I'm not seeing much savings

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TX1911fan

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Guys, I'm doing the research right now on reloading and have been saving my brass for months now. I just can't see how reloading saves much money. Even taking the cost of the equipment out of the equation, I don't see much savings. The cost per round of 9mm is about 18 cents per round, and I can buy it for that at Walmart. 45 ACP is a little cheaper than what I can buy it for, but I'm not sure enough to justify the time. 12 gauge and .223 is the same, just a little cheaper than what it goes for retail.

Am I totally off base here, or is this about right? I guess I was expecting to save a BUNCH and maybe that's just not possible.
 
9mm 125gr lead for $35 per thousand
wolf small pistol primers $90 per 5k
1lb of titegroup $15
It costs me me less than 10 cents per round
.45 around 10 cents
 
Don't compare Winchester White Box (WWB) factory-load prices with what your final assembled per-round cost is using Speer Gold Dots or some other even-more-overpriced components.

Don't calculate per-round costs for the first load only if you are buying new and unfired brass.

DO calculate the shooting consumables equivalent of the stock market's "dollar cost averaging" for at least three loadings of every case, counting on a loss rate of 3-10% of your brass per cycle.

DON'T reload using bullets that cost more apiece than entire loaded rounds of "ordinary" HP or SP ammo in that same caliber. You pay a huge price premium for the pride of getting this week's version of the very best.

DON'T calculate the dollar value of your time spent not just reloading, but sorting and cleaning brass and sorting and packaging up the fruits of your labors. This is especially so if you *can* work an extra hour every week and have that much more money to buy ammo. Reloading for savings has its strongest case for those who have more time than money.

I do it because I enjoy it, including a certain thumbing my nose at the manufacturers because I can spend the same or less money than I would for the worst factory loads, and get the accuracy and performance of the $.80-1.20/round match factory ammo.

It's harder since bullet prices shot up far disproportionately to the increase in metals costs. I still think they're all gouging us now, after we enjoyed 10-15 years of competitive pricing.
 
the prices you state sound about right per round, but remember that you get much better quality from your handloads than the bottom of the barrel ammo that you compare the prices to.

I reload 40s&w for 17 cents, .223 for 19 cents. I also do several other calbers, but not that compare with what you cite.

Most of all, I enjoy reloading/handloading. Its nice that Im able to shoot more than I used to on the same budget though.
 
The prices I've been able to find are about the same as yours, putteral, except bullets. Where are you buying those bullets? I'm happy to shoot lead if I can get them that cheap.

None of my inputs for pricing were using expensive components. I looked at either Ranier or Remington cheap bullets. I also averaged the brass, assuming I would reload it multiple times.

I do have some spare time, and would probably enjoy it, so maybe that is enough.
 
You're not going to save a penny, so just put all that saved up brass in USPS Flat Rate Boxes and send it to me. I'll do the saving for you......... Heck, if you want, I'll even let you know how well they shot, each and every time I reload them.

No need to thank me, just part of the service.....

Fred
 
I've concluded that the key to saving money per round re-loading is to ...

1. Buy powder in 8# kegs and/or buy mil. surp. powder.

2. Buy Wolf Primers in bulk

3. Cast Boolits from free wheel weights.

4. Make your own gas checks from aluminum cans or do the cream of wheat trick.

5. Shop your bullets and buy larger quantities form places like Widners...or catch Midways blemish sale.

6. Reload for rifle cartridges. Then you'll be competing with $.50/$.75 a pop.....

These tricks can greatly reduce you cost....

and WWB won't cut it for many of the more demanding applications.
 
No...And you won't TX1911fan...You'll just shoot up the profits (savings). But you will be a much wiser man when it comes to understanding what is happening when you pull the trigger and you'll be a much better shot for it...That is the savings (profit)...
 
Contrary to what the OP noted, I've seen considerable savings. I've been working up loads to replace the Remington Managed Recoil loads that my dad shoots in his 30-06. The Remington loads have hit $25+ a box of 20, its costing me less than $8 a box to reload. My .38 Specials are about the same, but not quite as much savings. 50 count box of cheap, but decent American Eagles from Federal runs $16-17 a box, my reloads run a little over $7 for 50. I haven't shot the 38's yet, but I know that the 30-06 rounds are more accurate than the factory loads. Plus I have the ability to load premium bullets for much less than what it'd cost me to buy a box of factory loads, if I could even find the bullets I wanted in a factory load.

Just another take on it.

Seth P.
 
I am reloading :

8x60S for about 1 Euro a cartridge versus Commercial at 4 Euros a Cartridge

.260 Remington at about 90 cents, versus 3.4 Euros for Fedral

.300 WM at about 1.2 Euro versus about 5 Euros for comparable stuff.

.222 Remington Magnum at 70 cents versus about 2 euros.

I could do it a somewhat cheaper, using wolf primers intead of CCI BR, S&B bulk bullets instead of Lapua Scenars and Sierra Match Kings etc... But then I want the highest possible accuracy.

Plus it relaxes me, and makes me more knowledgable to boot.
 
The savings comes with time you are saving your brass you can reload your brass several time you can't count that cost. You can't count your time because once you realize the accuracy bennefit you will enjoy trying different loads. You can mold your own bullets. Lead is cheap!!! I figured that if I mold my own bullets and I already have the brass I basically can load for the price of the primers and powder. With that said I load .357mag. at a cost of about $60-$70 per 1000rnds. did I save money???

you bet

Smithiac
 
Yeah, I figured reloading rifle cartridges would save much more, I just don't shoot the rifle, other than my AR, that much.

