Is reloading really worth it?

[TAB]

When you buy in 1000 round its alot cheaper.
which is what I was comparing... not by buying boxs at a retail store.

1k 45 its right around 350 shiped decent 230 grain FMJs( or more if you don't shop around)

to reload your looking at
decent 230 grain FMJs are
150-200 per thousand

brass is about 200 per thousand assuming 4-5 reloads thats $50

powder
$25

primers $20/ thousand

total cost is 250-300/ 1k now if you shoot lead you can drop that cost alot, but I'm comparing like with like.

 

[RustyFN]

I reload 223 for around $100 per thousand. I like using W748 and H335 powders. This is the setup I use to reload. You can get a setup like this for around $180. I buy powder and primers at https://www.grafs.com/ and http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/. I buy bullets where ever I can find a deal. This is what my press is like in action, http://youtube.com/watch?v=zOpN9iYOyE8

Rusty

 

[coloradokevin]

When you buy in 1000 round its alot cheaper.
which is what I was comparing... not by buying boxs at a retail store.

Fair enough. I was quoting boxed prices originally, and we all know the advantage of buying in bulk!

But, I'd still save an equivalent of about $7/box, even with your price of $350/1000 for loaded ammo (which is equal to $17.50/box of 50).

That is a savings of about $134/thousand by rolling my own (assuming a moderate loading, and five uses per casing... some folks are getting many more uses from straight walled pistol cases, but I think five would be a reasonably conservative assumption).

Alternatively, you can consider this from the point of view that a number of folks do. That is: Buy factory ammo, shoot it, then reload the brass until you need to replace it with more factory ammo. At that rate you would buy your case at $350/thousand, then consider 4 additional loads on those pieces of brass, with no additional brass purchase... With that in mind, your next four cases of ammunition (until the brass was "shot") would cost you $178/case, all else being equal. Average the price of five cases of ammo (the store bought case, and the four you loaded yourself), and you will come to an average per-case price of $212/case.

When compared to only using the factory ammo, you are now looking at a savings of $138/case (very close to my other scenario). Anyway, that saves you $690 total on the five cases, which is more than enough to buy a good reloading setup. This might be a one-year supply of ammo for a serious shooter (perhaps even much less than that). So, if you do shoot a lot, reloading has a pretty quick return on your investment. If you are a box-or-two a year shooter, it probably doesn't.

(seeing your activity on this website, I can guess that you are in the "shoot-a-lot" category).


Someday, TAB... someday I'll convince you that handloading is a cost-saving endeavor... someday (maybe?)

 

[TAB]

it all depends on what your componets are... forexample if you go from a jacketed bullet down to a cast you can cut your bullet prices in half. I personally don't like shooting lead, as I want to keep my lead exposure down. I get plenty at work already. About 50% of my biz is lead abatement.

Also if you can get range brass, thats great... around here I swear there is a fairy or something that collects it, only 45 cases I see lieing around are only good for scrap.


I did the math about a month ago, I ended up at about the 25 cents per shot range. granted thats buying every thing to do 5k and asssumig 5 reloadings.

 

[Jacka L Ope]

So, if I would like to get into reloading, what all do I need as far as equipment. Post links if possible.

Sticky: For the New Reloader: Thinking about Reloading; Equipment Basics -- READ THIS FIRST

 

[evan price]

In terms of centerfire pistol ammo, I make plinking ammo and I also make ammo that simulates my daily carry ammo.

Let's take 9mm Luger. I make my plinkers with lead slugs. Total cost is $3.50 per box of 50 rounds.
I simulate my Gold Dots (which are $25/50) using Rainier plated 124-gr HP slugs. Total cost for those is $6.50 per box of 50 rounds.
9mm factory cheap ammo now is $9 per box of 50 rounds for WWB or CCI Blazer.

The savings just go up for expensive calibers.
.44 Magnum around here is pushing $30 a box of 50 rounds. I load mine for less than $5 a box of 50 rounds.
.357 Magnum is $22 a box of 50 rounds, I load mine for $4 a box of 50 rounds.
.38 Special I load for $3.50 a box of 50 rounds, and it is $17 a box of 50 locally.

