So you want to reload. Before you drop the money, do yourself a favor. Ask why? Don't really care about how much money you might save. You won’t for quite some time. Caveat: Now that we are in the COVID-19 and probably COVID-20, you might save money if you shoot often enough.
Here’s what’s really involved in reloading:
- Hours of repetitious effort. This isn’t ski ball and 5000 tickets.
- Detailed measuring again again again again. If you don’t like doing the same thing over and over and over, you probably won’t enjoy reloading.
The guy who taught me is probably on the spectrum, insanely anal about accuracy, and a previous guv’ment shootist. Let’s look at 2 scenarios:
- You want bulk ammo for plinking or pretending that 15,000 rounds will be in your secret boogaloo bag for when SHTF (as if you are going to carry 28 lbs x 15 = 420 lbs on the run. Should have bought a 22 long rifle. You can't reload 22LR anyway.)
- You want to hunt / long distance shoot. Hopefully, it’s not “Texas Hunting”* because Federal Gold Medal Match 168gr SMK rounds will be more than good enough out of your AR10 or bolt action .308.
Here’s what you’ll need if you are not going to buy new brass every time – because that’s called Loading. Reloading is using at least one previously used item.
In no particular order:
The correct shell holder, a press, a priming mechanism, powder, a scale, some calipers, some primers, some bullets, some brass, a die-set, SAAMI verified recipes per bullet, and some kind of work area free of ignition sources. And this is only for pistol. For rifle you will need a trimmer. Most likely you will want to chamfer and deburr the brass as well. And probably a way to measure the shoulder of each rifle round as well as a way to measure C.O.A.L. All this just to load a single bullet. Or just find a friend who has all this and will let you use it. That’s the cheapest option.
This does not include any way to clean the brass. This does not include any way to measure the consistency of your loads via ft/second. Without a chronograph, you can only guess how the overall length, powder, primer will function in your gun. Your batch of “identical” 9mm that you made that (if you had a chronograph), clocks in at 1043, 1311, 1256, and 1177 should tell you that your reloading process is borderline dangerous. And with these large, gaping spreads of speed, you will have the accuracy of your average Gangsters' Disciple member in Chicago. But you won’t know that because you don’t have a chronograph. You will just know that you qualified for the Junior Regionals in Fuller Park. Or as an alternate in Englewood.
Sure, you can reload for fun. You don’t have to take it seriously. But most will find that this is like golf but with explosives and tinnitus. Cheap set of clubs, some shoes, some beers (no beers while reloading is the rule), couple of friends, and you’ll walk the back nine holes. Fun the first two times. Then you’ll want to improve enough to not be mocked by your friends. So, better clubs or lessons? Neither are cheap. Then you’ll need to practice. Not cheap. You’ll need balls. You know who you are. You aren’t called ‘Ravi Shanker” for nothing. You’ll need a golf bag. Then you realize you friggin’ hate walking. Cart rentals add cost. All to get a 1.68” diameter ball in a hole in 4 tries at 378 yards. Just like shooting...only sadder and way less cool.
Then you realize your $479 Savage 110 Trophy XP with $115 included scope from Cabellas is just a brother-in-law, hand-me-down McGregor set of golf clubs. You want Calloway. At least Ping. A custom action, Bartlein barrel, Timney trigger, NightForce optic, Macmillan stock. You are going to need that Omar Ilhan sponsored bill in Congress to pass… $2K/month for as long as COVID-19 is here.
Reloading can save you money now that we have Wuhan’s Finest running amok. 9mm ammo prices are up 71% from February 2020 to April 2020. And that is going to get worse. But for most of us, reloading is an incurable madness, a glorious money pit of joy and sweet, sweet self-delusion.
Texas Hunting: (aka Harvesting for the Morbidly Obese)
Year ‘round, you feed a bunch of deer. Then one day, when they have grown accustomed to showing up to the feeder for their Cervid Welfare Benefits, BLAM…you shoot them from 65 yards away,300 Win Mag smoking, sitting in a blind, in your scent-blocked ghillie suit, ready to jump on your 4x4 Mule parked in the bushes. Ahhh…the atavistic thrill of the hunt. The adrenaline of the chase. The near climax of the kill. And you can’t wait to put on your Crocs because your hammer toe is crampin’ your bunion. But first, the photo with the quarry. Mighty Nimrod, son of the Nephalim. It's Miller time. Because someone else is going to clean it, process it, cook it for you.