a whole reloading set up with a turret press in exchange for hunting my parents property. It's also very therapeutic for me.
I have an obsolete cartridge that in reality reloading is my only recourse. The 405 Winchester is extremely expensive when you find it, I've seen a box going for more than 10 dollars a round. Brass is not the cheapest but if you have some skill, Norma 9.3x74 rimmed brass can be trimmed, annealed and fireformed to make cartridges. Bullets are not to hard to come by, and .41 caliber pistol bullets can also be used. I have the cost under 4 bucks a round now. Love to reload this rifle.
I started reloading fifty years ago as a starving young carpenter who couldn't afford factory ammunition, even then. The RCBS single-stage press and Lee dies weren't too expensive, and I collected lead from the plumbers and roofers on the jobs to cast my own bullets. Fifty years later, even with vastly more sophisticated (and faster) equipment, shooting factory ammunition is an alien thing, like wearing someone else's underwear.
The real cost savings comes from the less common rounds that can be very expensive, if you can even find ammo for it. If you load the big bores reloading is a huge savings
I think the most important factor in this whole discussion is the quality of reloaded ammo. I trust what I reload more than standard factory ammo any day of the week!!!!
Great Vids guys once again. One thing I like about reloading I the fact I can reload what I need when I need it as I need it. Choosing your components and calibers carefully you can minimize the logistics and the expense to a degree. For example, BL-C2 will reload just about every non-magnum chambering from 223 to 7.62x54R with few exceptions. Reloading is how I have beat the ammo shortages!!!
Really great video. I remember some of y’all’s earlier reloading videos from years past. All the info here is spot on. The biggest eye opener for me when I got into reloading was not the cost savings but how much better the ammo was. No factory ammo can even come close to ammo you custom tune for your gun. To me that is better than the money saved. I have not saved money so much as I have shot more with the same amount of money. But you were right on about how you feel when the brass finally wears out. It sucks. 😅
I got into reloading before COVID and everything before the cost of ammo and reloading supplies went up (and reloading supplies were scarce too!). Luckily, I purchased supplies prior to prices going up. Just last week, I ordered some more reloading supplies since I can now find primers, cases, and bullets. I have a Lee Classic Turret Press and just reload 9mm for now.
I knew prices would go insane eventually so I stocked up nicely years ago. I hear powder is going to be a big concern next year with big price hikes because making more ammo for the ongoing conflicts is going to cause a worldwide powder shortage. Yay.... The prices of IMR powder is already pretty bad, wonder what they will go up to. Companies have already stopped making some types of powder because of all of this.
@@Toolness1 Guess we better get some powder now. I already have some from a few years back and it would suck to run out. Primers, cases, bullets, power. You need all 4. lol
@@williewasahippie I don't like to fuel the panic but it's probably a good idea to get some of your favorite powders now just in case....I've been stocking up since about 2013 but I still grab stuff now and then. With full power rifle loads you can go through a pound pretty quick!
@@williewasahippie For sure, and as long as you store it correctly you could sell it or trade it decades later. I have some HP38 my dad bought in the 70s and it still woks perfectly. I have some old surplus M1 carbine military pulled powder and it is fine as well. It's at least 50 years old.
Eric & cad I want to say thank you for your video. You guys really woke me up on a lot of stuff about reloading now I wanna get more into it. Thank you very much for your input very helpful. I hope y’all have a happy new year.
Reloading is absolutely worth it. When supplies are low, it's nice to know you can supply your own. Don't reload thinking you are saving money, reloading can provide you supply when ammunition can be hard to come by.
I just started reloading for my 7.62x54r Mosin with a Lee Classic Loader. 50 after shipping, 32 for a powder scale, and 10 for a rubber mallet. I got that for the only reason of not being able to find any 7.62x54r ammo on the shelves in nearly a year. Thankfully, only primers are hard to come by as far as components, but I did stock up. As far as prices in my area and what I can find online, I can save up to $50 per 100 rounds of ammo if I reload lead core soft point bullets for my .308 Win. I might need to scrounge up more primers if I do that, though. Reloading for my .357 Cattleman is tempting, but I haven't done the math on whether or not it's worth it.
its odd how different areas are having differing caliber problems, all common rounds are available in pistol including 38spl and 357, the odd mid to larger rifle rounds are available and have been since 2019, mosin rounds have been $15 a box this entire time in my area and still are. but .410 is non existent.
The other thing that wasnt really expanded upon here, is that when you reload, you can do a "ladder" and tune the cartridge for your rifle. A ladder is when you load say 5-10 rounds at say minimum powder charge for a cartridge and then incrementally increasing the powder charge by a small amount, say .25 grains for the next 5-10 rounds repeating this until you have 5-10 rounds of each increment, from lets say min powder charge to max. Then you start at the bottom, shoot five rounds, measure your group, shoot the next five, and repeat until you've gone through all your rounds (cooling the barrel between groups). There are two charges that will be the most accurate; these are called nodes, and if you were to graph out your avg group for each one you'll see that you'll gradually miss less as you get closer to your first node, and once you hit that node, your groups will start opening up and get really bad, and then start shrinking again until they reach the second node where they are again most accurate. This is because several factors but barrel harmonics essentially being the reason. Tuning your ammo load to your particular rifle (and projectile/powder/primer combination) will increase your accuracy and consistency...This is why all competition shooters hand-load. Chad touched on this very briefly.
My buddy and I used to walk the gutters around the neighborhood, looking for lead balancing weights that fell off of car wheels to give my dad to melt down. He made mostly 38 special plinking rounds with the molds. We also lived near a wrecking yard, and allegedly found some there.
Got into reloading about a year ago across the three i reload for 124 grain 9mm - 11 cents 265 grain 300blk -13 cents 650 grain 50 Beowulf- 63 cents Has allowed me to shoot alot more aswell having cheaper specialty calibers aswell as allowing you to play with weights to your liking
When primers cost a $1 each, NO! I'm setting up to start making Mexican match ammo from some of my steel case ammo. I don't have a progressive, but I do have a few single stage presses.
I save a ton reloading 300WM. My cost without brass is about 80cents a round. That is for tailored ammo not available on the shelf. Large rifle primers are still hard to find and have gone crazy high.
Nice introduction to reloading. Another nice thing about reloading is at allows a person to experiment with what works best for a certain caliber when shooting on the bench. A couple handy little tools when reloading are the Forester brass case length cutter and the Lee primer setter.
