I am seriously thinking about getting into reloading for myself. How dangerous is this to do in your basement, or anywhere in the house? What kind of money am I looking at for a good set up? Where is the best place to purchase? I would be looking at reloading 460 for my TC. I shoot a lot, and things are just hard to find. Is there really that much savings? I have looked up brass, powder, dies, etc., not cheap.
Any help would be appreciated.
Aim small, miss small..

I have reloaded in my house forever. I do not consider it dangerous. The $$$$ required depends; however, a good starter kit will contain a press, scales, etc. I recommend a powder measure if it is not included. I personally use only single stage presses, but many transition to the progressive ones.

IMHO, the $$$$ to get started is only the tip of the iceberg. There will always be more, different, better, useful, or useless things to add to your collection of equipment. Plus, the components that you will need (want) will eventually fill a small room. It is addictive, satisfying, takes time (will keep you off the street and out of the bars), and will save some money per round. However, if I look at all of the investment that I have in my inventory of components today, I could easily pay several $$$$ per round that I fire annually and have $$$$ left over. On the other hand, I do not worry about a shortage of ammo at the local WalMart or ammo store.

In addition, most of us believe that we can tailor a load to a particular firearm providing better performance than we can obtain using factory ammo. Whether this is a fact or not is not important because we believe it anyway. Reloading also opens the world of wildcat calibers to you. Thus, you would have the opportunity to spend even more and have more fun.

wtrooper. Sound advice. Thanks, I am going to keep checking into it.
Aim small, miss small..

It is well worth it!

Don't smoke while loading and you will be fine. The startup will run around $200, for the Lee kit and dies, and some components. DO IT. I held off for years and now I can't get enough of it. You will regain your investment in one summer, and you will be a better shot as you will practice more as it will be WAY cheaper to shoot.

s4s4u, I have done some research on brass, bullets, powder, primers, etc. By the time I add it all up, I can buy CorBon 275 grn for the same amount or less. I checked Midway USA. Is there cheaper places? I went on ebay to look at single stage set up, but I do not know waht will or will not work. Will any single stage work? Lee, RCBS, etc.?
Sorry for all the questions

Go for it, I have been reloading 25+ years and still have all my fingers ,both eyes and most of my rugged good looks. Go back and reread what wtroper posted because everything he said is true,especially the TIP OF THE ICEBURG part. Check out midsouthshooters.com, I've order from them forever thier prices are good as is thier service

Ditto to what the other guys said. I got out of reloading, job,kids etc. for several years and sold all my stuff. I got back into it this summer and and didn't realize how much I missed it. Plus the savings on ammo. I have Lee equipment, started with the anniversary kit and have added items since. I like the quick-change feature for the dies. I do not like their scales.

Shortgun


HHI# 8338

Get you one of these:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=423081
and do your homework.

How often can you afford to shoot CorBon? I couldn't afford to buy it, so I got the stuff to load it. Once you have your brass, you can load for a fraction the cost of that stuff, and you can load like YOU want. If you want to shoot better, you have to shoot more, and if you can afford to practice 100 rounds a week with CorBon, I am wasting my time.

Any single stage that is 7/8 , this is the standard size.You won't go wrong with any of the different brands of presses or equipment but if you want most of the equipment without spending a fortune than Lee would be the way to go and yes Lee is what I have for presses and most of my dies but I do have supplies from the other manufacturers too, anyway, for 200 dollars or slightly less you could have most everything you need with a Lee kit,Midway or Midsouth would be good places to start.

Thanks John, and to everyone else whom took the time to respond. I am going to look into the Lee press and the other equipment needed. Thanks again.

AWESOME advice gents!!!!!!!!!!

I can shoot factory ammo in at least most of my guns. In fact I have gone threw great lengths to make sure that I could in an emergence, BUT, I don’t think I ever would.

375 H&H AI can shoot standard 375 H&H ammo.

8mm GNR can shoot “factory” ammo, but I would have to overnight it and it would cost a small fortune.

