For those concerned about panic buying and ammo shortages with the next election,

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Having watched other people reload I find the process tedious and boring. Aside from that I don't trust my attention span during critical phases like measuring powder.

At times it can be, that’s why I automated the process for the stuff I shoot the most.




Same thing can be said for casting, coating and sizing.

 
Biggest piece of advice I can give is if possible find a mentor who can show you the ropes
And if you have no mentor, like I didn’t, then new loaders need to spend a lot of time in the reloading sub forum. Ask lots of questions and ask frequently. I regularly ask questions even though I have a decent handle on pistol reloading.

Years to come ... ? 220rds. OK. :)
^ it would be ill advised to take on reloading if 220 rounds has you set for years to come. I agree completely with that statement.
That was my initial reaction also. If you zoom way in you can see they are JHPs. I’m hoping he meant set on defense ammo. Though that’s only about two years worth for me as I regularly check functionality on my carry loads.

Personally if that’s the sum total of what will cover a person’s shooting for years to come, it’d be ill advised to even carry a gun. Skills need maintenance.
 
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I have friends that are still going on the same box of 20 for years. One round at the beginning of the season to confirm POI is the same as POA and another for the animal they kill and repeat next year.

It’s different strokes for different folks. I’ll admit to having a few firearms that I treat the same way. I don’t reload for all the calibers I own, just most of them.
 
it will cost me $141.12 to load 1000 rounds of 9mm. You aren’t going to find factory ammo that cheap.
9mm
7.5 c per for bullet
2.95c per for primer
1.2c per for powder

$11.7 per 100 rounds going by todays prices in bulk.
And for casual plinking/range blasting ammo, you can use pulled bullets for even greater savings.

These are current pricing from H&R active thread - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/what-to-stock-up-on.855885/#post-11225563

5.3 cents per bullet (RMR 9mm mixed pulled plated bullets)
2.9 cents per primer (Powder Valley Winchester primer with free shipping and HazMat fee spread out from purchase of powder and primer)
< 1.0 cent per powder charge (Powder Valley Promo with free shipping and HazMat fee spread out from purchase of powder and primer)

$9 per 100 rounds or $4.5 per 50 reusing brass or using free range pick up brass.

If you shoot around 5,000 rounds a year (around 400 rounds a month), $5-$6 per 50 round savings will translate to $500 - $600 savings that will more than cover the cost of reloading equipment purchase the first year.

Think of saving $5,000 to $6,000 every 10 years. If you shoot more, cost savings could be over $10,000 every 10 years, just for 9mm. Read on for more savings.

And if you shoot .223/5.56, consider this.

Family switched to 9mm ARs during the last "Great Shortage" when 22LR was hard to find/expensive (comparable cost to reload 9mm) and compared to reloading .223/5.56, reloading 9mm is much easier than reloading .223/5.56 and shooting 9mm in ARs (using EndoMag) saves A LOT of money.

And shooting 22LR in ARs with CMMG 22LR conversion kits and GSG 1911 (Instead of 45ACP) for some shooting drills and fun plinking saves even more money as copper plated 22LR can be bought for just above $16/500 shipped - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...15-20-500-shipped.853059/page-2#post-11226086

So combined savings from shooting 22LR and reloading 9mm, your savings over shooting factory 9mm/45ACP/.223/5.56 could be well over $1,500 - $2,000 a year, depending on how much you shoot. Imagine saving $15,000 - $20,000 every 10 years.
 
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And if you have no mentor, like I didn’t, then new loaders need to spend a lot of time in the reloading sub forum. Ask lots of questions and ask frequently. I regularly ask questions even though I have a decent handle on pistol reloading.

I couldn’t agree more 460 and should have been more clear there is nothing wrong with asking here and watching online videos just be careful and double check your info
 
I reloaded for about 5 years and still have plenty of my reloads that I need to shoot up.

There is one reloading component that most reloaders never talk about, and its not primers, powder, or bullets. Its time. It is a slow process making quality rounds, even on a progressive press.

The other thing I would say is that it doesn't take a ton of money to get started reloading. But as your learn, you may discover that the basic tools you bought are not what you want to use and end up upgrading to better brands and tools.

I am pretty sure that all things considered, including my time and equipment upgrades, I would have just been better off buying finished rounds.
 
A lot of people got into reloading during the craziness, and it was hard for them. Hard to find stuff, and often over priced when they did. Right now is a great time to start while everything is available and companies are still trying to move stock. You can get into reloading fairly inexpensively, no need to spend a ton of money to get started.

It's not for everyone, for various reasons, but if you think you might like it, or want to stretch your shooting dollars......