Brass needs to be annealed before running it through any sizing die after 3 firings . When the brass becomes hardened due to sizing and firing it will split the neck open when it's ran back through the sizing die if the brass is not annealed to a malleable state. Some people anneal brass after every firing if it's annealed after the sizing is done it defeats the purpose of not splitting case necks.
So, what's the proper technique ... Either seems like it will work as long as it's done to a known case . Now I'm a little confused . Factory NATO ammo is done before loading . So ?... @@jasonrottlaender1721
@@jasonrottlaender1721the main reason for annealing after every firing isn't necessarily the prospect of making your brass last as long as possible but instead a situation like you're trying to load match quality ammo because accuracy all comes down to consistency and annealing all your brass, especially on a good machine will reset neck tension to the same place on all your brass. Especially if you have mixed brass it can definitely make a noticeable difference down range.
it's good if you buy in bulk or want to shoot match ammo or custom loads for specific purposes (i.e. competition, hunting, long range precision etc.) You don't really save money though. especially if you buy all the fancy tools to make it fast/time efficient. It's more like purposed loading.
My take…. First it all depends on what your loading, and how often your shooting that ammo, as well as your goal in loading your ammo. Loading your ammo gives you the flexibility to make the ammo you want. Light loads, heavy loads, choice of projectile. It may or may not save you money depending on what you’re loading as well. Some calibers will easily save you money to reload. Others it may cost you more. However…. If and when the SHTF, or ammo becomes scarce. If you know how to reload you have a better chance of keeping up your supply of ammo. Especially if you use calibers that can easily be adapted for use with black powder. Such as 45/70, 45 colt, and 45acp to just name a few.
After 7 years of reloading I’ve found the best boon of reloading to be straight walled magnum cartridges, specifically for revolvers/lever guns but in general. Reason being they just don’t require a lot of expense and advanced materials to run great, even if you don’t want to get into casting your own, bulk non jacketed bullets are really cheap, I can load very accurate, very powerful loads of .357 magnum for about 15 cents a round. And they run great through lever guns and double action revolvers. The problem I encountered with semi autos is when you try and reduce the cost by either using lead bullets or less powder, your reliability instantly suffers, and even though it’s possible to lessen those problems with more work, expense, and attention, the magnum revolver ammo just doesn’t require any of that
I save close to 3.61 a round for 9mm reloading myself. And i can adjust different grain levels. I like to use 3.8 or 3.7 for 124 grain FMJ just standard ball ammo. 115 grain 4.4 pr 4.3, for a little hotter loads i go 4.8. I reload my own brass, 8 cents for primer, 0.15 cents for bullet and 0.02 cents for powder a scoop. 25 cents a round comapred to the 3 something for factory. Ill go reloading any day. I load on a lee loader classic 9mm. Everything starting out costed me 160, bullets, primer, powder, scale, and caliper.
One point you guys might want to bring up in a primer to casting your own bullets is that in order to use them in modern polygonal barrels, you'll want to powder coat them in a toaster oven. Personally, I do this with all my lead-cast, since it reduces lead fouling by a wide margin.
I am reloading 30-06 ammo for a Remington 740 & M1 while listening. I am extremely fond of 77/75 grain 5.56, hand loads are the only way go, still not cheap but about 1/2 price. Started hand loading in 1966, have not come up with a good reason to stop.
The answer is ABSOLUTELY! I started collecting brass during a 6 - 9 month period. During that time period I started purchasing everything necessary to get started reloading 45, 9mm & 223 / 556. By the time I was ready to start reloading I had almost 4 - 5gal buckets of brass, around 5k primers for EACH caliber and now all sorts of different bullets to load. Recently been having alot of fun reloading 75g & 62g Speer Gold Dot 222 to 5.56 pressures!
I have an old Herters loading manual. There is enough bologna in there to survive a month in the wilderness. The loading data is fine, but the rest is quite filling.
Your time is the main issue for most. According to work and family schedule. When i eas working 6 days a week i didn't have time to reload, now im disabled all i have is time. So if youre not working its good for time consumption, and saving money. If you break even it keeps you busy. Thats worth a lot. And i buy lead at recycling centers. They sell me small bucket or 5gal bucket. Great video 👍👍
I think it depends on what round you are wanting to shoot i think for handguns like 9mm you are better off shooting factory rounds because if you make your own 9mm you could make a powerful load that will end up tearing your barrel up I don't think it matters to much with rifle rounds and thank you for the information brother.
It all matters if your not going to have your head into it Don't. For your information 9mm can be loaded just as safely as a rifle round you just need to do some reading and watch some videos and most importantly understand. When you understand the process you will see what I'm talking about.
For me, it's not so much about cost savings. You definitely trade time and convenience for any savings you'll eventually gain. It's more about the ability to make your own ammo. There's just something satisfying about closing the loop on shooting by reloading your own ammo. JMHO Semper Fi
When my brass gets too many load counts and needs to be trashed, I place it in a box and use it to set up my annealer. It is especially useful when having to anneal case necks on brass that has to be done on a regular basis and brass that is very difficult to acquire.
Just shot a friend's Winchester 1898 in .32-20. Didn't realize until after that the ammo sells for *well* over $1/round. Found new brass online, .32 bullets (cast or jacketed), small pistol primers and your powder of choice and it's easy to see there would be a savings in a fairly small number of reloads.
Been reloading since 1984 and can't imagine doing it any other way, however I generally just purchase bulk ammo for the first time for cartridges like 9mm, 308 and 5.56 but range brass is an option if you know it's new. Love going to the range after the local cops qualify! After that I reload and I generally figure the empties are half the cost of the loaded cartridge. 44 mag, 300 Win Mag and others that are never cheap I just buy the components new and load from the beginning. The best deal I ever got was 30-06 ammo from CMP. Picked up over 3000 rounds close to 20 years ago. I'll have ammo for my M1 for life and the brass is awesome for 168 gr match handloads. Have also picked up tens of thousands of rounds of 9mm, 40 cal and 45 range brass, plus bulk once fired machine gun brass by the pound from Lake City. I load all winter and shoot all summer!
I think the prep idea of it is the most valuable benefit to reloading. Not the now , but the idea of ammo becoming impossible to get, or some kind of war. Which does appeal to me. Being able to recycle brass when there is no ammo is priceless.
