Which press to buy?/?

[Aceq2jot]

So some one tell me How much it runs per round if you reload 45 ?? Seeing as i am adding a 45 to my stable and the price of Ammo is not cheap, so i have to break it down to the wife to get her to let me spend the money

[rucker]

So some one tell me How much it runs per round if you reload 45 ?? Seeing as i am adding a 45 to my stable and the price of Ammo is not cheap, so i have to break it down to the wife to get her to let me spend the money

With current Cabelas prices (which are significantly higher than when I bought stuff last fall) my loads cost $19.28 per 100. That is figuring that you already have the brass.

Also, last time I figured out the costs (may have changed now) it makes absolutely no sense to buy new brass. You can just buy WWB for the same price and remember to pick up after yourself.

[Aceq2jot]

So some one tell me How much it runs per round if you reload 45 ?? Seeing as i am adding a 45 to my stable and the price of Ammo is not cheap, so i have to break it down to the wife to get her to let me spend the money

With current Cabelas prices (which are significantly higher than when I bought stuff last fall) my loads cost $19.28 per 100. That is figuring that you already have the brass.

Also, last time I figured out the costs (may have changed now) it makes absolutely no sense to buy new brass. You can just buy WWB for the same price and remember to pick up after yourself.

That is what i had figured as once you have the brass it is significantly cheaper

Thanks Rucker

[chunkstyle]

To REALLY save the bucks, cast your own bullets. Time was, you could get lead for free, from gas stations, junkyards, and the newspaper (for linotype). those days are gone, but scrap lead is still much cheaper than pre-made bullets.

All you need is a desire to turn one hobby into two. Also, once you have a melter setup, you'll never buy fish line weights or sinkers again. My dad laid trot lines for catfish galore, and cast every single weight himself, melting the lead on a Coleman stove! Ahhh, old school...

[1911fan]

Strad, if your interested, I have a RCBS press I might trade your for your holsters you got up for sale.......

[DeanC]

Strad, if your interested, I have a RCBS press I might trade your for your holsters you got up for sale.......

Do it Strad, and don't look back.

[Rem700]

Really depends on your cost and how you purchase components.
Homecast bullets free and primers purchased back when for $12.50K or Store bought HP and primers by the hundred from Gander at $3.25 a hundred
If I figure my homemade bullets cheap primers and powder from stockpile and used brass I can get down somewhere around $3 a hundred not realistic with todays prices.
If I had to load with todays prices and purchased lead bullets $73 K primers $25K and $20 lb powder my cost would be closer to $11.30 a hundred if my math is somewhat close. Somwhere there is a calculator which you put in your component prices and figure your cost per round. Figure your cost for bullets, cost for primers say $25 K divided by 1000=$.025 each $20 lb for powder 7000gr per pound divided by 5gr per round appx(find your load)=1400rds per pound $20 per pound divided by 1400=$ .014 per round.

So some one tell me How much it runs per round if you reload 45 ?? Seeing as i am adding a 45 to my stable and the price of Ammo is not cheap, so i have to break it down to the wife to get her to let me spend the money

With current Cabelas prices (which are significantly higher than when I bought stuff last fall) my loads cost $19.28 per 100. That is figuring that you already have the brass.

Also, last time I figured out the costs (may have changed now) it makes absolutely no sense to buy new brass. You can just buy WWB for the same price and remember to pick up after yourself.

[Stradawhovious]

Strad, if your interested, I have a RCBS press I might trade your for your holsters you got up for sale.......

Do it Strad, and don't look back.

Way ahead of you Dean

[westhope]

Last year my wife complained when I bought ammo and components to build up a supply expecting the price increases. Whenever I saw good prices on ammo or components I bought it. I should have enough components to load about 20K of my favorite 45ACP loads plus about 5k 9mm factory ammo. I also bought about 20 k of 22LR for me to teach the grandkids to shoot.

This year I show her the current prices and how good an investment it was.

Her thinking, she can buy more shoes, clothes and antiques with all the money I saved.

Net break even, the best I can figure.

If you don't enjoy reloading and use it only as a way to reduce the price of your shooting, I don't know if it really pays off that well. This morning I spent a couple hours cleaning a bunch of range brass I picked-up after the LEO training at FR&PC when I should have been working (being paid). I'm semi-retired and work at home. I probably will end up with 1,000 45 ACP brass and 600 223 brass. It probably would have been cheaper to work that amount of time and buy the brass.

