jam1e Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Hi folks, All being well with my ticket, and after alot of research i've decided to go for the .22 250. It also seems that i would get the best consistancy/accuracy by making my own rounds. Now this is an area i know very little about. My first question is,Can some-one give me an idea of the cost of the equipment needed to make my own rounds. And secondly, Is it really worth all the effort for some fox control and long range vermin shots? Thanks in advance folks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Hi folks, All being well with my ticket, and after alot of research i've decided to go for the .22 250. It also seems that i would get the best consistancy/accuracy by making my own rounds. Now this is an area i know very little about. My first question is,Can some-one give me an idea of the cost of the equipment needed to make my own rounds. And secondly, Is it really worth all the effort for some fox control and long range vermin shots? Thanks in advance folks Have you got experience on short range vermin as it maybe an idea to start with that before your first 704yard hare? Regards, Gixer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam1e Posted August 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Have you got experience on short range vermin as it maybe an idea to start with that before your first 704yard hare? Regards, Gixer Lots of experience, but a tad rusty after I gave up shooting around 8 years ago, and sold my .22 rim, .17 rim and 243 cf. But it's a fair point you make and i'll be going back to basics before any long range fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Lots of experience, but a tad rusty after I gave up shooting around 8 years ago, and sold my .22 rim, .17 rim and 243 cf. But it's a fair point you make and i'll be going back to basics before any long range fun Cool. the cost of the kit isn't too bad but check to see if your rifle likes ppu ammo first as its as cheap as reloading in some cases! Regards, Gixer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
castletyne Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 I was thinking about it for my .223 but decided it just wasnt worth the outlay for the loading gear and the time it takes to load I can get PRVI FOR 47.5p each or Hornaby for £1 each Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam1e Posted August 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Thanks for the replies folks. I'm shocked that you can get PRVI so cheap! I'll just have to see if the gun likes them i suppose... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ste12b Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) Hi Jam1e, These are prices from Hannams: 50th anniversary kit 110.96 308 deluxe rifle die 34.85 308 case length gauge 5 powder trickler 18.1 bullet puller 20 Lyman 1200 tumbler 58 I reloaded S&B and PPU cases (after firing them) and can get 3/4 MOA in a rem 700 (in 308). Don't know if that will be good enough for what you want though. Reloading costs based on 308 Lapua cases, Viht N140 and SMK 155 are 56p per shot. Regards Ste Edited August 10, 2012 by ste12b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 One of the best routes into reloading is ammounting the brass by collecting factory brass by empying facory ammo in practice. This way you also get some knoledge of what the rifle tends to like in the way of bullets. Make sure your brass you save is good stuff Sako, norma , RWS is very good. Fedral and winchester is ok (do not mix it as your pressures will be all over the place, each case needs its own load) . One hundred cases could potentially outlast your barrel if you look after them. shooting good factory ammo gives you a benchmark and proves the rifle, to be fair despite what many claim the ammo of today can be of exceptional quality and you will struggle to load better sometimes. so cost of brass is nothing extra over factory, just a case of saving it up. Bullet heads cost from say £14 per hundred in .224 expanding So 14pence each, A 1lb tub of powder might do about 175off 22-250 £38 a tub so 22pence a round and say 2pence a primer. brings us to 38pence a round- so certainly 50 pence a bang is achievable. now the cost of the gear- but you will own that for years and you could buy it all new or secondhand. You might but the very best or just the basic put together. A loading room with all the gubbins might be built or you might sit at the kitchen table with a scale, powder thrower and hand dies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaedra1106 Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Here's my costs for .223 based on buying new Lapua brass and using it 10x, you can of course get cheaper brass. Lapua Brass 5p 26 Grains Vit N140 11p CCI Primer 03p 55gr Hornady FMJ 15p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam1e Posted August 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Thanks folks. Sounds like it's best if i start off by trying various rounds to find one that suits the gun and is accurate. Then keep all my cases if the quality is there to maybe move on to "reloads". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam1e Posted August 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Here's my costs for .223 based on buying new Lapua brass and using it 10x, you can of course get cheaper brass. Lapua Brass 5p 26 Grains Vit N140 11p CCI Primer 03p 55gr Hornady FMJ 15p Thanks phaedra, now that is cheap! It means i could have abit more fun with target type shooting to improve my skill without worrying about the cost all the time. As well as making sure a kill is clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam1e Posted August 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Hi Jam1e, These are prices from Hannams: 50th anniversary kit 110.96 308 deluxe rifle die 34.85 308 case length gauge 5 powder trickler 18.1 bullet puller 20 Lyman 1200 tumbler 58 I reloaded S&B and PPU cases (after firing them) and can get 3/4 MOA in a rem 700 (in 308). Don't know if that will be good enough for what you want though. Reloading costs based on 308 Lapua cases, Viht N140 and SMK 155 are 56p per shot. Regards Ste Cheers Ste, Would the "50th anniversary kit 110.96" include all the tools i'd need to reload my own, or would i also need the items you've listed below? Cheers Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Thanks phaedra, now that is cheap! It means i could have abit more fun with target type shooting to improve my skill without worrying about the cost all the time. As well as making sure a kill is clean. your burning abount a third more powder in a 22-250 over a .223- hence the decreased" barrel life" (the most expensive bit of all) so watch that trigger time and dont get it too hot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam1e Posted August 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 your burning abount a third more powder in a 22-250 over a .223- hence the decreased" barrel life" (the most expensive bit of all) so watch that trigger time and dont get it too hot Cheers Kent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaedra1106 Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 You can get TR-140 which is almost identical to N-140 for £55/Kg, helps to keep the costs down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedwards1966 Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Just how much are you planning to shoot, at what ranges? Factory ammo, while not as good as home-loads, is normally perfectly acceptable for fox/vermin shooting for most people. If it gives you within 1 MOA accuracy then it'll probably be fine for any normal usage, having 0.25 MOA might be nice and fun to achieve, but in reality it's not likely to be needed. As to the costs, do try Privi Partizan ammo first, as it can work out at a similar cost to reloading, meaning it may not be worth the time, and the cost of the equipment may never recovered. Depending on usage, all the reloading gear needed can be had for within £55. I bought a Lee classic loader for about £30, and a simple set of Lee scales for around £22. With the cost of the powder and bullets, it costs me 49 pence per round, using cases I already have. A few more pence per round for the cases, which will last me some time. It can be done very cheaply, as above (for me, the estimated cost savings on this cheap gear started after firing about 50 rounds, including a few to find a suitable load and zero it), but if shooting larger amounts then more expensive reloading gear is needed as it's faster to use, but for myself the basic gear is fine and cost effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12borejimbo Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 My rifle shot PRVI well, 3 shots in a pound coin everytime, however I just wanted to reload, I have only been doing it a month, but I blooming love it, gone through 100 rounds in 2 weeks just developing and testing and I am getting some very good results. I spent about £400 on all the reloading gear and have worked out that I can make my .22-250 rounds for 48p each. Pin hole accurate, very fast and half the price, what more could you want? Its relaxing, I built a serious man shed, and in there ive got my reloading becnh with a nice big chair, I can sit in there for hours just prepping cases or seating bullets to different depths. If its on your mind, take the plunge and get reloading! Will be loading for 6.5x55 soon too and maybe 17 rem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ste12b Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Cheers Ste, Would the "50th anniversary kit 110.96" include all the tools i'd need to reload my own, or would i also need the items you've listed below? Cheers Jamie Jamie, you would need the other items. I now prefer to prime off the press as it would not seat the primer low enough for my liking. So you would need to spend an extra £25. Ste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 reloading is not about saving cash its about tuning your rifle and getting the right load for your ammo ,,just careful of USA forums ,they like to load way to hot ,do as much research as poss ,your rifle and life depends on it ,if you want a 5 round 1 ragged hole group @ 100m reloading is the way to go ,if you need any help please feel free to pm me , ,you cant go wrong with a lee starter reloading kit ,what i will say is don't get to anal with it ,like cleaning the inside of your cases and case volume ,and one of the biggest mistakes people make is they clean there rifle barrel ,i only clean my barrel every 200/300 rounds ,just clean the rifle and chamber when using modern nitro powders ,only clean if you use surplus ammo with cordite ,or if you have been out in the rain ,but if you have a chrome lined barrel is not to bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 reloading is not about saving cash its about tuning your rifle and getting the right load for your ammo ,,just careful of USA forums ,they like to load way to hot ,do as much research as poss ,your rifle and life depends on it ,if you want a 5 round 1 ragged hole group @ 100m reloading is the way to go ,if you need any help please feel free to pm me , ,you cant go wrong with a lee starter reloading kit ,what i will say is don't get to anal with it ,like cleaning the inside of your cases and case volume ,and one of the biggest mistakes people make is they clean there rifle