How to save money on reloading
Word of Caution: Reloading, when not done properly, can be a very dangerous activity. Most of the components are hazardous. The most dangerous component may be the least obvious, LEAD. Out of all of the places lead can be found during the reloading and shooting process, the most dangerous place is near your brass tumbler. Please exercise caution during all phases, wear eye protection at all times, breathing protection when handling tumbler dust, and wash your hands and face when you finish shooting or reloading with cold water and soap (hot water opens your pores.) Also, never force a primer into a case or try to de-cap a live primer.
Save Money on a media separator!
Save money and Time cleaning brass!
Save money on your reloading press!
Save money on reloading guides!
I used to buy tumbler media at the store and gun shows. I always thought it was kind of a rip-off to pay 3-5 dollars for a large bag of corncob media. One day I was at the mill buying some deer feed corn. I asked the clerk if they sold crushed corncob. He said “Oh, you mean hamster bedding” It came it 25# bags and only cost 9 dollars! The downside is that the pieces were large (about 1/8”) but it works fine for cleaning most pistol cartridges. The upside to this is that you don’t get those annoying little pieces in the primer holes if your brass is already de-primed. I still use the expensive stuff for cleaning my rifle cartridges. Expect the cost of corncob media to increase as more uses are found for it.
You can also find gournd walnut shells at the pet store. They call it "Lizard Bedding." I call it cheaper than Harbor Freight or the gun show!
Save money on a media separator:
Instead of buying one of those fancy separators, I made mine out of a 5 gallon pail and some 1/4" steel screen. Just cut the bottom off the pail, cut the screen in a circle 2-3 inches bigger then the bottom of the bucket. Cut a few slits in the screen 1-2 inches long from the outside, and fold it over the bottom of the bucket. I used duct tape to attach the screen. Put the bucket inside a good 5 gallon pail, dump in the media/brass mix, and shake the inner bucket. All of the media will fall through leaving the brass in the upper bucket. It is a good idea to wear a dust mask anytime you are working with reloading media to reduce the lead exposure. Also wash your hand and face with cold water and soap when finished.
Save money and time cleaning brass:
Vibrators are great but they don't hold much if you are cleaning lots of brass, and they take forever. I know who people who run theirs 24 hours a day. After talking to a few commercial reloaders I went to Harbor Freight and bought their 1.25 cu. ft. cement mixer, which was on sale for $100.00. It cleans 2-2.5 gallons of brass in under an hour. It seems to work best with the crushed walnut media, crushed corn cob doesn't seem to have enough mass to clean thoroughly.
Save money on your reloading press:
Want to buy a reloading press but don’t want to spend tons? My first press was a Dillon 550. I bought it on E-bay with three sets of dies, toolheads, conversion kits and all the bells and whistles for much less then buying everything new separately. When I outgrew it, I sold it on E-bay for almost the same amount as I spent (without the dies I needed of course) and bought a 650 the same way. It came with all the bells and whistles like a case feeder, strong mount, powder check, etc. Did it come with broken parts? So what! Dillon has a no questions asked lifetime warranty! Buying a press this way requires a little self-control. Watch the auctions for a while (E-bay allows you to search ended auctions if you have a valid account) so you know what the going rate is, and keep an eye on the evil shipping charges.
Need to load a new caliber? No problem! I wanted to load .223 but only had dies and conversion kits for three pistol calibers. I used a chart from the Dillon web site to see what parts from my pistol kits would work with .223, then I ordered the parts that I didn’t already have, like the shellplate and casefeed disc. This saved about 50% over buying the correct conversion kit. I already had a set of dies I was using on my single stage press, so I was all set!
RL550B Conversion Kit Component Cross Reference - Pistol & Rifle
XL650 Conversion Kit Cross Ref - Pistol
XL650 Conversion Kit Cross Ref - Rifle
Another 550B handy cross reference chart organized by shellplate
Want to load a just a few rifle cartridges? Buy the Modern Reloading Book by Richard Lee, it comes with a free press if you order it direct from Lee. It is an economical single stage unit and it works just fine if you load a small quantity. I broke my first one, and when I was in Hartford (WI) I stopped in and they replaced it with no fuss. Their dies are also quite reasonably priced. Their lock nuts have a rubber O-ring in them so they stay put, many people buy the lock nuts to put on their non-Lee dies. I liked the Lee press so much, I bought a heavier duty Lee press when I started doing custom loading for other people. Their hand primer is also a great tool for small quantities. You can really feel when the primer is properly seated.
Save money on reloading guides:
I’ve spent plenty of money on reloading books but found I can usually get the same data from the Internet. All of the big name bullet and powder companies have data available online. The only book I would really recommend is Modern Reloading Second Edition by Richard Lee. He spends the first part of the book discussing many aspects of reloading that can be very beneficial to new reloaders and old hands. The only companies I have had trouble finding data for was Sierra and Barnes. You can either break down and buy their books, trust someone else’s recipe from the Internet or steal a look at a book at the store. A word of caution here, old reloading guides may contain outdated information and should not be trusted until you can verify against something newer. Many stores that carry reloading components also carry free paperback reloading guides, I have seen these for IMR, VV and others.
When I first started shooting I would buy ammo anywhere I could find a good price. Unfortunately the consistency wasn’t great. What a great thing when Wal-Mart started stocking 100 round boxes of .40 S&W and 9mm. I can buy the .40 S&W for around $160.00/case (Ok, I wrote this in 2006, prices are a little higher now!) If you need lots, ask the clerk, they will special order it for you. I took it with me the first time I shot at the USPSA Nationals and when I got to the chrono stage my power factor was an amazing 167! I still shoot reloads in practice matches but for the real thing I stick to factory. Reloading may be slightly cheaper, but I can spend the time it takes to load the ammo dry firing instead.
You can also call the corporate buyer at local chains such as Farm and Fleet and negotiate ammo prices for multiple cases. I have done this several times. Work out the price, and go to the store and pick it up.