So, those who know me, know it “escalated quickly”. But why did I get into reloading?
What seems like a looong time ago, but actually not that long, I walked into my LGS and bought a $100’ish worth of premium 308 ammo. And it was good and cheap and plentiful.
Shortly after the Aussie dollar crashed. Unbeknown to me that the shop I no longer frequent is a profiteering bag of dicks, I came back shortly after and got the same. Just shy of $300 they said. Why, I asked. Well, you see, young naive and clueless buyer, the Aussie dollar crashed. I think to myself, hold on, this is old stock, I was only here a couple of weeks ago, this stock would be unaffected.
Well, screw you shopkeep, I don’t want your ammo anyway. So instead, I walked out with an RCBS reloading kit they had on special. Ironic, isn’t it, selling reloading kits cheap and ammo expensive in the same shop.
Any of this sounds familiar? Currently AUD1 buys USD0.58. Yeah…
There is no time like the present, get into it. It will pay for itself on the 5th range visit. Or the second if you hangout with me
Buy the big jugs of powder and primers 5000 at a time and you’ll hardly notice. Well, you cat H guys might. Availability becomes more of a problem for the oddball calibres.
Like Winchester Australia is no longer importing powder, so I bought a whole case of Hogdon Lil’Gun. By the time I get through it, maybe ADI will make a similar product or another importer will take it up.
While I am all for reloading and actually find it enjoyable and soothing rather than a choir, you need to remember and take into account that once you get into it, it is an addiction. You will continue to buy more equipment or better equipment so it may not pay for it self in the first few range visits BUT the more you shoot the quicker you will. Now there is a good reason in it’s self to visit the range more often, win/win
The more you get into it. Well you need to shoot a lot and that costs a fair bit too.
The reasons are not just about economy and price. You can increase the accuracy of your gun. Probably the biggest reason for a lot of people is it just a extension of the sport playing with different loads normally settling on a few different with different bullets depending on use.
It also gives you access to the more obscure cartridges to shoot, and if you really want to go in depth you can use spent cartridges to swage new projectiles for other calibres. I know the 22lr gets used a bit, and I’ve also seen what I think started as a 223 case swaged into a 338 projectile. I like to think of it as the circle of life
This would be the driver for me, I don’t send many rounds down range…I sight in, smash some gongs at medium distances for practice and hunt… my time is worth more to me than the dollars I would save at that sort of round count for common calibre rifles…
.223 or .308? Just buy it. Handgun ammo that’s not 9mm? Probably worth reloading. Pretty much anything besides .303 or 6.5x55 Swedish in military surplus? Time to start reloading.
I reckon reloading to save money can be false economy in some circumstances. However if you shoot enough than of course it is economical. I do it as I find it therapeutic, has turned into a real hobbie. Most enjoyable, not to mention the increased accuracy you can achieve.
Yeah, 308, depends. Hunting, I recon cheaper to buy, unless you’re set up for reloading. But target shooting, no way it’s cheaper to buy. Especially with a nice limb saver, heavy rifle, something in a metal chassis, big fuck of brake… Mmmmm. I digress, but something that absorbs recoil and you can shoot all day, buying gets expensive, quick. I reckon people with good stock of components and current prices, you’d be looking at like 70%+ disparity.
9mm, all the same, for anything other than 25m bulls eye bullshit. So it’s price VS quantity. Obviously my yard stick is what I shoot and quantity that I do shoot, it would be unaffordable to buy.
The more you get into it. Well you need to shoot a lot and that costs a fair bit too.