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Thread: Thinking about buying my first press...

  1. #61
    Boolit Master
    DerekP Houston's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg B. View Post
    David was on to the answer to the cost benefit question about reloading saving money.To add to his point how much would you spend on factory ammo if you shot as much as you do reloading?

    Greg B.
    I'd still be shooting primarily 9mm if I had to buy all my ammo factory, even reman ammo costs start to add up quickly. I would not have a 45 or a 44 magnum thats for sure.
    My feedback page if you feel inclined to add:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-Shooter

    Thanks Yall!

  2. #62
    Boolit Buddy Gunners Mate's Avatar
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    Well you are on the cast Boolits forum, I am no expert hell I am not even a amateur boolit caster, but after lurkin around here I got the bug to cast boolits and I did a little calculatin and figurin and I reckon a guy can save a small fortune switching from jacketed projectiles to homegrown lead projectiles which look to be about 1/3 of the cost of jacketed projectiles JM2C

  3. #63
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by blikseme300 View Post
    Saving money comes faster when you reload for rifles that use expensive or unobtainable ammo. That said reloading for 9mmP and 45ACP allowed me to still shoot volume when ammo for those calibers were not so cheap and sold in limited quantities due to market pressure a few years ago. As far as accuracy goes reloading allowed me to keep practicing when others could not due to the shortages. Having a reliable source is worth the expense in itself, IMO.

    Will I ever be ahead money-wise, no, but reloading is one of my hobbies. Same with fishing and hunting. Mighty expensive food but the experience is priceless.
    Ammo for your choice in calibers can be bought pretty cheaply right now. But, you could not even find any back during the shortages in 2008-2009. And some other times back in the past. But reloaders continued to shoot during those times! The real savings is when/if you ever load for a Magnum cartridge or something kind of rare. Many Magnum calibers or $80 or more for a box of 20 and you can load 100 for that cost. Plus, my ammo is almost always more accurate than factory. I only remember a few times that I had factory ammo that I could not equal or beat. And then, when you went back to buy more it would be a different lot number and not perform the same. And then there is the satisfaction of making and shooting your own ammo.

  4. #64
    Boolit Master kmw1954's Avatar
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    Some or most shoot and load much more than I do or ever will. I have about $300.00 invested in all of my reloading tools which includes 1 RCBS Jr3 press, 1 Lee Value 3 hole turret with auto advance and 1 Lee Pro 1000. 2 sets of 9mm dies, 1 set 380acp dies and 1 set 38/357 dies. 1 Lyman D5 balance scale, 1 Lee Auto Disk measures and 1 Lee Auto Drum. All of this was purchased used with the exception of the Auto Drum. So one does not have to have a ton of money tied up in equipment to make reloading fun and affordable. Even with this second hand equipment I am able to produce ammo that is much more suited to my needs.

    So how much am I going to have to reload for this equipment to pay for it's self? As far as I'm concerned it already has.

  5. #65
    Boolit Master
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    I can claim that reloading/casting 45/380 paid for itself in 1 year for me.

    I have a decent amount of money in my reloading setup, but cheap as possible on my casting setup.

    Dillon 550 press, multiple toolholders, powder measures etc.

    casting- used coleman stove, lee molds, tumble lube with recluse lube (now hiteking), thrift store pot and utensils, safety gear.

    last year i shot a lot (for me), belonged to a range with steel plates 5 minutes from where i was working. stopped there 2-3 times a week or more 200 rounds minimum each trip.

    at the time 380 and 45 were around $400 per k.

    casting with range scrap my cost was $50k.

    lets round down and call it a $250 per k savings to cover buying lead.

    i easily shot over 5k of just those 2 calibers last year, for a savings of over $1200.

    Not even counting the other calibers i reloaded for, but didn't cast.

    or the extra ammo i cast/loaded, but shot this year.

    So in 1 year i was able to cost justify my entire setup.

    it would be harder now, as ammo prices have come down, dramatically.

    and i could easily spend another 10k on equipment that i want, automated 1050, automated master caster, automated sizer (next item to build, low price, high time investment).

    now did i really save any money?
    No, i would have never shot that much factory ammo, but I sure had fun shooting more in 1 year than I had probably shot in the last 5.

    And not worrying about my ammo costs.

    I didn't buy the Dillon last year, just pointing out that with one years savings I could cost justify my complete setup.

    Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk

  6. #66
    Boolit Bub EddieZoom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by robg View Post
    Get kids interested in guns reloading or motorcycles then they'll never have any money for drugs!
    Well said.

  7. #67
    Boolit Buddy tstowater's Avatar
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    I'm not sure what I have invested in reloading equipment, more than some, definitely not approaching $40K (I hope), but I load a pretty good chunk of rifle loads that are expensive to buy otherwise. This make it easier to justify the equipment. Loading takes time and to reduce time, we generally are going to buy things to speed up the process. This means progressive presses, bigger case cleaning equipment and case processing conveniences. For the casting part, that another money pit.

