Mungler Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Isnt testing/zeroing/setting up,' Out shooting'. No, it's not like I can eat paper targets or pick paper targets up having shot them and make puppets out of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 so making sure your kit is right and you are right is a waste of time do you think you should be shooting live animals not knowing what the results will be I think Ive heard it all now Yes that's right, because I find it boring and don't like doing it, I just don't bother. I zero my rifles using the force. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Reloading kit doesn't have to cost a fortune. Just wait for some lazy office sort to be selling their kit because they can't be bothered to use it and you'll pick it up for next to nothing. I have shot factory in the past but the day I scoped up my rifle and shot 20 bunnies with a box and a half of Hornady 75gr hollow point .243 rounds broke my heart. £1.50 per round that cost me, and as fun as it was I really did feel sad when I realised what I'd done. I could have lobbed together the same sort of thing for 50p per shot if I'd have loaded them myself. I centrefire pests a lot. I've easily saved the £150 I've spent on loading kit by now - in fact at the prices quoted above I've probably saved what, over a grand? I've easily fired 1000 rounds at Crows and Rabbits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted May 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 (edited) Button it troll boy, no ones biting Iam far far from a boy,and it looks like you have been well and truley hooked Edited May 11, 2011 by Ackley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted May 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Reloading kit doesn't have to cost a fortune. Just wait for some lazy office sort to be selling their kit because they can't be bothered to use it and you'll pick it up for next to nothing. I have shot factory in the past but the day I scoped up my rifle and shot 20 bunnies with a box and a half of Hornady 75gr hollow point .243 rounds broke my heart. £1.50 per round that cost me, and as fun as it was I really did feel sad when I realised what I'd done. I could have lobbed together the same sort of thing for 50p per shot if I'd have loaded them myself. I centrefire pests a lot. I've easily saved the £150 I've spent on loading kit by now - in fact at the prices quoted above I've probably saved what, over a grand? I've easily fired 1000 rounds at Crows and Rabbits. how much do factory rounds cost,as i havnt bought any for 15 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highseas Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I would love to know what the break even point is in reloading when *everything* is taken into consideration - the kit, the bits, the manuals, the testing and above all the time (even just valued at minimum wage). I think you would have to shoot an awful lot before hitting break even when measured against an average run of the mill over the counter round. Obviously, if you are a range monkey or target shooter then you will hit break even very quickly. The average stalker (deer or fox) is not likely to fire more than what 200 rounds at living creatures (not counting messing about, zeroing or any notion of taking say a .308 to a rabbit for hell of it). well ive not fully included in the poll as i cover every one of the otions! mungler trust you to kick up stink lol i have broken even after 5 weeks of reloading, in that 5 weeks ive losed off real amounts of lead. as well as buying cheap bullets off hear. but that said i do shoot longer range quite a lot and like to print groups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highseas Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I centrefire pests a lot. I've easily saved the £150 I've spent on loading kit by now - in fact at the prices quoted above I've probably saved what, over a grand? I've easily fired 1000 rounds at Crows and Rabbits. too true 90% of what i shoot is small vermin rabbits hares and crows. we have a christmas tree plantation so every tree eating critter gets shot! my boss pays for all my ammo be it .22 .17 .223 or 243 as well a shotgun carts so i dont even do it to save myself any money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 (edited) I quite enjoy reloading, its my escape in life. I can go down to the bottom of the garden in my shed (its actually a purpose built reloading building) full electric, fridge, lights and i even have a wireless in there for 5 live A fridge full of pedi some nice smokes, sit down there and load up some special bullets for the long range rabbits that are a bit on the shy side, (they wont let me get any closer than about 200yds) I enjoy it it gives me great pleasure indeed, nearly as much as reading some posts on here. As you can imagine i have not done much reloading for a while, its quite entertaining listening to reading about the worlds best ever. Seems i have allot to learn yet Edited May 11, 2011 by Dougy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vipa Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I quite enjoy reloading, its my escape in life. I can go down to the bottom of the garden in my shed (its actually a purpose built reloading building) full electric, fridge, lights and i even have a wireless in there for 5 live A fridge full of pedi some nice smokes, sit down there and load up some special bullets for the long range rabbits that are a bit on the shy side, (they wont let me get any closer than about 200yds) I enjoy it it gives me great pleasure indeed, nearly as much as reading some posts on here. As you can imagine i have not done much reloading for a while, its quite entertaining listening to the worlds best. Hopefully enjoying the 'nice smokes' and reloading elements of your time in the shed occur at different times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted May 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I