Shotsehell loading

I’m so glad I have several MEC 650 JR reloaders especially the one in .410. For me it’s not an ROI exercise, it’s about options. When the shelves are bare, I can still shoot presuming I have components.

If you are a dedicated shooter, reloading makes sense and is economical. 8-10 boxes/ year? No.
80 boxes/ year....now your talking.
If you're shooting 80 boxes/ year you could get set up and come out ok on ROI and convenience . Especially if you think it is enjoyable as many of us do.

Is it worth it? Depends on what factory ammo you want to replace. If your replacing the $30 Walmart 100 pack then no, it’s not worth it. If you are replacing specialty ammo at $15 per box of 25 then yes it’s worth it. There’s also a big question of if your volume will ever allow you to overcome the expense. Same deal I explain to electric car people. A Tesla is 100grand. That’s a whole bunch of tanks of gas, even in a pickup truck. Saving $50 a fill up sounds great, but I buy gas once a week. It will take 2000 weeks to overcome the purchase price. That’s somewhere in the ballpark of like 38 years. That Tesla won’t last that long and I may not either so it doesn’t make sense. Long story short, it’s hard to justify expense on reloading gear by what you will save. At a quarter per shot saved it still takes a lot.

See https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...shell-reloading-savings.898852/#post-12142908
My suggestion based on the OP's input is a qualified "yes" -- especially for the 20s
Check for used MEC 600JRs --

It all depends on the ga your wanting to reload. 410 and 16 ga is the most expensive to find and buy, so there will be a quick return on your investment. If your just shooting the cheap trap loads in 12 or 20 ga no. But if your after the heavier loads for hunting yes. Like with anything reloading reloading buying in large quantity gets you a cheaper price. Now if you want to load buck shot or slugs most definitely you will save money.

It also depends on if you believe you will always be able to buy shells at Walmart or other, and if not, you are OK with that. As for light loads for youth, a lot of 12 gauge shooters have moved down to 1 oz, 7/8 oz and even 3/4 oz, which are lite recoil, but as effective as a 20 gauge. Loading those or buying those still cheaper than 20 gauge or 410.

If your shooting 410 I don't see how reloading wasn't the best and a lot of time only option. Shooting Clays or hunting small game with 7.5 trap loads hard pass.

sksshooter said:

Is there any way to come close to being worth the time loading shotshells?

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Yes, just like metallic reloading if you want it to look like a good idea pick the odd balls, .410/28ga etc. If you are loading to duplicate factory 12&20 dove/quail loads, not so much.

Years ago the cheap loads just had a hunk of cardboard and 3 plastic strips for a wad, so you still made better loads than factory but these days they all use decent wads.

-box of factory 12 gauge Winchester AA shells = $12.99

Component prices for 12 gauge loads:
SHOT
25#'s = $60
(355) 1-1/8 oz loads/25# bag => $4.22/box

209 PRIMERS
$70/1000 = $0.07/ea => $1.75/box

POWDER (700X)
$30/lb
1lb = 7000 grains
(424) 16.5 grain loads/# => $1.77/box

WADS (WAA12 equivalent)
$28/1000 = $0.028/ea => $0.70/box

RELOAD COST: $4.22+$1.75+$1.77+$0.70 = $8.44/box

Blue68f100 said:

It all depends on the ga your wanting to reload. 410 and 16 ga is the most expensive to find and buy, so there will be a quick return on your investment. If your just shooting the cheap trap loads in 12 or 20 ga no. But if your after the heavier loads for hunting yes. Like with anything reloading reloading buying in large quantity gets you a cheaper price. Now if you want to load buck shot or slugs most definitely you will save money.

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IMHO if you are shooting trap loads AND playing that game going through 100 rounds in a day not a year then even "cheap" trap loads are worth it. And when you think of just how cheap the Load all is, well why not.

When I started a few months ago I was thinking the same thing, and all the wife and I do are busting orange flying things.....nothing else. So between the two of us not uncommon to shoot 200 rounds in a day. Adds up really quick even at $30 Walmart 100 cartons that don't exist anymore for $30.

I have a 600jr for 20, what the wife and I both shoot, and a load all for 12. I need to buy one for 16, but need hulls and wads first.

There is a very different world to shotgun reloading, a 12ga hull is not like every other 12g hull, there is different loadings for different hulls. It is NOT a 308 is a 308, does not work that way. Also some hulls are not really reloadable, all those $30 walmart hulls you saved, yea not really the best idea. And the wad that goes in there.....yup different again for different hulls.

It is a very different world, the only thing that is the same between hulls is the primer and the shot charge.....everything else is a moving target, you don't want to mix and match load data until you really know what you are doing. It would be a little like putting the powder charge for 300 WM in a 223 case.

As algaeguy has shown it’s cheaper to reload than purchase…yes, I know “my time is worth “X”, blah, blah, blah”. Couple things, you didn’t mention what your shooting…trap, skeet, 5-stand, sporting clays or, so it’s hard to know the shot charge you need. I shoot 5-stand, sporting or skeet almost every weekend throughout the year and run a 3/4oz load for all, so a #25 bag of shot I get 533 “loads”, which drops my total shell cost. Another thing, you need to purchase in BULK and not a bag her and there…my shot purchase is never lower than #1000 and normally #1500, wads by the case, same for primers…powder nothing less than #32. You get a substantial price break at those numbers, at least from the dealers I use.

