reloading v buying

mikky

Active Member
first post on this forum,apologies in advance if this has been asked before

is it a lot cheaper in the long run to do home loads

i am thinking of getting a new .223 set up possibly a remmy or a howa

all comments appreciated

mikky
 
The short answer is no.

You can buy PPU for about the same cost as home loading (26p a pop for .223) and some rifles will shoot it sub MOA however, home loading is cheaper in the long run but with a set up cost of £100+ it will take a lot of rounds to make up the difference.

The biggest advantage of homeloading is that the ammo will be more consistent, but to me it is just another part of my hobby and there is nothing better than seeing those tiny groups and knowing that it is all my own work.
 
I agree, the cost savings are not there on start up but you will be able to make up ammunition to a consistantly higher standard than factory ammunition and match the loads to your own particular requirements. In time the cost per round will fall- especially as you get into reloading as a hobby and increase the amount of ammunition that you use..
 
I agree also. I dont shoot enough for home loading to be cost effective. However when that 200yrd shot hits home with a round created by yourself it is very satisfying. Just like tying your own fly and landing a wild brownie.
Tusker
 
+1 on all comment's

For the price you guy's can get PPU bullet's i would give them a go to start with, if your not satisfied with them then go down the Reloading route it gives you time to require your reloading gear, but all as i can say is you will become a "Reloading Addict"
ATB
Wullie.
 
If £ is the priority don't reload, unless you are using 100's rounds/month. I personally find reloading very satisfying and the only way to get the best from your rifle.
 
My #1 priority was cost and I went down the Lee Classic Loader route.

Works a charm and hits the spot on both counts, cost and accuracy.
and you get to choose a much wider range of projectile than the factory will allow
 
Handloading enables you to tailor certain American cartridge chamberings that aren't quite "just right" for over here" to loads more suitable to British "hunting" methods.

To wit the 6mm Remington and 243 Winchester can be toned down to fire 100 grain bullets at about 2,800fps and the 270 Winchester loaded with a 150 grain bullet at about 2,800fps.

Some American loads are just too fast for woodland stalking....6mm Remington and 243 Winchester....if you are taking an animal at thirty to forty yards distance.

On the other hand some calibres are just about perfect and don't need to be "tamed" or "toned down".
 
The comment often quoted is that loading your own ammunition is not cost effective given the cost of the equipment required, however if you buy good quality such as RCBS especially if it's already used, the likelihood it that when you finally decide to sell it you won't lose much of your initial purchase cost. Taking this into consideration does justify loading your own if you find it interesting. You should also be able to improve upon factory ammo by fine tuning bullet weight, powder & primer and OAL to suit your own rifle.
 
In very simple terms if you shoot more than about 200 rounds a year or shoot an unusual or "exotic" calibre reloading is the only way to go, end of arguement. It's also an enjoyable interesting hobby in itself. Equipment needn't be expensive or elaborate and components should be purchased at the right price.
 
I assume the .300 Win mag would fall into this catagory, factory loads are really expensive!
 
Home loading is in my opinion not just cheaper but essential. I cant count the amount of times i have opened my bullet box and found only a few in it. A quick walk up the stair and a pull on the handle and hey presto half a dozen rounds ready to go. With a 10 mile round trip (FUELand what ever else takes my fancy costs) to the gun shop who is not open every day as the other option i think my press has earned his money.
 
All factory ammunition is really expensive, PP aside which is still quite reasonable. .300wm would certainly be one that is worth reloading.
 
All factory ammunition is really expensive, PP aside which is still quite reasonable. .300wm would certainly be one that is worth reloading.

Privi will only be cheap for a while............................................ once the importers realise it's becoming popular watch the price sky rocket to be level with the mainstream ..................................... but it won't be THEM ripping us off once again ...................................... Oh no....
 
Home loading is in my opinion not just cheaper but essential. I cant count the amount of times i have opened my bullet box and found only a few in it. A quick walk up the stair and a pull on the handle and hey presto half a dozen rounds ready to go. With a 10 mile round trip (FUELand what ever else takes my fancy costs) to the gun shop who is not open every day as the other option i think my press has earned his money.