Reloading is fun! I have a Type 99 Arisaka, where factory ammo is few and far between. I’ve had to reload my own ammo for that rifle. I also reload M2 ball by for both of my 1903 Springfields. BTW I own 8 reloading manuals!
I’ve been reloading since I was 18 and I already have all the equipment, I’m 73 and just finished reloading 500 rounds of 300 BLK 110 gr V-Max for $.63 a round with brass formed from Range Brass. Midway has 110 gr V-Max for $1.55 a round. Reloading is a cost savings of $.92 a round!
Whats missing from this video is that reloading components have been really hard to find too. When is dries up off the shelf then so do the components. I'm not finding primers where I live for $5/sleeve, it's closer to $10. Also powder is running at $50/lb or more. I guess I need to check my math with current cost components, but these projections sound really low for current costs.
It’s a great hobby. It’s nice knowing when ammo disappears off the shelf that you can just put some together if need be. Primer prices and availability are insane right now though.
Yep.. there are times when ammo is so plentiful that it is almost cheaper to buy than handload... this was the case a while back with 9mm say... I would suggest tho that any shooter buy in bulk when prices are good... any handloader needs to buy in bulk also.... 5-10k primers at a time and powder in 8lb jugs this also saves money on hazmat fees... The fee is the same for one lb or 40 lbs I have a lot of loaded rounds I have loaded over the years and the way I handload is to have cans full of primed brass for each caliber. that way if I want to try a new load all I have to do is charge and crimp em. Coated bullets... the only way to go. I have uncoated carefully crafted in most calibers that I made years ago... I don't like to shoot em much tho now because of the coated being so much better in every way. But.... they will get shot up. I do keep records of most all the rounds I make that include targets and velocities and comments. Not much of a rifle shooter here so for the most part I don't load all that many every year 100 of 270's are gonna last me a long time. something like .223 or 30 carbine? not so much easy to power through 100 of em in one sitting. I try to bring 4 or more guns at a time tho out shooting so normally is is like plus or minus 50 rounds each... I almost always bring too much ammo but... I mean who would guess the girl I brought would love my model 1917 in 45 acp? She went through almost 100 rounds LOL
your community sounds like it hasn't been enriched yet@@ChadBoss-qr4hl
...3 almost 4 years after the plandemic. It's by design
Sadly, reloading components are the first to disappear and the last to come back when ammo shortages happen. If you buy in bulk, you can keep reloading through shortages, but you could also buy factory ammo in bulk, and it will also be easier to store for longer. The benefits of reloading are the ability to customize the ammo to your specifications, trading time instead of money, and the enjoyment of producing something yourself. The ability to reload and knowledge in homemade BP and primers would be great for long term self-reliance for preparedness though.
Reloading is a great hobby and the price has definitely went up for reloading supplies over the years but it's really cool to make something with your own hands that you can almost shoot through the same hole with 😁
I have been reloading for 52 years. With the cost of components today you can buy new ammo for a few cents a round more.
Better than crocheting hats. 🤣
@@rogerjohnson8707this is true but I can’t buy anything that shoots consistently as accurate out of my rifles compared to what I can reload.
@@rogerjohnson8707 I think it depends on what you're reloading
Not going to argue with that. Gave up rifle ammo decades go. Mainly .45 and 9mm today.@@emotionlessmarshmallow4581
I've been reloading for 40 years. Yes, the price has gone up, but once your initial investment in equipment pays itself off, it's still less expensive than buying factory ammo, especially if you cast your own bullets.
Are you able to give them a copper jacket or create specialty rounds like open tip/hollow points?
Is it Lee who makes the red colored Reloaders. My roommate inherited a couple Reloaders and gave them to me. They were her dad's and she does not know much about them. If I remember correctly Dylan was the bluish green Reloaders and Lee are the red Reloaders, is this correct?
@@Overkill06 Lee is red and I think some Redding products are too.
@@elterga6224 I'm no expert, but a precision machine like that is likely going to be the most expensive piece of equipment out of everything they listed.
Been reloading for about 30 years now. Run a dillion RL 550B 4 stage press and cast my own. Trick is to stock pile powder and primers as that is the choke point and they know it. For rifles also look for gas check cutters (E-Bay) some people produce. That will save you a fortune and avoid another choke point. They are having a real problem controlling firearms so are going after ammo now so the window may be closing on this option. Another thing is, it is great for old military rifles where ammo may be difficult to find.
If you look up Patmarlins, he makes gas check cutting dies. I've bought 4 or 5 sets from him
I have one of his also.
Reloading is very zen for me. I take my time, listen to a book or music. It's magical.
My grandson, when he visits looks forward to helping me. I love it because his parents are anti 2A. Gotta educate the generations that follow us.
After reloading a while I found that you really don't save that much overall but you shoot a higher quality of ammunition at a cheaper price.
The real reason I still reload is the peace of mind knowing that you don't have to rely on the store shelves being stocked during high demand periods. Unfortunately reloading components have been scarce for the past few years unless you already had a stockpile.
Agree. I stocked up on S&B primers when they were $18.99 a 1000 a few years back, and have been reloading since. It’s not just about price but availability.
X2
Say what? I reload for about a Quarter the price of factory new .
Makes all that effort picking up brass seem a little smarter, hope the guys that snorted at me have buy some for 2.00 a round.
Me too. Our family is set on the reloading aspects. Plenty of ammo in our second house. Now we just buy ammo here an there. Just for the fun of it
Started reloading because of the last ammo apocalypse. Now I'm hooked! Now that I've done enough to recover costs and learn what works for my setups, even plinking and range days are more consistent and I've stopped chasing zero for each commercial load .
Nice video. I have been loading for 30+ years now and the cost of loading has went up faster than the cost of loaded ammo. Primers are the key component here if you don’t have tons of them not worth buying equipment. Primers have went up 10x 15 times the price they were 30 yrs ago. $5.99 9mm is not $59.99 a box now. I did the math on your cast 9mm bullets and I can’t see the savings. .06 a bullet x1000 is about $64 a 1000 bullets minus shipping and tax. It’s $90 a 1000 copper plated shipped for the bullets I buy and I didn’t included time or health risk from lead exposure, or equipment to make them. Not saying you can’t save money…. But you won’t see it you just shoot more and make bulk purchases or components bullets, powder, and primers…
Last year when I did my winter reloading, I found that it was not worth reloading 9mm. It was cheaper to buy cheap 9mm. My costs are due to mostly shipping and hazmat costs that are added to my reloading costs. 9 to 10 cent primers are not helping either in the costs. I try to go out of state to buy my reloading supplies but I never know what they have until I get there so I often have to order it online. I do have the ability to reload all the calibers that I own because I live in NJ. I refuse to be a part of the ammo registry in NJ. When I go on vacation and get to the free living states, I always buy ammo or loading supplies.
