Thinking of Home loading

[farmer_giles]

I use an RCBS Rock Chucker press and I've found it to be very good. I've made just over 1,100 rounds with it so far.
The reason I got it was to develop a load that groups better than factory ammo.
The gun is an off-the-shelf Tikka 223 in an MDT stock, so nothing particularly special.
I've been very happy with the results and I enjoy pottering about reloading my ammo.

 

[M@tt]

..
With my understanding of the FAC, and my ticket stating I can hold 80 rounds of .243, would I need to apply for a variation to hold, say, 100 rounds if I’m home-loading? Most bullets seem to come in boxes of 50 or 100. Would I be able to buy a box of 100 bullets but only be allowed to load and hold 80 rounds at any one time?

You can only have made rounds up to the quantity on your certificate. If your FAC says 80 rounds, you can only have 80 rounds max (factory and home-loaded together).
You can have enough components and powder to make 1000s, but only make enough to satisfy your FAC limits (the limit on ammunition, powder and primers is 15kg NEQ - above that you need an explosive storage licence).

Primed cases do not count towards your limit. They only count as ammunition if in a public place without lawful excuse.

 

[3595wilk]

The break even for home loading is a long way down the rabbit hole.....if ever. Don't do it to simply save money.

If you have an interest in the process - it will be worth it - but as a financial saving...........unfortunately not in the short or medium term.

As mention by several people above, if you have a reliable factory load that knocks them over, it will probably save you money by sticking with that.

You may need to check if any commercial copper ammunition makes the minimum requirements through your rifle re muzzle energy etc. I had a 1:10 M12 in .243 and it struggled with factory ammunition to make the grade. One of the reasons I started down the rabbit hole was to get something that worked for me. 80 gr Fox monolithics driven about 3200 fps did the trick.

 

[Scotty99]

Generally people load for accuracy and consistency not for cost savings. When factor in the true costs of all the equipment you need (forget Lee and go for RCBS or Redding) including a doppler chrono (Athlon or Garmin) then you need to be reloading by the thousands to break even.

On the plus side you will develop some really accurate loads for your rifle, you will learn a lot about ballistics and it’s really absorbing and great fun.

 

[Heym SR20]

Yes it is, both for cost and consistency given that ammo supplies and getting your favourite load is often a lottery.

 

[Fn5]

Guide on firearms licensing law (accessible)

www.gov.uk

make of that what you will... I'm just going off the guidance i was given by my old FEO and what can be taken from the above link to the Gov legislation

 

[Liveonce]

Generally people load for accuracy and consistency not for cost savings. When factor in the true costs of all the equipment you need (forget Lee and go for RCBS or Redding) including a doppler chrono (Athlon or Garmin) then you need to be reloading by the thousands to break even.

On the plus side you will develop some really accurate loads for your rifle, you will learn a lot about ballistics and it’s really absorbing and great fun.

we loaded for many years without the need for a chronograph, lee equipment is perfectly satisfactory you do not need to load thousands to break even, however you do need to do your sums first to see if it is worth the investment.

However it can save frequent trips to buy ammunition and continuity of supply.

 

[Liveonce]

Guide on firearms licensing law (accessible)

www.gov.uk

make of that what you will... I'm just going off the guidance i was given by my old FEO and what can be taken from the above link to the Gov legislation

The VCR bill only controls the purchase of metallic ammunition primers, they are not counted towards your ammunition allowance on your FAC.

 

[jcampbellsmith]

, i love the beginners optimism about cost savings when the truth is it's an expensive rabbit hole !

And it's only going to get more expensive.

Regards

JCS

 

[wytonpjs]

There's plenty of threads on this topic with all the usual divergence of views. Some good points on this, others here for example:

Post in thread 'Reloading Equipment Setup - Costs'

Oct 21, 2025

go on dillon reloading cost calculator, it tells you how much it is to reload a round or a 100, but you have to be honest its free to download you can buy some great second hand kit you would faint if i told you how much around of 223rem cost make a list up and advertise on here what you want their,s some great guys and gals on here that will help you gl bs

• bluesako

• 

The Dillon Cost Calculator is here:

Reloading Cost Calculator

Dillon Precision: Reloaders, Reloading Equipment, Bullet Reloading, Bullet Reloaders

www.dillonprecision.com

 

[Scotty99]

we loaded for many years without the need for a chronograph, lee equipment is perfectly satisfactory you do not need to load thousands to break even, however you do need to do your sums first to see if it is worth the investment.

However it can save frequent trips to buy ammunition and continuity of supply.

You are right Lee equipment is satisfactory but if you want equipment that is going to last years then RCBS or Redding offer better value for money. You are also right that many, including myself, have loaded for years with out a chrono, but in the world of modern ballistics apps and indeed now scopes knowing the speed of your bullet is becoming absolutely vital. I will be buying my first chrono soon (probably Athlon) solely to make better use of ballistic apps.

 

[wytonpjs]

You are right Lee equipment is satisfactory but if you want equipment that is going to last years then RCBS or Redding offer better value for money. You are also right that many, including myself, have loaded for years with out a chrono, but in the world of modern ballistics apps and indeed now scopes knowing the speed of your bullet is becoming absolutely vital. I will be buying my first chrono soon (probably Athlon) solely to make better use of ballistic apps.

