Even with a virtually unlimited variety of available factory loads, hand loading is becoming more popular than ever, and with good reason. I have been shooting hand loads almost exclusively in my hunting and match rifles for years now and I don’t know how I could ever go back. Here are three major benefits to crunching your own brass and some tips to help you get started.

Cost: Getting started can seem pretty daunting, but in the long run you will save quite a bit of money. You can pick up a reloading kit like RCBS’s rock chucker supreme kit for around $320, and that leaves dies, brass, bullets, primers, and powder for each individual cartridge. This seems like a lot, but many common factory loads are running over $30 or $40 per box. If you shoot a lot, or want to load for multiple calibers, the equipment quickly pays for itself.