Why go to the store? Make Your Own Ammunition
Written: Aug 26 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Make your own ammunition, save money, become better
Cons: Initial investment
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| mattjoe's Full Review: otdr/Other |
Once again, it's time to visit Outdoor/Other and help to fill it up with outdoor sporting goods and accessories. Give us our own section already will ya?
Today's topic, Why Would You Want To Reload?
So let's say you started shooting. You go down to the local gun store and you buy a box of ammunition week after week. Suddenly you start noticing you're spending an awful lot of money on a box of 50, and you aren't getting any better. Why? Because you can't get any better shooting so few rounds, and you can't afford to get any better at the price factory ammo is. For example, say you wanted to shoot 44 Magnum, a box of 50 is $20.00, it is a sad realization, when after shooting 200 rounds in a half hour, you realize, hey, I just sent $80 down range, and have nothing but these empty shells and a dirty gun to show for it. Poor me, standing there thinking what I could have spent $80 on. It was that day I came to the decision I needed a reloader. It would be many more months before I smartened up and bought one.
Why would you want to reload?
Well It is very easy, and inexpensive. I will now dispel the popular myths associated by most with reloading.
It is hard, right?
Wrong. What reloading involves now is mainly setting up a machine, screwing it to a sturdy bench, and then going about your business. The set up is the hardest part. Once you adjust everything to the specifics you want, tighten all the nuts and bolts, things stay where they are. You don't need to make any more adjustments unless you want to change the set up you are using. You may want to do this for various reasons, experiments with different powders, bullet weights, length and if you want to, different calibers. But if you only have one caliber you wish to reload for, and you only are going to use one brand of bullet, powder and primer, you'll never need to adjust anything.
It's dangerous.
No it isn't. Keeping the powder for reloading in your house poses no risk, even in a fire. Today's powders for modern ammunition would only flare up if set on fire, they will not cause a gigantic explosion, if that is what you are worried about. Older "Black Powder" is somewhat more dangerous and unstable.
It is expensive at first.
This is true. First you must spend a minimum of around $250, to a high of $1200 for your machine, then you need to buy components. Assuming you have brass from the empty cases you had already, this will not add to the cost. You will need to purchase, powder, at an average of $15 a pound, bullets which vary in price enormously, depending on what you are shooting. Say 9mm, 1000 will generally run you anywhere from $45 to $25 depending on the style bullet you want to shoot. Lead is the cheapest, and also the smokiest and dirtiest. Jacketed will cost more. Then you will need primers, which normally are an additional $15 per thousand.
So you have all your components, are you done?
Of course not.
You'll need a scale. One of those little accurate ones which you may have used in Chemistry class, you need this because you don't just fill up the empty case with powder, you need to be accurate with it so your pressures stay safe, and you can fire the bullets at the right velocity, and make the gun function correctly. A scale generally runs anywhere from $40 for a manual one, to $160 for the super accurate and easy to use electronic ones. And no, you're still not done. You need an empty case cleaner. These are known as tumblers, and you can get a basic one, plus a cleaning agent for around $50 more. Finally, you'll need calipers, these are a measuring device, as you are dealing with fractions of inches here and a ruler sure isn't going to work. Length and width are very important, as these will affect function, accuracy, velocity, and pressures.
Lastly, you should have a reloading manual, these will tell you the appropriate powders and quantities to use, and length to load.
So, you have expended a nice pile of money right away, enough to buy another gun or two. But, if you shoot reguarly, this equipment will pay for itself. For example, say you shot only 100 rounds of 9mm each weekend, provided you use the cheapest stuff you can find, it will cost you 16 dollars each time. Do that every weekend, and you're at $800 in only a year. Shoot .45, the most popular, and the cost is easily over $1000.
The reloading machine will pay for itself rather quickly, yet the initial expenditure of funds is what keeps most people from doing it.
It takes a long time.
Wrong, Reloading can be done very quickly depending on the machine you use. If you use any decent progressive reloader, you do not need to stop and measure the amount of powder you are using every time. The only reason to use the single stage reloaders, which require a vast amount of time, would be for extreme distance rifle accuracy, that being beyond 500 meters.
Today's machines made by Dillon Precision are advertised as being capable of reloading rounds anywhere from 400 an hour (the cheapest) to 1200 an hour for the most expensive. As you can see, it won't take a long time to make a good amount of ammo, in fact, you can probably make at least 200 in the same amount of time it would take you to drive to the store, buy some, and drive home, plus you'll save on gas.
If you've made a commitment to shoot, and you want to improve, you need to reload. You will be able to tailor ammo for needs and performance, and you'll end up practicing more, which always leads to improvement. You'll also save money, which you can use to buy more guns, and shoot more.
Now, if Epinions adds in a section on reloaders, I'll review a whole mess of them. Of course, chances are they won't and they'll all get reviewed in Outdoor/other.
Recommended:
Yes
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mattjoe
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Member: Austin Danger Powers
Location: RED SOX LAND!
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Unable to be trusted how to spread my wealth around on my own.
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