Thread: Is it worth it?

Here is another.

Originally Posted by Oldbloke

This is good info.

I taught myself with no help. First a Lee hammer job for 12g I was given then bought one for my 30.06. (pre-Lee) Never looked back. Back in the day, no internet. Read a couple of articles in magazines and books and away I went. Bought a press and dies and much later cheap scales. Over the years I have slowly upgraded buying additional gear.scales e.t.c. Started with DIY scoops and still use them occasionally. A lot of gear you can DIY if your handy and have time.

BUT, A mentor is the best option. Then you won't make most of the mistakes I made. :LOL:

And as GPM says just a session watching would be a great help.
As mentioned it can be very simplistic or very complicated.

This may help.

I also sat down with books and the net and figured it out on my own, mostly. I took it really slow, and refused to be rushed.
One thing I did to help me check on my progress was to make dummy rounds.
By that I mean no powder or primer, just a projectile seated in the case.
It enables you to check fit and function from magazine to chamber.

Originally Posted by Max Headroom

I also sat down with books and the net and figured it out on my own, mostly. I took it really slow, and refused to be rushed.
One thing I did to help me check on my progress was to make dummy rounds.
By that I mean no powder or primer, just a projectile seated in the case.
It enables you to check fit and function from magazine to chamber.

They also allow you to reset seating die to same depth the next time you use it.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

They also allow you to reset seating die to same depth the next time you use it.

Yep, that's what I do.

I went into it with a very sensible mindset. Have access to reloading gear at the club range, so really just needed my own set of dies so I could leave them set up for my rifle. Had some saved brass from factory ammo, and got help from a forum member.

Bought some primers and projectiles, and figured I might add well get a decent amount of powder when there was a shipment of 2209. By the time I'd spent the money on the powder, a few hundred bucks for a press didn't seem too bad.

At the current rate, it'll be a quite a few years of shooting before I can start to pretend that I've saved any money. Add another few years to before I can write off the autotrickler. Oops.


Personally, it was an itch I had to scratch, and then I couldn't stop scratching. If you're more sensible, and have the patience to look for second hand gear, you can keep the cost down. I enjoy doing things myself, from scratch, and wouldn't go back.

The money didnt really come into it for me, i dont take drugs not really a drinker dont gamble unless getting married counts. Any of those things can eat up more money than what it cost me to reload my own ammo

I think its one of those things that will teach you a lot and then once you understand most of the ins and outs you can make a decision if its worth it or not. I pretty much exclusively handloaded everything for a few years, I found it enjoyable and almost has a therapeutic kind of effect to it but I am a pretty time poor person these days and don't see the value in it anymore especially because all my firearms are just hunting rifles and 100% of all hunting scenarios can be covered easily by factory ammunition. I have kept all my gear because its handy to know that at some stage something might become hard to find or I might take a fancy to something that doesn't have factory ammunition available but for now its just gathering dust.

reloading can be addictive.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

They also allow you to reset seating die to same depth the next time you use it.

If you run the locknload or a quick change bush system they should go back exact each time.
I run every shell through the rifle to check for fit once loaded.
Had a bad experience with a shell that was out of spec with a paying hunter and a nice Sika stag.
Ended up getting him a better one so it worked out alright.
Was a bit tense for a while though.
No go gauges are good. Can sit in front of the TV and check them safely.

How much ammo do you shoot in a year?
I usually end up shooting 40-60rounds during load development that is effectively wasted.

If you only shoot a box or 2 of ammo a year then nonits not worth it. If you shoot 100 rounds then it probably is.

I'm in the same boat as Ryan, but went one step further and sold most of my gear. Really enjoyed handloading for about 15 years or so, but have little time with a busy job and other hobbies (including a life-sentence block) that take up my spare time now. I don't shoot heaps, mostly hunting, and no formal match shooting at all, and can use .22 or bulk 55gr .223 for practice.

Have a whack-a-mole for the 223 and might pull that out but only to make 73gr ELDm or 77gr TMK rounds for deer hunting...maybe.

Its a fun hobby though, and adds a new element to shooting/hunting.

I think part of it boils down to personality - not everyone enjoys tweaking variables, or process-based tasks. As mentioned, being able to create options that aren't commercially available is a big selling point. Certainly doesn't make much sense for the box-of-ammo-per-year folk.