Reloading Cost by the Box

Reloaded ammo is better than you can buy. It can be tailored to a particular firearm with regard to action type, barrel length, intend purpose etc. I cast all my own bullets. A buddy once did a calculation for me and I found out that I was loading 50 rounds of 230gr. .45ACP for about $2.50 a box. .38 special was right at or a little under $2. NO factory ammo can be bought for anything close to that! I also have a lot of second hand gear so that soaks up a lot of price as well. I have given away reloading gear for crying out loud!! (Dies, Uniflow Powder measure, Lee Challenger press, case lube, primer trays etc. etc.) It can be had for a lot cheaper than going through the latest Midway or other distro's catalog to get started.

rkammer

Reloading to save money is very dependent on what you buy and what you reload. 9mm, .223, 7.62x39, 7.54x54R are fairly poor candidates for money savings because cheap comblock ammo can often be had for less. On top of that, if you get a high quality reloading setup such as the Rock Chucker kit, you will also take a long time before you break even. If you look at the Lee Breechlock Challenger Kit or the Anniversary Kit, you'll see that you can get into reloading with all the needed equipment for about half of the $400 you estimated for the RC kit.

If time and convenience can be traded for money savings, you'll also see that you don't need to pay retail prices for loading blocks, tumblers, media, lube, etc. Just search this and other websites for home brew methods of cleaning cases (all you really have to do is wipe off any dirt that will scratch the dies/chamber). Heck, I even went between Midway orders by making a powder funnel out of a piece of paper and Scotch Tape. I saw someone make a loading block out of a USPS cardboard box.

The important items are:
-A scale that can accurately read down to a tenth of a grain. The Lee Kits have those and you can certainly use that for a lifetime although there are more convenient ones at a higher cost.
-A set of calipers ($10-$15 at Harbor Freight for digital calipers that measure down to 0.001")
-A reloading manual or two (or three or ten). Or the Internet and *very* good discernment <- this can be dangerous if you can't consult someone experienced.

The whole game of working out actual costs for reloading ammo is just an exercise in math.
On some calibers I save a lot, on others not as much.
Plus as a general rule you can get better stuff than off the shelf factory loads.

Trying to figure out equipment payback is just another exercise.
The tools and equipment we use are things we buy and add into our collection for the reloading bench as the years go on.

I don't shoot anything that uses that cheap stuff around like some of the 5.56 available.
Friends of mine who do say, yeah, it just ain't worth the time and bother to reload it.

Don't do it unless you want to reload as a hobby.

Even if you place no value on your time, you probably won't save money.
You'll just get to shoot more.

Eventually, you will have buckets of brass, and boxes of bullets, and many, many cans of your reloads.
Just in time to move.
Hey honey, there can't be more than 10,000 rounds of ammo there... errr, I mean 10,000 rounds of .22 rimfire. And then there's all the reloading stuff.
She'll think you're a prince.

Think about it this way:
You could be restoring a sailboat.

Oh God, WEG, I remember the trips hauling components when we bought our house 3 years ago. That REALLY sucked.

rsrocket1 said:

rkammer

On top of that, if you get a high quality reloading setup such as the Rock Chucker kit, you will also take a long time before you break even. If you look at the Lee Breechlock Challenger Kit or the Anniversary Kit, you'll see that you can get into reloading with all the needed equipment for about half of the $400 you estimated for the RC kit.

Click to expand...

OK, if the Lee Challenger Kit is $120 including shipping the additional cost of the other items will be upwards of another $150 if one is to be properly equipped. So, if the total cost is even only $300 it would still take over 21 boxes of ammo to break even (using my ammo cost).

While I wasn't using deep discounts or used equipment in my analysis my point was that the 12 box break-even point wasn't realistic. I do agree with you that equipment can be gotten cheaper, though.

If you're only going to load 12 boxes of {whatever}, why bother reloading at all.

If you buy new brass for something, your initial costs will usually be HIGHER than factory ammo. (Factories which make and sell bulk brass do this for a reason, I'm sure...)

But subsequent loadings will bring your cost average WAY down and you are in control of the treatment of the brass from day one.

Factory Sales sells the Lee Anniv single stage kit for $82. Add dies ($30) and components.

