[OldCorps]

I've been kicking around the idea of beginning to reload, mainly in preparation for post-SHTF, but also with the hope of being able to (I think I can hear y'all laughing already.) save some money on ammo.

I can't see my way clear to spend five-hundred-dollars plus to get started, and have more-or-less decided that the Lee Classic Turret Press reloading kit might fit into my budget. I realize that bullet-holders and dies would still need to be bought in each of my calibers, but $300.00 for the basic outfit I think I could stand, and still be able to begin stocking up on casings, powder, primers, bullets, etc.

My question of you good folks is, what say you of the the Lee Classic Turret Press Kit as seen at the following site:

http://leeprecision.com/classic-turret-press-kit.html

Is it worth the money? Will it do the job? I'd be reloading ,223 Rem., .45 ACP, and .380 ACP to start with, and maybe will be adding a .44 Mag lever gun in the future.

That, and any information concerning the direction to go for things like powder, bullets, primers, and, especially casings. Do most of you start with new casings; buy from ranges... ?

 

[SHOOTER13]

Let me just say this...you don't save $$ reloading...but you will shoot more !!

The amount of $$ saved is almost nill when you see that the price of all the consumerables have risen

drastically in the last few years...not to mention what your own time is worth. But, good luck with your new venture anyway !!

 

[hobbles]

http://www.bersaforum.com/forum/f22/important-question-100/

I did get the 2000 rounds made up for the $93 and have enough powder left over for maybe nother 100 or 150 rounds.

 

[opaww]

The lee classic turret press is a good starter press, nothing wrong with it. It will get the job done and if you find that you really like reloading as I do you can always upgrade to a better one.

How ever you can get this same press with the same goodies at Midway for $214.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/785993/lee-4-hole-turret-press-with-auto-index-deluxe-kit

 

[OldCorps]

Yeah, thanks OPAWW, I actually buy almost everything from Midway, and have that page bookmarked. I knew I had copied the wrong one as soon as I had hit the "submit" button, but was too lazy to edit.

 

[hobbles]

This looks like a good place to buy brass.

 

[OldCorps]

Sounds almost too good to be true. Just a little over half-cent a piece, buying a K. At that price mebby a guy can save on reloading. Just might have to pull the trigger on that Lee press. My wife already has a fine tumbler I can use to clean brass... one extra I won't have to buy. Thanks for the heads up Hobbles.

 

[hobbles]

I don't know bout usin the "Wifes fine tumbler" OldCorps, Them darn clothes dryer's make a lot of noise.

 

[OldCorps]

I don't know bout usin the "Wifes fine tumbler" OldCorps, Them darn clothes dryer's make a lot of noise.

'Specially if ya tumble 'em at "extra-hot"—after they're loaded, eh?

Actually, she has a really heavy-duty, 'bout a gallon-size tumbler she bought to clean her Pandora jewelry. That oughta work, wouldn't you think?

 

[Hillbillyjim]

You WILL save money reloading if you shoot any great amount. Save money now and in the future save as ammo gets even higher and more difficult to find. Check the price of 45 auto and 380's, at least 35bucks /100 out the door. Reuseing brass, using lead bullets buying supplies when on sale and in bulk-all will keep the price at 1/2 retail or less.

 

[OldCorps]

Well folks, I went into Gander on Friday, and found that a Winchester White Box of 45 ACP is now $65.00; then went to Wally World and found that their ammo shelves were nearly empty, with two lonely boxes of 45 ACP for $39.95... I grabbed both of them; went around the corner to Dunham's Sporting Goods... one White Box left... $59.95, their pistol ammo cabinet nearly wiped, and their normally packed five, fifteen-foot rifle ammo shelves were EMPTY with the exception of five or six boxes of 22 magnum, and a couple scattered boxes of weird stuff. The guy said they wouldn't have another truck for three-weeks, and they didn't know what, or if, they would be getting any ammo.

I came home, got online, and scoured the supply houses to find in-stock (Hey, it's scary.) reloading gear, and ordered everything I need except powder, primers, and cases. The HAZMAT fee is outrageous, and I can still get all that stuff locally, and will be doing so tomorrow. I'm getting cases at my local range for 60-bucks/1100. I also bought a furnace, bullet molds, and other casting necessities, and I've got a nearby tire shop giving me wheel-weights, and I intend to canvas the rest of the area's tire dealers.

After much research, I finally bit the bullet (pun intended) and got a LEE Load Master Progressive instead of the turret-press. Actually, I couldn't find the LEE Classic Turret in stock anywhere, and got the Load Master for nearly the same price.

