This is daunting.

[DRice.72]

I purchased my first high powered rifle this year. After a couple boxes of ammunition at over thirty dollars a box. I am realizing shooting this beast is getting expensive. So I'm thinking about getting into reloading.

I'm shooting a Remington 770 chambered in 300 Winchester Magnum. (I know what people say about them, but I like it) This is a hunting rifle, so I'd like to load that type of round. Realistically I would get to shoot only about once a month. So a couple hunderd rounds a year would be all I would produce. So this leads me to a couple of questions.

Would it pay for me to reload with a lower volume of rounds produced.

With all the bullet types, weights, powders, primers. How on earth do you pick your first load?

 

[jim8115]

for a couple hundred rounds a year.... No, just buy ammo

 

[Chaz88]

For hunting rounds I only use a single stage and weigh each charge. I also recommend learning how to reload on a single stage. If you learn the slow way you will be intimately familiar with each stage and setup if you move to a progressive for other rounds.

Somebody else will have tell you the best way to pick your first round. I tend to mostly stick with what I learned from dad and have used successfully for many years.

 

[DaveInGA]

Drice,

Before the first thing, I hope you've been saving your brass and boxes. Good place to store your reloaded brass, those boxes.

First thing, read the sticky at the top of the forum for beginners. Get yourself a few books and read up on the subject. Then, for the small volumes you're talking about, think about a single stage setup.

If I were you, I would look at something like Lee's excellent Classic Cast Single stage, a Lee deluxe die set that includes a neck die, a powder measure like a RCBS Uniflow, a powder trickler any brand, a scale like an RCBS 505, a Hornady bushing conversion kit to make the dies quick and easy to change, a couple of plastic bins to put the in process brass in, a Wilson case trimmer, an RCBS chamfer tool, a can of Imperial sizing wax, a Speer reloading manual.....that's about all I can think of off the top of my head.

The list I gave you isn't exclusive and some items are less expensive while other items are more, but should get you started making quality ammo with tools that'll do a real nice job without busting the bank entirely. You could go cheaper, but after years of reloading, I wouldn't. You can also buy a good bit of this stuff used and in good shape for a lot less if you search the for sale sections of the shooting type forums. I've done real well both buying and selling.

Best Regards,

Dave

 

[jimbob86]

Would it pay for me to reload with a lower volume of rounds produced.

OK..... all prices are Cabela's online ...... you can usually find cheaper.....

Brass, 100 unprimed new Winchester 300 WINMAG..... $67, .67/ea .... reused 5 times (easily, maybe more, depending upon charge and whether you want to anneal the necks, neck size only, etc, etc, so on and so forth.....)= about $.14/shot...

Bullets, Hornady 165 gr BTSP, 100 ea for $24.99 ..... call it $.25/shot....

Primers.... 1000 Winchester LRMag .... $34.99, call it $.04/shot

Powder, IMR7828 (I know some are cheaper, but I like it!), $26.99/ lb. (though it's on sale now for $23!).....77gr charge.... call it $.30/shot .....

30+4+25+14=73 ........ Remington Express (Corelokts) factory ammo at Cabela's will cost $26.99/box of 20=$1.35 a pop ........ savings of $.62/shot .... it will take you 11-12 boxes of reloaded ammo to recover the costs of buying a Lee 50th anniversary kit, trim length guage and dies....in other world, if you shoot 1 box/month, every month, your capital outlay will pay for itself.

 

[Hog Buster]

In most cases you will be able to reload for less than purchasing factory ammo, plus you can reload more accurate ammo than you can buy. This really depends on how deep you become involved in the reloading process.

I use the bullet as a starting point. I start by determining what animal I’m going to hunt. If it’s big and gnarly I’ll choose a big, heavy, gnarly bullet, if it’s not so big and not so gnarly, a smaller lighter bullet. Then a bit of reading on what powder with which bullet in your rifle and away you go.

After hours, days, weeks, months and maybe years experimenting you will finally hit on the right combination.......... If you’re lucky...... If not, by then you’re hooked and will just keep trying. Just remember, repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results is called insanity........ Welcome to the asylum.......

