Thread: To reload or to not reload

Bear with me, this could get long winded but I SHALL STRIVE for brevity, wish me luck!
One of the issues I find with .243 being my preferred calibre is that there are waaay less boxes of ammo available, virtually everywhere I look.

My preferred ammo is Winchester Deer Season 95 grain 3100 fps (the Franchi loves it, Hated Fiocchi, go figure) mostly because the Franchi and I are mostly consistent with it and when I shoot something it goes bang/flop...this is good as I have to work hard enough to get to the deer without spending another 4 hours chasing it all over Otago whilst it bleeds out!

Everytime I drop into one of the usual suspects to resupply, they are, to a man, out of stock and have to order it in....which takes one to two weeks, depending on where in their ordering cycle they are, this is a pain in the proverbial!
I've tried a box of Win 100g Super X (which most shops reliably have in stock ) and I didn't like it so much

Now my question, finally is this, if I chose to go down the reloading route (which has it's own appeal outside of this particular issue) is it reasonable for me to expect that I could produce a round that behaves as well as or (dreams are free, better than) the ammo I use currently?
Once I've bought the necessary gear, how much cheaper is it actually than buying factory ammo, cos like real estate, that stuff only goes up in price!

Get someone to reload 50 or 100 rounds for you

It’s easy enough to do

Reloading is like painting you ether love it or hate it. I hate painting.

Yip.get someone to do it for you in bulk.better still you buy the bits n they "help you" do it...that way you get your ammo and dip toes in reloading at same time.

Convincing yourself that reloading is cheaper than buying ammo is the first mistake. Once you start reloading, the availability of factory ammo becomes less relevant, and the purchasing of not-so-common calibres more prevalent.

I got into reloading when 7mm08 ammo was scarce during Covid and I don't regret it.

Enlist someone that already has the gear and use there's a big outlay if ur only loading for 1 caliber

Depending on how meticulous you are, you may be able to significantly increase the accuracy by hand loading. It also depends on how accurate your best factory ammo is. For example, I find it hard to handload better than factory Lapua 6.5x55 156gr. What size groups (5 shot/100m) do you currently achieve?

Buy 100 cases, 100 LRP, 2209 and stack em with 85gr Sierra GMK.

"Everytime I drop into one of the usual suspects to resupply, they are, to a man, out of stock and have to order it in....which takes one to two weeks, depending on where in their ordering cycle they are, this is a pain in the proverbial!" That is when I first thought about reloading. And if it becomes unavailable to.
Then use up ammo trying new ammo then sighting in. And cost was the other.

Over here, reloaded ammo is about half cost, or perhaps 40%. That's just the components etc. I've never regretted it.

My advice,
Start looking for components at good prices now. 2208 is popular and there is a steady supply. Pick a bullet that is popular and plentiful. An of the major brands, Gordy, Speer Sierra, all Mae good bullets.
Keep all your cases.
Start looking for good used equipment. Buy decent gear, but don't go mad and buy the best, for hunting ammo Lee is good value.
Some of it is easy to make if your that way inclined. There is a diy thread here I started.
Look for a mentor, even if it's just a occasional pH call.
You will also need a bench or solid table.

At a guess It will take a few years for you to get your money back on your gear. And I'll take up some of your time.

You will never look back

@Zedrex
I'm reloading 243 for $1.30 per round (not including set up cost) for one of my mates, and I'm in Timaru if you want me to walk to through typical reloading procedure and basic gear.

BB.

What don’t you like about Winchester 100 grain?

Originally Posted by Basenjiboy

@Zedrex
I'm reloading 243 for $1.30 per round (not including set up cost) for one of my mates, and I'm in Timaru if you want me to walk to through typical reloading procedure and basic gear.

BB.

Take up this offer

Originally Posted by Basenjiboy

@Zedrex
I'm reloading 243 for $1.30 per round (not including set up cost) for one of my mates, and I'm in Timaru if you want me to walk to through typical reloading procedure and basic gear.

BB.

Yep, I'd be keen to have a yarn and see what it's all about, PM sent

Originally Posted by EmpireSafaris

What don’t you like about Winchester 100 grain?

IT doesn't shoot as well out of my gun, I did a side by side comparison and the SuperX was all over the place, when compared to my Deer Season which accurately reflects MY inconsistencies but I can still drill a 6" gong out to 300m, struggled with the Super X and whilst it may very well be the main issue is behind the trigger, I see no reason to make my life any harder!

Originally Posted by Oldbloke

"Everytime I drop into one of the usual suspects to resupply, they are, to a man, out of stock and have to order it in....which takes one to two weeks, depending on where in their ordering cycle they are, this is a pain in the proverbial!" That is when I first thought about reloading. And if it becomes unavailable to.
Then use up ammo trying new ammo then sighting in. And cost was the other.

Over here, reloaded ammo is about half cost, or perhaps 40%. That's just the components etc. I've never regretted it.

My advice,
Start looking for components at good prices now. 2208 is popular and there is a steady supply. Pick a bullet that is popular and plentiful. An of the major brands, Gordy, Speer Sierra, all Mae good bullets.
Keep all your cases.
Start looking for good used equipment. Buy decent gear, but don't go mad and buy the best, for hunting ammo Lee is good value.
Some of it is easy to make if your that way inclined. There is a diy thread here I started.
Look for a mentor, even if it's just a occasional pH call.
You will also need a bench or solid table.

At a guess It will take a few years for you to get your money back on your gear. And I'll take up some of your time.

You will never look back

Hearing you, I think a big part of it for me is giving my tech head an outlet that produces something, I can be a bit of a detail freak and reloading would seem to require some of that. Cost of gear isn't an issue. As a builder I've spent tens of thousands of dollars on buying "kit"...it's always an investment imo, thanks for your thoughts, they make a lot of sense