I can load modest .357 and .38 Special cheaper than buying .22LR

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Tallbald

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Considering cost of primers, powder, home cast and sized 125 grain slugs , but not worrying about my time because I enjoy my hobby, I calculate I can load modest .357 and .38 Specials for about 6 1/2 cents a round. Why bother sweating the hunt for .22 LR? And having this hobby, along with leather crafting, keeps me from running wild in the streets with the other old people. Just saying. Don
 
My cake and eat it too! Sorry guys, but for years I have had a bad habit of buying bricks when ever I ran across them on sale. And it's not like I really shoot all that much 22lr, I just always liked having it on hand for a rainy day, and now it's pouring.

I bought so much 22 lr when it was falling off the shelves, that I get to have both in plentiful quantities. I have bricks of the good 22lr HP Golden what ever it's called Remington stuff, and thousands of run of the mill plinking stuff also. I've also got quite a few boxes of CCI mini mag..

But as for my CF ammunition, my plinking stuff is full tilt JHP's, of which I also have tons of ready to shoot loads on hand. I know I'm weird in this regard, but hey, this is what floats my boat and pulls my trigger, no pun intended, well maybe?

GS
 
I can shoot 7.62 x 39 for almost a quarter a shot so I have never ventured into the .22 world. I'm probably the only guy on this site that has never owned one.
 
I understand what you are saying, but I'm trying to figure out how you can load 38spl for 6.5c per round. Primers that I would use are about 3 cents per. Powder AND a projectile for 3.5 cents? :confused:

BTW, Last check I still had about 8500 rounds of 22LR. Passed on the opportunity yesterday to pay 7 cents per round for Federal Auto Match 22.
 
Back when 22 lr bricks were $9 each at Walmart, I use to get a brick 550ea whenever I went there. So twice a month or so I picked up a box or two. I now have MANY thousands of them...No less that 20k.
Not bragging, it was just something we use to shoot all the time when the kids came over to visit, plus I did a lot of plinking with 22 pistols and rifles I have.

But I still love 38 spl 148gn W/C rounds I make with 3.0 - 3.2 gns Red Dot over Win primers with my homemade bullet lube for plinking.

I made up 2k of them last time and still have a few left...need to make more soon.:rolleyes:


TxD
 
Toprudder I cast my own from lead at 65 cents a pound. 7000 grains per pound gives me about 56, 125 grain slugs for 65 cents. Trail Boss powder costs me under 2 cents a shot....$14 for 9 ounces. Add a primer at 3 cents and I have 6 cents a round (right at). Add a half cent a shot for wasted lead and powder, and an occasional lost/mashed primer and there ya go... 6.5 cents a round or so. And I enjoy doing it. I sometimes get lead free for the scrounging too at the range.And if I went with a different powder, I'd get even more loads per pound. Don
 
OK, I missed the part about casting your own. I know that is a lot of labor, but if you are like me, reloading is almost theraputic. ;)

My hobby used to be target shooting. Then I got into reloading - going to the range to shoot was just a means of making empty casings that I could reload. Then I got into wet-tumbling my brass. Now my hobby is making brass shiny, and shooting and reloading is just a means to that end.

Don't make me start casting my own bullets, too. :D I've got a friend that goes around collecting wheel weights to melt down for bullets.

And I just wish I could find Trailboss for $14!!! I really like that stuff for 38 and 45acp reduced recoil loads.
 
I bought so much 22 lr when it was falling off the shelves, that I get to have both in plentiful quantities
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Yep, last time I bought .22 LR it cost $7.95/550 rounds and I bought over 25,000 of it.
 
Primers, last time I looked, were $.05 apiece. Cast your own bullets, and depending on where/how you get your lead they can be dirt cheap. A pound of Bullseye can load well over 2500 rounds of .38spl target loads. Cheap shooting.

I can cast a 47grain lead ball and put it over 20 grains of 3F black powder and only a smidgen of primer powder for a rather powerful load that leaves the .22LR in the dust. Go down to 15 grains for even more savings. For each: powder, $03.4, prime about 1/2 cent, ball $0 to 1/3 cent. Total for one shot approx $.04 cents to a fraction over $.02 cents depending on specific powder charge. Bigger guns cost more to operate but small rifles are perfect for small game. A .22LR might run around a nickle to double that per shot; still not all that bad. But who among us bases our hunting on a few cents here or there. I still remember when I spent under one cent per .22 cartridge. And small flintlocks $.002 per shot. Aaarrgh.....
 