    I load because I have since I was a kid and didn't have any money. Now I load to get the loads that I want and the certainty that I will have ammo available. During the last presidential administration, finding brass for some of the calibers was a real nuisance and some is just starting to be available. I have a hard time spending a $1 plus a shell when I can load for under $.25 a piece. You really notice the difference when you several hundred or more on a shooting adventure.

    Don't plan on loading to just save money. Load because you want to make that a part of your shooting experience and saving money may be a fringe benefit.

  8. #68
    Boolit Master
    DerekP Houston's Avatar
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    now did i really save any money?
    No, i would have never shot that much factory ammo, but I sure had fun shooting more in 1 year than I had probably shot in the last 5.

    And not worrying about my ammo costs.
    Thats pretty much my logic as well. Before casting I was judicial with my ammo and rarely shot more than a box or 2 per range trip. Now I bring a gallon size bag full of reloads and enjoy myself as long as I want. At 5-6c per round and all the components already purchased it seems silly to worry about the cost of each now. I don't count my hobbies or time as investment, I would just be goofing off doing something else and at least this keeps me home and out of trouble. Even my son enjoy's pulling the handle on the press, I had to setup another turret press 'cause he got mad at me for giving the other one away.
    My feedback page if you feel inclined to add:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-Shooter

    Thanks Yall!

  9. #69
    Boolit Buddy
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    For brass: X Treme bullets (and Brass) has "ready to load" .45 Auto reformed/sized and PRIMED small primer .45 Auto brass for $35 per 500 EA. Thats $70 per 1000. Primers are $.03 to $.035 each. That makes the Brass $.035 to $.04 each. X Treme Bullets also has a nice selection of Plated lead bullets. Indiana Bullet Company has nice cast lead bullets at a good price. I like to reload by "batches" on a single station "C" Press (or on two or more single station Presses.) This allows complete inspection of the brass at each and every step in the process. Also allows you to check the powder charge in each and every case before seating and crimping the bullet. This also allows reloading all rifle and pistol/revolver calibers on the same presses. Sometimes used single station Presses are available at good prices. You just have to keep looking until you find them. The Lee single station presses have worked well for me. They are reloading presses not Bullet Swaging Presses. Just one persons opinion and preference.
    Welcome to the forum. This is a great Forum. There is a vast amount of experience on this Forum to assist us. Also welcome to Reloading.
    Safeshot
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  10. #70
    Boolit Bub
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    I'll go against the grain a bit.

    I have never been all that impressed with Lee stuff, with just a few exceptions. And their stuff tends to not hold its value as well as pretty much every other brand.

    I think everyone should start out with a single stage and take the time to learn and understand each step.

    Turrets, IME, aren't that much of a time saver.

    As far as how much it will cost to reload, Dillon has a calculator here
    http://dillonprecision.net/break-even-calculator/

    You will save much more reloading for 300 Blkout than you will 9mm.






    Folks jumping in, with dreams of going from reloading noob to thousands of rounds of ammo per month in a couple of hours for mere pennies is why I can buy barely used reloading equipment at a discount.

  11. #71
    Boolit Master
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    That is a great price on primed 45 brass from extreme.
    It is a sale, about half off of normal.
    If I was starting out I would jump on that deal, as cheap as buying brass and primers, plus it would be nice to have all 45 as spp.


    Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk

  12. #72
    Boolit Master kmw1954's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by duckear View Post
    I have never been all that impressed with Lee stuff, with just a few exceptions. And their stuff tends to not hold its value as well as pretty much every other brand.
    Sorry but I think you should spend about 4 weeks tracking Lee presses and dies on ebay cause you will find you are flat wrong. How do I know this you might ask. Because I have done it. I keep asking myself, if this stuff is such junk then why is the resale value so high? If it is truly such junk then you would think people would be having trouble giving this stuff away!

    I will agree on the other points that one will save considerably comparing 9mm to even 380acp or 45acp.. no need to even go to rifle.

    In another thread I suggested that the new reloader go to the auction sites or CL and start looking for nice used equipment. It's there and can be had for very reasonable prices and as you suggest it's hard to wear out a nice press or an Ohaus beam scale which are probably the 2 biggest expenses to getting started.

  13. #73
    Boolit Master
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    wdfwguy:
    been lurking on this thread for awhile and wondering what you purchased in the way of a press?

    I think the Lee Classic Cast Turret is far and away a real good beginners press, it gives a little speed over a single stage press but not a lot.

    Go to E bay and buy a powder scale, Lyman or RCBS are good choices, the Lee scale is a disaster to use and the one I tried broke the sound barrier when I threw it in the trash! Stay away from the electronic ones for now.

    Lee dies are good for the standard calibers, off the wall stuff like 38 S&W, not special, are not so much as Lee try to use size dies from other Calibers in a make due deal rather than make a carbide die set up for a very slow moving die set.

    When I had a short fling with the 38 S&W I found this out and also found a 30 year old Lyman four die set on E bay that worked correctly for the caliber.

