is reloading worth it?
 

i am thinking about starting to reload , mostly because i have a rifle in .35 rem and its getting harder and harder to find ammo. is it worth while ? i dont shoot alot and use a .270 most of the time . also which reloading kit would you recommend?

If you don't shoot much its unlikely you'll save any money. You may still find it worthwhile just for the satisfaction, but as a cost saving measure you'll have to shoot a fair bit to recoup your costs. If your unsure, I'd recommend one of the Lee kits, it'll get you started for a reasonable cost and makes perfectly good ammo.

i just was thinking to do it because i have a hell of a time finding ammo for that .35 rem . i love that rifle but my bullet stock pile is getting fairly low. is there any extra pieces i would need with the lee kit?

I don’t do it to save money. I have paid off my current equipment with what I have saved if I were to buy factory ammo with premium bullets without question. I started reloading strictly for an accuracy point of things. If you shoot a lot you will spend less money (you won’t save any money, you’ll just shoot more). If you have found factory ammo that you are happy with and don’t shoot much, stay with that route.

.35 Remington dies, .270 dies, primers, powder and bullets.

If you like Accuracy and customizing your rounds its worth it. If you like just going hunting and shooting a couple times a year, just buy ammo.

Find someone who reloads and see if you like it,you may not like it at all so money is not the answer.If you enjoy it and have many years of hunting ahead go for it.It takes me 3 hours return to run into the city to buy hunting supplies and time is money,when you stock up a bit your gas bill will be less from buying,but more from shooting.I like to try and make the best ammo for my rifle so I am happy with the way it shoots and I know exactly what went into making that happen.Wiat for good sales on buy and sell or some back friday sales or around Christmas blow outs.
For two guns you won't save ,but you if you enjoy it than it worth 20 times the ammo you by,if didn't like reloading there are some good brands of factory ammo and I would just buy it .It seams to be never ending in what you learn.

Factory ammo for my hunting rifle costs $90/box. I can make premium ammo for about $20/box, not to mention my reloads have been tailored to about 1/2" MOA.

If you want to save money just shoot your 270.

hehehehehe.... so it starts ....

The convenience of never running out of ammo and being able to load a premium bullet like the Nosler Partition for the cost of conventional ammo is worth it to me. Also being able to stock hard to find ammo like your 35, or in my case 9.3 x 62 , 6.5 x 55 makes it very worth while .

I try to use as few diferent powders as I can to keep costs down. Some powders will give you very good loads in several calibers/bullet weights. IMR 4350 is one I use in a lot of calibers. IMR and H are not the same even when the number is the same. { example IMR 4350 / H4350 } Don't substitute. Most times IMR and H brand powders with the same number can be used in the same cartridge, but not the same amount.

You don't need to spend a fortune on equipment, the Lee kits and dies are very capable of making excellent trouble free ammo . My Lee press is about 40 years old, and still works just fine. I always buy Lee dies when I can and have never had any problems with them.

Get a good scale and weigh each load . My scale is the RCBS 5-0-5, and it has served me well for many years.

Don't try to be smarter than the books and published loads and you should be able to produce good loads easily. If you don't see the load published don't load it. When someone offers to share their pet load recipe ask to see the book it came from, and work your way up to the max loads and you will never need a rubber mallet to open the bolt.

go to gunshows
 

Browse and pick up used dies and bullets/brass + primers.Ask question here and to other reloaders on which powders are suitable for your needs.Being independent of any stores or politics is nice.Squirrel away enough to last a lifetime and never look back.Harold

Stick to the basic reloading requirements, stock pile a hockey sock, develope load(s) and enjoy the grab and go hunting plus taking an animal from something you developed is rewarding.

^thats kind of the quick answer. I think reloading is like fly tying~you SURE don't do it if saving money is the goal. If wanting THE very best tool for the job, it's 110% worth it. But that has to be the motive.

Naturally, hard-to-get calibers and the ability to roll your own? =Perfect match.

I think the only, really hard thing for me to fully appreciate when I got started was just how differently different bullets types (even bullets of the same weight @ the same powder charge) might shoot. Different primers can change accuracy, different powders being "faster/slower" burning than others...etc. Got me fully appreciating that there IS a perfect bullet type/weight, powder type/charge combo out there and the challenge to the reloader is to find it. It was super easy with my .223, a pain in the a** with my .204R, .243 I never got it where I wanted, but settled with about 3/4" @ 100 yards.

Just bought a 17 Hornet, and am rounding-up all the goodies to try loading that right now. A bit nervous that it might be a 204R-ish experience. lol Winter is long, and no varmints to shoot at for at least another 5 months...so I have a little time. :)

If you don’t shoot a lot.
 

Your best option is to find a freind that is all set up then you buy the dies and have him help you reload and in return help him reload some.

^ This. I had to check to see if I wrote that in my sleep.

Definitely NOT
 

I am in poverty to-day thanks to reloading. I began many many years ago reloading 12 ga. shells that I had shot on the kitchen table, with a Lee "hand loader" I don't think that they make them anymore.