 

[dmazur]

There is some kind of payback period to recover the cost of the equipment. At a low round/yr production, this can take a while, even at $30 a box. Let's say $400 in equipment and $15/box savings (optimistic). 9 boxes a year is $135/yr saved. $400/$135 = 3 yrs.

For competition shooters who reload 3000 - 4000 rds/year, the savings is proportionately larger. (Using the same costs as above, $2700/yr.)

IMO, reloading to save money is the wrong incentive. If you wanted to make more accurate ammo than you could get commercially, then you could rationalize the investment that way. And, reloading only 200 rds/year could achieve your goal.

 

[jimbob86]

With all the bullet types, weights, powders, primers. How on earth do you pick your first load?

What is the application?

The 2nd coolest thing about handloading is you can tailor your load to exactly what you want, as opposed to taking what they are givin' .....

Wanna pot cottontails with your 300 WINMag? Reduced loads- 20 grains of SR4759 will push a 100 grain FMJ bullet to 1700 f/sec..... Whitetails? 77 grains of IMR 7828 will push a 168gr BTSP to 2900...... Grizzly Bear? 75 grains of the same stuff will push a 200gr Speer Grand Slam to 2850.....

How on earth do you pick your first load?

Ask the internetz ...... they'll give you 30 opinions, all worth what you paid for them!

 

[Mike1]

You can also upgrade to premium bullets and pay less than loaded ammo with the cheaper bullets. You can reload premium bullets, e.g. Barnes TSX for around $25 a box vs paying upwards of $60 retail, assuming you've been saving your brass to reload.

Might take you 3-4 years for payback on the equipment, but you'll be shooting a much better product in the mean time.

 

[hk33ka1]

Let's not forget the pride of making something yourself (that actually works!)

I would Google "Factory Sales" in Wisconsin and start with
Lee 50th kit $83
Lee .300 Win Mag RGB dies $14
Lee #2 shellholder for press $3
Lee .300 Win Mag case length gauge $4
Lee manual 2nd ed. $14
a bench to bolt it to (and some 1/4" bolts).
I would use a different lube like Imperial Sizing die wax
look for a nicer scale like a RCBS 5-0-5 or Ohaus used $50-100
also a digital calipre to measure lengths with in the $30-40range Home Depot
Large Rifle primers or Large rifle magnum pick your brand
.308 diameter bullets in the range of what you typically buy (180gr .308 SP?)
a powder that appears in the .300WM section of your manual like IMR 4831

More manuals are always handy to get new data and compare. Lyman 49th is nice and most of the bullet makers sell manuals for their products. Hodgdon as well as other powder companies have a lot of free load data online.

 

[Sevens]

If you are like many of us (not all of us, but many) you may find that trying handloading just to feed that one rifle introduces you to a whole new hobby that's every bit as enjoyable as shooting (or hunting) and again, for some of us, even more enjoyable. I say that if you have a curious interest, you absolutely should handload for that rifle.

If you've never handloaded before and you have no idea how to pick which load you'd try, here's one suggestion.

Start with the bullet weight. In .300 Win Mag, what do you wish to hunt? White tail deer? How about 150 grains? Something bigger... Elk, maybe? 180 grains.

Find a decent, known load manual. Probably cost you $25-$35 for one of these books. Say Nosler or Sierra. Read the manual for many direct instructions on how to handload. (don't ask us how to handload, read the manual and then ask us for little nuggets to help)

The manual is also chock full of suggested loads. When you have picked your bullet weight, flip to the load data and see what lies there. Most often, published data in load manuals will have a number of different bullet weights and powders suggested and many of them will even show you one in particular that was the most accurate load for them.

You'll also notice that some powders listed work for multiple bullet weights... some powders work much better for the heavier bullets than they do for the light bullets and vice versa. You can choose for flexibility or you can choose for top velocity. Sometimes, you'll simply choose because that's the only one the local gun shop seems to have in stock!

That's a good place to start -- find that powder to go with your bullet and along with the tools you bought (on suggestions from folks like us!) you'll be ready to begin this adventure.

