Terry, you old crumudgeon!
![Razz :P](./images/smilies/icon_razz.gif)
But, in some respects he's right. Most guys I know that reload do not do necessarily to save money, but rather, to custom tailor their ammo to their needs. I do both... I load a number of bullet styles in a couple of calibers and to really save any serious green, I feel you need to cast also. There's a serious time commitment to really craft quality handloaded ammo.
And, I also recommend that you get Lyman's Reloading Manual, and that would only be a starting point. I generally recommend that one get as many different reloading manuals as one can afford..., then buy another. Some would disregard that advice, but... I've learned something new from each book that I've read. I've even changed my methods when I've learned a better way of doing something.
As Lefty said, find yourself a "mentor" to show you the ropes. And I mean someone that
KNOWS what they're doin', not someone that just claims to. I started reloading about 34 years ago with my .30-30s, then my 7mmRemington Mag, moved into my pistol calibers and then into various BP cartridges. The little .30-30 is a simple cartridge to learn with, whatever you can do wrong to any handload, you can do with the .30WCF... and you generally won't find yourself in serious trouble as long as you follow good reloading practices. This means organization and attention to minute details. Skip nothing, take nothing for granted, then double check.
If you want a good reminder of what can go wrong... look at this:
Blown 1892 Winchester in .38WCF. There is nothing unique (poor choice of words maybe, but...), in the caliber that this occurred in, nor was there an apparent defect in the rifle. It appears to be quite simply, a handloading error of huge proportions. And it doesn't take a major error to have such a trajedy, simply a small oversight or ignoring a detail. It is a serious undertaking, one that one does a huge disservice to approach it lightly, with only a few pennies in mind.
I don't mean to sound discouraging, nor paranoid, but... I feel everyone that handloads should approach the job with caution and a view of the dangers that can be encountered. But, having said all that, there is nothing that beats the elation of taking game, winning a match, or just plain getting a great group with ammo that you've crafted yourself.