I'll look for some bulk bullets to try and get the cost down some more. Thanks for the help guys.

Fred, keep your hands off my brass :)
 
I have bought from:
--Penn Bullets

I have looked and, and plan on trying:

--Kead (here in Texas)
--Mastercast
--Precision Bullets
--Bulletworks
--Missouri Bullet

You can Google all of these.
I believe there are two that go by the name of MasterCast, both possibly owned by guys named Mike. One seems to have issues...do your homework.
Or just search "cast bulles" here on THR and you will probably find many others.
 
Aw, I was just trying to help......

Actually, I'm presently loading for 28 calibers, some of which aren't available commercially. I've never seen a store carry 9x21, 9x23, 9x25, .41 AE or .45-120 Sharps. Those are just a few of the oddball rounds I load for, but even the common rounds are loaded at a savings, if you shop carefully and buy in bulk.

I very seldom buy primers in quantities of less than 5,000, and often buy them 20,000 at a time. Powder is purchased in 8 pound kegs, and sometimes in 32 pound cases. I watch for sales on bullets in the rifle calibers and have a wholesale account with Berry's Manufacturing for the pistol bullets I don't cast for. However, I have started casting more of my pistol bullets here lately, just because the price of finished bullets has gone so high with the metals market going crazy like it is.

The reloading is a hobby that I really enjoy, so my time is counted the same as fishing, hunting, reading, etc. It's therapy time, so it goes in the profit column.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
Get into casting and you'll really see a difference. Including lube and electricity, I'm still under $5 for 500 40S&W or 357 bullets.
 
Hmmmm... I load a lot of 45ACP. I use bulk powder, bulk primers, have yet to buy a single case, and cast my own boolits. I do buy lead from range mining operations, about .75C per pound. Hard cost is around 8-9.00 per hundred. Cheapest WWB at Wally World is 32.00 with taxes. I think that's quite a savings. What I save on one box pays for the range fees and the trip. Not to mention the quality is 5 times the factory junk ammo price. Also, since I started rolling my own, my stress levels have dropped, along with my blood pressure and the frequency of arguments with the XYL. No negatives, except the more frequent trips to the range use more gas, but the bullets make up the difference.
 
There is a ton of savings. Here is what I load.....

140 Barnes tsx in 7 mm rem mag, cci benchrest primers, re-22
$1.37 a round
You are talking all PREMIUM components compaired to the lowest quality round I would shoot out of my rifle, 150 Rem Corelokt, currently costing $1.50 a shot. Granted this is only $2.60 a box, but there is no comparason in the components. I believe Corelokts are good bullets, but not as good as the TSX. If i substituted Corelokts for the TSX, the cost for me to load changes to $0.95 a round, and I still am using benchrest primers! This is a difference of $11 a box!

Short but sweet, .223 rem Sierra 52gr BTHP over CCI benchrest primers and H-benchmark, costs about $13 for 50.
Midway USA has this in Black Hills ammo....$27.49/50 I am paying 1/2 price..... http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=926133&t=11082005
 
Even if you didn't save a dime, (and you should save a LOT of dimes) the knowledge you gain of ballistics far makes up for the cost of reloading supplies and equipment.
 
Maybe your Walmart has lower prices than mine?

In .38 Spl and .357 Magnum, I can reload with quality jacketed bullets, CCI primers and good powder for about 15 cents/rd = $7.50 per box of 50 (excluding cost of the cases - I expect to get at least 10 uses out of each, and treat them as 1 cent or less item per shot). To buy new WWB or UMC ammo would be $10-15 per 50 for .38 and $15-20+ per 50 for .357.

Some cartridges see less savings, and I think 9mm has the narrowest spread between cheap factory ammo and reloading. As others have pointed out, in rifle calibers the difference can be quite large. Ditto for bigger handgun calibers.
 
$237.00 for 2000 rounds of rainier 230g .45 ACP from midway.

Last time I bought WWB from walmart it was like $29.00 for 100, so $580.00 for 2000.

Range brass at no cost.

Bulk primers and powder are not that much.

The savings are worth it to me.
 
Honestly, I kind of agree with the OP. If you're willing to use bargain basement ammo in a common caliber like 9mm, reloading won't save you much money -- unless you want to scrounge range brass, canvas the tire stores for old wheel weights, and cut up pop cans for gas checks. I frankly don't have that much time to spend gathering other people's trash in order to make cut-rate handloads.

Personally, I handload to obtain first quality cartridges, often with components than are unavailable "pre-assembled" or for cartridges with limited factory options. If I just wanted to make my wondernine go bang with a minimum of hassle and expenditure, I would buy whatever is on sale at the local Big Five.
 
I am not sure about the math. Even with buying stuff from SW I come out a lot cheaper than I can buy it for in the store. I reloaded 500 38's a month ago that cost me about 65 at the most. If I had bought my supplies online I could have just about cut that in half. Last time I looked 38 was going for about 14 per 50. I can load full tilt 357 mags for a little bit more. I am about to start loading 7mm BR. Try to find that in the store. I have seen it for sale for 2 bucks a shot. I will reload it for about 70 cents including brass. Then less than 20 unless I buy some fancy bullets.
 
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