Cheaper to buy Factory Ammo??

[CQB45ACP]

I KNOW it will end badly!

No doubt in my mind.

 

[higgite]

If you knew in advance how much reloading would cost you over the next 20 years, do you think you’d still do it?” (Note I didn’t say “spend” I said “cost.”)

$77,025.18. That’s the number. That’s your 20 year cost. Write the check now.

If you spent $1200/year on reloading over the next 20 years = loss of $24,000.

If instead you invested that same amount over the same period in an S&P 500 Index ETF = gain of $53,025.18.

$24,000 (avoided loss) + $53,025.18 = $77,025.18

I used a compound interest calculator at MoneyChimp, started with $100 and added $1200 total annual for 20 years. Used 7% as the interest rate (which is the average after tax, after inflation, divided reinvested annual gain for the S&P 500.).

Sure, this ignores the fun factor, the hobby factor, the therapeutic value, the cost of factory ammo because you’re going to shoot anyhow factor. But it also ignores the fact that most of us spend way more than $1200/year.

That’s all well and good, but you left out the comparative cost of shooting the same amount of ammo over that 20 years.

Personally, I haven’t reloaded for 20 years yet, but after I do, my last thought on my death bed won’t be, “Damn, if I hadn’t reloaded ammo, my kids would be $77,025.18 richer.”

 

[CQB45ACP]

That’s all well and good, but you left out the comparative cost of shooting the same amount of ammo over that 20 years.

Personally, I haven’t reloaded for 20 years yet, but after I do, my last thought on my death bed won’t be, “Damn, if I hadn’t reloaded ammo, my kids would be $77,025.18 richer.”

I didn’t leave out anything because I was simply showing/asking about the costs of reloading…not comparing it to anything other than NOT reloading. I get your point of course but that’s wasn’t my point.

Edit: but upon further reflection, by not considering anything other than reloading, I have hijacked OP’s original question and you have called me out on that, so thank you. But that’s really difficult to do and I’m tired

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

Well... life isn't over yet! There is always tomorrow! Coffee is the source, I swear... it'll change your life.

Among my hobbies... coffee drinking is on the list. Some people drink bourbon, some wine, some wheat grass... or whatever... I drink coffee.

In all seriousness, many of you are talking in absolutes. If you look at the absolute figures, because (true) numbers don't lie, reloading typically wins, hands down, but there are always other aspects to consider, including each persons individual circumstance and desire.

Me too (three cups/day) and before the pandemic, an additional two per week Starbucks Triple Vente Lattes w/three raw sugars. Never any spirits, wine and beer infrequently, but I’m curious what is “wheat grass?”

I used to drink about 5 cups per day until I had a stroke in my left eye. It left me with a big grey blob right in the middle of my vision. When the eye dr asked if I took any kind of stimulants, I said “well I drink about 5 cups of coffee per day, a couple mountain dews, and for the last week I’ve had a sinus infection, so a few Sudafed.” She looked straight at me silent for about a minute and said “I’m thinking about reporting you for having a mobile meth lab in your stomach. Stop all that or you’ll have a real stroke.” Needless to say, I cut out all caffeine for a couple months. I felt like crap the whole time. Now I drink two coffees per day max and no Mt. Dew or Sudafed. On a brighter note, my vision has made a full recovery.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I used to drink about 5 cups per day until I had a stroke in my left eye. It left me with a big grey blob right in the middle of my vision. When the eye dr asked if I took any kind of stimulants, I said “well I drink about 5 cups of coffee per day, a couple mountain dews, and for the last week I’ve had a sinus infection, so a few Sudafed.” She looked straight at me silent for about a minute and said “I’m thinking about reporting you for having a mobile meth lab in your stomach. Stop all that or you’ll have a real stroke.” Needless to say, I cut out all caffeine for a couple months. I felt like crap the whole time. Now I drink two coffees per day max and no Mt. Dew or Sudafed. On a brighter note, my vision has made a full recovery.