quite enjoy reloading, its my escape in life. I can go down to the bottom of the garden in my shed (its actually a purpose built reloading building) full electric, fridge, lights and i even have a wireless in there for 5 live A fridge full of pedi some nice smokes, sit down there and load up some special bullets for the long range rabbits that are a bit on the shy side, (they wont let me get any closer than about 200yds) I enjoy it it gives me great pleasure indeed, nearly as much as reading some posts on here. As you can imagine i have not done much reloading for a while, its quite entertaining listening to the worlds best. my kit is also perminently set up as anyone of my mates could drop round for me to load there ammo at any time,I also get great satifaction of producing consistant accurate reloads,for myself and others I too enjoy reading interetsing threads but can you direct me to the worlds best please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I would love to know what the break even point is in reloading when *everything* is taken into consideration - the kit, the bits, the manuals, the testing and above all the time (even just valued at minimum wage). You are indeed a chunky tightwad! Accuracy, pure and simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 Personal attack and derailing posts have been removed, keep it on topic and civil please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 (edited) It is definitely not cost effective, it used to be and it still is for pistol calibres, but for rifle and shotgun it no longer is. A Kg of Vhit N140 is now about £65. Thats ridiculous. If you take your time into the equation its crazy but nobody cares. As for accuracy, well there is some justification, but you can equally and easily produce rubbish and some of the claims on here in the past have been doubtful to say the least. The main reason is enjoyment and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Edited May 12, 2011 by Vince Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 (edited) I'm in the Essex solicitor area the factory loads do all I need, sure I miss the odd fox at night but that's f'all to do with ammo, it's usually to do with hanging out a 4x4 window at night in the peeing rain trying to balance while getting comfy...and I can honestly say there haven't been that many misses over the years. my deer stalking is a recreation thing so the stalk is the main enjoyment for me - to the point I have considered doing it with a camera instead of rifle sometimes, the foxing is done as a requirement so the factory round does what I need. Regards, Gixer Edited May 12, 2011 by gixer1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vipa Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 (edited) A Kg of Vhit N140 is now about £65. Blimey.... where from.... more like £85!!! Remember, reloading is a hobby/pass-time in it's own right. If I wasn't shooting I'd probably still re-load for others... I love it! Edited May 12, 2011 by Vipa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 What annoyed me when I was getting into it were the "you can get all you need for £200" and then "premium loads loads will cost you 20p each" These are honest replies from people who just enjoy doing it, that and accuracy are good reasons - cost isn't. Break even point.... pahhh... my reloading gear has cost probably thousands... Reloading, if done with the most expensive (note I didn't write 'best'.... although what I got probably is ) gear is NOT a money saving excercise.... money 'pit' is more realistic. It is definitely not cost effective, it used to be and it still is for pistol calibres, but for rifle and shotgun it no longer is. A Kg of Vhit N140 is now about £65. Thats ridiculous. If you take your time into the equation its crazy but nobody cares. As for accuracy, well there is some justification, but you can equally and easily produce rubbish and some of the claims on here in the past have been doubtful to say the least. The main reason is enjoyment and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 cost is only if you are deluded these days, bullets cost 30p each round us for anything decent, varget in my .243 works out about 24p then a few pence for primers and if you are doing it for accuracy and buy decent cases you need to allow another 10p or so for them. So thats 64p a round before buying the equipment. Geco factory rounds can be had round me for 92p each so the saving is 28p a pop to pay for the equipment so roughly 700 rounds to break even and that is if you ignore a lot of other bits and pieces and the fact material costs keep going up. If you use privi ammo the saving is even smaller The funny bit is you get people saying you can set up to reload for £50 and then go on to claim great accuracy yet have no means of measuring the rounds, powder is measured with scoops and no real idea how much is in a case etc etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted May 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 (edited) cost is only if you are deluded these days, bullets cost 30p each round us for anything decent, varget in my .243 works out about 24p then a few pence for primers and if you are doing it for accuracy and buy decent cases you need to allow another 10p or so for them. So thats 64p a round before buying the equipment. Geco factory rounds can be had round me for 92p each so the saving is 28p a pop to pay for the equipment so roughly 700 rounds to break even and that is if you ignore a lot of other bits and pieces and the fact material costs keep going up. If you use privi ammo the saving is even smaller The funny bit is you get people saying you can set up to reload for £50 and then go on to claim great accuracy yet have no means of measuring the rounds, powder is measured with scoops and no real idea how much is in a case etc etc Ive never worked out how much a round costs me,to be honest I dont really care,having the confidence that each and every round I make