I still have some $14 per 1K primers, and lot's of $20 per 1K primers, as well as some I paid more for. I am almost out of the on sale $30 per 1K 9mm jacketed bullets I bought years ago, dang it. Have shot a lot of pricier ones in between. :)
 
Right now is a great time to start while everything is available and companies are still trying to move stock. You can get into reloading fairly inexpensively, no need to spend a ton of money to get started.
Words of wisdom. I don't see things getting any cheaper in the near future.

So buy now and stock up now. You will thank us later. Trust me.

I still have some $14 per 1K primers, and lot's of $20 per 1K primers
Me too and now I wish I had bought more. :D
 
I reloaded for about 5 years and still have plenty of my reloads that I need to shoot up.

There is one reloading component that most reloaders never talk about, and its not primers, powder, or bullets. Its time. It is a slow process making quality rounds, even on a progressive press.

The other thing I would say is that it doesn't take a ton of money to get started reloading. But as your learn, you may discover that the basic tools you bought are not what you want to use and end up upgrading to better brands and tools.

I am pretty sure that all things considered, including my time and equipment upgrades, I would have just been better off buying finished rounds.
Time is indeed part of the equation a person has to consider. If you just don’t have a lot of spare time, it may not be worth it. If you have a high income, it may not be worth it. If you’d just rather be doing something else, it may not be worth it.

I started loading in December of 2017, and since then I’ve gone from loading 45 acp only to loading 45, 10mm, 38 Super, 357 mag, 38 Special, and now 9mm, and soon I’ll add 460 magnum, 454 Casull, and 45 Colt. 44 Mag and Special are coming eventually.

More importantly, I’ve pretty much doubled my shooting time and rounds down range. I’ve also gotten into cartridges I couldn’t afford otherwise.

So for me, it’s panned our nicely, because I consider loading a fun recreational activity. So my time is not a factor. I work 9-11 hour days 5 days a week, and with no family, that’s as much as I’m willing to be at a job any more. A person who needs to work two or more jobs or a lot of overtime would probably find better uses for their time than loading.

I absolutely agree that it doesn’t need to be expensive to start. But I did a lot of research on everything I bought, and it cost some coin to get what I wanted. I really do believe in buy once cry once mentality. By going straight to a progressive I find I can comfortably load 200 rounds per hour. Winter is when I do most of my work on the press to stock up. Weather keeps me in a lot anyway.
 
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As a hobby, I think it's great. I'm not into it now, but probably will be one day. I just have too much going on.

My point is, I don't think it's wise to reload "strictly" for economics in the current time.

It takes a big investment of time to reload. And a big investment of money for the hardware and ingredients.

I could pick up a few extra hours at work and buy in bulk, and be ahead than if I spent a few hours and only loaded "x" ammount of bullets.

Just depends what you think your labor is worth.
 
I got into reloading several years before the last panic struck. Just enough to know what kind of worked and what didn't. I had to get creative and willing to experiment with the resources available to shoot some of my firearms. Now, several years later, after the dust has settled, I'm better able to buy in bulk the supplies I know I like for my pet loads.

The moral of this story is, if you get into handloading now, you'll know what you like and not have to waste your time experimenting when resources are scarce.
 
When I was shooting a lot of 9mm and 45, reloading would have taken forever to pay for itself. That is just the equipment. My time could never be paid for though so it didn’t make sense then.

Now I shoot less but when I do shoot it is mostly 44 Mag, 45-70, 444 Marlin, 450 BM, 445 SM, or 45 Raptor.

Reloading makes way more sense now.
 
I started reloading in the early 80's with a mec 600 jr 12 ga press. Then a couple years later got an rcbs special 2 single stage press and loaded several rifle cartridges and 357 mag. The first pound of imr 4064 I bought was 12 dollars.

Reloading kept me at the range for years shooting tailored loads so each shot was more accurate than I could buy and cheaper too.

Got my progressive press in early 90's an rcbs auto 4x4 for half price on a going out of business sale.
 
I do not save any money reloading, BUT, I shoot a whole lot more :)
Yes the cost per round is lower, I enjoy reloading, relaxing for me! Get to tweak the components to get max accuracy, vary the power and get to practice, practice, practice. Shooting is my main hobby !
 
... The other thing I would say is that it doesn't take a ton of money to get started reloading. But as your learn, you may discover that the basic tools you bought are not what you want to use and end up upgrading to better brands and tools. ...
One more excellent reason for frequenting a relatively non-judgemental Forum like this to soak up info and ask questions. :)
 
Started at 15 with a 10.00 Lee kit, 45 years later I can say I've loaded for economics, accuracy, relaxation, (stay outa dads basement), and for rare and obsolete calibers. I'm a salvage dog, got brass and bullets and dies and molds for calibers I've never had but might one day. If I see a wheelweight in a parking lot it goes in my pocket. In this time of throw away stuff it's kinda neat to be able to rebuild and reuse something and not just toss it when I'm done.
 
