Cost per round...

At current cost from supplys bought from a local gun shop it would cost me $0.25 cents to put a primer in a piece of brass.
Too much for me.

CQB45ACP said:

And calculating them with any accuracy, well I just don’t know how to do it.

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For calculating the cost of your reloads -- component wise, not equipment... Here's what I do:
Bullets/1000; bullets/each -- i.e. $80/1000 9MM plated; $.08/ea
Primers/1000; primers/each -- i.e. $30/1000 (preCovid); $.03/ea
Powder/pound; powder/each -- i.e. $20/pound; 5 gr per round - 20/7000 * 5 = $.014 per round
brass cost -- in my case (no pun intended) most of my pistol brass is free range pickups.
.08 + .03 +.014 = $0.124 per round === *50 per box = $6.21 a box.
Fill in for your prices and you can have a good estimate of your reloaded rounds costs.

As to the sunk equipment costs, some folks calculate it with the "savings" on their loaded rounds vs equivalent factory rounds.
In this example, let's assume that your reloads cost around $6.21 as per above, per box of 50; a case would cost you $124.28; a comparative case (pre Covid) would have cost around $199. That's a "savings" of $75 on the case.
If you're loading 45 ACP, then the savings would likely be more per case/box/round and you would amortize the equipment costs quicker.
So, in your case of the 15K rounds, that may have been a "savings" of $1125 to ?? based on the rounds you loaded.

I hope this helps.
But, the biggest thing, as you mentioned is having rounds to shoot!

All my components were bought before wuhan. So my 9mm cost per round is 12 cents. And my 223 is about 23 cents each.. labor excluded.

I will never be able to figure the cost of my equipment.

mstreddy said:

For calculating the cost of your reloads -- component wise, not equipment... Here's what I do:
Bullets/1000; bullets/each -- i.e. $80/1000 9MM plated; $.08/ea
Primers/1000; primers/each -- i.e. $30/1000 (preCovid); $.03/ea
Powder/pound; powder/each -- i.e. $20/pound; 5 gr per round - 20/7000 * 5 = $.014 per round
brass cost -- in my case (no pun intended) most of my pistol brass is free range pickups.
.08 + .03 +.014 = $0.124 per round === *50 per box = $6.21 a box.
Fill in for your prices and you can have a good estimate of your reloaded rounds costs.

As to the sunk equipment costs, some folks calculate it with the "savings" on their loaded rounds vs equivalent factory rounds.
In this example, let's assume that your reloads cost around $6.21 as per above, per box of 50; a case would cost you $124.28; a comparative case (pre Covid) would have cost around $199. That's a "savings" of $75 on the case.
If you're loading 45 ACP, then the savings would likely be more per case/box/round and you would amortize the equipment costs quicker.
So, in your case of the 15K rounds, that may have been a "savings" of $1125 to ?? based on the rounds you loaded.

I hope this helps.
But, the biggest thing, as you mentioned is having rounds to shoot!

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Thanks.

I guess I could ignore the sunk equipment costs which would make it appear as though I’m making out like a bandit. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll compare my per round costs to today’s $1 each for 45ACP round.

I am about to empty a 1lb bottle of bullseye. Price sticker on it says $24.xx. Next bottle up cost me $34.xx+gas money for round trip to cabelas. I’ll stop calculating.

Thanks again

CQB45ACP said:

I guess I could ignore the sunk equipment costs which would make it appear as though I’m making out like a bandit.

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CQB, it's not about ignoring those costs, but more about amortizing them over the great many thousands of rounds you'll load over time, or accounting for the costs with the offset from the factory ammo you would have bought.
The equipment is durable and will likely outlast us.

Encoreman said:

One reason the cost was so low, several years ago I found a steal of a deal on some components at a salvage place they sold the XTP's for $6.50 per 100, also had AA winchester for $2 per box. Those deals don't come around many times though. But you always got to be looking!!

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I once bought a pallet of ammo like that from a fishing bait supply warehouse. The top layer of shotshells had obvious water damage but the others were good, not to mention the pistol and rifle ammo that was part of the deal. $2 a box for the whole lot. Activ shotshells in 12,16, 20 (all steel shot), and ultramax factory reloads in 25acp, 38spl, 9mm, 45acp, 30-06, 30-30, and .308. I sold the vast majority of it and kept what I wanted and the wet trash rounds. I tried shooting the wet mess and finally just gave up and put them in the bottom of the burn barrel.

Since the new(est) firearms&related pricing insanity began, I don't watch/follow/track ammunition prices. Why bother?

This morning I discovered an awaiting email from Ammunition Depot, @SUBJ: 38 Special Back In Stock - Supplies Limited!

<shrug> I checked it out ... and found that from them I could buy a 300rd battlepack of PMC 132gr FMJ ammunition for only ...

... $1.17 per round.

Actually, seeing that caused me to laugh out loud after the brief delay required for my brain to grok what I was seeing.

To me it looks like some nice ammo but not anywhere near that nice. $1.17 per round for nothing-special FMJ .38spl. WHEW!

Just one more occasion when I was so-o-o-o-o-o very thankful that, in addition to keeping a lot of ammunition on-hand, I both reload and also always maintain a (more than) healthy stock of all necessary components.

