Reloading? Where to start?

[Hunter333]

I am purchasing a 30-06 and have thought about getting into reloading so that I can shoot more economically. Does it save money to shoot reloads? Are there other advantages? How much does setup and etc cost? Any info would be greatly appreciated!!

[Cag]

Hunter, Yes it's economic to reload. Also depends on the amount of shooting that you do. If you go and shoot three times a year, it's not worth handloading. But if you're an avid shooter, then it will pay off.

I don't load for economics though. I load for quality. The advantages are to find the perfect combination of case, powder, bullet style & weight, and primer, that's preferred by your rifle. The end result is custom ammo that works best in your rifle, and gives you the best velocity and accuracy.

Factory ammo is made to work preety decent in all rifles. Your ammo will be custom to your rifle and may not neccesarily work worth of darn in another rifle.

You can get reloading kits that are available to all kinds of budgets. You can get starter kits that start at under $100.00 and you can get some that will cost you more than $300.00. All depends on your budget.

I suggest that you start with something not too expensive to see if you're going to like reloading. A single stage press like an RCBS Rockchucker is a good start.

I suggest that you buy a few loading books and start reading quite a bit on the subject. Try to learn from someone that already reloads. Also frequent some of the chatrooms, boards, or forums, that are on the net. You can get quite a bit of an education there. Here's a few: www.shooterstalk.com (http://www.shooterstalk.com) (reloading-rifle) www.accuratereloading.com (http://www.accuratereloading.com) www.gunandknife.com (http://www.gunandknife.com) www.thefiringline.com (http://www.thefiringline.com) www.gunspot.com (http://www.gunspot.com)
All these sites have reloading forums.

I enjoy the reloading as much as I enjoy the shooting. If you hunt you will find it very rewarding when you bag game that you bagged using a round made by you!

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Best of luck....Cag

[This message has been edited by Cag (edited 07-31-2000).]

[Cag]

Hunter, Yes it's economic to reload. Also depends on the amount of shooting that you do. If you go and shoot three times a year, it's not worth handloading. But if you're an avid shooter, then it will pay off.

I don't load for economics though. I load for quality. The advantages are to find the perfect combination of case, powder, bullet style & weight, and primer, that's preferred by your rifle. The end result is custom ammo that works best in your rifle, and gives you the best velocity and accuracy.

Factory ammo is made to work preety decent in all rifles. Your ammo will be custom to your rifle and may not neccesarily work worth of darn in another rifle.

You can get reloading kits that are available to all kinds of budgets. You can get starter kits that start at under $100.00 and you can get some that will cost you more than $300.00. All depends on your budget.

I suggest that you start with something not too expensive to see if you're going to like reloading. A single stage press like an RCBS Rockchucker is a good start.

I suggest that you buy a few loading books and start reading quite a bit on the subject. Try to learn from someone that already reloads. Also frequent some of the chatrooms, boards, or forums, that are on the net. You can get quite a bit of an education there. Here's a few: www.shootertalk.com (http://www.shootertalk.com) (reloading-rifle) www.accuratereloading.com (http://www.accuratereloading.com) www.gunandknife.com (http://www.gunandknife.com) www.thefiringline.com (http://www.thefiringline.com) www.gunspot.com (http://www.gunspot.com)
All these sites have reloading forums.

I enjoy the reloading as much as I enjoy the shooting. If you hunt you will find it very rewarding when you bag game that you bagged using a round made by you!

The 30-06 is a fine caliber. Enjoy.

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Best of luck....Cag

[Cag]

Oops! Sorry about the double post!

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Best of luck....Cag

[Benchshooter]

cag,
Are you a old Michigan man??? Just was checking??


Happy shooting...
PS Hunter.. I love to reload it takes alot of reading to get the load you want..But it is fun, my son and I reload together..good times on the range, and in the reloading room he built..We reload 44,300,38,57,3030,22-250,9mm. Have fun with all of them..

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Benchman

[Steve]

Moving topic to the reloading forum.

[Cag]

Benchshooter, I'm from Miami, Florida. What was it that made me seem like an Michigan old man? I'm getting to be a Miami old man!

Was it because the double post?

Best of luck....Cag

[Benchshooter]

cag,
No I was just wondering. Just trying to be funny...Also was shocked to see a Fl. man on the Michigan page..How did you find out about it?
Glad to have you on the page hope you enjoy the forum..We have a great state.......
Happy shooting...

