I thought I would save money reloading. Meanwhile, after buying my Dillon 650, I've spent hundreds on accessories and other materials. Just today, I bought .357 dies for 50 bucks, a conversion kit for another 50 or so. 2000 primers for 29 bucks, a toolhead, and a cartridge feeder! How much more do I have to spend before I start saving???
Expensive!!!
- Thread starter branrot
- Start date
buy some .38 bullet molds for .357, and around 10,000 rds you'll
hit even on the cost, of course your going to buy other calibers so
maybe you never get even on the money, you just keep spending for more toys, its a fun hobby and you feel better shooting your
own ammo, down load with 148 WCs or max speed with 110 gr,
all your ammo will be better than store bought and ALOT cheaper.
can't take money with ya when ya go, enjoy!
hit even on the cost, of course your going to buy other calibers so
maybe you never get even on the money, you just keep spending for more toys, its a fun hobby and you feel better shooting your
own ammo, down load with 148 WCs or max speed with 110 gr,
all your ammo will be better than store bought and ALOT cheaper.
can't take money with ya when ya go, enjoy!
Branrot. I don't know your reloading experience, so bear with me.
Getting Dillon equipment is a good investment, albeit one of the most expensive ways to go. Great equipment for the experienced handloader who needs to load up a few thousand rounds at a time. For a newbie? I'm not so sure it's a good idea.
Like I said, I don't want you to think I'm talking down to you if you're already a handloader and just want to speed things up a bit. Just not too long ago, I loaded up 2,500 plus rounds of .45 ACP on a single stage press only because I haven't gotten ther stuff to set my Dillon 550B for it yet.
This is just my opinion, for what it's worth, and I know some people will flame me for it, my asbestos suit just came out of the cleaners so fire away.
I feel that anyone who is starting out learning to handload ammunition should start out with a sinfle stage press and learn the ropes first. After they have loaded several thousand or more rounds, they will at least have enough experience to decide if the added expense, or even the necessity, of a progressive press is warranted. I've been reloading and handloading (there is a difference, you know.)for forty-seven years, and just got my Dillon last year, basically because the price was too good to refuse. (Guy I got it from couldn't figure out how to work it, even with the video.) Oh well. Figured that if I did not like it, I wouldn't lose any money.
I plan to use it for my handgun ammo only. For rifles, i'll stick to my single stage press.
Branrot. I too started loading my own to save money. Like everybody else, I don't really save anything, but I get to shoot a hell of a lot more. You'll probably have to spend a few bucks more, no question about it. But, and this is a very big but, over the years, the savings on your ammo will amortize the cost of your equipment. I forget what my Rockchucker cost new, it's been too long ago. I do know that between the rifle and handgun ammo I've loaded on it, that it's made at least 300,000 rounds of ammo or more. I could probably tell you closer than that, but most of my notes were lost when I moved the last time. That poor old press is about wore out. I'm going to send it back to RCBS and see if they can rebuild it.
So Branrot, no, you won't see immediate benefits. Over the long run though, if you load enough, that set up will indeed pay for itself through amortization. FWIW. I'm still buying stuff for the Rockchucker. Really, it never ends. Relax, enjoy the quiet contemplation that leisurly cranking out ammo can bring. For me, even after 47 years of handloading, it's still fun.
Paul B.
Getting Dillon equipment is a good investment, albeit one of the most expensive ways to go. Great equipment for the experienced handloader who needs to load up a few thousand rounds at a time. For a newbie? I'm not so sure it's a good idea.
Like I said, I don't want you to think I'm talking down to you if you're already a handloader and just want to speed things up a bit. Just not too long ago, I loaded up 2,500 plus rounds of .45 ACP on a single stage press only because I haven't gotten ther stuff to set my Dillon 550B for it yet.
This is just my opinion, for what it's worth, and I know some people will flame me for it, my asbestos suit just came out of the cleaners so fire away.
I feel that anyone who is starting out learning to handload ammunition should start out with a sinfle stage press and learn the ropes first. After they have loaded several thousand or more rounds, they will at least have enough experience to decide if the added expense, or even the necessity, of a progressive press is warranted. I've been reloading and handloading (there is a difference, you know.)for forty-seven years, and just got my Dillon last year, basically because the price was too good to refuse. (Guy I got it from couldn't figure out how to work it, even with the video.) Oh well. Figured that if I did not like it, I wouldn't lose any money.
I plan to use it for my handgun ammo only. For rifles, i'll stick to my single stage press.
