katzendogs wrote: 
you should host tupperware and sex toy parties. 

 manbirdexperiment wrote:
 


Business plan.

If it weren't for the cost of shipping and the law, it might actually work.

 Lazy8 wrote: 
Ok. I would make it a hobby. Just some extra $'s. A few. a 12 pack a week. A steak .Shit. I'd hafta buy glasses first!

 Lazy8 wrote: 
I'm going to offshore it to India. Then I'll have more money than all of you put together. And you'll all be sorry. Big time.

 katzendogs wrote:
 
Loading commercially is a regulatory/liability hairball. And $200 wouldn't buy you a day's worth of primers—the gear to make money at it would set you back many thousands.

It makes sense for a hobby shooter, but commercial reloading is more like a job.

 katzendogs wrote: 
Not yet.

EDIT:  Handloading ammo for your own use is completely unregulated.  IF, however you plan on selling the stuff, I believe there's a federal manufacturing license that's well-nigh impossible to get.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
Sounds like a good side job. Do you need a license to do this?

 Lazy8 wrote: 

 kysmet wrote:
 
I've done it more than once, but that's a lot of gear to tote around. If I was in range I'd help you get set up, but I wouldn't want to get in the way of an ideal dating opportunity for somebody. I can't think of a better opening line than "Can you come over and help me set up my reloader?"

You can be extremely anal and hard-core about it and measure every round with a pair of digital micrometers, or you can just crank the handle and make buckets of ammo. Guess which side of that fence I fall on...

Dillon will get you started with a good setup for $350. You need a good sturdy bench to bolt the press to, and a dedicated space to work in helps prevent mistakes. Then you'll need a recipe book, powder, primers, brass, and bullets. You'll also want a case tumbler to clean up that grimy range brass you haul home, trays to hold things, and eventually you'll want a scale. It can get pretty involved. But it actually helps you become a better shooter.

You'll understand the process better and you'll have time to think about all that happens between the trigger and the target. It's part science, part zen.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
No thirteen-year-old gun/hunting nut yammering in your ear about, uh, guns and hunting? 

 Xeric wrote: 
Dunno how many thousands of rounds I loaded and shot over the years - a helluvalot.  Never had any problems, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have.  To me a huge part of safe handloading is quiet concentration WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS.  When I loaded it was alone in a room with the door shut.

Oh, no—didn't mean to be scary.  We shot hundreds and hundreds of hand-loads with only that one incident.  And I'll load again if I ever get to shooting the pistol as much as I'd like.  Nope—only meant to reinforce your point 'bout payin' attention, there!

 Xeric wrote: 
Don't go scarin' her off, now!

This is why it's good practice to find a powder for each cartridge that you can achieve close to case capacity with for a good, functional load - no chance of a double charge.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
  Many, many years ago, Dad and I (I being maybe thirteen at the time) apparently dumped a double-shot of powder into a .243 casing.  Mom missed the antelope it was pointed at and the rifle (a pre-'64 Model 70) came through with no more damage than brass so stuck it had to be pounded out backwards after the extractor tore through the base.  Coulda been much, much worse in a lesser rifle. 

 kysmet wrote: 
There are plenty of instructional videos available.  It's not a difficult process but requires a fair amount of basic safety knowledge and single-minded focus.

EDIT: basics here...

 kysmet wrote: 
Initial investment for tools is prolly still less than $200 - they pay for themselves pretty quickly, tho.

 Lazy8 wrote: 
So when are you and Schlabby gonna come show me how to do that? 

 Lazy8 wrote: 
yup

yup & yup

The savings on rifle ammo isn't nearly as dramatic because the bullets themselves are so expensive, but it's more than worth it for the increase in accuracy.

When I was handloading, I used cast bullets exclusively for handgun ammo.  Could have saved even more if I had got into casting instead of buying them.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
Wow

 oldslabsides wrote:
 
Plus you can tune it to match the shootin' iron. It can make a big difference in accuracy on long guns, a big difference in function on semiautos. And you get extra credit for recycling.