is perfect and consistant is all I look for and that I can hit small targets at long ranges that is,but thats down to the rifle as as well Edited May 12, 2011 by Ackley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 how much do factory rounds cost,as i havnt bought any for 15 years It varies a lot. Prvi can be picked up for about £8-12 per 20 I think. If your gun doesn't like Prvi and you have to buy whatever else your dealer sells, well the last two boxes of .243 hollow points cost me £30 for 20. I think if you use cheap second hand reloading kit and shoot a lot of large centrefire rounds it is worth it in the long run. What I pay for powder, bullets primers and cases is nowhere near what the same number of factory rounds would cost. I am slightly off the mark perhaps as I bought a lot of powder when I first started reloading so it was cheaper then. At todays prices a .243 round will cost... Primer 4p Powder 40p Bullet 50p (and that's an expensive one!) Case 25p - 5p per shot (assuming five firings before it's scrapped?) So at that rate it's a pound per round for the very best you can get. Premium ammo is at least £1.50 for a .243 so you save 50p per shot. So allow for the £150 I've spent on loading kit that was paid for in 300 rounds. I've fired well over 1000 rounds so that's a saving of £500 on factory ammo and it's more accurate and reliable. You could say load development costs money but then so does buying factory ammo that your rifle doesn't like so lets call that even. All my kit is second hand Lee so cheap. I can fire a group of rounds through the same hole with some of my rifles at 100 yards and I only shoot to 250 - what more do I need?! You could argue the time factor but I'd rather be at home reloading than at work! The saving I make on 100 rounds isn't far behind what I'd earn if I worked for the time it takes to make them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 The funny bit is you get people saying you can set up to reload for £50 and then go on to claim great accuracy yet have no means of measuring the rounds, powder is measured with scoops and no real idea how much is in a case etc etc I shot that guys rifle in a comp the other week. I shot two shots in the 9 ring (same hole but off bull) then adjusted for my mistake (yes my mistake not the rifle's) and shot the next three shots through the bull (again one hole). His kit did cost him about £50 second hand and I've helped him develop his load. Question it if you want but the target was witnessed by two members here who can also witness how the rounds were loaded. You can have the best kit in the world but if you don't know how to use it you're screwed. At the same time a decent reloader doesn't need the best kit in the world to get a good group. A bit of knowledge goes a very long way! If you don't believe it come over and shoot with us. You can load the rounds under supervision and then you can fire them through his rifle. If you're as good a shot as I am (which isn't hard) then you will print the same groups as I can. I'm not getting stroppy, that's a genuine invite if you're bored one weekend so you can see for yourself that it's possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Joe Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 Accuracy with me, yet to find any shop bought that suit the rifle. The 223 I've got likes Privvy, & hates Rem, which group like buckshot, & at £30 a box, compared to £7-£8 for Privvy it's a no brainer...still to go down the reloading route for the 223 yet though. with my home loads I can shoot 5 rounds through exactly the same hole at 100yds I can fire a group of rounds through the same hole with some of my rifles at 100 yards Obviously must be the same reason for these members aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 I quite enjoy reloading, its my escape in life. I can go down to the bottom of the garden in my shed (its actually a purpose built reloading building) full electric, fridge, lights and i even have a wireless in there for 5 live A fridge full of pedi some nice smokes, sit down there and load up some special bullets for the long range rabbits that are a bit on the shy side, (they wont let me get any closer than about 200yds) I enjoy it it gives me great pleasure indeed, nearly as much as reading some posts on here. As you can imagine i have not done much reloading for a while, its quite entertaining listening to reading about the worlds best ever. Seems i have allot to learn yet So you get p*****, light up a smoke and sit down and reload? Nice one! Just kidding really, I'm sure you don't mix all three fun bits at the same time. Reading it just made me giggle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 I have to say if the rounds aren't measured and cases not trimmed I wouldn't even shoot them in a rifle no matter how many assurances I was given. I will accept that you can actually reload with a little variation and get decent results as you can get reasonable results with factory ammo. Its not all about the cost of setups as the cost just makes life easier and faster but a certain amount of gear is needed to ensure you are safe. If I had the money a RCBS chargemaster would be on the shopping list as well makes it easy for people like me who can't be ***** with another hobby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 How much is a Lee trimmer? Less than a tenner? And who needs to measure? The rifle can tell you how long to load the round and once the die is set up and locked it isn't moving. I value my face. If it wasn't safe I wouldn't shoot it or offer to let anyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 be interesting to see the variation in rounds as I know even with the rockchucker press and competition dies there can be a fair variation. That said they shoot ok so why worry but you're now adding extras onto the £50 or is the trimmer included in that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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