 

[black mamba]

+1 for Sevens' post. I've been handloading for over 35 years, and find it to be an endlessly fascinating hobby. My first sub MOA group with home-rolled cartridges was memorable, especially as back in the '70s rifles weren't near as accurate as today's are. As primarily a hunter rather than a target shooter, the ultimate for me was when I took my first big game animal with my own handloaded .270 ammo. A 200 yd shot and DRT. A great feeling of accomplishment. And all this in addition to real $$ savings and more and better shooting.

As far as selection, start with the target and/or purpose of the load and work backward. Bullet first, hunting or competition, what size or what range? Then the powder, how much velocity do you need, or what is the most accurate? Finally, what primer is needed to consistently ignite the powder?

Then, as you dig up the answers to these questions others arise, leading to more investigation and discovery. Internal, external and terminal ballistics. Bullet construction, powder densities, combustion characteristics, ballistic coefficients.

Handloading really is a great pastime, especially for the curious. I'd say the startup costs are worthwhile, even if you spent the same on each round made as the store bought ammo cost.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I've introduced several people to loading their own cartridges, some find it to be a rewarding experience that adds to their enjoyment of their shooting/hunting hobby as a whole, and some have found it tedious and simply not worth their time. Some have quit loading, some do it simply to save money and see it as a tedious chore, and some have gone on to become far more into the hobby than I have.

300 Winchester Magnum would be a cartridge that one would see a significant cost advantage to load vs. buying commercial ammunition.

I can load 7mm Rem Mag for about 50¢ a cartridge, using Hornady SST bullets. A similar commercially produced cartridge sells for $1.50 - $2.00 each, and higher for the more premium stuff.

I enjoy loading, the savings benefits are nice, but I find it to be a way to more fully enjoy shooting and hunting.

 

[ligonierbill]

+1 for Sevens choice of bullets (Nosler and Sierra). Get their manuals, get a decent (I like RCBS, but the others are fine) kit with a good scale, study, and go to it. The thing about something like a .300 WM is that it is extremely versatile for the loader. Getting worn out on the bench? Load some lighter 150's. Elk in open country? Work up some "screamer" 165's. It will do whatever you want it to do. Oh, do invest in a chronograph. Not much money, but it really lets you know how your load is doing. Reload? Absolutely!

 

[jaguarxk120]

A big plus for Stevens, handloading is a great hobby! Developing loads or making custom loadings for your rifles/pistols is what it's all about.
When you are shooting factory cartridges they are full house loads, when loading your own the loads can be brought down to levels where any rifle is very pleasant to shoot all day long.
Shooting my S & W Model 29 with factory stuff is no fun, but with light 44 special loadings I can shoot all day long.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

It's easily worth it for even 200 rounds a year.

If you spend $30 per 20 rounds, that's $300 a year for 200 rounds. You will be loading your own for something like 50-85 cents each, closer to 50 unless you use uber-high-end bullets. So that would mean a cost of $10 a box of 20, or $100 a year.

You'll shoot more, there's no doubt about it. Just load development will eat up some rounds but there's pride in doing it yourself and you'll still be spending less money.

Beyond the cost savings, you will also have the option of creating the EXACT ammo that you want. For example, Barnes makes a 110gr 7mm TTSX bullet that CAN NOT be bought loaded in factory ammo. Similar ammo (using the 120gr bullet) sells for $47 a box. So, I can load the bullet I want and spend about $17 for 20 rounds for ammo that I can't get in a store and it would be 250% the price if I could.

Incidentally, give the Lee Classic turret press a look. Being that you have a bolt gun, you should also consider using the Lee collet neck sizing die and a Redding body die to size your brass.

Don't worry if you don't understand the process exactly. Just keep asking questions and reading books. If you're anything like me, you won't fully understand the process until you're actually using the equipment and seeing, measuring, feeling what it does.

 

[DRice.72]

Thanks guys,

I will most definitely get the books first, so I have a better understanding of the process.
Cost wasn't my only reason, but I do need to be able to justify that aspect of it to the Chief Financial Officer of the household.
Since buying this rifle, I have fallen in love with shooting. I will use it for both shooting and hunting, especially since it is the only rifle I have. I just figured it would make sense to shoot the same rounds.