Holy mackerel! Glad your eyesight recovered.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Maybe I should tell my wife to invest her manicure and pedicure money.

LOL!!! Yeah, good luck with that. Maybe your next wife will appreciate the joke.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

All any of us needs is a mud hut to keep the rain off. Food and water can be gathered. Procreating is not a necessity. And if you're living in a mud hut with no mate, clothing and hygiene are optional.

So, if you don't want to spend anything on hobbies, go live in a mud hut and spend eternity contemplating your navel. Sounds like a few folks here are less than one step from that already.

 

[ballman6711]

To the OP, it can be cheaper to buy factory ammo, but more often isn't.

I started reloading a few years ago because I wanted to learn how and I wanted to see if it might be something I liked doing, as well as to possibly save money on ammo. I found that I enjoy it, and do it as a hobby that goes hand in hand with shooting. I also save money per round, sometimes a little and sometimes a lot. 480 Ruger was $40/20rds last summer but I can load the same 20rds for less than $8.

I looked into loading 9mm a while back, pre-craziness, and found it would cost me ~.50 cents more per box than factory ammo when it was on sale. Didn't make sense to load it.

So buy it if you want, but save your brass in case you decide to load for it at some time in the future.

chris

 

[Mark_Mark]

I don't get your point. Are you saying we should never spend money outside of basic goods, and always invest any thing above that? If so, I've known those kinds of people. They died rich, but unhappy.

I have been lucky enough to be able to invest quite a bit in the market and have a lot of fun along the way. You can't take it with you though.

I get his point! I bought a house in Seattle 5 years ago so I didn’t have to reload in a apartment closet (true story!) Well my reloading room has appreciated 5-10%

Reloading expense PAID IN FULL

 

[Mark_Mark]

To the OP, it can be cheaper to buy factory ammo, but more often isn't.

I started reloading a few years ago because I wanted to learn how and I wanted to see if it might be something I liked doing, as well as to possibly save money on ammo. I found that I enjoy it, and do it as a hobby that goes hand in hand with shooting. I also save money per round, sometimes a little and sometimes a lot. 480 Ruger was $40/20rds last summer but I can load the same 20rds for less than $8.

I looked into loading 9mm a while back, pre-craziness, and found it would cost me ~.50 cents more per box than factory ammo when it was on sale. Didn't make sense to load it.

So buy it if you want, but save your brass in case you decide to load for it at some time in the future.

chris

the pleasure of reloading and reloading forum is worth a Million bucks! That’s why I want cheap 9mm so I don’t have to touch my SPP stash

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

yeah, I’m still stocking up on what ever is cheap or on sale. That reminds me, probably need to go local to see if they have more 45LC brass for $.12 each

No response?

How much is factory .357RemMax in a heavy FN-GC? If they’re less than $30/box of 100, it might be worth it. Oh, and if anyone is selling 200gr LSWC .44Spl at a halfway decent price - less than 50-cents a shot - let me know.
If all you’re interested in is mag-dump 9 and 5.56, then you probably shouldn’t ever have bothered starting reloading to begin with.

Let's put this another way: some of us shoot for food. Ever price the cost of a whole pig, butchered and wrapped for the deep freeze? Good luck getting one of them with a pocket rocket 9mm using cheap blasto-mag-dump FMJ. Compare the cost of a full freezer of meat to factory hunting ammo vs. handloaded hunting ammo and let's talk real numbers. All y'all who just hunt paper are paying for entertainment. Those of us who hunt meat are getting something of value from our shooting hobby. Compare those costs, too.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I used to drink about 5 cups per day until I had a stroke in my left eye. It left me with a big grey blob right in the middle of my vision. When the eye dr asked if I took any kind of stimulants, I said “well I drink about 5 cups of coffee per day, a couple mountain dews, and for the last week I’ve had a sinus infection, so a few Sudafed.” She looked straight at me silent for about a minute and said “I’m thinking about reporting you for having a mobile meth lab in your stomach. Stop all that or you’ll have a real stroke.” Needless to say, I cut out all caffeine for a couple months. I felt like crap the whole time. Now I drink two coffees per day max and no Mt. Dew or Sudafed. On a brighter note, my vision has made a full recovery.