In my area primers are $33.00 to $35.50 or so a thousand. I too remember $5 a brick "Canuck" brand .22 LR bought at Sumner's Hardware on Dixie Highway in Louisville, KY in the early "70's. The Canuck rounds were greasy coated and required more frequent cleaning to make them work in our run-of-the-mill standard walnut stocked Ruger 10/22's...SHot well in my brand new $107 Smith and Wesson model 18 Combat Masterpiece too .Don
 
Where are you finding 22lrs for 6.5 cents? The last I found them was 10 cents for brick at a gun show. Normally after shipping I'm paying what it costs to make a light 38 spl.
 
Where are you finding 22lrs for 6.5 cents? The last I found them was 10 cents for brick at a gun show. Normally after shipping I'm paying what it costs to make a light 38 spl.
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Don't know about him but I watch local gun classifieds all the time. Lots of people end up with a bunch of 22LR that they have to sell 'right now!' so I make an offer. I usually offer 5 cents and settle for 6 to 6 1/2 cents.
 
I make 9mm for 4 cents per round using lead that I got for free at the range. I recently purchased small pistol primers for 0.02 cents each and the powder costs 0.01 cent per load. I add one cent for overhead and electrical costs of tumbling.
My 9mm is a lot cheaper than 22.
 
6.5 cents a round for 38/357? That's expensive in my eyes. But I'm shooting free lead and powder/primers bought years ago. My cost per round is 2.5 cents :)
 
I'm shooting free lead, old Alcan primers bought at $5.60/1000, and Bullseye powder from the $2.50/pound days. Smart, no. Lucky, yea. Dad and I loaded commercially for years and kept our stuff in an air conditioned building. Still fresh and sharp. I figure I'm out of luck about the time I hit 90. I'm just short of 70. Prices were from 1978.
 
You know, even a dark stormy cloud has a silver lining.

After finally getting my Ruger 10/22 Takedown to shoot 22LR, I was caught in the "Great .22 Shortage". After much searching/hunting, I was able to locate several bricks at $5.25-$7/50.

When my wife noticed I wasn't shooting much 22LR, especially out of the new rifle, she asked why. I told her it was due to scarcity and cost of ammunition. Then when I told her, "Heck, I could reload 9mm at those prices," a light bulb went on and I suggested we shoot 9mm out of AR carbines (I could always use more reasons to buy more firearms :D).

Since I had several AR lowers, I initially looked into getting a 9mm upper and even hoped for Lone Wolf lower that took Glock magazines I have plenty of. Finally, I decided to get the Just Right 9mm carbine which also used Glock magazines. Best part? Since JR carbine has modular magwell/bolt/barrel, for $319 I can get conversion kits for 40S&W/45ACP - http://shop.justrightcarbines.com/main.sc
 
Tallbald said:
Considering cost of primers, powder, home cast and sized 125 grain slugs , but not worrying about my time because I enjoy my hobby, I calculate I can load modest .357 and .38 Specials for about 6 1/2 cents a round. Why bother sweating the hunt for .22 LR?
Click to expand...

When I load for revolver, it's simply a chore that needs to be done, not a hobby. Even so, it's a chore that eats time, and casting bullets would eat even more time I don't have (or want to give).

On top of that, I hate shooting lead in my revolvers.

All in all, then, my reloads cost more than .22LR, but it's still worth it to me.
 
When I load for revolver, it's simply a chore that needs to be done, not a hobby. Even so, it's a chore that eats time, and casting bullets would eat even more time I don't have (or want to give).

On top of that, I hate shooting lead in my revolvers.
Click to expand...

Sort of the same with me until I started casting.

Now I almost enjoy pouring the bullets as much as I do shooting them.

It is however amazing how far one can stretch a dollar using some Wolf primers and a couple pounds of BE.
 
FWIW my fav LGS most always has .22LR in stock but it sure is pricey.

Federal 325 round Automatch (bare lead nose) = $33, the 500 rnd pack = $52

Aquila copper plated 500 round packs? $72!@

They also had some CCI Minimag 100 packs at $12

It sure seems like it was not that long ago that the Federal copper clad 525 packs were $20 each.

Ay Caramba!
 
Tula primers bought two weeks from midway- $.02ea after ship/hazmat
Hp38 bought from the gunstore last month- $18 or $.0087/charge
Free casings picked up from the range... 5,000 should last a lifetime
Endless free consistent alloy for casting by shooting into a trap

2.87 cents a shot. sure I have to cast the bullets but it goes quick at 600-700 an hour.
 
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