How hard is it to learn to reload ?

[Richard Owl Mirror]

To start off, I have ZERO knowledge of firearms. I will be buying my first rifle this week-end but, I have noticed many people prefer to reload their ammo either from a cost analysis or simply wanting more than the standard, off the shelf ammo offers.
Could someone explain How much of an investment in equipment would be, How much of a learning curve it takes or, being brand new to firearms should I stick to off the shelf ammo for my Savage .270 ?

Also, if buying off the shelf ammo, is there one particular brand that would be best to buy?

 

[Stanm70]

all of my reloading stuff cost me around 1000$ I however bought the best stuff that I could. If you were to buy Lee stuff it could be done much cheaper.

Unless you only shoot the very most common bullets I would recommend you reload.

It is not hard to learn however you need to put the time into research so you fully understand what you are doing.

 

[MudRunner2005]

It's not hard. It's just very time consuming. It's kinda nerve-wracking at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second-nature to you.

I also bought good stuff, and didn't buy a starter kit, as most of that stuff I wouldn't use.

I bought all RCBS stuff. I also bought a RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 setup instead of a beam scale. Saves lots of time and energy.

 

[Richard Owl Mirror]

all of my reloading stuff cost me around 1000$ I however bought the best stuff that I could. If you were to buy Lee stuff it could be done much cheaper.

Unless you only shoot the very most common bullets I would recommend you reload.

It is not hard to learn however you need to put the time into research so you fully understand what you are doing.

Thanks Stan !

 

[Richard Owl Mirror]

It's not hard. It's just very time consuming. It's kinda nerve-wracking at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second-nature to you.

I also bought good stuff, and didn't buy a starter kit, as most of that stuff I wouldn't use.

I bought all RCBS stuff. I also bought a RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 setup instead of a beam scale. Saves lots of time and energy.

Well that's a lot of money for a newbie to invest in.
I assume using .270 ammo is readily available. Being new to firearms, I expect to be going through a lot of ammo, practicing. That's why I asked.
I don't think I'll go through $1000 worth of ammo while learning ;>}

 

[Apex Custom Rifles]

can be as easy or as hard as you want it to. can also be inexpensive as $100 or the sky is the limit. i originally spent $500 buying good stuff, then spent another $1500 getting other stuff i wanted. however it can all be done with a $30 lee hand loader, a small scale and a primer seater. less than $100 total.

i would shoot a few factory rounds out your gun first and see if you are happy. most people reload for accuracy. it never ends up being cheaper in all reality.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Mine didn't save me any money off the top, b/c I have ALOT of calibers I have to reload for, and dies and bullets and brass and powders and blah blah blah, I spent enough to buy a decent used car. LOL But if you are reloading for 1 or 2 calibers, you can get a nice setup for under $500.

However, my ammo price went from $4.33 a round for my 7mmSTW and .257 Wby Mag, to about $0.85 per round (not including brass, b/c I used surplus brass supplies I had saved up from all the years before I reloaded), with super high-grade components that are 100% accurate in capacities and consistancy. Not to mention, that I KNOW what's inside my ammo instead of some mystery powder.

The great thing about reloading (other than cost effectiveness) is that you can mix and match bullets and powders to find the perfect combo your gun likes.

Or, if you're like me, and you prefer a certain bullet for a certain caliber, and you can't purchase that same combination in factory loaded form, then you get to make your perfect ammo for your specific needs or purpose.

For example, I love Berger bullets b/c they shoot phenomenally out of all of my rifles. But finding factory loaded .257 Weatherby ammo with 115gr Berger VLD's is not gonna be possible. But I have some for deer this year, and I can't wait to see how they perform.

 

[roninflag]

you can get a free phamplet from rcbs. "introduction to reloading". reloading is easy. get a basic kit , some manuals and some components.

 

[Zep]

Look in the archives. We have all been answering this question regularly and you will find some great advice. Welcome aboard.