If you drink 5 cups of Black Coffee (no cream or sugar) it’s good for health! circulation and mental health too

I rather give up Steak than Coffee

 

[Buzznrose]

No response?

Let's put this another way: some of us shoot for food. Ever price the cost of a whole pig, butchered and wrapped for the deep freeze? Good luck getting one of them with a pocket rocket 9mm using cheap blasto-mag-dump FMJ. Compare the cost of a full freezer of meat to factory hunting ammo vs. handloaded hunting ammo and let's talk real numbers. All y'all who just hunt paper are paying for entertainment. Those of us who hunt meat are getting something of value from our shooting hobby. Compare those costs, too.

Wait…what? Are you saying hunting game is a cost affective endeavor? LOL!

Maybe for a few who can hunt their own local land without much expense beyond a license and ammo, but that sure isn’t the reality for most..

 

[CQB45ACP]

All any of us needs is a mud hut to keep the rain off. Food and water can be gathered. Procreating is not a necessity. And if you're living in a mud hut with no mate, clothing and hygiene are optional.

So, if you don't want to spend anything on hobbies, go live in a mud hut and spend eternity contemplating your navel. Sounds like a few folks here are less than one step from that already.

My entire adult life I’ve prepared for the famine—planned for contingencies and considered trade offs and the opportunity cost of my spending and lived debt free.

Because of this (at the age of 70) I am living in a time of great plenty and have no real need to manage the costs of much of anything, including reloading or any other hobby for that matter…but, I still do. Oh yeah, much to my wife’s gratitude, I’m fully clothed, brush my teeth frequently, shower daily, and we live as lavishly as we desire (given pandemic restrictions).

 

[CQB45ACP]

If you drink 5 cups of Black Coffee (no cream or sugar) it’s good for health! circulation and mental health too

I rather give up Steak than Coffee

Not me but I have given it up since my Aug 1 heart attack. Edit: I had a 12oz NY strip the afternoon before the big event.

 

[higgite]

I rather give up Steak than Coffee

Blasphemy! It's blasphemy, I tell you! Go wash your mouth out with a medium rare ribeye!
If you give up one, you might as well give up the other, too, because life would no longer be worth living.

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

The truth is that there is a WIDE range in commercial ammunition prices. Before the pandemic, I could buy 200 fmj 9mm for the cost of 25 .32 H&R Magnum. Availability is also a limiting factor. I could buy enough .223 or 5.56 to wage a war on a neighboring town, but only find enough 8 x 57 for one hunting trip. So we can’t, and never could make a direct comparison in the costs of purchasing all commercial ammo with reloading said ammo because the prices and availability were not the same. Even for common calibers there is a price and availability difference. How many commercial 9 mm could you shoot compared to .357 Mag or even .380 acp? And as for availability, you can find .308 virtually anywhere, but try and find 9.3x62 or 8mm Lebel.

We can compare the costs on a per caliber basis, but let’s be careful with generalizations.

 

[Mark_Mark]

No response?

Let's put this another way: some of us shoot for food. Ever price the cost of a whole pig, butchered and wrapped for the deep freeze? Good luck getting one of them with a pocket rocket 9mm using cheap blasto-mag-dump FMJ. Compare the cost of a full freezer of meat to factory hunting ammo vs. handloaded hunting ammo and let's talk real numbers. All y'all who just hunt paper are paying for entertainment. Those of us who hunt meat are getting something of value from our shooting hobby. Compare those costs, too.

didn’t have a chance to stop by my local. They are closed Sunday and Monday. And I bought a 10# pork shoulder on Saturday! SMOKE SMOKE

I’ll stop by tomorrow, looking for .44 mag and more 7.7! Hoping the Military Rifles markets will ease up and get another Arasaka and a Mosin

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Wait…what? Are you saying hunting game is a cost affective endeavor? LOL!

