Alright guys, I've been looking at reloading on and off for years now and have just never been able to justify the investment and didn't have the time to boot. Well, I've recently found myself with more time on my hands and also discovered the Lee Loader setup which is available for about $40 at Midway. This is cheap enough for me to test the waters and since the only round I care to reload at the moment is 45acp, I'm taking the plunge.
So my research began and the best I can tell is that reloading isn't as cheap as I thought but I'm still wanting to try it. I know it's not just about price but has other benefits as well, being therapeutic at the least. After looking at various loads and such, I've come to a few conclusions:
1: while I'd prefer to shoot 230g FMJs, 200G LSWC seem to be the cheapest and very popular. I'm finding these for about $0.12 each.
2: Federal primers run about $0.03 each and tend to be popular so I'm steering this direction. Thoughts?
3: for powder, I like the looks of Titewad as it's affordable up front, uses less per round than most, (4 grains is middle ground with the 200g LSWC and only 3 grains with a 230g). I'm not looking for the absolute most accurate or cleanest just yet, I just want to get started. Looks like this would cost me about $0.02 per round.
4: Winchester brass seems to be favored and I've have a good bit of White box I could shoot and gather but also have other brands like Monarch, PPU, etc. Can I resuse it all with worry?
So I'm looking at roughly $0.17-18 per round vs $0.30+ round (steelcase) at the store. Most of these prices are through MidwayUSA so other site suggestions are welcome. If anyone sees any flaws in my logic, please weigh in. I know buying larger bulks of everything is cheaper and I'll go that way if I fall in love with this but I'm wanting a small investment now in case I hate it. And finally, despite sounding like a cheapskate, my overall goal isn't to save money, just to be able to shoot more.
So my research began and the best I can tell is that reloading isn't as cheap as I thought but I'm still wanting to try it. I know it's not just about price but has other benefits as well, being therapeutic at the least. After looking at various loads and such, I've come to a few conclusions:
1: while I'd prefer to shoot 230g FMJs, 200G LSWC seem to be the cheapest and very popular. I'm finding these for about $0.12 each.
2: Federal primers run about $0.03 each and tend to be popular so I'm steering this direction. Thoughts?
3: for powder, I like the looks of Titewad as it's affordable up front, uses less per round than most, (4 grains is middle ground with the 200g LSWC and only 3 grains with a 230g). I'm not looking for the absolute most accurate or cleanest just yet, I just want to get started. Looks like this would cost me about $0.02 per round.
4: Winchester brass seems to be favored and I've have a good bit of White box I could shoot and gather but also have other brands like Monarch, PPU, etc. Can I resuse it all with worry?
So I'm looking at roughly $0.17-18 per round vs $0.30+ round (steelcase) at the store. Most of these prices are through MidwayUSA so other site suggestions are welcome. If anyone sees any flaws in my logic, please weigh in. I know buying larger bulks of everything is cheaper and I'll go that way if I fall in love with this but I'm wanting a small investment now in case I hate it. And finally, despite sounding like a cheapskate, my overall goal isn't to save money, just to be able to shoot more.