Ammo...huh?

[BLR]

Fair enough and agreed.

I read that wrong too....

Pilfering another dudes brass is tacky to be sure. Luckily, my club doesn't partake in such antics.

[DanH]

It's the setup price, for me anyway. A Dillon 650 and components isn't cheap. If I had that kind of money to spare right now, it's entirely possible I would spend it beginning reloading instead of buying a new gun (or two), but I just don't have it.
Even a Square Deal B and workbench for the bare minimum is still as much or more than a Glock.
And components aren't getting any cheaper.

The worst part is, I'm exactly the obsessive person who should be reloading ;p

[ToddG]

So true. I have also developed a distaste for the brass-ratters at action pistol matches who dive on my brass as it hits the ground, so I've vowed to never become an animal like "those people."

Maybe it's because I don't reload, but I am perfectly fine with anyone who wants to pick my brass up. I wasn't going to so they're not hurting me. Maybe I wasn't required to so they're not helping me, either. But I've been to enough clubs (both to shoot and to teach) where the order of the day is, "Normally we pick up brass but the scroungers are here so we don't have to." Bless them.

[CCT125US]

It is extremely time consuming to start reloading from scratch. First you talk to some buddies about reloading, then you take a class to learn how to do it safely, then you read some books on the subject. Then you buy your first press. Then you search forever to find components. Then you start reading books on loading data to work up a load. Then you test the load. Then you repeat this process multiple times. Then you ensure that the load works in multiple firearms of the same caliber that you own. You put a few thousand rounds downrange, tweak your load, fire a few thousand more. Now you have a solid load, but you have trouble finding components. Also, you realize that you want a different press, so you purchase that. Then you work through your quality control issues with your new setup, quality control of things like reloading environment, maybe there's too much humidity, etc, so you buy a dehumidifier. You get tired of cleaning brass so offer that you buy a larger cleaner/tumbler.

At that point, after a year of work, thousands of dollars and tens of thousands of rounds of trial and error, you are now safely making your own quality ammo that truly rivals (if it isn't better) factory ammo.

At that point, you can produce cheaper ammo. While the "savings" are supposedly huge, reloaders never seem to factor everything like the cost of presses, dies, media, etc into the final cost of their ammo...they only factor the cost of the components. Then, at that stage, there is the fact that you are dumping time into it. It's not just time cranking out rounds. It's time picking up brass, reading data, buying components, punching out primers, cleaning brass, etc. By this point, it makes almost no sense from a financial aspect, unless your time is worth less than minimum wage.

So, reloading absolutely makes sense if you plan on producing a product that is superior to factory ammo. It makes sense if you are afraid that you will no longer be able to get components some day in the future. It makes sense if you fear ammo laws regarding how many rounds you can purchase at a time. It makes sense if you do it for years and years, where there is no new time reading data, and the presses have long ago paid for themselves, but it absolutely does not make sense to start reloading because of economic down-turn, temporary ammo shortages or temporary ammo prices.

If only we were friends............ we really need to sit down and crank out some ammo I know sumdood that has a couple extra pieces of brass laying around. A bucket of it may actually be yours.........

[Josh Runkle]

If only we were friends............ we really need to sit down and crank out some ammo I know sumdood that has a couple extra pieces of brass laying around. A bucket of it may actually be yours.........

Fair enough I guess I'm just trying to find good excuses

[Odin Bravo One]

It would probably not serve most folks to try to start now, given the scarcity of components.......but if you don't start now, when will you? Next ammo shortage? Next election? Next year?

I can buy 9mm & .45 projectiles for pennies if bought in bulk. By bulk, I mean, several thousand (10-20k) at a time. Powder at least 16-24 lbs at a time, and it doesn't hurt to buy primers 10-20k a pop either. Not only do I still get ammo for free at work, anything I spend on related items is also a tax write off. So while I can just help myself to whatever I want, within reason, it still makes sense to reload. I can also down load either round for economy of powder, as well as training value. The wife tires long before the end of a 500 round session. But 500 rounds of powder puff loads not only get her the reps, but also buys me another 100 rounds worth of powder. And free ammo won't be forever. I intend to have a good RDB full of ammo when the time comes there is no more rich uncle.

I'll admit that setting up each press for the exact load you want to crank out can be time consuming, but once it is set up, the economy of motion of a 650 makes 250 round sessions no more than 10-15 minutes.

I tend to spend my after dinner hours, and crappy weather days to catch up on reloading. No shortage of non-shooting, crappy weather days...........cause let's get real........I am a fair weather hobby shooter. Unless I am getting paid, I am not shooting in the rain. Or the snow. Or 100 degrees + 100% humidity. Not anymore anyway.

[littlejerry]

So true. I have also developed a distaste for the brass-ratters at action pistol matches who dive on my brass as it hits the ground, so I've vowed to never become an animal like "those people."

This is why I absolutely love shooting steel cased 9mm at USPSA matches.

The hens get all in a tizzy.

[Kyle Reese]

This is why I absolutely love shooting steel cased 9mm at USPSA matches.

The hens get all in a tizzy.

Better yet.... European made brass cased 9mm with Berdan primers......

[Chuck Haggard]

We used to issue 124gr Blazer as our practice round at work since it always got the bid. I used to enjoy leaving my "brass" all over the range for the brass scroungers who would wait like vultures.

[JV_]

124gr Blazer

FWIW: Blazer brass is just as bad as aluminum.