Is reloading really worth it

[JohnM]

If you have to ask the question, maybe it ain't for you.
People who think they need to justify, in some manner, every minute of their time or track every penny they spend for something, may never like to reload.

For a lot of us it's part of the shooting sport.
As an added bonus I always get better ammunition for less than the cost of buying factory loads of what I shoot.

 

[horsemen61]

reloading

Yes sir I think its worth it.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Depends.

It is cheaper than buying ammo, but what is your time worth? My wife's boss in a big shot lawyer who charges $250 an hour... will he save money by spending an hour reloading a box of 38s? No. What is your time worth?

Some calibers require loading your own, like the 38 S&W for example. hard to find and pricey when you do. I have a couple of rifles in obsolete calibers so no factory fodder is even available. I have one wildcat caliber rifle and that's the same situation.

Loading your own is sometimes economically logical. Required for some calibers, and advisable for others where high performance factory ammo is not available.

I think what is your time worth can be an important consideration. I have but a few hours now a week at most of free time. As such, I'd rather spend it shooting. I can see when I'm retired I will have lots of time on my hands and then it can make sense.

 

[jcwit]

Worth it? Yup, without question. Do I shoot more? No, not anymore, its 30 miles one way to the range, thats 60 miles both ways. I used to go to the range 4 times a week, that would be 240 miles a week, or 1040 miles a month. That comes out to approx, $180.00 bucks in gas a month.

Nope I don't shoot as much as I used to.

Regarding what ones time is worth, I don't believe that is the question. Its what one wishes to spend his time doing.

To those who think its about what their time is worth, tell us what is the dollar amount you place on 8 hours of sleep a night, or the time spent driving to and from work, or the time eating. I think it cost me $2.00 to walk out and get the mail today. My time is VERY valuable!

 

[FROGO207]

As a couple of others stated if you have to ask-----especially if you already know how to do it. Me I do it for the relaxation involved-- the need to concentrate only on the task at hand. Puts other mind clutter out of the present and helps me regain some breathing room. Sometimes I go shooting just to empty the brass so I can load it again. Yes I need help----but it's so much fun to do.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Regarding what ones time is worth, I don't believe that is the question. Its what one wishes to spend his time doing.

This is absolutely legit. It's the placing a dollar amount on time that I find laughable.

 

[EddieNFL]

If you take time away from whatever earns you money, it is not worthwhile. Otherwise, it is more worthwhile than watching TV or surfing the net.

 

[918v]

It is cost effective if you have the self-discipline of a sober person.

 

[JohnM]

If somebody is reloading when they should be working, that is earning their living, then they got a problem, but it isn't reloading.

 

[wanderinwalker]

If you take time away from whatever earns you money, it is not worthwhile. Otherwise, it is more worthwhile than watching TV or surfing the net.

Exactly! Why do people try to include "billable time" into the reloading equation? Do you include your billable time spent shooting the ammo you made? Watching reruns of "House"? Making dinner?

And reloading and shooting are like riding a bike. It'll come back to you but start going up a hill and you'll realize how rusty you are! Luckily with reloading it's just attention to detail and you'll be back in the swing. Can't help you on the biking up hills thing, other than to just keep doing it...

(Yes, my other hobby is riding bicycles. For the love of dog, if counted my hours in the saddle as billable time I'd owe myself a lot of back wages. )

 

[jcwit]

If you take time away from whatever earns you money, it is not worthwhile. Otherwise, it is more worthwhile than watching TV or surfing the net.

Retirement! I love it. Started it when I was 58, am now 69, and really enjoying it.

 

[leadcounsel]

I'd say it's a personal decision and comes down to a few things -

1) Do you enjoy sitting at a table measuring and weighing and operating a press?

2) What's the value of your time worth?

3) How much do you shoot?

For me, as a young busy professional, it makes more sense for me to work and just buy bulk factory ammo. For example, I just bought 1000 rounds of "seconds" 5.56 for $280 out the door. There are some cosmetic issues with the ammo, but otherwise it's fine. That transaction took me a few minutes. If you're not going to count the time making the ammo, then it's only fair to not count the time it cost to earn the money to buy the ammo...

