2008 ammo drought made me a believer
30.06 for M1 Garand? Easy to Reload?
- Thread starter 10thmountain
- Start date
That's a secondary concern for sure. When I got into loading, it was to save money on rifle ammunition. I loaded up on powder, primers, brass and bullets (molds, sizers, etc.) over years and now would be hard pressed to ever run out of anything I shoot regularly if I never bought another thing. There is a comfort in that when prices go crazy and scarcity removes stock from the marketplace.
Another aspect of reloading for me is the ability to go out to my reloading shop (yes it's dedicated heated/cooled 8x10 building) make a pot of coffee turn on the radio concentrate on reloading and relax. I have a buddy that comes over and we talk drink coffee and load ammo. It's kind of a social event with a payoff. I also use a Rockchucker for rifle loads . One tool I would recommend especially for semi auto loads is a case gauge,I check every round for my semi autos because if it fits in the case gauge it will fit in our semi auto. I've been reloading for over 40 years and I'm still looking for that "perfect" load.
I'm cheap so I check my 30-06 in a 1903 rifle, .308 in an Israeli converted 98k. Pistol rounds in appropriate pistols.
Bolt actions are not that picky put your ammo in a semi auto you might think differently if you shoot semis.
I got a hole room of reloading equipment brass lead ...dies for tons of sizes multiple brands also have every barrel for contender like new in box's will sell all quick sale if intrested call 4138543634 thanks
OP, I'll address a couple of your questions based on my 7 or 8 years of loading experience.
The cost savings of reloading can be significant or nonexistent depending on what you're loading and availability of loading supplies. For example, it costs me $1.07 per round to load match-grade .338LM using components I acquired before covid. That certainly beats $5.00+ per round retail. Do that a thousand times and you have truly saved some money. However, if I were loading 10mm Auto and needed to buy all of my components at today's prices, I would've been better off stockpiling bulk range ammo before covid and shooting it now.
Regarding how long brass lasts, I have some .308Win brass that I have fired 14 times so far. I anneal my rifle bass and I load the .308 pretty mild at about 2600fps. I don't know how much longer the cases will last, but they show no signs of weakness at this point. Several years ago I asked one of the guys from Georgia Arms that same question. He told me that they had attempted to find the limit of a piece of .38spl brass some years prior and gave up after 100 firings without damaging the case. I suppose the advice I can give you is to closely inspect your brass and trash anything that is questionable, otherwise load it and shoot it.
The cost savings of reloading can be significant or nonexistent depending on what you're loading and availability of loading supplies. For example, it costs me $1.07 per round to load match-grade .338LM using components I acquired before covid. That certainly beats $5.00+ per round retail. Do that a thousand times and you have truly saved some money. However, if I were loading 10mm Auto and needed to buy all of my components at today's prices, I would've been better off stockpiling bulk range ammo before covid and shooting it now.
Regarding how long brass lasts, I have some .308Win brass that I have fired 14 times so far. I anneal my rifle bass and I load the .308 pretty mild at about 2600fps. I don't know how much longer the cases will last, but they show no signs of weakness at this point. Several years ago I asked one of the guys from Georgia Arms that same question. He told me that they had attempted to find the limit of a piece of .38spl brass some years prior and gave up after 100 firings without damaging the case. I suppose the advice I can give you is to closely inspect your brass and trash anything that is questionable, otherwise load it and shoot it.