9x19 is still such a common cartridge in military, law enforcement, security, and civilian use that's why.
I don't know where you all are buying primers but they were at 100 bucks/thousand, maybe a little more. Now I've seen them in many places at 60-75/1000. Still twice the cost they were but I can reload my own cast bullets in 9mm or 38/357 for 8-9c each. Call it 10 bucks for 50. A 50 round box of factory 9mm will set you back 15 bucks+ so basically your saving 30% on the cost, go to 38/357 and the savings are twice that. 44 Mag and rifle rounds depending on bullet choices saves you at least 50% over factory and it doesn't cost you a fortune to get started either, visiting gun shows and buying good used equipment to get started has worked well for many of my friends.
I fully agree if not have primers before pandemic not worth it anymore all components high now not cheap anymore just look for good deals online for loaded ammo
I'm a reloader but never plan to reload 762X39 or 223 before when the rd used to cost 17 cent , now reloading is worth for all calipers ...
I want to thank you guys for giving such a complete explanation for reloading. Not only being safe and economical you can produce a more accurate round of ammo. Thank you both and have a very merry Christmas !!!
I've been reloading for over 40-years. I reload pistol, rifle cartridges and shotgun shells. It's not only cost effective but it's a great hobby. I always stay within the loading parameters of my favorite reloading manuals. Great video, guys...!!
I bought my press in 2019 right before Covid. So far I’ve loaded 9mm, 9x25 Dillon, 30-06, 44-40 black powder, 45 Colt, 32 acp all on a Dillon 550. You won’t save any money but you will be able to tailor your ammo and shoot calibers that otherwise are cost prohibitive or unobtainium. You can also experiment and push the envelope in ways that are never going to be purchased off the shelf for legal reasons. Reloading just gets you deeper into the hobby of shooting I recommend it.
Well, I have been reloading since I was about 14-15 YOA, I will be 66 end of this week. It's also been a great hobby. I find that the customization you can do is amazing compared to factory. I have been buying "Blem" .308 Match bullets and have been getting some great prices. This also includes shotgun. You will really save if you shoot a lot of buck and slugs. 5 rounds of slugs is $ 9.99 for 5 rounds! You save a lot for defensive rounds on 5.56 or .300 Blackout. Thanks for the info....
Where you shop? I buy 1pz slugs loaded and shipped for less than slugs sold in a bag as components.
If you already have great skill in reloading, yes. If you are trying to start fresh and learn to make shooting cheaper, no. Component prices increase and time spent isn't enough to switch.
For someone who is recently disabled with limited mobility, this was an excellent video. Great information. I love your channel and all content covered. I just ordered the Modern Reloading 2nd edition by Richard Lee. Thanks guys.
I just found your channel, and it's really terrific. Another feature about reloading is you can design the ammunition to be exactly what it is you need. For instance, I used to shoot bowling pin competition, as wall as USPSA. For bowling pins, while shooting revolvers, even a commercial .44 Special round was way more than you needed to clear bowling pins off of tables, and I used to load up some .44 Magnum rounds with 240gr LSWC, but only moving at about 800fps, and it was a really light load, and very pleasant to shoot, but it cleared pins off the table. About 11 years ago, I had to sell my house, and I couldn't bring my reloading gear with me (Dillon 550B), so I miss being able to load my own .41Mag and .44Mag ammo, as well as .45ACP - Back then I used to shoot about about 500-600 rounds of .45ACP a week, and was reloading them about about $0.07 a round with my own brass.
My dad and his two brothers were avid hand loaders. I would sit in the backroom in the cellar and watch for hours. He would run out of componants, and he would send my brother or me to the Army and Navy store for a pound of Red Dot and a bag of #7 shot. We hopped on our bicycles, and off we went. He always called ahead to make sure we got what he needed.
Many years later, my brother and I got into the hobby as well.
It is a relaxing, fun time.
One rule I have is that I will not reload for anyone other than my one closest friend. I trust my handloads, but the liability is too great. A firearm blows up and injures someone, through no fault of mine, is too great a risk.
It's sad that the hoarders are jacking the prices sky high. It just takes that much longer to recoup your expenses.
All my uncles and my dad are gone now. I have all their equipment. Yeah, some of it has seen better days. But it could be brought back in an emergency to turn out the fine loads they once did. My dad would be struck speechless if he saw the sorry state of availability of components.
My brother and I are the only shooters who followed in the hand loading tradition. We have a great time at the range and it doesn't break the bank.
I separate out what I do at my bench into 2 disciplines.
1 Reloading and 2 handloading. Reloading is what I do to save money and do in volume. My reloading is typically done on a progressive press and it is mostly for simi auto.
Handloading is done for EDL or hunting ammo and is done on a single stage press. I independently weigh every charge, brass is meticulously prepped, and every round is checked at every step for consistency.
Two completely different reasons for producing your own ammo. I enjoy both...
The smoke and dirt that comes with cast lead is eliminated if you choose to powder coat your bullets instead of using traditional lube.
So you can buy powder coated bullets. But powder coating won’t help you with the worst part of cast lead, actually casting them 😊
Pre 2012 supplies would land you around 2-5cpr...today's supplies will land you 10+ cpr. And this is with free brass and free lead.
Yeah man, once I tried powder coating I knew I'd never go back. And once you perfect the process, it's super quick and easy.
@@monkmoto1887If you have proper ventilation it's not a concern. I cast a ton and get tested once a year, never had above a normal range of lead. I just do it outside. I also cast well below the 900 degrees F it takes to produce lead fumes. It melts at 621 degrees, I usually cast around 700. Lead dust is way more of a concern, and ingesting it if you get it on your hands and don't wash it off. I rarely handle the bare lead during the process.
Awesome information! Great to see Chad again.
Handload vs Non-handload...No-brainer! Been doing it for thirty years. Not only is it a great hobby, but it also defeats the frustration of ammo shortage and price gouging. Oh, and did I mention there's nothing more satisfying than taking game with a cartridge you produced for your rifle? The investment and cost breakdown is a non-issue for those of us who do it for the sheer love of doing it.
