Why Do People Reload When ...

Because it's fun!

satisfaction, better accuracy.

Once you have the brass it can be reloaded many times. So you deduct your cost of brass and the cost for reloading 100 rounds drops to less than $15.00 or 15 cents a round.

I enjoy it. From a little more practical standpoint, I can load a higher quality round for the same money I can buy blasting ammunition. This of course completely discounts the cost of my personal time.

Cut the cost of brass after the first reload, and bullets if you cast, and that's where I'm at. $5/100 total sound better? .38spcl brass can be reloaded 20+ times if you shoot nothing but wad cutters at low velocity. I have cases with 5+ reloads on them that look like new after being cleaned.

Lead for casting is cheap to free. At $1/lb, I get 40 or so bullets, so $2.50/100 or so if you can't scrounge it, which many people can.

Your brass costs are closer to $5/100, and you can buy cast bullets for much cheaper than you've budgeted, closer to $6.50-$7/100.

That's all if you buy in bulk, which from what I've gathered, is what most reloaders do when it comes to plinking ammo.

For SD ammo I do buy quality bullets though, and Speer gold dot bullets are spendy for sure.

You can reuse brass....20 per 100 gets you 1000+ rounds. Now you are at $16.25 per 100. A lot of pistol brass can be had for less than $50 per 1000.


But there's also the thing about tailoring a recipe for my gun, making a round my wife can shoot without hurting her wrists, making use of the time I spend watching football, etc

You made a big mistake and figured the cost of the brass every shot.

Bottom line so far is, Brass lasts forever in revolver calibers.
Almost forever in auto pistols until you lose it in the weeds.

And you did the math on one of the least expensive factory calibers there is in the .38 Spl.

Do the math on .454 Casual, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, or 32-20 WCF and get back to us on your math!

PS: Don't do the math on common calibers like .38 Spl or 9mm Luger.

rc

Because it is fun as stated above and if availability continues to be a problem.....


Knowledge is Power!............

My 38 specials cost me:

158g LSWC $0.08 each (that's a purchased bullet, not cast myself)

Primer $0.03 each

Powder $0.01 per round (3.1g of 231 at $20 per pound, 2200 rounds per pound)

Brass $0 Once you buy them, they last nearly forever.

total $0.12 each

Granted, these are plinker loads, but no where near $0.35 each. Basically your brass and powder numbers are ruining the total.

And there is the matter of specific loads.
Tell me where to buy midrange wad cutters for $34 a hundred.

Wow, 17 minutes for 10 replies. Sorry to jump on you, we're just trying to help. Reloading is a great way to shoot more for the same $$. And like RC said, do the math on expensive ammo.

My 458winmag cost $105.00 for 20 rounds. I can reload the exact same bullet in my own brass for less than $2.00 per round, way cheaper if if I use lead for practicing.

There's a reason so many people are doing it.

It's a personal choice. I've always reloaded my 38 spl target loads, but I buy my centerfire rifle cartridges factory loaded as I don't shoot enough. Reloading is relaxing. Oh, also my first posting. I have enjoyed reading.

10-20 years ago, if you cast your own bullets from free lead wheel-weights?

It used to be about the same or cheaper then shooting a .22 RF at todays prices.

When I started reloading lead was free, bullet lube was .50 cents a stick, primers were .01 cents ea, and a pound of powder came in a paper sack for a buck ninety eight.

After this years craziness??

Who knows what reloading components, or loaded ammo will cost then??

PS: Here is what good cast lead .44 Magnum bullets cost.
A little less then a Penny a shot.
http://www.missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=103&category=5&secondary=12&keywords=
What powder & primers will cost is at best a guess at this point in time.


rc

Cost of reloading will vary depending on where and in what volume you buy componets. First, I reload my cases a minimum of 20 times and I normally get my brass free from other shooters who don't want to reload and gladly give it to me. $3 per 100 is about right for primers, $7 per 100 for cast bullets, and $1.25 for powder per 100 rounds. This give me a cost of $11.25 per 100 for 38 or 357 Mag.

For the big calibers it really adds up. I load 454 Casull and 44 Mag and haven't bought any factory rounds in a while but I know I'm saving a ton besides loading them however strong I feel like.

Before reloading, I shot occasionally. Now I shoot more than I ever could have imagined. At work people tell me how they can't find ammo, and that they don't want to shoot up what ammo they have. I tell them that through this whole ammo crunch, I've been shooting a hundred or so rounds every weekend and when the weather permits, I shoot a few rounds while I'm home for lunch. Its been great! I can't imagine owning a revolver and not reloading for it now.

For sizing, I would recommend lee push through sizing dies, and liquid Alex lube. Much cheaper than a dedicated lumber/sizer, and it works great for me, all the way up to .44 magnum at magnum velocities. I used bullets cast as dropped from a lee tumble lube mold, but they weren't reliable out of a semi, and weren't able to chamber in some of my revolvers, both of which were solved with sizing.

The FIRST thing you should do is buy a good reloading manual, read it, then decide what equipment you'll need, and what your options are.

I load 44 mag full house hunting loads for $8-$12/100.

A good place to start is by watching Youtube videos and reading reloading manuels. It becomes a very exciting hobby. You'll absolutely shoot your loaded ammo just so you can load more. Do your research on presses and and/or kits along with all the reloading components so when things start to become available you'll be ready.

My .38 Spl loads are about $0.11/ round. Also, I get to load exactly what I want, that is, a 125 grain lead bullet at 700 fps. Perfect for cowboy. The brass is generally good for 7-12 loadings, depending on quality, and whether it was nickle plated.

I can make light pissant loads so that practice becomes fun instead of punishment.

Satasaurus said:

Man, I can't wait until the prices go back down(I HOPE). I'm immediately getting all the stuff to reload. Another thing I was concerned about though is I've heard of sizing and someone mentioned the bullet lube, and crimping. Do I need to do all that stuff just for target ammo? What's mandatory and what's not?

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What's MANDATORY is buying a good reloading manual before you spend one red cent on equipment or components. I'm not alone in recommending the Lyman 49th Edition.

My son came to the house yesterday to shoot his RIA 45. He was commenting on how expensive ammo is. I did a quick calculation and figure it cost about $2.00 for me to load a box of 50 ea. 45 ACP's with my cast 200 gr. SWC's. My lead has been free, but I did buy almost 450 lbs. last Saturday. Even at the price I had to pay, a cast bullet will cost me about 1¢, (Actually closer to 1/2¢ if you figure the 500 bs or so sitting around that I got for free) so I guess a box of 45's would be closer to $2.50 per 50.

35W

A good place to start is by watching Youtube videos

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Beware about that.

I've noticed a very high incidence / percentage of Morons on YouTube where it comes to all things gun related.

rc