Fast forward to to-day, I'm re-loading .410 shotgun shells, .303 ammo for my WW1 Ross rifle, 7.62 x 39 ammo for my friend's bolt action, I have a 1/2 ton load of equipment and partial boxes of bullets, what else, more powder that I'll ever use.

POVERTY, that what you are headed for!

I should admit that I'm a pretty good shot and I wasn't when I started, I kill about 50 pheasants per year (I'm slowing down in my old age) with the .410 and I have a long range shooting range off my back porch so I guess it is a hobby.

On drug addiction is easier to quit.

Buy good stuff used, there is lots of it around, I still have my balance scale (over 50 years old now) and it works as well as ever.

Oh, and the advice you'll get on this site is peerless.

Micrometer, chronograph, crimper, hand primer, length trimmer, brass tumbler & media,.........Mortgage the house, it will be easier. :sHa_sarcasticlol:

For just the single rifle, hunting 1 or 2 animals per year, definitely not worth it. For a rifle that is hard to find quality ammunition, start reloading your own. I reload because I enjoy it, and I save a lot of money. I have 6 rifles I reload for, but the varmint rifles get the most workout (22-250. 200-300 rounds per year at gophers and coyotes. I figure I save $250-$350 on these alone, $200-300 per year on my other rifles combined.)

I have the lee set, and its good. There are better out there, but a lot more money. I really like the Lee Collet sets. If you are not going to switch brass between guns (ie the brass is firesized to your rifle), it is much easier to reload, and quick (no case lube required), and the brass lasts longer.

I shoot a 270. Factory ammo is very abundant. However, the accuracy is so much better with my hand loads, and I can not find the bullet/powder combination in factory loads that is most accurate in my rifle. That is the difference. My son has a 7mm Rem Mag that he is setting up for long range. Factory loads just will not cut it here!

Once the initial investment is made, the rest is academic, the cost of reloads is much cheaper. And there is the satisfaction of finding a load combination that works so well with your rifle, sub MOA!:sHa_shakeshout:

Just did the math. Loading for my 6.5x55. Powder $.30 Eldx bullet $.60 Brass 6-10 cents each firing. Primer 5 cents. So say $1.05 for rounds that are substantially more accurate than Nosler Trophy at $2.60 each. But still, I do it because my mechanical brain enjoys it. In a couple hundred rounds the equipment is paid off and the addiction has set in. Wonder what we can load next? Lol

Personal Satisfaction
 

Of developing a load and taking game with guns that haven't spoken in half a century.Or precision custom special purpose loads money can't buy.It will cost you half as much as factory and you will likely shoot twice as much......so you will break even except for the experience gained in trigger time.Priceless! Whats holding you back man ?

Oh, and buy a chrony. If you can’t afford one, marry someone who has one. I wish I did a lot earlier.

Wife with Chrony Wanted.....
 

Send picture of Chrony

When i first started loading i did it for the accuracy not the cost savings. It sure is nice to open the safe and have about a 100 rounds loaded up for each rifle. On the other hand if you dont shoot more than a few boxes a year and only have a couple rifles, some of the factory ammo rivals handloads for quality.

Yes it is worth it.

Go buy a Lee Classic kit, with an upgraded scale such as a RCBS 5-0-#

Best hobby you'll get too boot.

LMAO. On second thought, I didn’t save any money. Now there are 4 people reloading at my bench as a result of that particular experiment.

It is not cheaper. Just morr fun, and allows you to shoot a lot more. Ive bought dies for calibers I dont own, just so I would have to get one. Lol. Its not cheaper. But its worth it

It's not worth reloading if you consider your time to be of value,, but if your doing it as a hobby you enjoy and as a bonus you get increased accuracy, go for it. I enjoy it, and several calibers I reload for would otherwise cost me $145/box so it's well worth an evening or two of puttering around.

I'm more familiar with fly tying than reloading, but I think the pro's and cons are pretty much the same. I don't lose enough flies to really have tying make financial sense, what with the cost of a good vise, materials, my time, etc. But there is an enjoyment factor (for some) in doing it, and personal satisfaction in producing something that works. I would imagine it's the same for those that reload who are not really high volume shooters.

Sorta like my per pound cost of hunted game being much higher than going to the store. ;)

I have a friend who is an avid reloader with a .35 rem and he has had a lot of trouble finding components even now that things have been improving in the regard. I enjoy reloading and I've been able to improve my results a lot through the practice but I wouldn't say I save a lot of time. Like you I used to have trouble finding a specific factory load now I just end up spending that time looking for the bullets Speer decided to discontinue or something like that.

While the initial costs are quite high, and are sunk, it can be worth it. For hand loading .50BMG, for example, it takes a number of cycles to recoup your costs and start really saving. But the alternative, factory ammo, is very expensive.

I've reduced the costs of each round down to around $3 each for the big case. This is for precision high quality target ammo. Not cheap milsurp.

.35 rem
 

Come across bullets all the time at central AB gunshows. Brass can be more entertaining so when you find it get lots.Four to five years of scavenging and you will be set for life.