Reloading shotshells....

[Diggs27]

Have been looking at some reloading vids online; and was wondering if it is more cost effective to reload my own shells, or to purchase the shells at say WalMart or something like the when I find them. I will be mostly shooting #4 and #6 shot. Did see that you could pick up a Lee loader online for roughly about 40 - 45$. Know it is not the top quality of loaders out there, but considering I would only be doing roughly 25 - 50 a month, would this be worth it for me? I do have a box of Winchester spent hulls sitting in my work room from when I ordered them off of Etsy to start making earrings using the recycle by cutting off the very bottom of the disk (My fiance and I make hand-crafted jewelry as a side business for craft shows and festivals of that sort). Think there may be roughly about 100 shells in there left.....

[trailrunner]

If you do decide to reload and want some hulls, let me know. I've been collecting my empties for a friend who reloads, but he told me he has enough now. When I shot sporting clays last week, I didn't save any hulls. If you're in northern VA, I'm happy to save them for you.

[jdonovan]

Have been looking at some reloading vids online; and was wondering if it is more cost effective to reload my own shells, or to purchase the shells at say WalMart or something like the when I find them.

really depends on what you are loading. You say #4 and #6, so you are certainly not shooting skeet/trap with them and therefore you're probably not running 300 a month.

would only be doing roughly 25 - 50 a month

What game are you shooting year round with 50 shells a month? You must be a subsistance hunter, or a really bad shot. If its practice, switch to #8/#9 that you can get for $5 a box, rather than the hunting stuff at $7 a box.

The lee loader can produce shells, but most who do any volume move away from lee equipment fairly quickly.

I've got a MEC 600jr I'd sell you for not much more than the lee...

The problem is the cost savings... $1-2 a box on the expensive stuff is about the best you are going to save. And on target loads you'd be lucky to save $0.50 per box of 25. At those prices my time is more valuable, and I've not reloaded a shot shell in 15+ years. Even though I've got shells, powder, and shot all sitting in my basement.

When wall-mart, dicks etc.. put cases on sale cheap me and the wife buy the limit a few days in a row, and put a few 1000 onto the shelf.

[Diggs27]

Ok; thank you for the info. And yes; was thinking if I were to save money for by reloading; I could just use the same shot down at the range. Considering the fact that I would only be saving a buck or 2 per box; really does not make that much of a difference. I was at Dick's on Saturday (got the gun there) and they had bricks of Winchester Super X Game loads... 24.95 for 100 shells which was their sale price (regularly 29.99, I believe) I was sitting here thinking that I would save 5-6 bucks a box by reloading my own; but like I said; no sense wasting time doing so if savings are not that marginal. Also; do want to get into some trap and skeet shooting; but the few ranges around me do not allow it. I would have to join the "local" gun club; but being here in the mountains, takes about 45 minutes or so to get there.