It all cost more than I had initially wanted to spend, but my darlin' wife's darlin' dad laid five Franklin's on me for Christmas , and I couldn't think of a more worthy use for them than assisting in protecting our Second Amendment rights.

 

[hotshott]

OldCorps I too have brushed the dust off an old press. Can't find 45, 9mm,30-06,or 30 carbine. I have many large cannons that I don't shoot much anymore but I have ammo for all of those. Also have many large cal marlins which again the ammo is plentiful. The gouging needs to end.

 

[millsriver]

I have been reloading for over fifty-five years and I am still using my original RCBS press and a LEE press I bought back in the early 90's. I enjoy reloading almost as much as shooting. The main reason I reload is to obtain consistent, high quality rounds tuned to my particular firearms. The firearms are all made withing certain "tolerances" and the manufactured ammo is all made within certain "tolerances", which can end up with a lot of mis-matched rounds to firearms. You will find that you get superior performance and accuracy with you reloads.

 

[hotshott]

If you put a value on your time then you certanly do not save much money reloading. I only reload the big stuff and I don't shoot those rifles all that much any more. I reload 44mag which has gone thru the roof in price. Also reload 30 carbine because NOBODY has it in stock. My budy has an old Lee Turet press and it works very well. Projectiles and gunpowder are getting pretty scarce as well.I am getting back into trap shooting but shotshells are cheap. Good luck with your project.

 

[OldCorps]

Of course, the only way you could justify putting "value on your time" is if somebody were paying you for that time, and if you were willing to work during the "off-hours", rather than pursuing other interests. That would make for a dull life, and only add to the amount of money you hand over for them to dole out to the dead-heads who aren't working at all. Personally I'd rather enjoy the time; add to my SHTF stockpile; and thumb my nose at Ms. Feinstein.

100 45 ACP rounds (Winchester White Box), in my area, are averaging around sixty-five cents apiece. I bought 1100 once fired cases, at my local range, for 60-bucks; that's 5.5-cents apiece. If I can get ten re-loads per case, that's 5/10 of a cent per round. My lead, thus far, has been free (wheel weights; scrap underground electrical cable sheathing, from a friend who works for the electric company; lead drain-pipe from a plumber friend). Powder per round costs me 7/10 of a cent per round, and primers cost 4-cents apiece. That all comes to 4.7 cents per round—a savings of 60.3 cents (not counting tax) every time I pull the trigger. Granted, there is some small cost for propane to cast my ingots, and electricity to cast my bullets, but those are rather nebulous, and re-selling the steel from the wheel weights takes a hefty chunk out of that cost. If I shoot the 1100 rounds just once, that's a savings of $663.30. That means, with the exception of the 1.6-cent, per round, for powder, and 4-cents for primers, my next 9900 shots are free.

Now, if I did the math right, the $663.30 saved on the first 1100 shots, way better than pays for my initial investment in press; dies; powder scale; 6-cavity bullet mold; etc., and, my time, and the satisfaction of having a well stocked larder of "unregistered" ammo, should the anti-everything pansies have their way..........priceless.

And, millsriver, your "I enjoy reloading almost as much as shooting."? Right On! It's a blast. My son-in-law and I set up on the back porch, melt some lead and pour ingots, then fire up the Lee furnace, and in no time have several hundred nice, shiny, new, 230-grain bullets spread out on a towel, ready to lube. Next evening we move to the bench, and in very short order have piles of shiny 1-6/10-cent 45-ACP's made which, by the way, thus far, shoot circles around any factory bullets I've ever shot.

I'm certainly glad I took the plunge and, with all due respect, anybody who says you don't save money by rolling your own, are either shooting too much; paying way too much for supplies; or doing something wrong. Now, all I've got to do is find a place who still has primers and powder for when my stash runs out, or when the Gestapo completely shuts down supply.

 

[Cutlass327]

How many primers would you keep in stock at a time? I've heard you don't want too many at a time for safety reasons.

 

[Hillbillyjim]

There are published standards for the storeage of primers and smokeless gun powder,plus some citys may have specific regs.
Read up on the regs and invest in proper storage facilities.
Myself I have a concrete vault, explosion designed cabnets, a sprinkler system, keep ammo seperate from powder and primers. I keep on hand about a six month supply of primers or about xx thousand.

 

[hobbles]

Sprinkler system huh? Sounds good.
Some may not have much faith in my warning device.