I suppose we in Lincolnshire are lucky as Forest Lodge in Wragby is open 364 days a year until 8pm. Sadly it's an 70 mile round trip for me.

Hand loading is the way to go for now but don't worry the powers that be will be curbing it soon.
 
There are several of these calculators on the web: Handloading Cost Calculator.

They do show that it makes sense. I found one that also included the costs of your reloading press, dies etc and told you how many rounds you'd have to load to cover the cost of the whole set up, but that site seems to have closed. http://www.10xshooters.com/calculators/Handgun_Reloading_Cost_Calculator.htm

I worked it out for 44 mag and compared the costs between buying a complete reloading outfit and consumeables or just buying commercial ammo. It showed that I'd recoup my costs within one season of gallery rifle shooting.
 
There are many reasons why you should reload, but like most hobbies you have to know when it's time to stop. :oops:

I started off with a fairly comprehensive second hand set up for .223 which cost me around £150 and it did the job very well.

As I did more reloading and I saw the improvements I shot more rounds, to the point where I would shoot so that I could reload. :D

Then I added more calibres and so I needed/added more stuff and now my kit is probably worth over £2k. :eek:

My basic .223 load is 26p in consumables and my basic .308 is 49p and even though I use at least 1000 rounds a year it will take me a little time to recoup the cost of the kit, if indeed I ever do, but I see it as nothing more than an extension of my shooting enjoyment.

As others have said, if you own a wildcat or exotic cal then reloading is a must, but the OP was asking about .223 and ammo for this is widely available, there is a wide selection and the price is always competitive.
 
This got me thinking and I have done some VERY basic maths:

.243 Remington Accutips (my factory round of choice) cost a minimum of £22.50 for 20 = £112.50 for 100
My homeload (consumables) cost a maximum of £10.60 for 20 = £53 for 100

I am therefore saving £60 for every 100 rounds I fire.

Now, so far i have spent £300 all in, over the last 2 years on kit (excluding consumables).

Therefore it will take me 500 rounds to pay off the kit, after that it is just consumables, power, primer, heads, cases etc.

So, yes it is worth it but it is a long term investment, as others have said, it can become addictive. I get a huge amount of pleasure from it, i also get a lot of sh1t from my pals who think i am quietly going insane hunched over my weighing scales obsessing about tollerances!!

Also, it is very hard to resist buying more kit, the further down the rabbit hole i go, the more reloading kit i see and want! Cant wait for Christmas!
 
So, yes it is worth it but it is a long term investment, as others have said, it can become addictive. I get a huge amount of pleasure from it, i also get a lot of sh1t from my pals who think i am quietly going insane hunched over my weighing scales obsessing about tollerances!!

Also, it is very hard to resist buying more kit, the further down the rabbit hole i go, the more reloading kit i see and want! Cant wait for Christmas!



You have the bug,,,

but you can handle it.

You know that it's the next tiny change that will give you the illusive one hole group at 100yds, then another tweak and you can do the same at 200 then 300 etc.

When it’s not quite there you just know that it’s the cases, it has to be, all the other things are correct.

So it’s an ultrasonic cleaner you need, with some wonder cleaning formula.
And when it’s done those shiny bling things are just going to be perfect,,,,

but they’re not are they!!


You can handle this…


You must have the wrong cleaner.
This Lidl one was never going to be good enough, how could you ever think it would be.
So out comes the flexible friend and in comes the £200 industrial jobbie.

But it’s all to no avail.

So it’s anneal everything and start again,
but still it’s not perfect.


You can handle this…


You read here and there that it’s the case weight,
so in come the best digital scales that weigh to .0001 of a grain.
You weigh the cases and group by weight then, using the £300 Mitutoyo calipers that you had to have as the normal digital ones were not up to the task, you group by size.
And there you go,,,
but it’s still showing groups of 0.5” at 200yds…


You can handle this as well…


change the powder to a double base,
start again and work up,,
and so it goes on.



Been there, done that, as have many others.

The best and worst thing about reloading is that it is only your time that is taken up.


Just shoot the rifle, you know it makes sense. :D
 
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