i have been wanting to reload ammo for about 2 years now. about a month ago i got some mad money(not a lot but enough) so i bought a lee pro 1000 and set it up in 38. i bought some powder(clays, bullseye, imr4320) got some bullets (158 gr swc,110gr xtp). got small pistol primers and small magnum primers as well by accident. some i got from someone going through a nasty divorce, some stuff i bought from catalogs or the ee.

i learned quite a bit over a month, every time i thought i was ready i found out i needed other things to start.yesterday i loaded 22 rounds of 38 2.8 grains of clays  under a 158 gr swc. this took me 2.5 hrs with having to stop and clean powder from the primer feed after a primer went sideways and diddnt go where it should resulting in a mess from powder in the primer feed. today i shot the 22 rounds and they all worked. ive got a lot to learn and will  start loading 9mm as well. at some point i will move on to rifle cases and will buy a better  setup

today im happy that i have actually loaded my own rounds .btw whoever said this cuts costs of shooting must have forgotten what some of the supplies add up to.

Isn't that the truth.....saving money my ass.   But I get the satisfaction of making match hand loaded ammo and seeing the results downrange.    I'm addicted now.

Congratulations on your first reloads, it's a pretty satisfying feeling.Try and get in on group buys for components to help reduce costs or save up to buy large orders to reduce the impact of the hazmat fee.

Congrads!!!! Enjoy saving money and stress free making of ammo. Enjoy the results down range. Welcome to the addiction of reloading.

Save money? Not really. Not have to buy expensive match ammo? Yes.

I buy standard cheap rounds and reload the good stuff. Is it cheaper than buying already ready? Yes. Do i spend less though? No way!

check out the pro 1000 vibrator mod that was posted here a while back.  Some guy took the buzz unit from a cell phone and taped it to the primer tray.  Eliminates primer feed issues that are common with the Pro 1000.  I have it on mine and it works great.

It takes a lot of reloading before the gear ends up paying for itself, but it's completely worth it.

It's been said many times, and it's the truth: you don't really save any money, you just shoot a lot more for the same amount of money.

The quality match/hunting ammo statements are true as well.

I just loaded 100 more rounds of my go-to hunting load for my M1A. 165gr Sierra GameKings, 41.5gr/4895, and CCI 200 primers for around $40. Maybe even a little less.

If you bought 100 rounds of premium hunting ammo with that same Sierra bullet from Midway, it would run you around $150 plus shipping.