barrel ,i only clean my barrel every 200/300 rounds ,just clean the rifle and chamber when using modern nitro powders ,only clean if you use surplus ammo with cordite ,or if you have been out in the rain ,but if you have a chrome lined barrel is not to bad there are a lot who will disagree with your cleaning practice- i am certainly one of them and just about every bench rest shooter on the planet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 there are a lot who will disagree with your cleaning practice- i am certainly one of them and just about every bench rest shooter on the planet well if you look at the world camp benchrest shooters ,a lot of the good one clean there barrels every 1000 rounds ,i also benchrest ,and friends of mine have spent years doing it ,he has proven this as well,when i first started target shooting i could not understand why every time i came back to the range i would have to rezero my scope in and it could take up to 30 rounds ,i thought i was knocking my scope in the cabinet ,i even changed loads ,then the chap that owns the ranges and a few benchrest rifle gunsmiths told me that the problem is down to cleaning your barrel !! yes it goes against the grain ,we all like to keep things clean ,you should try it ,ive seen chaps on are range with £4000 rifles all singing and dancing ,cleaning after every round ,because someone at bisley told them to ,now they don't clean there barrels and there pulling .5 sub groups @200 with .223 ,mind you i do weigh every load and use 69gr smk bthp in a 1 in 8 twist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 11, 2012 Report Share Posted August 11, 2012 well if you look at the world camp benchrest shooters ,a lot of the good one clean there barrels every 1000 rounds ,i also benchrest ,and friends of mine have spent years doing it ,he has proven this as well,when i first started target shooting i could not understand why every time i came back to the range i would have to rezero my scope in and it could take up to 30 rounds ,i thought i was knocking my scope in the cabinet ,i even changed loads ,then the chap that owns the ranges and a few benchrest rifle gunsmiths told me that the problem is down to cleaning your barrel !! yes it goes against the grain ,we all like to keep things clean ,you should try it ,ive seen chaps on are range with £4000 rifles all singing and dancing ,cleaning after every round ,because someone at bisley told them to ,now they don't clean there barrels and there pulling .5 sub groups @200 with .223 ,mind you i do weigh every load and use 69gr smk bthp in a 1 in 8 twist I not only have looked at them i have shot with them! and the guns dont leave the bench before being cleaned often as not. i don't honestly think you have to be fair. You cannot replicate the same degree of dirtyness in a barrel, but you can replicate a clean barrel. I have personaly tried the whole works of cleaning regimes for my competitive and field guns over the years. The best for repeatability is clean, you cannot replicate degree of dirtyness. you know there aint many "benchrest" gunsmiths in the whole of the Uk, strange they are a few at your range Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted August 11, 2012 Report Share Posted August 11, 2012 I not only have looked at them i have shot with them! and the guns dont leave the bench before being cleaned often as not. i don't honestly think you have to be fair. You cannot replicate the same degree of dirtyness in a barrel, but you can replicate a clean barrel. I have personaly tried the whole works of cleaning regimes for my competitive and field guns over the years. The best for repeatability is clean, you cannot replicate degree of dirtyness. you know there aint many "benchrest" gunsmiths in the whole of the Uk, strange they are a few at your range yes we shot a comp with them in june ,tell me after you clean your barrel and go back to the range how many sighters do you shoot before you shoot your comp card and as for the same degree of dirtyness ( copper fouling ) what you will find is when your groups start to tighten up about after 30 rounds your groups will stay tight until your rifling needs cleaning ,what happens is after about 250/300 rounds the groups start to wonder this is when you give your barrel a good clean and the crown,and start over again with the fouling set up , i will try and upload some photos for you i have taken of the groups settling in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noobsniper Posted August 11, 2012 Report Share Posted August 11, 2012 If you're going to collect factory brass don't waste you time and money on federal brass. they are soft and heavy and not much good for reloading ime. what's with all the references re 704 yard hare on this forum. what I miss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted August 11, 2012 Report Share Posted August 11, 2012 I not only have looked at them i have shot with them! and the guns dont leave the bench before being cleaned often as not. i don't honestly think you have to be fair. You cannot replicate the same degree of dirtyness in a barrel, but you can replicate a clean barrel. I have personaly tried the whole works of cleaning regimes for my competitive and field guns over the years. The best for repeatability is clean, you cannot replicate degree of dirtyness. you know there aint many "benchrest" gunsmiths in the whole of the Uk, strange they are a few at your range http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2012/05/09/ read this ,i did see one on this site about a chap that cleans after 1000 rounds and he was a benchrest shooter champion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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