I load .223 using Varget and 55 gr mil projos for $150/thousand. They group better than anything factory I've tried that wasn't match grade.
I load .308 using varget and pulled M80 projos fir under $260/thousand. Try finding anything in that price range today.

But the best reason to reload is so you can shoot unusual calibers, like 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser. Nearly $1 a round to buy new. I load 3 rounds for that dollar.

Is reloading worht it? Only you can answer that question.
I started for the price. I continue because it lets me shoot more for hte same money, and I make more consistent ammo and tailor it for my desires which WWB can't do.

 

[TexasSkyhawk]

As usual, Dave in Flowery Branch took most of the words right out of my mouth.

As far as "savings?"

Couldn't tell you--I can't remember the last time I bought factory ammo, or even gave a crap what factory ammo was selling for.

These days, I compare the price of buying jacketed bullets versus casting my OWN boolits. There will always be a few jacketed bullets I'll keep a plentiful supply of on hand--the .30 caliber rifle rounds (although I'm ordering some new moulds for some of the long gun calibers) and jacketed hollow-points for the wheelguns.

Will also probably always keep several thousand 115 gr FMJ 9mm bullets on hand.

But for my day-to-day shooting, it's all lead, all the time.

I reload for the following reasons:

1. Self-sufficiency. I don't give a damn who's in political office and what their gun politics happen to be. I would strongly prefer, and always vote for the most pro-gun candidates running, but at the end of the day, it makes me no never mind. I'm going to own guns--legally or illegally--and I'm going to always have plenty of ammunition for them.

Because I reload, as well as cast my own boolits and stockpile powder and primers HEAVILY, I will always be able to shoot for food, for defense of self, home or country, and for fun.

2. Craftsmanship. I enjoy the act of taking seemingly unrelated components and crafting them into useful entities for all of my firearms. I appreciate the dedication, experience and knowledge it requires to become an accomplished reloader.

3. Pride. I thoroughly enjoy going to a range, reaching into my beloved Black Eagle gun bag, pulling out my plastic boxes of reloads and having a shooter next to me ask, "What brand of ammo is that?" and me replying, "It's my own brand--I handload all my own ammunition." Which leads nicely into the next reason . . .

4. Unparalleled Accuracy and Reliability. As Dave mentioned, I can--and do--tailor each of my loads to the particular firearm and caliber I'm loading for. I even go so far as to develop specific loads for my specific wheelguns and semi-automatics of the same caliber based upon each gun's tendencies, likes/dislikes and indiosyncracies.

5. It has made me a Shooter, rather than just a trigger-puller. Once/if you begin reloading, you'll begin to immediately appreciate this as it is impossible to describe otherwise.

Jeff

 

[Grandpa Shooter]

Is reloading really worth it?

Depends on how you view it. If all you evaluate it by is the money you may or may not save, odds are you won't really enjoy it. In my opinion, reloading is about the creativity and artistry of the act of, and the end product of, reloading,

I sit down with an array of raw components, and through diligent and concentrated effort, create something beautiful. Take an assortment of finished pistol and rifle rounds, frame them and hang it up, and you have an artistic piece the equal of any skilled artist or artisan.

Just my perspective on it.

Grandpa

 

[coloradokevin]

around here I swear there is a fairy or something that collects it, only 45 cases I see lieing around are only good for scrap.

TAB,

If I recall from prior posts you've made, I think you might be somewhere in my neck-o-the-woods?

Anyway, I've also noticed that a "brass fairy" seems to collect up everything worthwhile around here lately.

I usually clean shotgun hulls from the public areas I shoot at, but the brass is mostly gone by the time I get there!

I figure it is either because we have a lot of handloaders around here, or some seriously hard-up tweakers who are looking for some scrap metal to support a habit!

 

[chbrow10]

Tab,

45 ACP is loaded to such low pressures that the brass doesn't get worked too much. People easily get 20 reloads out of thier brass without really trying. Personally, I am probably on reload cycle # 10 or so.


I agree with you on lead. I shoot copper plated bullets, and get much more accurate ammo for half the cost and half the recoil. It takes me about 2 hours to make 200 rounds, but I am very slow. I have heard that people can do it in half the time.