I don't to buy the reloading equipment, store extra gear, spend time researching and ordering components, or designate a reloading room and sit at a table operating a press for hours on end.

Factory ammo gives me satisfactory results at a convenient and affordable price. But I don't buy individual boxes at Wallyworld, I buy bulk online or at gun shows.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[cfullgraf]

Regarding what ones time is worth, I don't believe that is the question. Its what one wishes to spend his time doing.

That is a good way of putting the value of time spend reloading, or anything else for that matter.

I like reloading. It is recreational time for me plus I save money per round in the process. It is another activity that allows me to work with firearms when I cannot be at the range.

To make reloading more enjoyable, I have a staked out area of the house that is exclusively for my hobbies. The wife has hers. No banishment to a non-climate controlled garage or out building for me. (Besides, my garage is climate controlled and houses my auto and fab shop.)

Another part of making reloading enjoyable is support from the significant other.

If reloading is drudgery, then it will not be enjoyable and you will always want to be doing something else. Only you can decide which way to go.

 

[Certaindeaf]

You never did say what kind of press it is. Since you have all the ancillary gear and load for pistol and if it's a single stage, were I you, I'd consider splurging $100 for the Lee cast turret. It's quite a bit faster than a SS.

 

[Kyle M.]

I've loaded .38 super, .40 S&W, .44 Mag, .45 acp, and .45 colt in the past first on a single stage then I switched to a turret press, I saved 60-75% a box on everyone of them. I currently only load .375 H&H and do so on a single stage press it costs me $8.23 to load a box using 270gr. beartooth cast bullets, and $12.15 a box using hornady interlock sp's. This is compared to $55-$80 a box for factory ammo so for me it is definately worth that hour I spend loading 50rds. (I'm very meticulous), but I also have alot of free time.

 

[tyeo098]

Its time I would just be wasting on the internet anyways.

 

[CraigC]

My wife's boss in a big shot lawyer who charges $250 an hour... will he save money by spending an hour reloading a box of 38s? No. What is your time worth?

Even then, it depends. I don't charge by the hour but when I'm working, I'm averaging quite a bit more than the lawyer. However, I'm also not working 8-12hrs a day either. So the time I spend handloading, would NOT otherwise be spent working. I don't do it for fun either. For me, handloading has always been a necessary chore. I do it to be able to shoot more and to be able to shoot the loads I want to shoot, that may or may not be available otherwise. Even so, I'd rather be handloading than working and so I have no problem justifying the $14 and 1 hour spent to reload 100rds that I could've bought for $60.

What I can't justify is the time and expense for casting bullets. I'd rather buy them and spend my extra time on other things, like leatherworking.

I also cannot justify reloading .45ACP and .223. Not when I can buy them at a fair price and I don't have to spend any time digging through the grass for my cases. I don't shoot them as much as revolver cartridges I handload anyway.

In the end, it's a decision we all have to weigh and make for ourselves.

 

[Romeo 33 Delta]

I don't hold at all with worrying about "calculating what you time's worth" as part of the equation as to whether reloading saves money or not ... because if I were NOT in my basement reloading, I'd be engaged in any number of other activities, none of which would result in my making any money. It's a hobby ... it's for my SPARE TIME.

As to the question: "Is it worth it?" YOU BETCHA'! You can make off-the-shelf ammo cheaper and of better quality, you can make ammo for calibers which manufacturers no longer consider "profitable" and don't make anymore, you can WILDCAT ... (of course, that's a REALLY, DEEP, BLACK HOLE).

I'm disabled, a mobility related issue, but I can still shoot and when Winter comes 'round, reloading lets me continue my "gun hobby" into my non-shooting part of the year. My wife loves it ... she know EXACTLY where I am and EXACTLY what I am doing (that's tongue in cheek, but makes a point). Outside of marrying her ... reloading is about the next best thing I can think of that I've taken up.

 

[Fired]

Is it worth it? To some people, yes. It really depends on the person, if he/she likes it or not. Does it save money? Technically yes. I can load 1k 223 for about $150, sometimes even cheaper.