 

[Trever]

I'm new to reloading myself. I can tell ya starting out I spent a couple months (5-7) researching. I had a coworker give me some of his left over manuals and I spend hours every night just reading them. If I was to tell you which one to get I would say a sierra manual is the best for a beginner. I have a Lee press for now. I have the challenger press and its not very good if you ask me. Lee makes a better press and they almost look the same but I bought a kit and had my models backwards when I read the contents list. But oh well. I would also say buy a couple boxes of factory ammo and shoot them while you are working on your load and process. Oh yeah, always start with the minimum load. It may seem like its really slow or week or etc.. but better safe than sorry.

 

[Deederswy]

Its not tough, just time consuming but well worth it for many reasons. I got an RCBS starter kit years ago, cost about mid $200's or so. It came with everything you will need to get going and a reloading manual as well with the info you will need and the "how to's" when it comes to reloading. I would read it a couple of times and just take your time and go step by step. Now since then i have bought better,IMO, equipment and stuff to make the process easier and faster but to get you going i would suggest an RCBS starter kit, it works just fine and will get you to accomplish what you are going for. It does come with a beam scale though which can be great but takes a long time, but i suggest i nice electronic scale down the road, it will save you alot of time. You will figure out what you need to upgrade on as time goes. Now, just a heads up, you will make your first set of rounds and it might be a bit nerve racking the first time at the range beecause its new, but as long as you followed your steps its perfectly safe. And, know that you are getting into a long process, its more than just pouring some powder into a case and seating a bullet, you will spend alot of time out at the range playing with different powders, charges, COAL, primers and bullets. Its fun though, it pays for itself in time and its priceless when it comes to accuracy comepared to what you buy off the shelves. Have fun with it and enjoy and welcome to reloading!

 

[Zep]

It is fun, it is like a separate animal, you either enjoy it or not and if not, let it go.

I read a lot. I agree the Sierra manual is a great start. The ABC's of Reloading was recommended to me by one of the big supply houses, it's another good read. Lyman's manual is another. etc...

Try to find a mentor, someone who can walk you thru the steps. Once you have it figured out it is not all that tough but for me a lot of it was and still is a little like rocket science. Shotgun is relatively easy, handgun harder, but this rifle stuff where I am trying to put a hole in a hole at 200 yards is tough and expensive but I truly enjoy it.

 

[Trickymissfit]

when I started reloading, I had nobody to coach me thru the process, and just didn't even know where to start. I needed a couple die sets to get started (well I thought I was ready anyway), and saw a Sinclair ad in a magazine. Called them about ordering in a couple die sets, and Fred actually answered the phone. He coached me thru the whole process thru various phone calls and bailed my butt out of several disasters. One day I got a copy of Fred's book on precision reloading in the mail (he just gave it to me), and I must have read it three or four times. He really did a good job on brass prep and what works and dosn't work. Getting a copy of that book would be where I'd start! Plus I'm sure he's done some updates by now (been a very long time since I got mine).

I remember well calling Fred oneday telling him I just ruined my brand new 6mm Forster sizer die! He laughed at me and said it'll be OK when I buy the new sizer stem! Fred asked me one day what equipment I was using (he knew I had the Forster dies), and I told him I had the Co-Ax press, and a Lyman measurer. He said to stop right there! You gotta have a scale! So I bought a RCBS 10-10 from him. He then told me about the bottle adapter for the little Lyman measurer, and to start using drop tubes in all the measurers I'd be using from then on. Good advice! Then we got into a case trimming delima. I had a new Lyman, and he said I needed to be thinking about something a little better. He told me he liked the Wilson, but I think I went thru three or four others before I finally took his advice. Once again he knew his business.
gary

 

[MudRunner2005]

Same here Tricky....Dad never reloaded, granddad didn't reload. I knew alot of the basics from conversing with old guys who did, but I basically had to teach myself. IraqVeteran8888's YouTube videos really help you understand the basics, too.