Camel wrote:Baring in mind you have only shot a 22, forget all about reloading until you are proficient with your shooting rimfires. After you get a centre fire, learn to shoot that, then worry about reloading.
Good advice! It also really depends on what volumes you are shooting. When I was a single bloke, I was shooting heaps and burning through ammo like nobodies business. For me it was partly about being 100km from the closest ammo store. I was loading for cheaper than I could buy decent ammo but if I calculated the price difference, then added the cost of the equipment. I would be behind. But as others have said, it's not about pure cost. If you are wanting to be frugal, shooting will not be your friend especially if you get into it like half the nutbags on here are! Reloading is about getting a buzz out of shooting a ragged hole with 5 shots or making a furry little animal explode into several pieces with a round you have assembled yourself!
Reloading is a very slippery slope! You start with the very basics and then somebody shows a piece of equipment that does the job easier/better/quicker/looks REALLY COOL..... Then you buy that thing and your cost effectiveness goes right out the window.
Do yourself a favour, get good at shooting first if you feel the need to "roll your own" by all means do it for the buzz. Don't justify it buy the cost factor. You WILL be disappointed if you do your sums.
If I knew about the events in my life that have happened in the last few years, I would never have bothered with it. However when I get the chance, I crack out 50rounds. It's nice time to myself. I get to tell people "piss off! If I stuff this up I could die......" And they walk away! Yes a bit dramatic but for me now it's a rare thing to get time to myself!