Branrot. I too started loading my own to save money. Like everybody else, I don't really save anything, but I get to shoot a hell of a lot more.
You'll probably have to spend a few bucks more, no question about it. But, and this is a very big but, over the years, the savings on your ammo will amortize the cost of your equipment. I forget what my Rockchucker cost new, it's been too long ago. I do know that between the rifle and handgun ammo I've loaded on it, that it's made at least 300,000 rounds of ammo or more. I could probably tell you closer than that, but most of my notes were lost when I moved the last time. That poor old press is about wore out. I'm going to send it back to RCBS and see if they can rebuild it.So Branrot, no, you won't see immediate benefits. Over the long run though, if you load enough, that set up will indeed pay for itself through amortization. FWIW. I'm still buying stuff for the Rockchucker. Really, it never ends. Relax, enjoy the quiet contemplation that leisurly cranking out ammo can bring. For me, even after 47 years of handloading, it's still fun.
Paul B.
RCBS won't fix your Rockchucker.
They will however send you a new one to replace the worn out one. That is what they did for me. It had developed about .025" or so of lateral play between the ram and the base. At that time I had had it for about 25 years. I still size and expand everything on the RC. I prime with a Lee handpress with the Lee Auto-Prime 2. And I seat with the Lee Handpress. Total of about 10,000 rnds a year (rifle and pistol).
They will however send you a new one to replace the worn out one. That is what they did for me. It had developed about .025" or so of lateral play between the ram and the base. At that time I had had it for about 25 years. I still size and expand everything on the RC. I prime with a Lee handpress with the Lee Auto-Prime 2. And I seat with the Lee Handpress. Total of about 10,000 rnds a year (rifle and pistol).
branrot you're investing in future savings, how much and how soon depends on how much you shoot. Buying Dillon is a big up front cost but in my opinion it's worth it. I've loaded tens of thousands of rounds on my Dillon 550 (there wasn't a 650 when I got my 550) it's been a great tool.
You should be able to figure out when you break even fairly easily. If you've got $500 invested now (just a guess) that's only ~25 boxs of 357 Magnum range ammo or 1,250 rounds. It should cost somewhere around $4/box to handload depending on the components so you'll break even after loading approximatly 32 boxs or 1,600 rounds. After that you'll be saving money. If you loaded for more expensive calibers, say the 454 Casull, you'd break even sooner because the difference in cost between reloads and factory is greater.
Before that you'll be learning more about this sport, you'll be able to fine tune your loads to your guns making them more fun to shoot, you'll be able to taylor loads to whatever YOU desire not what you can find at the shop.
Many people start reloading with the idea that they'll save money, which in the long run you do. But most realize that handloading their own ammo is fun, many of us find it as enjoyable developing handloads as it is to shoot.
I hope you don't give up on reloading from the initial sticker shock! Once you get over that you'll find there can be as much enjoyment in crafting your own ammo as there is in shooting.
You should be able to figure out when you break even fairly easily. If you've got $500 invested now (just a guess) that's only ~25 boxs of 357 Magnum range ammo or 1,250 rounds. It should cost somewhere around $4/box to handload depending on the components so you'll break even after loading approximatly 32 boxs or 1,600 rounds. After that you'll be saving money. If you loaded for more expensive calibers, say the 454 Casull, you'd break even sooner because the difference in cost between reloads and factory is greater.
Before that you'll be learning more about this sport, you'll be able to fine tune your loads to your guns making them more fun to shoot, you'll be able to taylor loads to whatever YOU desire not what you can find at the shop.
Many people start reloading with the idea that they'll save money, which in the long run you do. But most realize that handloading their own ammo is fun, many of us find it as enjoyable developing handloads as it is to shoot.
I hope you don't give up on reloading from the initial sticker shock! Once you get over that you'll find there can be as much enjoyment in crafting your own ammo as there is in shooting.
Paul B. - I can load one round at a time or four rounds at a time with my RL550B. What makes a single stage press an advantage? If you don't like your wife and kids, or if you don't have a family, a single stage press may be a good thing for you. How long did it take you to load "2500 plus rounds" on your single stage press? Just because I haven't wasted many hours slowly reloading one stage at a time I should learn from Dillon how to safely reload quickly? I'm not slow or stupid so I don't need to load thousands of rounds one stage at a time to figure out how it works. If you do, that's fine. You know your limitations and you work within them, that's great. Loading one round into the chamber at a time when teaching a new adult shooter is fine for the first ten or twenty rounds. Would you suggest that a new shooter fire thousands of rounds, using a single-shot rifle or pistol, before getting a revolver or semi-automatic pistol?