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Benchman

[Cag]

Benchman, I found this site by accident. I used to watch a show on TV some years back called Michigan Outdoors, with host Fred Trost. I enjoyed that show quite a bit and I figured I would browse the forum a bit . Now it turns out that everyone is ragging ole Fred! Why, I don't know. We no longer get his show down here. Seems that what I liked about ole Fred is why everyone here dislikes him. I thought his expose of Buck Stop was courageous.

Anyways one day I'll hunt in Michigan. This year one of my buddies is going to visit his family up there, and he's going to hunt there also. I expect to go next year!

Save some deer for me.

Best of luck....Cag

[Cag]

Hunter,
I edited my original post because the site for shooterstalk was missing a letter and you could not have gone in the way it was typed. I corrected it and you should try it. I think that you will like that site more than the others, although they are all good sites.
This site is frequented by a lot of knowledgeable people and experts and provides a wealth of information.

Best of luck....Cag

[Benchshooter]

cag.
I used to watch that show when I was a kid but not any more.
I enjoy the TNN on Sunday night.. the people are ragging on ole Fred because he has been boring.

Well I hope you get what ever you are going hunting for, when you get up here.

Happy shooting

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Benchman

[Benchshooter]

Hunter,
Do you get the mag. G&A this month has reloading tips by Bob Forker it is a good one for you, check it out ok later
Happy shooting

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Benchman

[Hunter333]

G&A? Oh, Guns and Ammo, DUH! No I do not get it but I will have to check out this months issue. Thanks for the tip!

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Live to hunt, hunt to live!!
Take your kids hunting so you
dont have to hunt for them!

[smason]

Hunter333, I have a Lee reloading kit for sale, I have 30-06 dies, shell case trimmer, electronic power measure, shell plates, reloading manual, case tumbler, cleaning media, brass and more that I can't remember right now. I also have dies for .357mag, .45acp and .44mag. It's an excellent rig for someone just starting out, I have everything you need. I am looking to get $200 for everything. Everthing works and is in good condition.

email smason8@yahoo.com

[mparks]

Unless you shoot a ton then I don't know if I would say that it would be econmical to re-load for the '06. You could just buy some clearance shells after deer season since its so popular. Or even shoot old military ammo if you can find it. Depends what kind of shooting you want to do. Reloading would be the cheapest way to find the most accurate load for your rifle.

Reloading isn't terribly expensive though either and is a lot of fun. I've been doing it since forever with hand-me-down Herters equipment and it really makes it fun to see how accurate of a load you can develop. Lots of options with the '06. That a good caliber to get a deal on bulk bullets and brass and easy to get once-fired brass from any range this time of year too.

[drwink]

While I agree with everything said so far, just something about loading your own.
That's a pretty good deal that Smason has on his stuff, didn't say if his dies were carbide or not but that's how I got into it.
Even if your not going to use the other dies they would be easy enough to get rid of.
I've had my stuff for over 20 years now & back then carbide dies went for over $45.00, not sure what they go for now.
Just my .02

Wally

[Hunter333]

Thanks for the reply drwink, made me go back and read how long ago I started that thread, 2000 :) Got plenty of stuff for loading now but am looking at shotshell loading now that my wife has taken up trap shooting twice a week!! :);)

[7MM Magnum]

Hmmmm,.. I could have sworn that Mort Neff was the host of the original "Michigan Outdoors" :16suspect :16suspect ... and Fred Trost was the host of "The Practical Sportsman" show. :confused:


Maybe I'M the "Old Guy "! :help: :dizzy: :cwm27:

[Gil Martin]

Folks reload for many reasons. I started in 1960 because I wanted to roll my own ammo. The first thing I suggest would be to buy one or more reloading manuals and read them from cover to cover. I have reloading manuals from Hornady, Lyman, Sierra and Speer. They provide a wealth of great information.

Reloading equipment does not have to be expensive. I see excellent used reloading equipment for sale in some gun shops. You will need a reloading press, a set of dies, a shell holder, a scale, a chamfer and deburring tool and a measuring device to check overall cartridge length. Components include cases, primers, powder and bullets and you are good to go. Hope this helps. All the best...
Gil