Maybe for a few who can hunt their own local land without much expense beyond a license and ammo, but that sure isn’t the reality for most..

License? Not in Florida if you're hunting vermin (pigs) with the landowner's permission. Farming land is regulated by Ag, not FnG. Last time I bought one a season license was $9. Let's you hunt any of the regulated management areas in the state. Whoa! nine bucks! Wow! that'll break the bank! 150 pounds of meat versus a $9 license, $40 in gas, and a 50¢ .357Max. Yeah, hardly a worthwhile trade. I mean, pork is like, what? 20¢ a pound now, right? Last time I saw venison in the store it was... ummm... let's see, that would have been never ago, so it must have cost... nothing! Gator shows up every now and again but it's pricier than pork or chicken (we get hens from the free range egg farmers down the road) and it's always brined before being frozen. Ruins the meat, in my opinion.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Wait…what? Are you saying hunting game is a cost affective endeavor? LOL!

Maybe for a few who can hunt their own local land without much expense beyond a license and ammo, but that sure isn’t the reality for most..

Hate to break it to you but that's the norm around where I live. Big trips out west for trophies just isn't a thang to us. That's why so few folks reload. They get a new box of ammo for their hunting rifle once every couple of years - sometimes from reloaders like myself sometimes from a store - and only shoot to check the scope/zero and take a freezer full of game. That's pretty typical. Some of the farmers shoot vermin and predators more often, some a LOT more often. They're in a hurtin time right now for ammo. But they aren't looking for blasto-mag-dump FMJ 9mm and 5.56NATO. Even the .223 AR shooters need something with a soft tip and some good accuracy. No good killing a calf trying to get a coyote.

 

[Mark_Mark]

License? Not in Florida if you're hunting vermin (pigs) with the landowner's permission. Farming land is regulated by Ag, not FnG. Last time I bought one a season license was $9. Let's you hunt any of the regulated management areas in the state. Whoa! nine bucks! Wow! that'll break the bank! 150 pounds of meat versus a $9 license, $40 in gas, and a 50¢ .357Max. Yeah, hardly a worthwhile trade. I mean, pork is like, what? 20¢ a pound now, right? Last time I saw venison in the store it was... ummm... let's see, that would have been never ago, so it must have cost... nothing! Gator shows up every now and again but it's pricier than pork or chicken (we get hens from the free range egg farmers down the road) and it's always brined before being frozen. Ruins the meat, in my opinion.

Shooting wild hog with cheap 9mm for $.30 each, shipped! NOW WE TALKING

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

When does the cost of a .357Mag case amortize to zero? How many reloads before its considered "paid for"? How many .357Mag can you reload for the cost of a whole pig, butchered and wrapped for the freezer? Don't forget, that whole pig also results in about a third of the pig's hoof weight of sausage, seasoned to your liking, and pork belly (bacon) smoked with (free) local hardwoods, typically oak around here. And that's just pig. Some foods you can't buy at Super Wally World.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Shooting wild hog with cheap 9mm for $.30 each, shipped! NOW WE TALKING

Go for it. Let us know how that works for you. Do it, don't talk and don't brag about something you've never done. Get a pig with 30¢ 9mm and let us know how it worked out and what your cost was.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Go for it. Let us know how that works for you. Do it, don't talk and don't brag about something you've never done. Get a pig with 30¢ 9mm and let us know how it worked out and what your cost was.

2 x $.30 cheap 9mm wild hog = frugal

 

[CQB45ACP]

Go for it. Let us know how that works for you. Do it, don't talk and don't brag about something you've never done. Get a pig with 30¢ 9mm and let us know how it worked out and what your cost was.

And then calculate what it would’ve cost if…oh never mind.