Just priced out powder, primers and bullets......

DustyGmt

DustyGmt

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So I've been wanting to reload my brass for a long time and have saved up thousands of spent .223/5.56 brass and after about an hour of searching around Scheels, Midsouth, Natchez and ammoseek even with the brass in hand, just those 3 components comes out to roughly $450 per 1K loaded cartridges.

What gives, that's retail. I priced out the cheapest I could find, just standard 55gr bullets from berry's. Not trying to load high performance ballistic tips or anything.

I can see myself enjoying the activity of reloading but not saving ANY money seems pretty stupid when case quantities are plentiful, yet expensive. I just can't believe that even with having the brass on hand which should make up at least 1/4 or more of the total cost of a loaded cartridge, it's still not even beating the cost of even the cheapest bulk ammo. If I didn't have the brass I'd expect the price would be closer to $600/1K rounds and the estimated cost of all these components doesnt even include shipping, then i imagine you can tack on another $50-$70 at least. This isn't making any sense to me, did I just find the worst most overpriced components?

If anybody could point me in the right direction as to where I might go to find a couple good sites to buy components from to make reloading enjoyable and at least somewhat economical.
 
.45Coltguy said:
Getting into handloading these days is a might tough and can get pricey. Other than the components your lookig for, do have a press and the other items you'd need?
Click to expand...
I've got a couple lee loaders just to get some of the basics down but have yet to gather up the powder, primers and projectiles because everything seemed, well not worth it.

I absolutely have to reload for my 45/70 and wanted to buy a couple 4 or 5 boxes to have enough brass to get going but all I have been able to find for factory 4570 is the stupid federal nickle plated brass and Hornady Leverevolution which I'm told will make my OAL too short so I'm gonna have to buy some starling brass to get that going because I don't ever see any plain jane 4570 to shoot up and make use of the brass. The only 4570 that is ever available it seems is the Hornady and Federal.

The other thing I was wondering about was the fact that I know the Lee loader will size the necks but I'm told after a couple reloads the whole cartridge needs to be resized, in that case am I SOL with the Lee Loader, will I eventually be forced to get a press? I'm very inexperienced and have never reloaded a cartridge but when I got the Lee loader I was told it's all I'd ever need if I was just loading a handful of cartridges from time to time or didn't mind going slow.

I'll admit it, there is so much I don't know, I bought the Lyman manual and loaned it to a friend from my church and have to get it back at some point here soon.
 
So far, the above statements cannot be more true..
Some components are at a lower $ than a year or 2 ago, some components are at a higher $ in the same time....:thumbdown:
We were waiting for powder prices to come down, then the 15% increase hit......:oops:
Election cycles, wars, inflation, supply-in-demand, etc, etc, etc are messing with EVERYTHING we buy.
While it is tough times to start reloading (as well as other hobbies) can we really count on things to get better ??------------------------I hope they do....!!!
It does come down to sort of a crap shoot in making the decision, I would say find the best prices you can and have at it.
The real tell will come when factory ammo starts to rise in price again.......:eek:
 
Ok, if you decide to stay with handloading, a single stage press is a great way to get started. They're a bit slow, but, you'll get the hang of it pretty quick.
A decent scale, like a RCBS 5-0-5 or similar is needed. When you start to purchase items that you'll need, ask here. There are a lot of knowledgeable and helpful people to help walk you thru this.
 
DustyGmt said:
The other thing I was wondering about was the fact that I know the Lee loader will size the necks but I'm told after a couple reloads the whole cartridge needs to be resized, in that case am I SOL with the Lee Loader, will I eventually be forced to get a press? I'm very inexperienced and have never reloaded a cartridge but when I got the Lee loader I was told it's all I'd ever need if I was just loading a handful of cartridges from time to time or didn't mind going slow.
Click to expand...
If you're loading for only 1 gun, the LEE loader will be fine with that chubby straight wall 45-70 case.......( yes, I know it has a taper to it,,,,)
You CAN find great deals on a bunch of presses and kits now at just about any site, might not be a bad idea to do some research and choose 1...
 
I handload for some cartridges, but it's not economically practical for me to load 223 or 9mm. Never has been. I just bought 500 rounds of 9mm and paid $120 OTD. Another local store will sell me 1000 rounds for $300 OTD. A local indoor range will sell me up to 5 boxes at $12/50 rounds if I pay for an hour of range time. He won't sell to anyone not using his range.

I haven't bought, nor priced 223 in a while. The last I bought was $20 for 50 rounds of Fiochhi 55 gr FMJ, and $25 for 50 rounds of 50 gr plastic tipped ammo. The 50 gr ammo is exceptionally accurate. Let's just say I stocked up.

I do handload for 308, 6.5CM and 30-06. I don't do it to save money, but for better performance. I get better accuracy, a little more speed than factory loads and I do load higher end bullets for them.
 
Ammo seek says the 45-70 is close to $2 per round for the cheap stuff. Ouch. The $0.56 per round Starline price for brass looks to be worth it.

45-70 loaded to the mild end of things should work fine in the Lee loader for multiple loads per case.

On the other hand, if you find that you enjoy shooting the 45-70 more than just a little bit, it will probably not take you long to tire of the Lee loader. A low end Lee press kit or a used setup will be a huge improvement over the Lee loader. A lee hand held press is the in between choice if you do not want to set up a loading bench.

And as far as 223 or 9mm, you have to find components at less than "typical" to beat bulk ammo. I load them cheap, but that is because of choices I made long ago. If you were close by, I could get you started but shipping powder and primers is just not happening.

One big advantage of getting a press is that it makes trying calibers other than 223 or 9mm less painful.
 
The Lee loader is just a neck sizing die. 45-70 is a straight wall cartridge and has no reduced section of the neck, so as long as your not hot, it shouldn't be a problem. 223 or other bottleneck cartridges will need a fls. If you have a lot of brass then it might not be an issue.
 