270... great for factory ammo!

257 Rob AI, will and can shoot standard 257 Rob very well. (Firefrom loads are often under 1in at 100.)

First, I ALWAYS take a “back up” firearm with me will lots of ammo. (I go overklill, but I usually take a box of fifty.) Second, in a pinch “I” would buy 3-4 boxes of ammo and see what shoot out of my guns. Third, for what I am handloading, to buy the factory equipotent would be quite pricy. I don’t even want to think about buying factory ammo for my 375 H&H at $50.00 + a box... LOL

This is just my point of view so take it for what it is worth...

I hand load because it is not only cheaper, but I can customize loads for my guns that will shoot very accurately.

Well said guy's, it's very relaxing plus you get to shoot more precise ammo, and it's a great feeling of satisfaction when you kill game.

You may be discounting the fact that you re-use the brass! Average the costs over 5 re-loadings and then see if you can buy Cor-Bon for the same amount....I doubt it.

This is what I used to get me started, with a few other caliber specific things, such as case reamer and dies of course (for revolvers, get the 4 die kit with the factory crimp die).

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000690928

Use the stupid balance scale until you can't stand it any more. Then you'll have developed enough patience for precision and safe hand-loading. Then pick up a nice little digital scale to do one cartridge at a time (my method) or to really tweak your powder measure.

Why don't you start by buying at least two quality loading manuals? They are a WEALTH of information and How-to information. This way, you can get a really good feel for how it all works and whether you want to spend the time necessary to do a safe and good job. If not, you can always sell them.

I particularly like Hornady manual and the Lyman one is great as well. Beware, manuals get addictive also.

I just started reloading this winter, and I can't get enough of it. What kills me is how easy it is. I have had the equiptment for years and just thought I'd mess things up. Case prep. is the time eater, but after that it's a breeze. The best thing for me is that I have been saving all my brass since 1985. I have more than 1000 rnds of once fired .243 win. alone. You will love it.

Cheapest source I have found for LEE is:

http://factorysales.com/html/xcart/home.php

Handloading is very safe as long as you keep your head on straight. Follow the guidelines in the manuals and heed thier maximum loads and you will be perfectly fine. The lee company is responsible for getting many many folks started in this fine hobby that you will see soon turns into an obsession. They make good equipment at a very fair price. As far as cost goes its just as any other hobby, there is a decent initial investment, but the equipment will pay for itself in time, also, you only have to buy the equipment once. You would be surpised at how far a pound of powder and a box of bullets will go in saving you money and making you a better shooter as well. You could also start casting your own bullets to save even more.

Have fun and shoot straight,

Toby

Thank you for yourinput. I am checking into very hard. Keep all posted.

Start with the Lee kit and some bulk bullets or even lead bullets. If your shooting most handgun rounds a pound of powder goes a long way.

It all comes down to use, if you do a lot of shooting it can save you money, especially, if you count your time as free. If you shoot 1 or 2 boxes of ammo a year don't bother.

It is addicting, the more you shoot the more guns you want to buy, the more reloading dies and supplies you need to buy to save money, to buy more guns...............

Jeff

One thing I heard long ago from one individual ... do not think you will save money reloading.....you will not. You will actually spend MORE reloading than you would have buying "store bought" ammo



because you will shoot a lot more.

It will cost less per cartridge, but you will outpace the savings with all the extra shooting you will do.

and that's a good thing.

I don’t know... My 375 H&H“s” would cost $60.00+ a box. Not to mention some of the wildcats I shoot would be almost $50.00 a box. You are right, your initial is higher than buying some ammo. But I have put the pencil to it on how much it would cost to buy loaded ammo vs. what I can load it for. I guarantee you that I am saving money.

Another thought...

Casting your own bullets... there is another way I can save money “IF” I do it right.

Here is a great resource if you want to figure out how much it cost you per round to shoot. Go reference your favorite sporting goods store and compare.

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/rescources/calculators/php/cost.htm