“Let them go to the brass heap in the sky”. That’s hilarious! Coming coming from a fellow US Army, Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran. Keep up,the great videos, Ranger! 😃🇺🇸👍🏾
It matters more for larger and more obscure rounds. I have made the most money back from stuff like 300AAC, 308/30-06, 6.5 carcano, and lots of other old military surplus rounds.
Your channel is the one that convinced me to get into reloading over ten years ago. I buy a lot of pulled bullets for plinking. Midwest powders. Bought a lot of supplies from Estate sales. Saved a lot of money. Thank you!
I've been reloading pistol, rifle and shotgun ammo for the last 35 years. I load my ammo for a couple of reasons. 1) I can load the exact type of ammo I need for the task. At the extreme, I have a favorite 22-250 load using a 40gr bullet and 700X shotgun powder that emulates 22 magnum performance for squirrel hunting. Try finding that loading on any store shelf. 2) I always have ammo. For example, many rifle hunting ammo was extremely hard to find during COVID. I actually had to load hunting ammo for some friends for deer season as store shelves were bare.
Run a similar load in my 223 bolt gun. Rcbs 22-55-SP and NOE 225 60 RN both shoot great.
Around the 25:18 mark you give the best advice in this video. If a person only chooses to buy one, this is the one to buy. Helpful and very informative video, guys. Good stuff.
The main reason to load your own is more to get exactly what you want rather than to save money per-se. Especially with older calibres like 35 Rem, 32 Spl, 300 Savage...
Rcbs 35-200-FN love that mold for my 35 rem and my 350 legend
What a coincidence. Iraqveteran8888 releases a video on reloading the same day I got Lee's Modern Reloading 2nd. I just cleaned my first brass today too. The rest of the components are on my Christmas list lol. I'm glad you speak highly of reloading 44 magnum because that's what I'll be reloading first. Hoping to pick up where Elmer Keith left off. Thanks for the tips
I got into reloading and casting my own bullets back in the late 1980's because of an uncle who got me hooked by reloading shotgun shells for him. Been picking up brass for almost as long and store brass by the 5 gallon buckets worth. Back in 2020 when you couldn't get 300 Blackout I was casting 160gr lead and powder coating them then putting Hornaday copper gas checks on. Loaded thousands upon thousands of 300 Blackout, 308, and 30-06 with them. Last year nobody had 30-30 except our hunting group in the area.
Same. LOVE my little Marlin 30-30 I bought back in the 80's
I've been reloading since 2001 and I love it.
Old gods, thank you for your channel! I have to admit when i first discovered these guys videos i thought these are those long and boring "chewing" videos where a person can't talk and completely unprepared. Turns out these are completely opposite, once again, thank you for recording these!
I have been buying new/used reloading equipment when I come across it, and over the years, I accumulated everything but the expendables. I just never did it because I manly shot 7.62x39, it's manly steel case, and it was always cheap n plentiful. But every since covid and Ukraine I can't find it at any local shop in my town. So last night, I bought the 11th edition of Hornady's handbook and am about to pull all my equipment out of the crawl space today. Thanks for giving me more motivation this morning.
As a Brit with a Firearm Licence, we can only hold a certain amount of ammo at any time per firearm. Reloading components aren't factored into that total, so reloading lends a degree of practicality. We were also not hit so hard by limited availability of components like primers. Plus it's fun, satisfying and can produce some exceptional results
@thegunsngloryshow Bro just chill out. We all know that and I'm sure he knows that. He was making a a comment that was not political and you decided to attack him for no reason. There's this skill called reading the room and you seem to lack social skills.
I was waiting for this almost obligatory, nuanced response. Really focused on that one part, top work pal@thegunsngloryshow
The most comprehensive breakdown of the cost of reloading that I have seen to date. Thank you both for breaking the cost down so those of us who aren't the brightest bulb in the chandelier can understand the pros and cons of reloading. 😂
Just mastering the skill set and possessing the components and tools makes it worth it. Reloading isnt a financial savings for me, its a hobby within a hobby. The knowledge you end up with makes reloading a great asset. Totally worth the price of admission to me. My only advice is buy once, cry once when it comes to Dies, scales and measuring tools. Let your press grow along with your experience.
Great video, also for giving Lee products proper credit. I used to reloan many different cartridges had several brands of presses and dies, all worked well but for the money Lee products #1 starting out especially. I gave several thousands of dollars to my nephews before covid and they then took the time to learn and enjoy reloading.
I got into reloading in 2020 during the last ammo shortage/price hikes. Definitely worth it for me!
The only thing not discussed in this video was the amount of rounds you can load in an hour. Thats a huge factor on if you're actually saving money.
I bought a Lee turret press and it works well… A big issue most don’t think about is that whatever press you buy, you will have to feed. A dillon progressive is only useful if you are loading 500+ rounds in a session. You have to have the money to feed whatever press you are using.
With a single stage press it is: NOT worth reloading .223 training ammo. In my experience it will take between 3-4 hours to reload 100 rounds and it will cost 70$ (CAD) for powder, bullets, and primers. That ends up being 1:1 cost for buying from the store/reloading, then you need to consider what your time has cost you.
If you are shooting large rifle calibers 30-30, 6.5 creed, 300 win mag, or .338 it ends up being worth it by a huge factor. You can tune the load to your rifle and crank out 20-60 rounds per 3 hours (from case prep/cleaning to the last bullet seated). In my case it costs about 30-40$ (CAD) in material to load 20 rounds of 6.5 creed, whereas if I was to purchase a comparable match load from the store i'd be spending 80-90$ (CAD), plus I wouldn't be getting the 1/4 MOA accuracy from the hand load.
The takeaway is this. Buy the equipment needed to load .223, 9mm, 45, and 12 ga (or whatever your primary use calibers are). Buy the powder, bullets, and primers that go along with them. Develop a load for your rifles/pcc's/handguns, then keep a small stockpile of the raw materials and reloading data should you ever need to use it. Ideally the concept is this: should a huge jump in ammo prices occur, or if the supply chain is cut you can still produce enough ammo to buffer the effect and keep yourself and your family safe.
I've been reloading for 30 yrs and this is by far the worst time for reloading I've ever seen.. the cost of primers is the tipping point.