Yeah, I reload everything but from an economics sense there are some cartridges that are a wash - 9mm, 5.56, 7.62x39 to name a few. I started reloading years ago when I developed a wheel gun problem - 45 Colt was about $1 a round and I could cast and reload for about $0.15 a round. It’s higher now (about $0.25 per round, mostly in primer cost) but still much cheaper than factory.
 
DustyGmt said:
3 components comes out to roughly $450 per 1K loaded cartridges.
Click to expand...
I get $282 per 1000 without hasmar/shipping & tax. Or $.282 each round. Add $50 hasmat/ shipping. LOOK for FREE Days where 1 is free, hasmat or shipping.

Hormady bullet $.09
CCI400 $.07
Accurate 2200 powder $42 a pound. 20.4 grs starting load, cheaper. $.122 each

Would need powder & primers shipped from 1 company.

PMC ammo is $.40 each.

Check my math. Only have 10 fingers. ;)
 
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I look at it this way - reloading is a relaxing and productive hobby for me that I enjoy. Yes, I probably can buy 5.56mm surplus stuff cheaper than what I make - mine are tailored loads that work exceptionally well in my rifle. As for 9mm, nope, you can't find it cheaper than I make it - I cast and powder coat my own bullets, and with free lead from a couple of berm mining buddy's, a $5 GoodWill toaster oven and a dang near a lifetime supply of powder coat from another buddy...that is pretty much paid for. My wife likes to shoot my loads so she sometimes buys components for me - at one point I was literally loading 9mm for the cost of the electricity to run the lead pot and the powder coating oven. ;)
Cost aside, though, what I make is my stuff, made for my guns, loads the perform the best for them. I cannot buy .308 Winchester cheaper than I make that shoots anywhere as well as my loads do for me.
The guys are right, buy when it's cheap, load what you have when it's expensive. If all you want is to save money on ammo, right now this is not the road to seek.
 
I have been reloading for 35+ years and I don't EVER remember a time where there was significant money to be saved on reloading blasting ammo for common calibers. I do save a butt-load reloading my own carry ammo in common calibers and reloading carry and blasting ammo in uncommon calibers.

I carry GoldDot's in most of my carry guns (9mm, 40 S&W, 45 acp). I can actually afford to practice with the same Gold-Dots I carry because I reload them myself. 50AE, 44mag, 30 carbine, 6.5 x 55, 8mm Mauser, 22 TCM, 30-06, .308, (and others that I can't think of off the top of my head) all are loaded at a substantial savings over commercial ammo.

9mm, .223, 7.62 x 39 blasting ammo... not so much.

I DO remember threads going back to the commercialization of the internet questioning the economics of reloading!
 
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I have dies and bullets for .223, and I have loaded it sometimes, but I don’t specifically keep powder and primers for it. I will pick up inexpensive bullets when I see them on sale, but I use the powder and primers that I normally use for loading my other cartridges that are much more expensive or hard to find commercially. I’ll use primers for my .30 Carbine ($.80-1.00 per commercial round) and powder for my 8x57 ($.60-.80 per round), .30-30 ($.90-1.20 per round), or 6.5 Carcano ($1.80-2.25 per round). It makes much more economic sense to hand load those cartridges, and that’s what I typically buy my components for, but if I don’t happen to have any, and want to load .223, I have that option.
 
Loading 223/556 and 9mm is not, never was, and probably never will be, a huge money saving proposition. Unless you invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in automated equipment and buy components directly from the manufacturers or reps.
The reasons to reload, in my opinion, are #1, you can build rounds suited to your guns and your uses, #2 - if you have components on hand you can make ammunition when there isn’t any available at retailers, and #3, and not least, it’s enjoyable.
 
.45Coltguy said:
Getting into handloading these days is a might tough and can get pricey. Other than the components your lookig for, do have a press and the other items you'd need?
Click to expand...
I inherited powder, brass, bullets, dies, and loaded ammo, and I have a friend with a full reloading bench setup, which he generously allows me to use. Otherwise, I wouldn't have started. And even with those advantages, I've spent hundreds of dollars to get started.
 
DustyGmt said:
So I've been wanting to reload my brass for a long time and have saved up thousands of spent .223/5.56 brass and after about an hour of searching around Scheels, Midsouth, Natchez and ammoseek even with the brass in hand, just those 3 components comes out to roughly $450 per 1K loaded cartridges.

What gives, that's retail. I priced out the cheapest I could find, just standard 55gr bullets from berry's. Not trying to load high performance ballistic tips or anything.

I can see myself enjoying the activity of reloading but not saving ANY money seems pretty stupid when case quantities are plentiful, yet expensive. I just can't believe that even with having the brass on hand which should make up at least 1/4 or more of the total cost of a loaded cartridge, it's still not even beating the cost of even the cheapest bulk ammo. If I didn't have the brass I'd expect the price would be closer to $600/1K rounds and the estimated cost of all these components doesnt even include shipping, then i imagine you can tack on another $50-$70 at least. This isn't making any sense to me, did I just find the worst most overpriced components?

If anybody could point me in the right direction as to where I might go to find a couple good sites to buy components from to make reloading enjoyable and at least somewhat economical.
Click to expand...
I guess you need to ask yourself why you are reloading. For me, saving money is a small part of it. As others mentioned, having high quality, tuned loads is my main goal. You can't compare the cost of that to the cheapest range ammo, IMO. You need to compare it to the higher end match ammo.

But I enjoy reloading as a hobby, and I don't have kids in the house anymore. So the time I spend reloading is not a problem, nor is it part of the equation when figuring cost.

No right or wrong here. Whatever makes to the most sense to you is the right way to go.
 
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