 

[cookie5]

Take your time as there is a learning curve. Reloading is an enjoyable addition to shooting!!!

 

[Savage32-20]

When I first started with the reloading idea it was simply because the cost of the bullets for 2 of the guns I shoot was well over what I could justify. Since both of those guns were "fun to shoot" guns that would never be used for hunting my choice was to either reload or just not shoot them.

My 32-20 Savage Sporter - Cost per bullet if purchased is about .95/round
My Remington .280 - Cost per bullet if purchased is about 1.50/round
My 30-06 - Cost per bullet if purchased is about .70/round

This is the cheapest of ammo (i'm sure there's cheaper out there but this is close). I don't ever expect this ammo to be anything close to very accurate because it is mostly "pop" ammo that is just for punching holes in paper and allows me to shoot.

Even if I only shoot 100 rounds a year from each gun I'd be around $315 and that doesn't include any shipping fee's to get this ammo. Also because the one gun is going "out of style" ammo for it is becoming increasingly difficult to find, which makes the price go up even more.

When I decided to reload - I figured I'd just do it for all of my guns since reloading for just one would not show as quick of a savings and I knew once I got started I'd want to shoot more. Long story short I bought the dies for all 3 guns at the same time with all the other stuff that I would need. (list of stuff I have is below)

My savings calculation is:
32-20 - cost of handloaded is approx .20 (save .75)
REM280 - cost of handloaded is approx .43 (save 1.07)
30-06 - Cost of handloaded is approx .45 (save .25)

My equipment list is:
Lee hand press $35 (kit which includes size lube, ram-prime, funnel)
Lee Dies 32-20 $30 (includes resize die, neck opener die, bullet seater die, powder measure, case holder)
Lee Dies 280 $30 (includes full length resize die, bullet seater die, factory crimp die, powder measure, case holder)
Lee Dies 30-06 $30 (includes full length resize die, bullet seater die, factory crimp die, powder measure, case holder)
Lee Primer Pocket Cleaner $8
Lee Case Neck Trimmer $6 (case trimmer & lock stud)
Lee Case Guage 32-20 $5
Lee Case Guage 280 $5
Lee Case Guage 30-06 $5
Lee De-burr/Chamfer Tool $3
FA Tumbler $53
CC Media 15lb $23
Brass Polish $8
Universal De-capper* $11
FA Powder Scale $25
Case Lube Pad $9
Impact Puller $15
Hornady Neck Turn Tool $54
Hornady neck Guage 284 $9
Hornady neck Guage 308 $9
MTM Flip Top Boxes (4) $13
Lee Lube & Size Kit 308 $18
Total in Equipment - $404

Manuals:
ABC's of Reloading $22
Lyman 44th edition $12
Lee 2nd Edition $40
Total in books - $74

Consumables:
Powder $20/lb
Bullets $.27/each (280 & 30-06)
Bullets $.10/each (32-20)
Primers $.03/each (two different types used but same per primer price)
I'm not mentioning cases here because Range pickup and my own first fires are more than enough right now.

So in total I've got about $475 invested in equipment and manuals to see a cost savings and make my money back I have to shoot.
633 - 32-20 Rounds (already shot about 300 of these) $225 saved
444 - REM280 Rounds (already shot about 100 of these) $107 saved
1900 - 30-06 Rounds (already shot 400 of these) $100
Total Saved Thus far $432

(math was cost of purchased rounds in that quantity minus cost of my rounds in that quantity - the difference is the amount saved)

So my next trip to the range will be my break even point! But remember once you start doing this and realize how much fun your having you'll want to shoot more!

Also - like has been stated here by others - I can fine tune the ammo I'm making for the guns I'm going to shoot and what i'm going to use the ammo for. Buying the "higher end" ammo for just target practice does get expensive. Doing it this way you can create a "higher quality" yourself that works perfectly for your own gun. There's also the feeling of self accomplishment when you pull the trigger on that first round that you loaded yourself.

 

[DRice.72]

I will most definitely read the books suggested.