Minnesota Waterfowl Hunting

Instead up too many comments in the picture thread I thought I'd ask the questions here.

What does a guy need to get into reloading? I've thought about it in the past for something to do during the winter at home but have never looked too hard into it. It looks like it can get pretty spendy?

rifle pistol or shotgun?

ducksmuggler wrote:rifle pistol or shotgun?

Rifle and or shotgun. .223, 12 gauge and 20 gauge.

Rcbs rock chucked starter kit for rifle. 223 is cheap and not really worth it unless you shoot a lot of it.

I would suggest that you contact the reloading supply company down in Pine Island, MN. They have a website and all of the material and prices that may help you decide.

It can add up quick, and might be tough to justify with the price drop ammo is going to take in the coming months. Industry is really hurting now that supply is starting to exceed demand again, doesn't help that every neck beard out there maxxed out their credit cards buying up all the .22 ammo

You should be able to get started for $400 or less with a decent kit and some components. The used market has dried up a bit, seems people see value in holding on to that sort of gear again. Don't fool yourself by thinking reloading is going to "save you money". I find it to be a very enjoyable hobby and have a lot of fun working up loads. It's even more enjoyable when you play with oddball stuff like 22 hornet where reliable ammo is scarce.

Before you get too serious, drop a few bucks on the ABCs of reloading:
http://www.amazon.com/ABCs-Reloading-De ... +reloading

It's a good book to get a full run down of the process for pistol, rifle and shotgun.

That was my next question - is it at all profitable? One thing I don't need right now is another hobby to spend money on. I forsee it being something I take up down the road. Thanks for the help everyone.

I reload rifle for those wildcats I have.. But the big reason I reload is for something to do in the winter months. I shoot in 2 diff. leagues in the summer trap and skeet and go though around 5,000 plus rounds. I can reload all my stuff for the same price as the cheap shell but use premium components, in turn load a case for around $55 instead of paying $80 +

The other and awesome part of it is the ability to tailor a round to a gun and use , and drive finish nails at 200.

It is possible to save money, but it's marginal.

I can buy 1,000 rounds of .40 factory ammunition for around $280 with shipping. If I had the brass on hand, I could load a thousand rounds of .40 for around $180 with current component prices. If I had to buy the brass, $380.

.223 will yield even less savings as it continues to drop in price.

It makes things much more economical if you find a mentor with equipment you can use and slowly ease into it. That's what I did, it took me more than two years before I started loading on my own bench but when I did I wasn't scrambling to go buy something I was missing.

ducksmuggler is exactly right though, i've got many hours it concocting a round for my 22 hornet and know I can still drive better results out of it.

With that said, if you're ever in the north metro, you're more than welcome to stop by.

shnelson wrote:With that said, if you're ever in the north metro, you're more than welcome to stop by.

Thanks, I appreciate that.