 

[Certaindeaf]

The .223 is an interesting example. Yes, you can get some steel blaster ammo for like $5-6 per 20 but shot out of the most accurate rifle in the world, it'll get like 2 MOA. Reload and it's like falling off a log getting much better accuracy than that for very reasonable cost.

Same goes for the lowly 9mm. "Oh, I don't reload that because it's so cheap".
Go down to the store and price some +P or +P+ defense ammo. With a grain (just an example) more of powder and using a good HP, that "cheap" reload will equal or exceed that $1-2 per shot boutique ammo in performance.

 

[GLOOB]

At even 100 rds a month of just 357, I'd say it's worth it. Factory 357 ammo is upwards of $30.00 a box of 50, around here. That's perhaps $600.00 for 1000 rds, which would represent a ten month supply.

Cast bullets at $70.00 per 1k plus $7.00 shipping = $77.00
primers $30.00 per 1k at your LGS
powder = 1 pound of Unique at $20.00 at your LGS
Total cost is just $127.00 for 1000 rds.

For jacketed, add another $50.00 or so.

You can buy everything you need to reload 357 for under $300.00. So you could save money inside of a year, very easily. But more likely you get carried away and end up with more components, dies, and equipment rather than cash in your pocket. It's easy to get carried away. But even if you don't like it, you will get to try it basically for free, after you make that first 1k bullets, which you can do in one or two weekends of free time.

What I can't justify is the time and expense for casting bullets. I'd rather buy them and spend my extra time on other things, like leatherworking.

Have you ever tried it? Time: casting bullets is very fast. Tumble lubing is very fast. Sizing, typically optional, most of the time. Expense: the initial investment is very small. A Lee bullet mold is only $20.00, and beyond that all you need is something to melt and pour the lead; that's another 40-70 bucks to get a nice setup, if you don't have already have the cookware to spare. And then, even if you buy ingots delivered to your door, you can cut your bullet cost in half for common calibers. By several fold, if you have a less common caliber. So don't even worry about scrounging lead; that's just a big fat bonus if you can get free lead. For your time and money, casting is easily the most rewarding part of reloading. It's so easy, a monkey could do it.

 

[cfullgraf]

Retirement! I love it. Started it when I was 58, am now 69, and really enjoying it.

Right, now that I am retired, I keep wondering when I had time to work.

 

[cfullgraf]

I also cannot justify reloading .45ACP and .223. Not when I can buy them at a fair price and I don't have to spend any time digging through the grass for my cases.

What works for each is fine.

This is what works for me.

Since I reload, I keep a lot more supplies on hand than loaded ammunition. Most of the powders I use work in several different cartridges that I load. Same for primers and to some extent bullets.

Cases are the only component that is unique for a particular cartridge. Since cases are reusable I do carefully police my brass using drop cloths and brass catchers as aids. I also have an inventory of new cases on hand, some purchased new as long ago as 1980!

So, if I am running low on a particular cartridge, I restock my inventory. I may be shooting more of one cartridge at a particular time than another so I do not have lots of cash tied up in ammunition that I currently am not shooting. I can make what I need at the moment.

This flexibility insulates me from the whims of the market place when shortages occur. Frequently, components or alternate components can be more easily obtained, although maybe at a price, during shortages than factory ammunition.

 

[ATLDave]

If you enjoy it, it's worth it. If you don't, it isn't.

Interesting that the OP quit because he was too busy. I have taken up the hobby in part because, unlike actual shooting or golf or playing music or most of my other hobbies, I can do it for 30 minutes after I put my daughter to bed. It can fit in between all the other stuff in my life and doesn't require big, hard-to-come-by chunks of time. Loading 500 rounds is time-consuming. Loading 10 is not if you leave the press set up.

 

[silicosys4]

I find it to be worth it. I don't spend 24 hours a day working, I spend 8 hours a day working. When I want to work more, I work more, and earn more. When I don't need to work more, I spend my time doing things I enjoy, one of which is reloading. I get just as much satisfaction, if not more, from reloading as I do from shooting. I find some small comfort in knowing that if the worldwide ammo supply dried up tomorrow, I am in no great pickle.