Today I can find 9mm fmj for .25 - .30 each ,with primers at .10 - .15 each that pushes my cost point to about the same for target ammo BUT that's using my brass. If I can buy new ammo for the same price and actually get new brass .. why would I use my components? The cost of primers is out of wack with the cost of ammo right now!!
Really enjoyed this content. I've been reloading for about 12 years now but I'm always open ears to new information and opinions from intelligent minds. This video had a very old school IV888 feel and I liked that. 👍 👍
Long time reloader, fancy myself a bit of an expert. You can save money, you probably won’t for a long time though. You’ll still get much more consistent ammo and it’ll always be on the bottom end price wise
You have to be in it for the long term investment to reload. Slowly stock up on components when they’re available or on sale. 9mm isn’t worth reloading right now but most rifle cartridges are
I've reloaded and casted my own bullets for > 55 years and never really did it for the cost savings , more for being able to dial in the perfect load for any particular gun or use and to reload the odd ball stuff. I prefer the Lyman reloading guide myself and generally start with there suggested accuracy loads and 90% of the time that just happens to be what most guns will like best, if not start tweaking it 1 tenth at a time till you find what works best in your gun. That's been my experience anyhow and I figure the folks at Lyman have shot probably a billion rounds compared to my million , so they pretty damn well know, way better than me when they suggest a accuracy load for a particular caliber , there pretty spot on .
I haven't done any reloading lately as I recently moved and am still getting organized, but I already have a spot picked out for a enclosed reloading room as soon as my new garage is done. Plus I had almost all my brass reloaded before I moved, have plenty on hand and haven't really had the opportunity to shoot as much as I did before the move anyways, so no push . I want my new reloading room and hot rod garage to be a dandy !
Ya Ya ,,,I know, it seems I like all the expensive hobbies now don't I ,and hot rods sure ain't cheap either ,,,got 3. Thank God I got out of flying too !
No wonder I'm broke all the time ! 🤦♂ Gezzzz
Prices going up next year. Time to stock up a bit. Plus a lot of military contracts and big announcements that would impact supply and demand.
I’m so glad I started loading my own ammunition twenty five years ago, I love it as a enjoyable hobby, however with the cost of primers now and powder and only able to buy a 1000 primers at a time and only one pound of powder if that’s all that is available the cost now is very close to factory, so I’m very glad I loaded a shit pot in both handgun and rifle, great video guys.
I got smart with my dad 12 years ago. Buy it cheap an stack it deep. Large magnum rifle primers roughly 22k , Large rifle primers 40k, small rifle primers about 32k, small pistol primers easily 50k plenty of once fired brass, plenty of Projectiles. After we acquired all the reloading supplies just been buying extra ammo here an there for different stashes. I love going up to the cabin i know what to look forward to do with my dad. Reload reload an watch football an enjoy nature with no one around for miles. Its just relaxing.
Im so glad my dad talked me into playing things smart 12 years ago.
Thanks pops
I think the fact that primers are now $90-$100 have skewed the savings of reloading drastically. That's a 3x increase for that component. I don't get why it's so expensive, while ammo prices were dropping months ago, primers have barely changed.
Agreed, I’ve been doing the math every few years and each time the cost of the raw parts cost the same as buying factory ammo. That cost doesn’t include my time or equipment either.
Factory demand is up. Factories get first dibs.
It's a reeeeal simple equation.
It completely depends on what you're reloading. Is 9mm worth it? No, not if you can get a box of it for 15$ at your local store. 38/357/44/45lc/45-70 ect absolutely it is worth it
Primers are 70/80 dollars a 1000 primers, 11 years ago you could’ve buy 5000 it’s still cheaper, my brass is once fired for free ❤ great videos 🍷
It depends on how much you are shooting. If you monthly shoot around 100 rounds than box ammo at the store is the way to go. If you shoot more than you have to sit down and do some math which is more convenient. Time is also something to be in equation
I had surgery earlier this year and was off of work for about 3 weeks. I intended to load up a bunch of 9mm throughout the 3 weeks. I ended up loading 2000 rounds of subsonic 9mm in about 4 days. That's another aspect to consider for saving costs- specialty ammo like subsonics. I also load .300 blk subsonic and .38/.357 for my Henry Big Boy X. I got really lucky with my reloading set up and had a family friend give me a whole reloading set up with a turret press in exchange for hunting my parents property. It's also very therapeutic for me.
These are the videos I love from this channel keep it up!
I have an obsolete cartridge that in reality reloading is my only recourse. The 405 Winchester is extremely expensive when you find it, I've seen a box going for more than 10 dollars a round. Brass is not the cheapest but if you have some skill, Norma 9.3x74 rimmed brass can be trimmed, annealed and fireformed to make cartridges. Bullets are not to hard to come by, and .41 caliber pistol bullets can also be used. I have the cost under 4 bucks a round now. Love to reload this rifle.
I started reloading fifty years ago as a starving young carpenter who couldn't afford factory ammunition, even then. The RCBS single-stage press and Lee dies weren't too expensive, and I collected lead from the plumbers and roofers on the jobs to cast my own bullets.
Fifty years later, even with vastly more sophisticated (and faster) equipment, shooting factory ammunition is an alien thing, like wearing someone else's underwear.
The real cost savings comes from the less common rounds that can be very expensive, if you can even find ammo for it. If you load the big bores reloading is a huge savings
I think the most important factor in this whole discussion is the quality of reloaded ammo. I trust what I reload more than standard factory ammo any day of the week!!!!
Great Vids guys once again. One thing I like about reloading I the fact I can reload what I need when I need it as I need it. Choosing your components and calibers carefully you can minimize the logistics and the expense to a degree. For example, BL-C2 will reload just about every non-magnum chambering from 223 to 7.62x54R with few exceptions. Reloading is how I have beat the ammo shortages!!!
Really great video. I remember some of y’all’s earlier reloading videos from years past. All the info here is spot on. The biggest eye opener for me when I got into reloading was not the cost savings but how much better the ammo was. No factory ammo can even come close to ammo you custom tune for your gun. To me that is better than the money saved. I have not saved money so much as I have shot more with the same amount of money. But you were right on about how you feel when the brass finally wears out. It sucks. 😅
I got into reloading before COVID and everything before the cost of ammo and reloading supplies went up (and reloading supplies were scarce too!). Luckily, I purchased supplies prior to prices going up. Just last week, I ordered some more reloading supplies since I can now find primers, cases, and bullets. I have a Lee Classic Turret Press and just reload 9mm for now.
