My adventure into Reloading

I believe there are 3 main factors that drive individuals into the world of reloading.

1. Outrageous price of ammo in some states. In my case, the communist state of California.

2. Ability to make your ammo to your exact specifications, customize if you may.

3. Never ending quest to learn new things, specially those that you love doing.

Before I purchased my 1st reloading press, I watched endless videos in youtube, read through many posts on forums. Tried to educate myself and understand risk before even thinking about reloading on my own. I cannot stress the importance of SAFETY and RISK mitigation. After much thought and consideration, I decided to take the plunge and purchase a Hornady LNL Progressive Press. Yes, I could've gone with a single stage press as a starter kit but, I wanted to make 500-1,000 rounds at a time and was not willing to waste time fiddling with changing dies every time I had to move on to a different process. Only thing missing from the Hornady LNL Press is the ability to swage crimped primer holes. For this, I defaulted to using the RCBS Bench Mounted Swaging Tool. Tedious work but definitely worth it.

Yes, it is cheaper to reload your own ammo as long as you're willing to put in the work and wait for good deals on primers, powder and bullets, which are the most expensive components that make up a cartridge. You also need to estimate initial investment on the equipment.

1. Hornady LNL Progressive Press Kit = $569.99 at the time of this post. This does not include shell plates nor die kits.

   1. 223 Shell Plate = $48.76

   2. 223 Hornady 2pcs Die Kit = $49.99

   3. 9mm Shell Plate = $49.77

   4. 9mm Hornady 3pcs Die Kit = $59.85

2. Progressive Press kit + accessories for the 2 most typical cartridges will set you back around $1,000 dollars after taxes and shipment fees. YES, it is an expensive hobby so make sure you put a lot of thought into initial investment. I reload 9mm, 40S&W, .45ACP, 223, 300 Blackout and 308 Winchester. I'm pretty sure I spent around $1,600 - $1,800 dollars after it was all said and done. You also have to check quality of what you're producing, so Chamber Gauges, Calipers, Rollsizer equipment for pistol rounds. Not to mention cleaning and lube accessories.

I think it's worth it if you shoot 500+ rounds a month. If you're only going to the range once or twice a year, just stick to factory ammo. You can definitely go a cheaper route and purchase a single stage reloading kit like a LEE or RCBS, however, the downside is spending more time at the reloading bench.

**I'd like to note that Hornady's customer service is impeccable. I've been known to break a part of two on my Progressive Press, due to rookie mistakes, not the design or reliability of the product. Costumer Service Reps at Hornady are quick to ship me a replacement part, at no charge, directly to my house. 5 star service in that regard!