a2oth Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Shoot about 4-500 a week. A mix of 21g 12G, 28g12G and 21g 20G. Just wondering how reloading stacks up on cost. And how long 500 would take to make up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mec 9000 Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 If you want to invest in a MEC 9000 for example you can reload easily 500 per hour. Lee Loadall probably 4 or five boxes per hour. If making your own lead shot from scrap lead and buying powder and primers reusing once fired wads and cases cost is about £50 per thousand. I reload all my own and use only 28g 5&6 shot loads for pigeon and game and am in no doubt to get he same performance from bought cartridges I would be paying £200 per thousand. Scrap lead by itself made into shot being soft give a wider pattern and needs to be hardened by mixing with antimony 3 or 4% and the ideal lead to use is old car wheel weights which has about 4% antimony in it. Pity that nowadays car wheel weight are made of Zinc and the lead ones are hard to get. If making trap loads an increase in antimony to 6 or 7% gives a tighter pattern with the lead less able to deform, Whatever you do it is always best to pattern your gun to cartridge for best results. The only time I buy or borrow cartridges is to see what's in them then replicate for my own use. Gerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 The basic question you ask regarding cost is that there is not enough price difference to make it worth while. Years ago I used to reload for half the cost of bought cartridges. When I finally gave up they were costing me more to reload than I could buy them for. Reloading is good fun and it adds a whole new dimension to your shooting but if you are looking to save money forget it. Claygame are the place to look for advice etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mec 9000 Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 As Vince says, not worth it, but that is if you buy all the components. To home load 1000 28g loads you would buy at approx cost 28kg lead shot at £90, 1000 wads at £15 1.25 kg powder depending on load £ 30 1000 primers £28 and 1000 cases £20. Total £193 per thousand. Re use cases Free Re use Wads Free Lead £90 Primers £28 Powder £30 Total £148 Make own shot, cost now £58 per thousand. and you can make what you want when you want it and better ballistics than some of the cheap entry shell rubbish that you buy. I have two MEC 9000 machines set up for the two loads I most use, at a cost of approx £1000 for the machines and they have paid for themselves many times but then I shoot a few thousand per month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikee Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 mec9000, where do you get the antimony, i tried but couldnt get any anywhere mikee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mec 9000 Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 Old car wheelweights have 3% antimony, that is what I have been using, I had a pc crash and lost a lot of addresses but I think I got some ingots from Louden metals. An address you could try is DS Metals Wolverhampton. If no joy you can use tin to harden the lead. Gerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 Wheel weights are drying up as a source of lead because all the ones now fitted are zinc. Bullet casters are finding it harder to get linotype as well. You can't buy antomony seperately and stir it in because it doesnt mix for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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