I said why reload 9mm it’s so cheep, bought the dies anyway .
I’ll just reload for the S&W 986 . I started saving all my factory 9
brass I was shooting in other guns also picked up some on sale 9mm bullets .
My .14 to .17 cent reloads look pretty good about now

$0.16/round for my .45 ACP. I shoot 10,000+ rounds each year. I have not figured in the cost of the reloading equipment as this cost goes down with each round loaded.

I buy new dies but have bought 2 used Rockcrusher presses at 1/6 of the cost of new. Auctions can have some good deals, just stay away from dies unless you can be sure they are not scored.

MWC1974 said:

Or, you could google reloading cost calculator
https://ultimatereloader.com/tools/reloading-costs-calculator/

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Actually, I was typing all of that to give the poster an idea of the round costs. For me, I have the calculators built into my excel reload log/inventory spreadsheet.
That's a handy link though.

I'm still about 8 0r 9 cents per round of 9mm. I will be for a few more years, too.

mstreddy said:

Actually, I was typing all of that to give the poster an idea of the round costs. For me, I have the calculators built into my excel reload log/inventory spreadsheet.
That's a handy link though.

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And I appreciate it, thanks.

MWC1974 said:

I think the cost of the equipment is irrelevant to most reloaders. Maybe it’s just me?

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Depends on whether one wants to know actual costs or not. The equipment is a cost. Of course, as @mstreddy said, you could amortize it.

I’m at 4.2 cents per round loading 9, & 357. 38 is a little cheaper. A few years ago I put an ad on Craigslist asking for lead and got 1150 lbs for free. I haven’t bought primers in a couple years, but the last ones I got were from Midsouth and I pick them up to save on shipping and hazmat. Same with powder, got a couple 8# jugs from Midsouth 2 years ago on sale even. 42.00/1000 is what I can load 9, 357, and 45 for as they all use the same powder charge. Brass I get for free from the range and have been for years. I cast and coat all my bullets and don’t charge myself for the time invested.

CoalCrackerAl said:

Just don't use Tite group with the coated. I had issues with leading real bad in 9mm and .380. Yet with Tite wad no issues. And it's a hotter faster powder.

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You could call it a better powder
I found it to be cheaper and much more accurate in 38 special.
It rivals 700x for accuracy.
I don't usually calculate cost per round. But my Krag load is about 12 cents.
357 runs about 15.

CoalCrackerAl said:

Just don't use Tite group with the coated.

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I've loaded and shot thousands, maybe 10s of thousands, of coated bullets with Titegroup. 3.1gr of Titegroup over a 147gr coated bullet or 3.7gr over a 124gr coated are both excellent, dependable, clean shooting rounds.

CQB45ACP said:

Depends on whether one wants to know actual costs or not. The equipment is a cost. Of course, as @mstreddy said, you could amortize it.

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Don't forget to add in electricity if uses power for trimmers, cleaners, etc.

kidneyboy said:

I've loaded and shot thousands, maybe 10s of thousands, of coated bullets with Titegroup. 3.1gr of Titegroup over a 147gr coated bullet or 3.7gr over a 124gr coated are both excellent, dependable, clean shooting rounds.

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I have some 125 grain .356 coated from Summers enterprises, I'll load up 24 rounds and see how they do in one of my 1911's with T.G. The ones that were leading on me was SNS casting and Bayou bullets. Both 115 grain.

George P said:

Don't forget to add in electricity if uses power for trimmers, cleaners, etc.

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I agree completely provided one is after actual costs. If not, you can make up or ignore anything and I suspect some often do. As I said originally, it’s all too difficult so I don’t do it.

kilizyrag said:

$0.16/round for my .45 ACP. I shoot 10,000+ rounds each year. I have not figured in the cost of the reloading equipment as this cost goes down with each round loaded.

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It does go down with each round loaded so that’s why I load, load, load! Soon, it’ll be free.

WestKentucky said:

I once bought a pallet of ammo like that from a fishing bait supply warehouse. The top layer of shotshells had obvious water damage but the others were good, not to mention the pistol and rifle ammo that was part of the deal. $2 a box for the whole lot. Activ shotshells in 12,16, 20 (all steel shot), and ultramax factory reloads in 25acp, 38spl, 9mm, 45acp, 30-06, 30-30, and .308. I sold the vast majority of it and kept what I wanted and the wet trash rounds. I tried shooting the wet mess and finally just gave up and put them in the bottom of the burn barrel.

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I can’t even imagine what my wife would say if a pallet of ammo landed on my driveway! It’d be funny for a few seconds.

bullseye308 said:

I’m at 4.2 cents per round loading 9, & 357. 38 is a little cheaper. A few years ago I put an ad on Craigslist asking for lead and got 1150 lbs for free. I haven’t bought primers in a couple years, but the last ones I got were from Midsouth and I pick them up to save on shipping and hazmat. Same with powder, got a couple 8# jugs from Midsouth 2 years ago on sale even. 42.00/1000 is what I can load 9, 357, and 45 for as they all use the same powder charge. Brass I get for free from the range and have been for years. I cast and coat all my bullets and don’t charge myself for the time invested.

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My gosh, pallets of ammo on one post and a half ton of lead on another, I bought five pounds of powder once.