 

[cpttango30]

Are you going to save money reloading. Yes what are you going to do with that money buy more reloading supplies and gun stuff. So really you will not save money.

This is starting to get beat to death as much as the 9mm vs 45acp.

I got a very good buy and got powder for $18 a pound for 748 varget and acc 2015.

Primers run me $22 for pistol per 1000 and $26 pre 1000 for BR primers

Bullets are $36 for 250 50gr V-max

My 223 load is this

Case Free (I got them for free)

Bullet 50gr V-max .14

Powder 748 @ 27.5 gr .07

Primer CCI BR4 .03 ea

For a grand total of .24 cents each

With Brass .44 cents each.

Now compaire that to A Hornady factory varmint load which rings in at $16 for a box of 20 that is .80 per round or double the cost for a premium varmint round. I know why are you not compairing it to WWB right because in my varmint rifle I do not shoot that type of load.

My 45acp loads are dirt cheap
Bullet .12 cents ($230 for 2000 Rainer 200gr FP)
Powder(5 gr titegroup) .01 cent
Case: reloaded 10 times cost was $100 for 1000 cases so that is .01 cents
Primers are $22 pre 1000 .02 cents ea

For a grand total of .16 cents each WWB case of 500 for $300 is .6 cents a round. WOW mine are almost 50 cents each cheaper.

Why did I use WWB well because my 45acp load is a plinker load. I buy my SD ammo.

I am sure some one will disagree with my numbers but thoese are mine. I can crank out 400 rounds in an hour. I do not count the cost of reloading equipment because it will last a life time + another life time. So Your end cost is factored out over time. Figure if I reload 100,000 rounds of 45acp the savings is $44000 yes $44,000 dollars I don't know about you but that is a lot of Dillon 1050's and even more 650's. You see where I am going with this.

Is this why I relode no. I reload because that is always the way we did it. I plan to teach my son to reload. It is good quality time between a father and son or daughter or husband and wife.

 

[inserthumorhere]

If I save much more by reloading I'm going to go broke. RCBS makes too many things I "need" to speed up the process. But it's a lifetime of good fun. Reload only for the sake of improving your accuracy, it will consume too much time & space to be worth it otherwise. Buy and read through at least two good reloading manuals before purchasing anything else and you'll do just fine.

 

[scrat]

Depends on what your shooting too. When your comparing the 45acp, 9mm and 223. Thats the YUPPEEE guns. the guns everyone has to have. So because of that the prices are usually the ones on sale or cheaply made and sold. However like my 45 Colt. The prices for a box of REAL 45s can be any where from 35-48.99 for a box of 50. I cast my own when i reload for 45 Long Colt it cost me about .05 cents a round. That is huge very huge. So it really depends. If you like to buy the on sale cheapest brand ammo. then maybe reloading is not for you. If you have some rare, expensive or Big caliber guns then you may want to reload as the cost of some of that ammo is huge. Reloading can save big money and keep you at the range.

 

[DEDON45]

It's worth it from both a monetary perspective and the shooter perspective... I started back myself chiefly for the money savings (.45ACP lead reloads, versus the cheapest bulk ammo made in the old Soviet Union, no contest) ... but I also remembered how much I enjoyed the feeling I got when I shot a deer, etc. with ammo I made myself in my Stepdad's garage.

It does require attention to detail, a certain dedication... if you are in it just for the money, you may skimp on the attention to detail, and injury or death could result. It's really a safe hobby, so long as you treat the process with the respect it deserves..

Oh, and Dave and Skyhawk, they also echo my sentiments as well.

 

[HANDLOADER]

Reloading Really Worth It ?

IS RELOADING WORTH IT?

Yes it is current price for 1 box of 38 special is 14.99 now lets say you use a 1000 rounds per shooting season that is $299.80 now 1000 handloads only comes up to $35.32 that is with bullets cast.

How you like em odds?

Think SMART when you handload and reamber to always have fun!!!

 

[marineman]

I am not looking to make some crazy round or anything. All I want is cheap ammo that I can use for plinking. I do not intend to experiment, but just produce cost effective ammunition. I love shooting and the more I am around it, the happier I am. I feel that I will enjoy reloading even if it is reloading ordinary rounds. I truly appreciate all the feedback.