Kempf's sells the versatile auto-advancing Lee Classic turret kit for about $200 which includes one set of dies - you need to buy a scale and calipers.

Single stage is 50-75 rounds per hour, I get 150-175 RPH on my turret.

For pistol shooting I would encourage investing in the CLASSIC turret due to the higher round output. It can also be used just like a single stage while one learns if desired. It will also load most all rifle calibers.

I have a reloading calculator, but this site won't allow me to upload it.
It's an excel spreadsheet.
(of course you need to have Micro$oft Excel installed in order to open it.)

If anyone wants a copy, just pm me with your email address & tell me you want a copy.

It doesn't take into account the initial investment, but is GREAT for figuring out what you save vs factory ammo AFTER that initial investment.

I didn't write it, & I forget who did, otherwise I would give credit where credit is due..

I'll use my .308 setup as an example.

I live in Canada but buy my reloading equipment in the USA since it is legal for me to do so.

Lee Anniversary Kit. $82.00
Lee Deluxe 3-Die Set 308 $30.00
Lee .308 Factory Crimp Die $16.00
Lymann 1500XP Scale $150.00
Dillon .308 Case Gauge $36.00
Lee .308 Trim Stud $5.00
(2) MTM Universal Loading Trays $16.00
RCBS Primer Pocket Uniformer $27.00
RCBS Flash Hole Deburring Tool $15.00
RCBS Case Mouth Deburring Tool $23.00

It is not legal for me to purchase ammunition or components directly from the USA so I purchase them locally.

168gr Sierra Matchkings .308 $40.00/100 $0.40/each $8.00/box
Varget $29.00/LB $0.166/each $3.314/box
CCI Benchrest-2 Primers $52.00/1000 $0.052/each $1.04/box
Lapua .308 Win Brass $77.00/100 $0.077/each Amortized over 10 firings $1.54/box (amortized over 10 firings)

Total Cost Of Match Grade Reloads Per Box $13.894 including brass amortized over 10 firings.

Federal Gold Medal Match $39.99/box

Savings $26.096 per box

In the last 2 months I have owned my rifle I've shot 400 rounds through it which is more than enough to pay for my single stage reloading setup.

On a side note I'm shooting 5 shot groups in the .5-.6 moa range on average.

Here are the links for a couple of good calculators
Rifle Reloading Cost Calculator
Handgun Reloading Cost Calculator

rcmodel said:

There are 7,000 grains in a pound.

SO, 1,029.4 rounds if you don't spill any on the floor.

rc

Click to expand...

Ok,
Just purchased bullets and brass (500 pieces each) at about $125.
PP is $16/pound
About $ .03 per primer.
That comes up to about $ 0.29 per round or $29 per "box" for .38 special.


Just googled a price for walmart: 100 count for $33.97

So, not only the enjoyment of preparing my own stuff, the control....but the cost savings as well. It's a win, win - win.

Primers purchased years ago=====$10.00 a 1,000===== 1 cent each
Surplus powder===============$ 8.00 a lb.========1/2 cent per round
Cast lead bullet from free lead====================$.00 per round

Cost per 100 handgun rounds approx. $1.50

Heck my .22 rimfire cost is now $14.00 a hundred or more.

For that .38 Special ammo reloading, now that you have the brass which should last about forever, all you will be buying is powder, bullets and primers for the relaods. THat will dramatically reduce your cost per round.

If you are reloading calibers that are relatively cheap to buy new (9mm, .380, even 45 auto) there's not as much benefit for cost savings.

If you like to shoot expensive calibers (44 mag or special, 357 mag, 45 colt/454 casull, etc) you will quickly see significant savings.

For example 44 Magnum Winchester White Box 240-JSP ammo is running $44/50 rounds at the local gun store. If I use my range-scrounged cases, Nosler 240-gr JSP bullets, Win LP primers and 10 grains of Titegroup I get a better result than WWB and my cost is roughly 25 cents per shot, $12.50 per box.

If I use my cowboy loads with my own cast lead 240-SWC bullets and 8.0 grains of Promo with Wolf primers I am cutting my price down to 4 cents a shot, $2.00 a box. Saving over $40 per box means in less than 500 rounds you've paid for your reloading setup.