Branrot
You're looking at this all wrong! Tell yourself how much you are
SAVING by reloading, not how much you are spending. This way you can justify spending all this money you "saved", on more stuff.
Seriously, saving money is probably one of the least important reasons most reloaders engage in their hobby. This may be a good idea for a poll, but I'd bet most people, including myself, have other reasons for reloading, which would come before "saving money". First, for me, is that it is something I enjoy doing. It helps me clear my mind of everything else, for the time I am at the reloading bench. (Being focused on the task at hand is of the utmost importance) Second, is the satisfaction I get by taking game or shooting good groups with ammo I have produced.
Adjust your attitude a little bit, and get more enjoyment from this hobby.
You're looking at this all wrong! Tell yourself how much you are
SAVING by reloading, not how much you are spending. This way you can justify spending all this money you "saved", on more stuff.
Seriously, saving money is probably one of the least important reasons most reloaders engage in their hobby. This may be a good idea for a poll, but I'd bet most people, including myself, have other reasons for reloading, which would come before "saving money". First, for me, is that it is something I enjoy doing. It helps me clear my mind of everything else, for the time I am at the reloading bench. (Being focused on the task at hand is of the utmost importance) Second, is the satisfaction I get by taking game or shooting good groups with ammo I have produced.
Adjust your attitude a little bit, and get more enjoyment from this hobby.
Keano. I reload not because I enjoy reloading so much, but because I enjoy shooting so much. Reloading allows me to do more shooting.
The scary part is that I don't seem to mind the reloading so much. I've already gone through about 2000 rounds, which is more than I'll shoot in the next few weeks, at least. I still see it more as a means to an end, though, although I'm keeping an open mind that that may change.
The scary part is that I don't seem to mind the reloading so much. I've already gone through about 2000 rounds, which is more than I'll shoot in the next few weeks, at least. I still see it more as a means to an end, though, although I'm keeping an open mind that that may change.
The Reloading Blues ?
I feel that you have really jumped in the deep end !
Try a LEE Loader or a Partner Press or the ancient Lyman Tong-Tool. But a small quantities from the store or a friend and see how you go.
I started in 1990 with a borrowed .410 Lee Loader. Ammo for my the mini-shottie folder "poacher" car-gun was $18 for 25 at the sports store, fully imported Fiochi or Winchester or Ely.
I reloaded for under 10c a shot and loved all the testing. Instead of saying "blast - there is another shot wasted" I said " Good, there is another one I can reload...HMMM - this time I will change the shot size etc.... "
I got given some Du Pont 4227 IMR , a coco tin of #7 shot from a glider's ballast bags and some .410 wads and heaps of 3" old .410 cases from a horticulturalist. I went out and bought 1,000 Shotgun primers made by some Italian maker and with fear and trembling fired my very first reload alone - with full safety gear and an extra hard-coiled cloth turban around my head for extra protection from the shrapnel !
Well all was OK - of course ! ....but it got a bit hot inside the headgear, gloves, padded jacket, earmuffs and face-shield -I can tell you!
Lovely, I will never forget it !:032:
Still got the gun, got a crow with it last from ther car at 15 m, children like it too as it does not kick and only "pops"!
I now load [as well as 6 Lee Loaders] on a Lee Load-all, Simplex 6 Turret and a RC single stage press for more calibres.
As they come along I acquired....No hurry.
But DO buy a good (or several)reloading manuals(I recommend Lymans 47th), make a loading block out of wood and use a drill and after a bit a set of used scales and a thrower maybe.
Do not hurry, enjoy. Always work up to a load bit by bit. DOUBLE CHECK ALL PROCEDURES.
We ALL envy your start in a truly great hobby -I am sure :001:
I feel that you have really jumped in the deep end !
Try a LEE Loader or a Partner Press or the ancient Lyman Tong-Tool. But a small quantities from the store or a friend and see how you go.
I started in 1990 with a borrowed .410 Lee Loader. Ammo for my the mini-shottie folder "poacher" car-gun was $18 for 25 at the sports store, fully imported Fiochi or Winchester or Ely.
I reloaded for under 10c a shot and loved all the testing. Instead of saying "blast - there is another shot wasted" I said " Good, there is another one I can reload...HMMM - this time I will change the shot size etc.... "
I got given some Du Pont 4227 IMR , a coco tin of #7 shot from a glider's ballast bags and some .410 wads and heaps of 3" old .410 cases from a horticulturalist. I went out and bought 1,000 Shotgun primers made by some Italian maker and with fear and trembling fired my very first reload alone - with full safety gear and an extra hard-coiled cloth turban around my head for extra protection from the shrapnel !
