Determining TRUE reload costs

Status
Not open for further replies.
For me, it's more a matter of the cost of not reloading.

It's relaxing. It's rewarding. My homebuilt rounds are not always more "accurate" than factory, but sometimes they're way more so. I've made some rounds that shoot really well and which I continue to duplicate. And I've made some that I won't build again.

I don't pay much attention to the money I spend to be able to build my own ammunition. It might be more than I can really afford. But I can say without hesitation that it's money well spent.

If I didn't do it, my enjoyment of shooting would be diminished.
 
I started looking at reloading first because I shoot a lot, the most shooting I did was from Sept to November I shot about 7k rounds. I had to do something about it before I get broke. That 's where I looked at the cost of reloading. With 9mm I could save arround $60 per 1k rounds. With what I reloaded so far, my press , dies etc are almost paid for. 9mm is what i reload the most, the brass can be reused at least 15 x (of course visual check is a must)
Now, it just make sense to me to reload for my 38 spl and my 22-250.
Aside from the cost saving, I enjoy doing it, and its my time in the garage doing thing that I love.
 
I've been practicing law for 35 years. I like to figure the cost of reloading based upon the cost of the components without labor. It's part of my shooting hobby. The time spent is therapeutic.

When I started reloading I compared the cost of my loads to the cost of commercial ammo. The savings I used to offset the cost of the press. Then I started using the savings to offset to cost of all my guns. Soon I had covered the cost of all my guns, so the savings were used to cover the cost of new guns. The more I shoot, and the more calibers I shoot, the more I save.

The wife challenged that logic until we looked at her shopping sales for cloths and shoes. She understands.

Welcome to another lefty gun owner.
 
I know I can save substantial money by reloading. Beyond that I don't bother trying to figure actual cost. I have brass that has been loaded many times and still in use.
The first glass of water from my new well cost me $17k. The second glass cut that in half, etc...
I'd rather spend my time enjoying it than figuring cost down to the .01
 
I take brass cost, time and equipment cost, and throw it out the window. When I do add up totals, I just add up cost of the bullet ($55.00/1000, etc.)If cost of powder per grain ($19.99/7000) and cost of primer($24.99/1000) Add the bullet price, multiply the grain cost by grain charge and add it, add the cost of primer. Cheaper than factory every time.

Also, Liberal, if HSM is a local supplier for you, you must be in the Missoula/Bitteroot valley area? And I am guessing UM Law? I live in the Zoo, and use HSM components almost exclusively.
 
@chalk - You are correct. As of right now I don't use any HSM components because I am reloading .223/.308. The online store does not show much in the way for that.

Do they sell powder out there? Is it worth the drive out there?

Do you use either of the ranges here? If so we should we should get together. I would love to compare reloading data.
 
I started reloading out of curiosity, "I wonder if I could put together some of these?" (.38 Specials, in '79). If I were to figger, truthfully, what my reloads cost, along with the regular components cost I'd have to include the utilities cost; heat/AC and lighting for reloading shed, shipping costs and gas/wear & tear on my vehicle to aquire components, the costs of my "Handloader" magazine to keep abreast of latest reloading trends, cost of individual laundry to clean my "toxic" reloading and shooting favorite sweatshirt (Ma won't let me wash some of my clothes with hers), plus I'd have to deduct every crushed case, dropped/lost primer, and every grain of spilled powder. Too much work for me; reloading is my hobby and I do it 'cause it's fun...
 
Some folk's hobby is betting the farm, literally, and then eating hot dogs to try and make up for it/save money to do it again and again.
I don't think I'd fret too much about it.
 
I work up the cost on every caliber I reload for by adding together the cost of
1 brass, if any, for me this is zero from range pic ups or my own brass
2 bullets
3 powder
4 primer.
loading .38 special now and its costs .15/rd, or $7.50 box of 50
 
Instead of law maybe Liberalwithagun should study accounting.

Who cares what the cost of a hobby is if expenses for shelter, food, health, education etc for the family are covered. Hobbies are engaged in for pleasure not profit. I reload for fun and it interests me.

'nuff said.
 