    Granted these are things you will learn as you skill level grows and are some what in flux as time move past us.

    as to a Powder measure I will suggest the Lee pro auto disc measure, unknown to a lot of people in the industry, Dillon pays Lee a royalty on the patent for use in his 550 and 650 press's they just round off the rough edges and make it look better than the Pro auto measure!

    So how bought an update: what did you buy?

    HM

  14. #74
    Boolit Buddy keyhole's Avatar
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    Lots of great advice here. Wish I had a such a source of information 50+ years ago when I started reloading. just to repeat what others have stated:
    1) Get several current manuals and compare loads between manuals for same bullet/powder to make sure there are no "outliers". Typically the manuals have excellent sections at the front describing the steps and considerations for reloading.
    2) Lee equipment has worked well for me- Classic Single Stage press, dies, Auto-Prime, etc. The other brands- RCBS, Redding, Hornady- have all worked well also.
    3) A mentor is a great thing to have. This forum can be your mentor, but a friend who is knowledgeable is a big help too.
    4) Casting and handloading in themselves are great hobbies and just add to the enjoyment of shooting. If you ever get into the obscure calibers, casting and handloading are usually the only way to keep them running without spending $'s per round..

    good luck

  15. #75
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote Originally Posted by HeavyMetal View Post
    wdfwguy:

    How bought an update: what did you buy?

    HM
    I'm kind of suffering from analysis paralysis. Every time I'm ready to pull the trigger, I read something somewhere that changes my mind.

    I was sold on the Lee Turret kit. Then I had a dozen people tell me to get the Dillon 550. Or don't get the kit, just buy the Lee press and buy the scale, etc separately and get better pieces.

    So, I've almost decided to just get both. The 550 and a Lee Classic Turret. I could use the Lee as a single stage, or as a turret to load small batches to experiment with. Or whatever isolated tasks that you'd use a single stage for. Then, once I get a load dialed in, use the 550 for large batches of the same ammo.

    Then buy dies, scales, powder measure etc that I need.

    Of course, in the next few minutes someone will tell me that's a terrible idea.


  16. #76
    Boolit Master kmw1954's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wdfwguy View Post
    I'm kind of suffering from analysis paralysis. Of course, in the next few minutes someone will tell me that's a terrible idea.
    It won't be me. If the initial investment isn't a problem then I say got for it!

    I have an old Lee 3 hole turret along with a Lee Pro 1000 progressive and I use them both just as you describe. I use the turret to do pistol load workups or small batches and the Pro is set up with 9mm dies which is what I shoot most. Once I start shooting 380acp more I will do those on the Pro also.

    The Dillon is a great press, it's just that I acquired the Pro 1000 for a cost I couldn't pass up and to be honest it has done everything I've asked it to very well.

  17. #77
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    Lee Turret much of the time the auto index rod is removed then it is a single stage press, just with disk to quick change the die set for a different caliber. No real reason to auto index loading 50 rifle rounds. Doing 300 .38 special then running the index and on press powder dispenser speeds things up. To my mind best of both worlds, except there is a little bit different hand access with a turret than a C or O style single stage.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

    Feedback page http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=RogerDat

  18. #78
    Boolit Master sawinredneck's Avatar
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    I’ll be the discouraging voice of reason. For RIGHT NOW, I’ll suggest you just stick with the Lee. I’m bad about diving in over my head as well, so I get where you’re at! But you’ve never reloaded, you don’t even know if you’re going to like it and want to continue doing it. The Dillon requires a lot more attention to everything at once and getting one set up right can become overwhelming, I’m still fumbling with the silly powder measures, I’ve got to get some knobs with + - on them!
    I’m not trying to discourage you, quite the opposite, I want you start slow, know every step and what/why things happen. The 550b/c if not setup and operating correctly will create a lot of problems quickly!
    Whatever you decide, go slow and be safe.
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    Irish Proverb: Never approach a Bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or an Idiot from any direction!

  19. #79
    Boolit Master LAKEMASTER's Avatar
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    I did calculations per round and per "outing"

    Between the bullet trap catching majority of my lead, my choice of calibers, and my eco (plinking) loads, i save any where from $30 to $80 a day.

    Granted, i bought everything but dies used.

    For maximum turn around [cost wise] i could have just bought a single stage or Turret. When i load 100 plinking rounds of 30-06 and save $65+ in just that hour its a no brainer for me.

    Powder choice and being thrifty really helps.

    I'm a professional cheap @$$
    Lake Havasu City... Born and raised

  20. #80
    Boolit Buddy Gunners Mate's Avatar
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    As lightman stated there is a substantial savings if your reloading for hard to find or obsolete cartridges and Magnums check out the price on a few of these: any of the Weatherby Magnums, 350 Rem Mag availability limited around 60.00 per box of 20 if you can find it, 6.5 Rem Mag limited to obsolete I have not been able to find this factory loaded, brass is usually around a 1.20 ppc if you find some but can be made out of 7mm brass, 338 Lapua Magnum about 80 - 100.00 per box of 20. 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 7mm Mag, 300 Win Mag all can be pricey if you are shooting premium ammo. So there is a very noticeable savings when loading for the Magnum calibers.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check