The last coupla ammo shortages were caused by us........ panic buying. Early shortages didn't affect reloading components because not many folks reloaded. Those that did reload, had good stockpiles since reloading components are mainly bought in bulk. Reloading component shortages during the last ammo shortages came about because so many folks took up reloading after the first shortages. Much of the shortages were due to distribution issues and were compounded many times due to retailers taking advantage of a false situation. None of the shortages were due to lack of materials for manufacturers or restrictions of any kind by the government. They were induced by fear and greed, and then spread by the internet. Just sayin'.

That said, I am a reloader. I have components on/under my bench that are over a decade old. I probably have enough components to last me till I leave this world. I didn't get them by banic buying, but by sensible purchases, over time, when I found something I could use at a good price. I wonder how many of those bricks of .22 ammo folks bought several years ago for $40-$50 because they were afraid they would never see it again, are sitting on a shelf somewhere, unopened? While it makes sense to have on hand what you need, it doesn't help to become part of the problem and contribute to panic/banic buying. Again.....just sayin'.
 
IF you were to build up reloading components now, in the expectation of a sharp increase in new ammo, then yes you could make out.
The same can be said of stocking up on new ammo now.
It's like investing in the stock market really.
I stocked up for my retirement circa 2005 when ammo prices were even better than they are now. Replacing what I was shooting in the interim only when I found a "deal". Mostly this meant I nearly ran out of .22lr during the panic, but have restocked it now. I am shooting steel cased 9mm now as the savings for me aren't worth the time doing it at present. But I am reassessing my 9mm component inventory.
 
The last coupla ammo shortages were caused by us........ panic buying. Early shortages didn't affect reloading components because not many folks reloaded. Those that did reload, had good stockpiles since reloading components are mainly bought in bulk. Reloading component shortages during the last ammo shortages came about because so many folks took up reloading after the first shortages. Much of the shortages were due to distribution issues and were compounded many times due to retailers taking advantage of a false situation. None of the shortages were due to lack of materials for manufacturers or restrictions of any kind by the government. They were induced by fear and greed, and then spread by the internet. Just sayin'.

That said, I am a reloader. I have components on/under my bench that are over a decade old. I probably have enough components to last me till I leave this world. I didn't get them by banic buying, but by sensible purchases, over time, when I found something I could use at a good price. I wonder how many of those bricks of .22 ammo folks bought several years ago for $40-$50 because they were afraid they would never see it again, are sitting on a shelf somewhere, unopened? While it makes sense to have on hand what you need, it doesn't help to become part of the problem and contribute to panic/banic buying. Again.....just sayin'.
Spot on.

And that is really the point I think. While some folks say it's not worth their time to hand load or reload, and I can respect that fact, to me availability is another big part of the picture. Panic buying at stupid prices causes shortages. If folks exercise some forethought and are a little more proactive than reactive, they need never go wanting for supplies.

That applies to buying ammo also. I never ran out of 22lr during the last shortage. Granted, I don't shoot much rimfire, but I never ran out because I bought a supply when it was plentiful, and I kept replenishing it, maintaining an inventory. Reloading can help with this effort on centerfire guns.

Personally, the way my job is right now, I'd rather be home in my reloading room also, saving some money making my own ammo, rather than be at work longer to make overtime money and buy lower quality, less cost efficient ammo.

But its 6 of one, and a half dozen of another for some people.
 
But its 6 of one, and a half dozen of another for some people.

Being in construction for over 40 years, I still could work one weekend sidejob a year to pay for all the factory ammo I might need for that year. While I still enjoy making sawdust, I enjoy making my own ammo more. It ain't always about money. Yet, many times when I see factory ammo on sale, or at a price close to what I could roll my own, I buy it just to have on hand when folks other than friends or family want to shoot at my range. It still adds to my brass stockpile. Again, common sense. I also often wonder how many ARs are out there that folks are regretting buying during their shortage?
 
Yet, many times when I see factory ammo on sale, or at a price close to what I could roll my own, I buy it just to have on hand when folks other than friends or family want to shoot at my range. It still adds to my brass stockpile.
Yes sir. It seems buying factory ammo for common and relatively inexpensive cartridges is a great and fun way to accumulate brass. I'm luck in that I knew years ago I was going to eventually be a reloader, so I have basically saved every piece for the last 12 years or so. I have a nice stockpile.
 
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