How Cheap Can It Be?

When I was loading LOTS of rounds, at least for me, back in the 80's and 90's I amortized my cost over buying factory rounds. I was loading on a Wells single stage, throwing powder with the Wells powder measure, using Rem, and Win bulk bullets, 296, Win WLP' s, and loading for 357s, 41 and 44mag. I purchased bulk brass, and bullets from DAC who then were about like Midway, just posting ads in gun rags. Even then it took a bit to recover the initial outlay of cash.
 
I bought all new stuff when the pandemic started but just before the prices went nuts. I got the Lee My First Press starter kit for $150, found some used 9mm dies and projectiles at a pawn shop and paid $0.03/primer. Were I to shoot at a higher volume, I’d want a turret or progressive press. For my purposes now, the single stage works well. I shoot once a week but only about 50 centerfire rounds per trip, often less. The reloading I’ve done just for my Blackhawk has saved enough for the press and dies. It goes about every trip.

I am trying to shoot the barrels out of my 22LR Henry and Victory pistol, but I don’t think I’m making any real progress toward that goal.
 
bullseye308 said:
Even starting from scratch right now(like I’m about to help someone do this week
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That's what'll happen with this stuff after I'm done. It'll be clean and usable but not fancy, just like when I got it. But it'll help someone get started reloading for a fraction of what it would normally cost.

And I'll be reminded why there's a progressive press sitting there not getting used nearly enough.
 
Meanwhile I’m over here spending hours prepping 2K of .223 brass, paying $83 per K in primers, $225 for 8 lbs of powder and close to $200 for 2K of 55 gr bullets.

It’s really coming down to time and effort for me, especially on reloading in bulk.

After this batch I think I’ll start paying the extra $100 per 1K I’m saving and have it shipped to me…lol
 
add in the cost of inflation. say you bought a lee loader 10 years ago, and components at that time and supplies. I got about everything I needed 5-7 years ago, and now I don't need to spend a penny or buy factory ammo, and I can shoot as much as I want for several years with what I have.
 
Howland937 said:
I plan to prime on the press, but if it gets much more tedious I'll hand prime and factor that cost in. Right now I'm at $188/500 rounds.
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I haven't done the math in years but my first post here ~19 years ago I was at $18/1000 (you can' get 1000 primers for that these days but my bullets are still the same price) for 45 acp using the machine I built in post #5 of this thread.

Magma Engineering Master Caster?

Anyone have experience with the Magma Engineering Master Caster? I lube-sized a few thousand .45 Auto bullets the other day using their Star unit and it's simple and easy. I won't even think about buying anything else...are their casting machines just as easy to operate? Ed
www.thehighroad.org

Eliminates the most costly item from your list.
 
jmorris said:
I haven't done the math in years but my first post here ~19 years ago I was at $18/1000 (you can' get 1000 primers for that these days but my bullets are still the same price) for 45 acp using the machine I built in post #5 of this thread.

Magma Engineering Master Caster?

Anyone have experience with the Magma Engineering Master Caster? I lube-sized a few thousand .45 Auto bullets the other day using their Star unit and it's simple and easy. I won't even think about buying anything else...are their casting machines just as easy to operate? Ed
www.thehighroad.org

Eliminates the most costly item from your list.
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I have a Master Caster, unfortunately Magma Engineering closed its doors last month.
 
thump_rrr said:
I have a Master Caster, unfortunately Magma Engineering closed its doors last month.
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Did yours break? There isn't much to them (why I built that one vs buy) and lots of their molds around, the MC uses the same molds as their big machines but you just need one of each vs a set.

RCBS are the easiest I have found to convert over to use in place of the magma molds.
 
jmorris said:
Did yours break? There isn't much to them (why I built that one vs buy) and lots of their molds around, the MC uses the same molds as their big machines but you just need one of each vs a set.

RCBS are the easiest I have found to convert over to use in place of the magma molds.
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Not broken at all.
There isn’t much that can break on that thing other than the element for the pot.

I actually automated mine from scratch.
I believe we discussed this a few years back when I was converting it.


I even added a touchscreen to adjust timing.
IMG_8883.jpeg
I just need to find a couple of molds.
Something for 44 Special/Magnum in the 240gr range and a 9mm in the 147gr range.
 
refuse2bafool said:
.......... Though California prices are always significantly higher, especially since we cannot order via internet.
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Lo-Profile said:
..........Guess it sucks to be in CA
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FWIW: Actually we Californians can order over the internet BUTthe order has to be delivered to a FFL who will accept internet orders. My local FFL charges $40 regardless of the size of the order...one box or one pallet. So that is something that must be factored in.
 
epags said:
FWIW: Actually we Californians can order over the internet BUTthe order has to be delivered to a FFL who will accept internet orders. My local FFL charges $40 regardless of the size of the order...one box or one pallet. So that is something that must be factored in.
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Guess it's a good thing there are BPS/Cabela's right across the NV border in Lost Vegas and Verdi
 
epags said:
FWIW: Actually we Californians can order over the internet BUTthe order has to be delivered to a FFL who will accept internet orders. My local FFL charges $40 regardless of the size of the order...one box or one pallet. So that is something that must be factored in.
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Yeah. I know, but rather than screw around with all that, and constantly shopping for the best deal, I'd rather just load my own. Finding any available low-priced ammo is a task in itself. Sportsmans has some 45 at $21 a box, but they are always out. I like being able to choose bullet type and try different loads and stuff like that. I can't remember the last time I saw any LSWC in loaded ammo for my bullseye load.

If I wasn't retired or didn't like reloading it might be a whole other thing. Everybody has to put their own price on their time.
 
Reloading lets me indulge my mad scientist urges. If I didn’t like it so much it would be different. My most Frankenstein style, patchwork loads have come from finding cheaper ways to load 30-30 and 223. If I had jumped at the Savage 99 I found, I’d have similar loads in 308. I still kick myself periodically for that.
 
DMW1116 said:
If I had jumped at the Savage 99 I found, I’d have similar loads in 308. I still kick myself periodically for that.
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And well you should! Hard!

But it just isn’t possible to grab every good deal or every dream gun that comes along. So give yourself a break and take off the hobnail boots before kicking yourself. 😁
 
Worked on getting stuff set up today with the intent to load some rounds. Had trouble getting the new to me 5-0-5 scale zeroed. Dug out another 5-0-5 I have and mix-matched parts to no avail. Old scale is noticeably heavier but identical in appearance. Old scale zeros fine with beam, tray, etc from new scale but new scale was bottomed out on the light side no matter where I adjusted to. Pan is even 1.2 grams heavier than that of old scale when weighed in digital scale.

4 small strips (one at a time) of Scotch tape on the bottom of the pan finally got it zeroed. Confirmed with check weights and ready to go. Compared to known RCBS scale and Hornady digital scale and accuracy is in line. If I hadn't been so stubborn about making this scale work I may have gotten something else done.
 
I started reloading with a Lee Loader that I bought at WalMart for $6.95 (the sticker is still on the box). A couple years later, I graduated to an RCBS Reloader Special press (that I still use today) with a set of dies for about $80. I later added a second-hand RCBS powder measure and 5-10 balance for about $60.

This "capital investment" has "burdened" my reloads with a cost of about 0.4 cents per round. I long ago concluded this cost was "insignificant" and so have for years essentially ignored it.
 
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