Cost per round for the Reloader

[VanGoghComplex]

I'm just curious how much people typically save while reloading. I set up a little spreadsheet to determine the cost of a box of 50 .357 Mag as reloaded with my current components. It's a simple model and doesn't include cost of equipment or brass (since I just save my brass from range ammo) but here's what I came up with:

.357 range ammo @ my range: $30.00/box 50 rds.
.357 handloaded w/ my setup: $8.40/box 50 rds.

What's the numbers for you folks? =)

 

[jmorris]

I don't keep that kind of evidence around anymore but I can tell you the cheapest I ever made were $18/1000, 230 gn 45 ACP. Range brass, home cast bullets and cheap primers and powder.

 

[cat_IT_guy]

I have spreadsheets for mine as well. I guess Im kind of anal about this, but its fun in that its almost a game (just how low can I get the price per round).

All costs listed include taxes (if applicable, right now powder sources are local, and tax rate is about 9%), shipping, etc. So Im actually comparing total / out the door cost . One area I know I can cut costs is on powder (at least, hypothetically.... I hear about magical jugs of powder, but so far they have evaded me): all powder to date has been purchased at local Bass Pro and in 1 pound packages. I also know that casting my own bullets would save me money, but Im not ready to take that leap (yet.... I said the same thing about reloading as recently as a year ago...)

9mm (unique, 115gr MBC LRN, WSP): $11.95/100. Cheapest I find locally, is TulAmmo @ $11.97/50.

.38 spl (unique, 158gr MBC LSW, WSP): $12.62/hundred. Ive not found any steel case stuff locally for this, so having to compare to WWB @ $43.60/100.

.357 (2400, 158gr Hunter's LRN, Rem. 5.5 primer): $23.87/hundred. This cost is unnecessarily high. Next time around I'll be saving another ~$5/hundred by sourcing bullets from MBC & buying primers in bulk. Cheapest local I've found is Amer. Eagle which runs around $32.70/50.

.45 (unique, 230gr MBC LRN, WLP): $15.55/100. Cheapest I find locally, is TulAmmo @ $18.52/50.

.308 (4064, 168gr Hornady HPBT, CCI LRP): $57.96/100. I found another source of powder that will save me around $4.36/100. Cheapest comparable load I find locally, is around $32.70/20. Im sure buying the bullets in quantities greater than 100 could shave off a few more dollars per hundred.

 

[spitballer]

My .223 rifle rounds cost around 40 cents or so, if I'm not buying brass. Have gone through much less brass with the undersized neck.

 

[Reefinmike]

38spl, 380, 45acp all 3.5-4.5 cents a round. 300 blackout and 357 mag are around 8 cents a round. Casting your own bullets is the best way to cut cost.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I cast my own bullets as well, so I can improve substantially on factory ammo.

I'm loading .45 Colt for about $60/1000 so per round would be around $0.06

With .38 Spcl and .40 S&W I'm shaving about $8-$10 per 1k off that.

As far as hunting ammunition for rifle, Federal Premium NBT for .30-06 is around $40-$42 per box of 20. I can load the same bullet at the same velocity for around $12 per box.

 

[joem1945]

A while back with surplus powder and bullets, .223 =9.5 cents per round. .30-06 was .20 /round. Surplus powder is no more so cost is going UP.

 

[anothernewb]

I haven't calculated costs for awhile because I bought massive piles of components a few years ago. One of the ways I was able to save money was to order bullets in large bulk. I organized a local group buy and we ordered something on the order of 100,000 45 and another 50,000 9mm. the bulk discount was significant, and we were able to drop ship to a business one of us worked at so freight was cheap.

IIRc the cost for bullets ended up being around $65/1000 - but that was 2 years ago.

 

[vaalpens]

My biggest savings are in 357sig. Locally 357sig goes for about $30 per 50, but the price range from $25 upwards on the web. I load 357sig per 50 for:
Montana Gold/Longshot - $8.31
Montana Gold/Power Pistol - $8.20
Montana Gold/Unique - $8.05
Berry's TP/Unique - $6.16
RMR match/Unique - $6.10

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

9mm with Unique and Berry's bullets, free brass = 12 cents/round...$6/box
40 S&W with Longshot and 155 grain Berry's bullets = 13 cents/round = $6.50/box
223 Remington with H-4895 and Hornady FMJ's = 24 cents/round = $4.80/box
308 Winchester with IMR-4895 and Nosler 168 grain HPBT's = 50 cents/round = $10/box.

I bought an 8 lb keg of H4895 and IMR-4895 for my rifles several years ago, alot cheaper than it is now.

Pistol powder has gone up to $30/pound and primers are around $32/1000 in my area.

My future reloads will cost more, no way around it.

 

[ironworkerwill]

$8.40 Box of 20, with recycled brass, proven sub moa rifle ammo.

 

[mstreddy]

As many here, I have an Excel spreadsheet as well.