Yet another rabbit hole - who like me went down the Chrony, so nearly LabRadar but went for Magnaspeed before buying a Garmin Xero

 

[Scotty99]

Yet another rabbit hole - who like me went down the Chrony, so nearly LabRadar but went for Magnaspeed before buying a Garmin Xero

I used to think that reloading was a rabbit hole before I started reloading, having done it for a while I have come to the conclusion that it is in fact a rabbit warren !

 

[Liveonce]

Buy a Lee Classic loader. Makes accurate ammo and you won't be out alot if you dont like it -Muir

This, it will get you started for very little outlay, the cost of bullets, primers and powders is the same if you buy Lee equipment or the very most expensive, with all the bells and whistles.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Just remember it's still possible, even as a young man, to combine reloading with a stable marital life but be prepared to conduct intermediate case prep' operations during your daily commute.

K

 

[Smellydog]

absolutely vital.

Not really.
I don't have a chronograph but did adjust the parameters to match the real world shooting trajectory of a load I developed.

 

[urban]

So my question is: is it worth home-loading? If so, what tools are essential, which aren’t worth the hassle, and what tools would you recommend?

I’m currently looking at a kit from Lee Precision, which appears to include everything required:
LEE BREECH LOCK CHALLENGER KIT

Lots of people say bad things about Lee. Just ignore them.

I bought that same kit to get started and now, three years on, I'm loading >700 rounds/year of .223 and a couple of hundred 6.5CM with it. It's way cheaper than buying quality ammo. .223 costs me 49 pence per round (excluding brass, because I haven't ever paid for .223 brass). 6.5 CM costs me less than a pound - I haven't worked it out precisely. I haven't bought much more kit either - you really don't need much else. A trickler is useful, but I worked without one for the first year. A tumbler is nice if you like shiny ammo. I bought a case gauge because trimming cases is a ballache and the gauge means you can judge when it's needed rather than doing it every time.

The main reason that my costs are so low is that I use cheap bullets. S&B for 6.5CM and PPU for .223. It's easy to spend much more if you go for premium bullets.

This is almost all range ammo. I have to pay for my stalking and many places insist on factory loads - so I don't bother to load for stalking.

 

[Miki]

Thanks for the clarification on the amount of rounds, I did think it would be fine but rather double check. might have to rework my maths but my rough calculations were coming in at per shot:
primer - £0.18
Powder - £0.26
Bullet head - £0.80
totaling £1.24

and current Hornady v-max is around £45 /20- so per shot £2.25

then for the break even of the tools lets say £250 divided by the £1.24 which comes to 201.61 rounds to be created before the tool are essentially free...

You shouldn't call Bullets 'Bullet Heads' it's an uneducated response.
Some retailters (in the UK) call them that as they are dealing with dumb people who don't know any better or are too ignorant to learn the correct terminiology.
Reloading is a precise and complex activity that needs care and attention.

Bullets, you can buy thousands of them if you want to.
Brass cases. you can buy thousands of those too.

Primers and powder fall into a 15kg Net Explosive Quantity (NEQ) limit, above which you need a special licence.
5,750 primers = 300g of explosives.
Most RFD's will sell you 1000 if you have a need and are 'known' you may be able to buy more.
Powder has a similar limit. an RFD will likely sell you a few KG's to start with.

When you combine all these componets into a 'round of ammunition' then this is subject to your FAC limits.
If your FAC says you can have 80 rounds of .243, then you can only have 80 rounds of .243 ammunition in your possession.

It is quite an expensive hobby, very satisfying, quite difficult to get it right and be consistent ..
Don't call Bullets 'Heads' or 'Bullet Heads'.
The 'head' contains the primer which sits in the primer pocket.

 

[Tikkat1x]

Thanks for the clarification on the amount of rounds, I did think it would be fine but rather double check. might have to rework my maths but my rough calculations were coming in at per shot:
primer - £0.18
Powder - £0.26
Bullet head - £0.80
totaling £1.24

and current Hornady v-max is around £45 /20- so per shot £2.25

then for the break even of the tools lets say £250 divided by the £1.24 which comes to 201.61 rounds to be created before the tool are essentially free...

I started off with those thought a couple of years ago. I now have about £2.500 worth or reloading gear. And about £2,000 in brass. Powder, primers and bullets. It’s F&£&£&g never ending. Prices go up ever time you buy something. But I love it so who cares the cost. It will see you in the poor house and driven half crazy. Go for it

 

[Martiniblack577]

I started off with those thought a couple of years ago. I now have about £2.500 worth or reloading gear. And about £2,000 in brass. Powder, primers and bullets. It’s F&£&£&g never ending. Prices go up ever time you buy something. But I love it so who cares the cost. It will see you in the poor house and driven half crazy. Go for it

This . Was only just reading a blog on b/e being @ 5000 rounds. I also sat down and worked out component cost for a single humble round of .303 a day ago. Including cleaning, it came in at .92p before brass. Have also recently discovered Derraco kit. More money gone