I laugh about this all of the time...I don't save a cent. I've probably got close to 4 grand tied up in loading tools. I have 30?? different kinds of powder so i an find good loads and I STILL buy more. Same with bullets and primers. In .223 I shoot 80 gr Berger VLD bullets that cost as much as lake city loaded rounds, then add powder and primers - not much savings there. Bullet casting, gauges, manuals, chronograph...I suspect I've collected several thousand dollars worth of tools and materials over 35 years, well spent, IMO.

Buy what you can afford, enjoy the hobby, and don't fuss over your cost per round.
 
@varmint - My mother is an accountant it may be where I get my anal retentiveness as related to hobbies. She actually tracks her costs for all her horse hobbies. That said a trailer + truck + feed + etc is TONS more expensive and may be required.

I think tracking costs will take most of the fun out of reloading. better to focus on the joy of creating my own product.
 
Don't forget to account for the time you spend:
- shopping for reloading supplies.
- online researching & talking about it.
- keeping ledgers on said costs.
- auditing the above.

Only then will you be sure that you've tracked all the costs. ;)

Truth be told, it's a hobby so we get a great deal of valuable pleasure from it, which negates most of the above costs.
 
I would not even know where to begin on firearm cost/barrel wear cost. However, I think you may be being a bit sarcastic=)
Click to expand...

Only partly actually.

I have a couple barrels for longer range varmint shooting that are lucky to last 5,000 r9ounds before accuracy starts to deteriorate.

Since the barrels run about $500 each, that works out to about $0.10 a hot in barrel wear alone.
Add to that BR quality bullets, primers, the brass rejected during sorting and i am around $0.35 a shot.

The setup is painfully accurate though.
Groundhogs at 400+ yards are reliably dead with a single shot.
 
liberalwithagun said:
My mother is an accountant it may be where I get my anal retentiveness as related to hobbies. She actually tracks her costs for all her horse hobbies. That said a trailer + truck + feed + etc is TONS more expensive and may be required.
Click to expand...

But, I bet she does not account for her time.

Nothing wrong with keeping up with expenses.

My wife has horses and I race cars and we keep track of expenses so that we don't over stretch the budget and to know when we can make new purchases for additions and improvements.

Ditto with my shooting hobby. I track, or watch, what components cost and what I spend. Based on what I need and funds on hand, I can decide if a new firearm is on the horizon.

But, since it is all recreational activities, my time has no monetary value.
 
Something I do is only count purchased once fired brass on the first load. This really give you a idea if you should buy factory for the first shot or buy once fired. With 223 I've been noticing I would do well buying bulk factory and using that brass than buying once fired.it would only be .50 over the 1st load and I have brass that only I have shot.

As far as the factoring labor costs in goes I think that is mainly used by guys who really wan a excuse not to load. Most reloaders enjoy the process and consider it a hobby just like watching a football game or hunting/fishing.
 
In the world of business, you would count the press and dies as overhead, the same as you account for the desks, computers, and telephones for a law office. It is a cost of doing business, not a direct cost per transaction although it is factored in. The other part of the equation you missed is the value of the brass once you are done with it. Deprimered clean yellow brass is very valuable at a scrap yard so your actual brass cost is very little.
 
No use to amortize the equipment. I bought my starting setup many years ago. It still works as well as it did the day it was new. With the inflation we have seen, it would bring more on the used market today than I paid for it.

The only thing I ever consider is the cost of consumables if I want to see how much the reloads are costing per shot or per box.
 
Liberal, I have a membership to the Deer Creek range and use it quite often. I may even be out there this weekend if the weather is nice(but it is not looking so)

To be honest I buy components directly from HSM very rarely, but I try to when I can. I am able to buy through a buddy of mine who is sponsored by them, and he can usually extend his discount to me. Although he lives in Hamilton, and sometimes it can take a while to get the parts, not his fault, or mine, we both have lives and jobs, and don't cross pathes as often as I would like. I get most of my other HSM components from Wholesale Sports in town. Still keeping it local, if buying from a big box store. And it is only a few blocks from my house.

I would be down with meeting up sometime to go over load data and whatnot. If I don't make it to the range this weekend, I will be busy for the next two weekend, but maybe sometime after that. Also, depending on the day, I might have time during the week, but PM me if you want, and maybe we'll hit up a range day.

P.S. All of my current .223 ammo is made up of HSM stuff, I even get V-Max from them...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top