Well all was OK - of course ! ....but it got a bit hot inside the headgear, gloves, padded jacket, earmuffs and face-shield -I can tell you!
Lovely, I will never forget it !:032:
Still got the gun, got a crow with it last from ther car at 15 m, children like it too as it does not kick and only "pops"!
I now load [as well as 6 Lee Loaders] on a Lee Load-all, Simplex 6 Turret and a RC single stage press for more calibres.
As they come along I acquired....No hurry.
But DO buy a good (or several)reloading manuals(I recommend Lymans 47th), make a loading block out of wood and use a drill and after a bit a set of used scales and a thrower maybe.
Do not hurry, enjoy. Always work up to a load bit by bit. DOUBLE CHECK ALL PROCEDURES.
We ALL envy your start in a truly great hobby -I am sure :001:
Edward429451
Moderator
Hey Blades buddy, take a valium! You're probably above average intelligence, where his statement was kind of across the board to everyone. I bet it only takes an IQ of 95 to reload, and safer on a single stage press for some cause one on one with all steps and nothing is left to chance. I own a Rockchucker (First), and a 550B and the rockchucker has never given me a dud and the 550B has. True enough its "next to none", but the RC is NONE.
Branrot,
Thats just something we tell our wives so they'll give us more $$ to spend. You do save compared to factory ammo, but you cant compare good handloads to factory, handloads win hands down.
Branrot,
Thats just something we tell our wives so they'll give us more $$ to spend. You do save compared to factory ammo, but you cant compare good handloads to factory, handloads win hands down.
My initial investment was $385.00 This included Lee Pro 1000, Lyman tumbler, some additional lee press accessories (case collitor etc), carbide dies for both 9mm and .40, bullets for 9mm and .40, primers, powder, got free brass from a local range, and a .40 case gauge. I have since loaded up about 2000 rds. My first 1000 were lead, because I had aleady spent too much. My second thousand were copper jacket, much cleaner. I figure I've recooped about $225.00 of my initial investment and have determined that I save about 25% over purchasing those terrible factory loads. I believe there are savings to be found, its just difficult to swallow the initial cost. Just hang in there, reloading is the best. I love it as much as shooting.
I maintain a spreadsheet that tracks all historical load data, and the costs associated with reloading. I know what each load costs me, and that I'm 43% of the way to breaking even on my initial and ongoing equipment expenditures (based on calculated reload savings).
1) Am I saving money? Sure, based on the cost of an equivalent factory load.
2) Am I spending more? Sure, reloads costs less so therefore I shoot more.
3) Am I really saving money? NOT if I count the time involved in the whole reloading evolution of cleaning, inspection, sorting, etc.
Bottom line is that I enjoy reloading as a hobby, so the time spent is a wash.
1) Am I saving money? Sure, based on the cost of an equivalent factory load.
2) Am I spending more? Sure, reloads costs less so therefore I shoot more.
3) Am I really saving money? NOT if I count the time involved in the whole reloading evolution of cleaning, inspection, sorting, etc.
Bottom line is that I enjoy reloading as a hobby, so the time spent is a wash.
I can reload .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum ammo for $3.50 a box. And it's BETTER ammo than the bargain ammo that most people seem to buy. Anyway you measure it, that's saving money! Yes, I've got a Dillon! A XL650 with all the whistles and bells. The closest thing to an ammo factory that I can handle. Oh, that's BUYING bullets. When I cast my bullets QUALITY goes up and cost goes down!
Doug 29: I'm envious of your price per box, which I assume to be qty 50. I also have to assume this is due in great part to bullet selection. Plated, jacketed, swaged/hard castlead bullet? If you don't mind, please share the bullet particulars with us, including cost and source(s). I'd like to get down into this cost area myself.
I just purchased two shotshell reloaders, metalic single stage, metalic progressive, bench, all of the peripheral materials and consumables. How could anyone with their eyes open think they would save themselves money in the short run? I did it to control my loads and for the hobby. Reloading is a hobby. My bank account is low, UPS failed to deliver the packages with consumables, so I'm still dead in the water, but one thing I am not..I am not surprised by the great expense. I'm not sure that I saved myself money by working on my own cars and I know that I didn't save money by acting as my own professional photographer, but I learned something and had fun.