Even 9mm can show savings. $10/50 is a good price for WWB nowadays. I can use purchased cast lead slugs and load a box for $5. Half price!

So how about this: Consider the cost of your reloading equipment as a one-time, non-recurring cost. Just like another firearm. Then forget about it. It's spent. After that, you can enjoy the savings on handloaded ammo; your recurring cost.

I think we shooters tend to be frugal people, often to the point of analysis-paralysis. Sometimes you just gotta just jump.

Randy,
I wanted to try out using some fresh brass. My estimate is real cost - buying all components. ....and it's still cheaper than factory!

I did buy "on sale" bullets and "on sale" brass....so it wasn't the best of the best. I bet it would come close to breaking even, if you did load with the very best of everything.

In short, yes I could do this even more cheaply.

I save hardly anything reloading for my .223. It's just a horrible compulsion. Bullets run me about $2.20-3.50 per 20. Powder is about $0.70 per 20. Primers are about $0.50 per twenty. I could buy cheap .223 ammo for 5 dollars a box. To make matters worse, it takes me at least 3 - edit: no, probably 5-6) times as long to reload rifle rounds due to the brass preparation.

My pistol calibers are where the money's at. You could justify a reloading press just for .357/38. In fact, I have to shoot a bunch of it just to recover the costs I incurred for my rifle gear and the obscure calibers I bought dies and components for, but never manage to get enough brass to reload.

Heck, I even went between Midway orders by making a powder funnel out of a piece of paper and Scotch Tape. I saw someone make a loading block out of a USPS cardboard box.

Click to expand...

You can make a really nice funnel out a thin sheet of brass or copper. Solder the body of a chamfered 22LR case to it, and it'll fit any caliber, even .223. I BOUGHT an expensive funnel specifically made for .223, and I scrapped it for this one.

As for loading blocks, an old 9mm plastic ammo tray fits .223 perfectly. I believe a .45 tray would hold .308 or .30-06. For pistol ammo, what would ya need a tray for? The cases stand up on their own.

This exact thing is hashed over every so often and it is always ends about the same. If you want to shoot cheap Commi Block ammo and value your TV or partying time then don't bother. If you want to say you did it yourself, want "better" ammo, or relief from supply shortages then do reload. IMHO you will never be sorry that you learn how to reload, I feel this is a skill that any firearms owner should at least learn how to do.

nojoke said:

My estimate is real cost - buying all components. ....and it's still cheaper than factory!

Click to expand...

The major component of savings for reloading comes from reusing the cases.

If you use the case just once, there may not be any savings at all.

50 rounds of store bought 9mm FMJ ~$10

50 rounds of my handloads = $1.90 per 50/3.80 per 100/$38 per 1000.

I use bullets casted by yours truly from wheelweights, range brass,4.0gr bullseye powder and winchester SPP.

You know the old saying: Give a man a box of ammo, he'll shoot it all up. Teach a man to reload, he'll spend every extra cent he has for the rest of his life.

Seriously, I was making fun of my wife the other day about her shopping at Coldwater Creek when she was telling one of her friends how much she saved there. She turned to me and said "Yeah, just like you save money by reloading." Boy does she have MY number!!

I spend just as much (if not a bit more) on reloading handgun ammo vs factory ammo.
BUT - I can shoot 3 or 4 times more ammo.
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I bought some Federal American Eagle .223 ammo cuz it was cheap - about $6.00/box.
It was more like pray & spray.
It's been awhile since I bought factory ammo.
It'll be a heck of a lot longer before I buy anymore.

With my reloads, at 100 yds, I can usually keep a whole box within an inch-inch & a half.

With Federal, I was doing well to keep it on the paper.
It was horrible!!!!!

1SOW said:

Free range brass is critical to saving money by reloading.

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I've heard of this "Free range brass". I've never seen any though. They must sell it one of those stores that carries Vegetarian powder and the 100% Natural* primers.

Lunie said:

I've heard of this "Free range brass". I've never seen any though.

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At our range there are always "volunteers" that will sweep up for you on the Pistol Range. On the Rifle Ranges they merely mine the brass box.

You just need to learn the technique and you too will be getting some of that free range brass.