I knew prices would go insane eventually so I stocked up nicely years ago. I hear powder is going to be a big concern next year with big price hikes because making more ammo for the ongoing conflicts is going to cause a worldwide powder shortage. Yay.... The prices of IMR powder is already pretty bad, wonder what they will go up to. Companies have already stopped making some types of powder because of all of this.
@@Toolness1 Guess we better get some powder now. I already have some from a few years back and it would suck to run out. Primers, cases, bullets, power. You need all 4. lol
@@williewasahippie I don't like to fuel the panic but it's probably a good idea to get some of your favorite powders now just in case....I've been stocking up since about 2013 but I still grab stuff now and then. With full power rifle loads you can go through a pound pretty quick!
@@Toolness1 Always best to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it! Thanks.
@@williewasahippie For sure, and as long as you store it correctly you could sell it or trade it decades later. I have some HP38 my dad bought in the 70s and it still woks perfectly. I have some old surplus M1 carbine military pulled powder and it is fine as well. It's at least 50 years old.
Eric & cad I want to say thank you for your video. You guys really woke me up on a lot of stuff about reloading now I wanna get more into it. Thank you very much for your input very helpful. I hope y’all have a happy new year.
Reloading is absolutely worth it. When supplies are low, it's nice to know you can supply your own. Don't reload thinking you are saving money, reloading can provide you supply when ammunition can be hard to come by.
I just started reloading for my 7.62x54r Mosin with a Lee Classic Loader. 50 after shipping, 32 for a powder scale, and 10 for a rubber mallet.
I got that for the only reason of not being able to find any 7.62x54r ammo on the shelves in nearly a year. Thankfully, only primers are hard to come by as far as components, but I did stock up.
As far as prices in my area and what I can find online, I can save up to $50 per 100 rounds of ammo if I reload lead core soft point bullets for my .308 Win. I might need to scrounge up more primers if I do that, though.
Reloading for my .357 Cattleman is tempting, but I haven't done the math on whether or not it's worth it.
its odd how different areas are having differing caliber problems, all common rounds are available in pistol including 38spl and 357, the odd mid to larger rifle rounds are available and have been since 2019, mosin rounds have been $15 a box this entire time in my area and still are. but .410 is non existent.
Don’t forget, that the recycling of the brass cases technically is recouping some cost as well. Scrap brass is valuable.
The other thing that wasnt really expanded upon here, is that when you reload, you can do a "ladder" and tune the cartridge for your rifle. A ladder is when you load say 5-10 rounds at say minimum powder charge for a cartridge and then incrementally increasing the powder charge by a small amount, say .25 grains for the next 5-10 rounds repeating this until you have 5-10 rounds of each increment, from lets say min powder charge to max. Then you start at the bottom, shoot five rounds, measure your group, shoot the next five, and repeat until you've gone through all your rounds (cooling the barrel between groups). There are two charges that will be the most accurate; these are called nodes, and if you were to graph out your avg group for each one you'll see that you'll gradually miss less as you get closer to your first node, and once you hit that node, your groups will start opening up and get really bad, and then start shrinking again until they reach the second node where they are again most accurate. This is because several factors but barrel harmonics essentially being the reason. Tuning your ammo load to your particular rifle (and projectile/powder/primer combination) will increase your accuracy and consistency...This is why all competition shooters hand-load. Chad touched on this very briefly.
My buddy and I used to walk the gutters around the neighborhood, looking for lead balancing weights that fell off of car wheels to give my dad to melt down. He made mostly 38 special plinking rounds with the molds. We also lived near a wrecking yard, and allegedly found some there.
12:28 Great jacket 👌 From the Norwegian "Heimevernet" [almost the same as Norwegian ' national guard '] Greetings from Norway 🇳🇴
Got into reloading about a year ago across the three i reload for
124 grain 9mm - 11 cents
265 grain 300blk -13 cents
650 grain 50 Beowulf- 63 cents
Has allowed me to shoot alot more aswell having cheaper specialty calibers aswell as allowing you to play with weights to your liking
When primers cost a $1 each, NO! I'm setting up to start making Mexican match ammo from some of my steel case ammo. I don't have a progressive, but I do have a few single stage presses.
I save a ton reloading 300WM. My cost without brass is about 80cents a round. That is for tailored ammo not available on the shelf. Large rifle primers are still hard to find and have gone crazy high.
Nice introduction to reloading. Another nice thing about reloading is at allows a person to experiment with what works best for a certain caliber when shooting on the bench. A couple handy little tools when reloading are the Forester brass case length cutter and the Lee primer setter.
Remember, annealing is supposed to be done after the work-hardening steps. The more the brass is worked, the more it needs to be annealed.
Brass needs to be annealed before running it through any sizing die after 3 firings . When the brass becomes hardened due to sizing and firing it will split the neck open when it's ran back through the sizing die if the brass is not annealed to a malleable state. Some people anneal brass after every firing if it's annealed after the sizing is done it defeats the purpose of not splitting case necks.
So, what's the proper technique ... Either seems like it will work as long as it's done to a known case . Now I'm a little confused . Factory NATO ammo is done before loading . So ?... @@jasonrottlaender1721
@@jasonrottlaender1721the main reason for annealing after every firing isn't necessarily the prospect of making your brass last as long as possible but instead a situation like you're trying to load match quality ammo because accuracy all comes down to consistency and annealing all your brass, especially on a good machine will reset neck tension to the same place on all your brass. Especially if you have mixed brass it can definitely make a noticeable difference down range.
it's good if you buy in bulk or want to shoot match ammo or custom loads for specific purposes (i.e. competition, hunting, long range precision etc.)
You don't really save money though. especially if you buy all the fancy tools to make it fast/time efficient. It's more like purposed loading.
My take…. First it all depends on what your loading, and how often your shooting that ammo, as well as your goal in loading your ammo.
Loading your ammo gives you the flexibility to make the ammo you want. Light loads, heavy loads, choice of projectile.
It may or may not save you money depending on what you’re loading as well. Some calibers will easily save you money to reload. Others it may cost you more.
However…. If and when the SHTF, or ammo becomes scarce. If you know how to reload you have a better chance of keeping up your supply of ammo. Especially if you use calibers that can easily be adapted for use with black powder. Such as 45/70, 45 colt, and 45acp to just name a few.