Here are my costs for the latest loads:

Pistols - free brass, plated bullets mostly, per 50 round box.
9MM $5.59
40 S&W $5.29
45 ACP $6.33
38 Spcl $6.18
357 Mag $7.07
380 ACP $4.22
38 Super $5.59
32 ACP $4.73
45 GAP $7.41 Jacketed
45 Colt -- haven't yet, but should be around $6-8 depending on bullets
30 Carbine $12.65 (jacketed, the plated will shave some $$)

Rifle, mostly jacketed, mostly free brass, cost per 20 round box
223 Rem $3.46 - 3.94
223 Rem Match loads -- 77gr Sierra Match Kings, $6.21
300 Blackout (initial cost due to OF brass @ .15 $7.57), 2nd loading - $5.48
30-30 Win $6.16
30-06 $7.35
308 Win $5.89
7.62x39 $4.04 (plated)

For these rifle calibers, I had to buy new brass, so the first load is more expensive, then all the future loads are "free" brass. I know some folks amortize the cost over a certain number of loads, but, I figured, it's the same as buying some factory ammo and having the "free" brass after firing them.
6.5x55 Swede (brass .50 ea) $15.01
7.7x58 Jap (brass .56 ea) $17.07
30-40 Krag (brass .60 ea) $18.14
30-40 Krag 2nd load $6.14

 

[readyeddy]

For me, 9mm range ($.15/round), .223 range ($.25/round), .30-06 hunting ($.50/round).

In general, I save about 50% on ammo cost through hand loading.

 

[cfullgraf]

I don't keep that kind of evidence around anymore...

Same here. It has been decades since I figured what my reloading costs were.

The costs are always less than factory and I enjoy reloading as its own hobby.

 

[orionengnr]

I load tons of .45 acp and pounds of .45LC for about $6/50 rounds, or about .12 per round.
I can do .380, 9mm and 10mm for about the same, but only do small amounts of those (relatively speaking).
The bullet is the most expensive component. If I could cast my own, I'd save a bunch, but I am okay with where the price is right now.

Note:
Brass is used multiple times, and I have a bunch of it, so brass is not factored into this calculation.

 

[gamestalker]

Since economics aren't really a part of my motive for reloading, I don't really pay much attention to that aspect, beyond trying to find my components at a decent price anyway.

My jacketed .357 mag probably runs me about $13 per box. That's with H110 and JHP's.

.38 spcl isn't as spendy, but it's still costing about $110 per 50 round box.

My high powered rifle rounds are where the savings probably add up.

GS

 

[steelerdude99]

[ I can't speak for anyone but me ] When I shoot 38 special, it takes me about the same in time to reload and supplies cost about the same as it does for 9mm, but I get double the range time. I am not looking to be shooting the 9mm at a faster rate, it just happens.

chuck

 

[herrwalther]

My first experiment with reloading was with rifle ammunition, so it was a bit easier to calculate my ammo savings. I made about 3 batches of 3 rounds each to determine best combination for my Marlin 336 rifle in .35Rem. After finding the best load I made a batch of 100 rounds. I crunched the math after I finished and those rounds cost me about 12 cents per round to make in components alone. Compared to factory ammo that would have cost about $1 per round. On my next batch of 100, the reloading equipment had paid for itself in savings alone.

 

[CZ9shooter]

My basic 9mm plinking loads run me about twelve or thirteen cents each. So about half of what basic factory ammo costs.

I can make a "premium" load with JHP's and +P velocities for about a quarter. Factory equevalent would be around a buck a round.

I come up with similar numbers in 38spl and 380. Maybe a little more savings over factory with 380.

44 mag is where it gets interesting. The cheap factory stuff at my local retailers is nearly a dollar a round. Lately I have been brewing up some 300gr heavy hitters that would sell for close to two bucks each. My cost is under 30¢.

I buy all my bullets. If I cast it would get cheaper yet, but I am satisfied.... for now.

 

[PJSprog]

Like most, I'm spending about 12-15¢/round for .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .45ACP, depending on the bullets. I haven't started 380, 9mm, or .40 yet, but expect them to be about the same.

I don't know that we're "saving" any money, though. We just shoot more for the same money.

 

[Handloader109]

Cheapest is my 95 gr 9mm with free brass, cast bullet and about 4gr of powder. But I've spent so much on supplies in order to have on hand I don't really save anytging

 

[Hyrulejedi86]

I'm at about 11 cents a round for 9mm with plated 124gr bullets and 18 cents for 223 55gr fmj. 300blk runs me about 25 cents a round for supersonic and 13 cents for subsonic.

 

[enine]

I made up a spreadsheet as well. Recorded the cost of all my factory and all my components then averaged each comparable and I average around 50% of the cost of factory.
I also figured the savings compared to the cost of the press, dies, scale and tumbler as well as a few other small items put my break even point around 2000 rounds. But then after I loaded 500 rounds I bought turret press and then the powder dispenser and then ... I stopped calculating the break even point.

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

I don't save any money reloading, I just shoot twice as many rounds...lol.

 

[gamestalker]

My point in my previous post is, it's just icing on the cake that I spend a little less for reloaded ammo vs factory offerings.

High powered rifle though is where I really see the savings. A box of premium reloaded 7 mag runs me about $11, vs a box of the Wally World junk average factory is like $30. I don't consider the time it takes me, as that's all part of the hobby I so much enjoy. And since most of my tooling was purchased more than 30 years ago, and at super inexpensive prices compared to now, I feel like I've washed that part of the expense out long ago.

GS