Barrett93
Member
I was reading today in another online forum about the age old question "Is it really worth it to reload?" There were a lot of replies where guys broke it down to a diluted scale concerning their start up costs. A few guys said that it's not worth it if you aren't a volume shooter (over 10,000 rounds a year is what they considered volume). Some made the point that precision shooters don't mind the start up cost because they are seeking something they couldn't get from the factory. This was my response...
I got started reloading just over a year ago in November 2014 and I actually had the presence of mind to keep all my receipts and document what I have spent over the past year. My "start-up" year I guess you could say. I could have done gotten by with much less but I enjoy this just as much as shooting.
Now I have two presses, three beam scales, Hornady Auto Charge, wet and dry tumblers, 22 sets of dies, nearly 30 lbs of powder, 10,000 primers, 6,000 pieces of brass (not including 9mm and .40 S&W brass), 2,750 bullets (I also don't cast my own yet), case prep center and four manuals. All of this, plus way more that isn't listed, cost me around $2,281 according to my receipts. Some was bought new and some used.
According to my inventory check and pricing all equipment as used and all bullets, powder and primers as they would cost from Midway, I have nearly $3,400 worth of inventory and that IS NOT counting all the rounds I have loaded over the year. Some calibers such as 6mm Rem, 300 Savage, 280 Rem, 220 Swift and 458 Win Mag are almost impossible to find in my neck of the woods. So the handloading makes up a lot of it's cost just by making these calibers available to me. I shoot a lot of 44 Mag also (around 300 rounds per month) so those savings alone help out.
The whole point of this was to prove that reloading isn't a cheap venture. It could be A LOT cheaper than I made it but I load for every caliber I have except .32 Win Special, which I just dont shoot enough to justify buying dies and bullets until maybe I find some used for cheap. I enjoy handloading. Plain and simple. I don't sit and worry about whether or not I'm coming out ahead. I didn't get into this as a financial decision. I got into it almost out of neccesity when I started acquiring harder to find chambered firearms. I believe sometimes I shoot so I can reload as opposed to the other way
I got started reloading just over a year ago in November 2014 and I actually had the presence of mind to keep all my receipts and document what I have spent over the past year. My "start-up" year I guess you could say. I could have done gotten by with much less but I enjoy this just as much as shooting.
Now I have two presses, three beam scales, Hornady Auto Charge, wet and dry tumblers, 22 sets of dies, nearly 30 lbs of powder, 10,000 primers, 6,000 pieces of brass (not including 9mm and .40 S&W brass), 2,750 bullets (I also don't cast my own yet), case prep center and four manuals. All of this, plus way more that isn't listed, cost me around $2,281 according to my receipts. Some was bought new and some used.
According to my inventory check and pricing all equipment as used and all bullets, powder and primers as they would cost from Midway, I have nearly $3,400 worth of inventory and that IS NOT counting all the rounds I have loaded over the year. Some calibers such as 6mm Rem, 300 Savage, 280 Rem, 220 Swift and 458 Win Mag are almost impossible to find in my neck of the woods. So the handloading makes up a lot of it's cost just by making these calibers available to me. I shoot a lot of 44 Mag also (around 300 rounds per month) so those savings alone help out.
The whole point of this was to prove that reloading isn't a cheap venture. It could be A LOT cheaper than I made it but I load for every caliber I have except .32 Win Special, which I just dont shoot enough to justify buying dies and bullets until maybe I find some used for cheap. I enjoy handloading. Plain and simple. I don't sit and worry about whether or not I'm coming out ahead. I didn't get into this as a financial decision. I got into it almost out of neccesity when I started acquiring harder to find chambered firearms. I believe sometimes I shoot so I can reload as opposed to the other way