I reload with Sierra Match King 69 grain BTHP. for 5.56, I have the X750 Dillon Press, it was a present to me! I am loved!!!
After 7 years of reloading I’ve found the best boon of reloading to be straight walled magnum cartridges, specifically for revolvers/lever guns but in general. Reason being they just don’t require a lot of expense and advanced materials to run great, even if you don’t want to get into casting your own, bulk non jacketed bullets are really cheap, I can load very accurate, very powerful loads of .357 magnum for about 15 cents a round. And they run great through lever guns and double action revolvers. The problem I encountered with semi autos is when you try and reduce the cost by either using lead bullets or less powder, your reliability instantly suffers, and even though it’s possible to lessen those problems with more work, expense, and attention, the magnum revolver ammo just doesn’t require any of that
You guys are awesome. Thank you!
I save close to 3.61 a round for 9mm reloading myself. And i can adjust different grain levels. I like to use 3.8 or 3.7 for 124 grain FMJ just standard ball ammo. 115 grain 4.4 pr 4.3, for a little hotter loads i go 4.8. I reload my own brass, 8 cents for primer, 0.15 cents for bullet and 0.02 cents for powder a scoop. 25 cents a round comapred to the 3 something for factory. Ill go reloading any day. I load on a lee loader classic 9mm. Everything starting out costed me 160, bullets, primer, powder, scale, and caliper.
One point you guys might want to bring up in a primer to casting your own bullets is that in order to use them in modern polygonal barrels, you'll want to powder coat them in a toaster oven. Personally, I do this with all my lead-cast, since it reduces lead fouling by a wide margin.
I am reloading 30-06 ammo for a Remington 740 & M1 while listening. I am extremely fond of 77/75 grain 5.56, hand loads are the only way go, still not cheap but about 1/2 price. Started hand loading in 1966, have not come up with a good reason to stop.
Good video with the prices the way they are I can see more people getting into it
The answer is ABSOLUTELY! I started collecting brass during a 6 - 9 month period. During that time period I started purchasing everything necessary to get started reloading 45, 9mm & 223 / 556. By the time I was ready to start reloading I had almost 4 - 5gal buckets of brass, around 5k primers for EACH caliber and now all sorts of different bullets to load. Recently been having alot of fun reloading 75g & 62g Speer Gold Dot 222 to 5.56 pressures!
Sometimes the best thing about taking a class is there are only 1 or 2 reloaders. Especially rifle .The ground is covered with once fired brass.
I have an old Herters loading manual. There is enough bologna in there to survive a month in the wilderness. The loading data is fine, but the rest is quite filling.
Your time is the main issue for most. According to work and family schedule. When i eas working 6 days a week i didn't have time to reload, now im disabled all i have is time. So if youre not working its good for time consumption, and saving money. If you break even it keeps you busy. Thats worth a lot. And i buy lead at recycling centers. They sell me small bucket or 5gal bucket. Great video 👍👍
I think it depends on what round you are wanting to shoot i think for handguns like 9mm you are better off shooting factory rounds because if you make your own 9mm you could make a powerful load that will end up tearing your barrel up I don't think it matters to much with rifle rounds and thank you for the information brother.
It all matters if your not going to have your head into it Don't. For your information 9mm can be loaded just as safely as a rifle round you just need to do some reading and watch some videos and most importantly understand. When you understand the process you will see what I'm talking about.
For me, it's not so much about cost savings. You definitely trade time and convenience for any savings you'll eventually gain. It's more about the ability to make your own ammo. There's just something satisfying about closing the loop on shooting by reloading your own ammo. JMHO Semper Fi
Thank you, gentlemen, for such an outstanding service. 😎👍
It's great to see Chad. He isn't on too often these days.
When my brass gets too many load counts and needs to be trashed, I place it in a box and use it to set up my annealer. It is especially useful when having to anneal case necks on brass that has to be done on a regular basis and brass that is very difficult to acquire.
Great video, enjoyed the math breakdown. I load center fire rifle for accuracy & customization
Just shot a friend's Winchester 1898 in .32-20. Didn't realize until after that the ammo sells for *well* over $1/round. Found new brass online, .32 bullets (cast or jacketed), small pistol primers and your powder of choice and it's easy to see there would be a savings in a fairly small number of reloads.
Been reloading since 1984 and can't imagine doing it any other way, however I generally just purchase bulk ammo for the first time for cartridges like 9mm, 308 and 5.56 but range brass is an option if you know it's new. Love going to the range after the local cops qualify! After that I reload and I generally figure the empties are half the cost of the loaded cartridge. 44 mag, 300 Win Mag and others that are never cheap I just buy the components new and load from the beginning. The best deal I ever got was 30-06 ammo from CMP. Picked up over 3000 rounds close to 20 years ago. I'll have ammo for my M1 for life and the brass is awesome for 168 gr match handloads. Have also picked up tens of thousands of rounds of 9mm, 40 cal and 45 range brass, plus bulk once fired machine gun brass by the pound from Lake City. I load all winter and shoot all summer!
I think the prep idea of it is the most valuable benefit to reloading. Not the now , but the idea of ammo becoming impossible to get, or some kind of war. Which does appeal to me. Being able to recycle brass when there is no ammo is priceless.
Reloading is fun! I have a Type 99 Arisaka, where factory ammo is few and far between. I’ve had to reload my own ammo for that rifle. I also reload M2 ball by for both of my 1903 Springfields. BTW I own 8 reloading manuals!
Another good source is if you have a local outdoor range, get expended range lead.
I have a 6.5 Grendel and that is what inspired me to look into this. I'm definitely getting some stuff.
I’ve been reloading since I was 18 and I already have all the equipment, I’m 73 and just finished reloading 500 rounds of 300 BLK 110 gr V-Max for $.63 a round with brass formed from Range Brass. Midway has 110 gr V-Max for $1.55 a round. Reloading is a cost savings of $.92 a round!
More reloading content, please! Great video.
Been reloading for almost 3 decades. For a competition shooter it is a must. But primers are the killer right now.
Whats missing from this video is that reloading components have been really hard to find too. When is dries up off the shelf then so do the components. I'm not finding primers where I live for $5/sleeve, it's closer to $10. Also powder is running at $50/lb or more. I guess I need to check my math with current cost components, but these projections sound really low for current costs.