(I was really surprised that about 75 % of the brass I picked up after the LEO qualifications was 45 ACP brass. About 20 % was 40 SW and 5 % was 9mm. I thanked all the LEO's for shooting more 45 ACP. They said they still prefer it over the 40 SW or 9mm. The guys were mainly SWAT guys.)

[BRIT_in_the_weeds]

Bigger budgets=Bigger holes

[gemoose23]

I am within moments of purchasing a new press (First time reloader) and would like opinions. the three that I am looking at are the dillon 550, the rcbs single stage and the lee single stage. I am aware of the differences between the single stage and progressive, and for personal reasons I am leaning towards single stage. Any information would be appreciated, but please, if your statement is such and such a press sucks.... Please tell me why it sucks, not that it just does

Thanks!

ETA: if there are any others that I should be aware of (please keep in mind that price is an issue) pleased let me know!

I use a Hornady LnL Progressive press with the Hornady Free Bullet deal (1000 free bullets) it is a good "deal". If you are intrested in checking out the Hornady in person, I would be willing to show you my press if you need. I went from not reloading to now reloading on my Hornady LnL.

Also if no one else has mentioned it too you. Reloading will NOT save you money. Reloading ammo allows you to fire more rounds down range on the same budget. My example is, I would only shoot 100 Rounds of WWB a week, about 30 bucks. But with reloading I am able to shoot 200 rds a week and my wife can shoot with me another 100-150 rds a week also for under the same 30 bucks budget.

So some one tell me How much it runs per round if you reload 45 ?? Seeing as i am adding a 45 to my stable and the price of Ammo is not cheap, so i have to break it down to the wife to get her to let me spend the money

Here's a cost calculator you can use. Just punch in the prices from online suppliers and it will give you a good ball park number.
http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

[Einthoven's Triangle]

The best way to optimize reloading is get your non reloading shooting buds to keep their brass for you. Even if you do not load for some of it....you can trade it! Buy in large qty. like 5k primers, 8# jugs of powder, and bullets in large qty.

A couple hints on jacketed rifle bullets
check the Nosler web site for deals http://www.nosler.com ......and then their Shooters Shop for seconds.....http://www.shootersproshop.com/

[JohninMinnesota]

I just bought an RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Master Reloading Kit. John at GunStop said it comes with everything necessary to get going, minus the dies and supplies. So I bought those for .45 and .40 and started reading the book last night.

Now, all I need is to find some time...

GunStop is a great place to get stuff. John is a great guy, and very helpful and knowledgeable. And his name is John.

[gunnerbmg]

Hey John, glad to see you are taking the big step.. for me, reloading is a really fun part of the shooting . The best thing, as others have said, is that when your ammo is cheaper, you shoot more, so money wise, looking at the total, I suppose I spend more. Right now, my .45's are costing me about 9.00 per 100. That's with lead wadcutters. I bought all the stuff in large quanities and that is where the savings came from, primers come out to 2.4 cents, bullets 6.1 cents, powder 1.5 cents, and the cases I have had (before I got a 45, my buddies and I picked up brass and I bought 500 rds of factory right off so I have that. Enjoy!!! When I have to buy again, things are going to be up a bit more, however, I did see the price of lead is way down on the world market the past few weeks, if that holds, we might......might, see a drop, I sure hope so.

[JohninMinnesota]

Hey John, glad to see you are taking the big step.. for me, reloading is a really fun part of the shooting . The best thing, as others have said, is that when your ammo is cheaper, you shoot more, so money wise, looking at the total, I suppose I spend more. Right now, my .45's are costing me about 9.00 per 100. That's with lead wadcutters. I bought all the stuff in large quanities and that is where the savings came from, primers come out to 2.4 cents, bullets 6.1 cents, powder 1.5 cents, and the cases I have had (before I got a 45, my buddies and I picked up brass and I bought 500 rds of factory right off so I have that. Enjoy!!! When I have to buy again, things are going to be up a bit more, however, I did see the price of lead is way down on the world market the past few weeks, if that holds, we might......might, see a drop, I sure hope so.

Thanks - shooting has become expensive! One reason I like shooting .22's but even that has become more expensive.

Large quantities seems to be the ticket. Group buys would be a great idea as well. Glad everyone is here!