It can be a matter of engagement. I enjoy taking a fish on a fly I tied myself. I can save time and buy flies, but it’s not the same. I enjoy using ammunition I have made for myself. Same degree of engagement as fishing. If one considers fly tying and reloading as chores to save money, they won’t appreciate increased engagement in their pastimes.

No. There is no way to save enough on 12 gauge reloads to pretend to pay your self an hourly rate. Not even minimum wage.

You got to buy supplies fairly carefully not to end up paying more for your reloads.

Two posts...quicker than I thought...

In this scenario I think it is important to ask "Am I going to enjoy reloading or will it be drudgery? And how much spare time do I have?"

There isn't going to be a huge money savings. As @algaeguy points out, you can save a few dollars per box, but that doesn't account for the initial set-up cost. At low volume, that can take quite a while to amortize. If the process isn't enjoyable - a hobby, essentially - then the fellow most likely will come to resent it, especially if it's digging into free time he could otherwise have pleasurably spent.

J-Bar said:

It can be a matter of engagement. I enjoy taking a fish on a fly I tied myself. I can save time and buy flies, but it’s not the same. I enjoy using ammunition I have made for myself. Same degree of engagement as fishing. If one considers fly tying and reloading as chores to save money, they won’t appreciate increased engagement in their pastimes.

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I like this post and can't like it enough. It is the same, I get enjoyment in the reloading process and I enjoy "tinkering" with the loads I work up. It is just the way I am wired. The same extends to other things in my life. The inlaws can't for the life of them understand why I am building a loft in my shop, just have someone build a shed if you need the storage space, or better yet one of those cargo containers. No, it is not the same. I am going to make the loft and shed just the way I want, and there is great joy using something you made. Building it, be it tying files or building a building brings joy, it is all part of the fun of using it.....it is yours.

Is reloading 12ga worth it?
Maybe, probably not.
Why I do it, because I want lead BBs, T shot, number 2 birdshot, ect, weird stuff you can't get any more.

Is reloading 16ga, 20ga, 28ga, .410 woth it?
Probably.
Why I might do those, 28ga with lead BBs or T shot would be brutal.

Watch garage, estate sales and pawn shops. Reload presses show up and usually CHEAP.

I have 7 shotshell loaders and load every guage. Is it "worth" it? ABSOLUTELY, I load WHAT I WANT.

12ga Cowboy Action loads with 3/4oz
20ga 3/4oz hunting loads with 5s
16ga and .410

I load unobtanium, built to what I need.

I reload 20 ga. I have a progressive (P-W) loader for 12 ga. which I haven't used in years. I enjoy reloading and even though I'm "supposed to follow the menu", I don't. I enjoy experimenting with different loads and testing them the same as I do in metallic reloading. Not many of my 'experiments' result in better loads but WTH, I enjoy trying. I don't even consider the price as the end result is what I'm after.

If you're like me, it's worth it. If not, save your money and buy cheap 12 ga. loads at Walmart.

It's worth it if you cast your own buckshot.

For field loads, probably not, at least for me.

If you're just someone who loves reloading (there's a lot of us out there) and aren't doing it just for the savings, then it may be worth it to you regardless. If you're mainly concerned about saving money, then it's probably not for target/field stuff.

algaeguy said:

-box of factory 12 gauge Winchester AA shells = $12.99

Component prices for 12 gauge loads:
SHOT
25#'s = $60
(355) 1-1/8 oz loads/25# bag => $4.22/box

209 PRIMERS
$70/1000 = $0.07/ea => $1.75/box

POWDER (700X)
$30/lb
1lb = 7000 grains
(424) 16.5 grain loads/# => $1.77/box

WADS (WAA12 equivalent)
$28/1000 = $0.028/ea => $0.70/box

RELOAD COST: $4.22+$1.75+$1.77+$0.70 = $8.44/box

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The most expensive component, as your post clearly shows, is the shot. I was able to get 20 bags this summer for $40 a bag. Directly from the manufacturer. Not reclaimed shot. That drops a $1+ off of the price of a box.

I loaded every shot shell I fired for 15 years. When they required non-toxic for waterfowl, I gradually moved away from shot shell reloading. First waterfowl, eventually upland and clays. Prices were so reasonable it weren’t worth my time.

Then I retired. 6 months later you couldn’t find shotshells anywhere. Now I’m back to where I was 40 years ago except for waterfowl.

If you don’t like doing it, the savings isn’t worth it. If you enjoy it, and have the time to reload, it’s worth it. If having the security of always being able to have shotshells available, that alone makes it worthwhile in my opinion.

I shot skeet nearly every week for the last 8 months, some 5 station and sporting clays. And I enjoy spending 2 hours in the room and making my stack 7 boxes higher.

If I didn’t enjoy it, I would spend my time searching for shells.

Biggest initial expense is quality hulls and lead. I purchased 20 bags of shot this summer for $800. None of my presses cost a 1/4 of that. But none of them were purchased in the last 20 years either.

Hey cheddite primers are back.
I say use those in place of winchester 209s for lower power shells. That's what I do.
And they are available most places that sell primers and are 1/2 to 1/3 the price of US domestic 209 primers.