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

Shooting is not a cheap hobby. Never was, and never will be.

Reloading "can" save money on a "per round" basis, but doesn't always. I started reloading .223 when factory ammo was around $80/100rds and it cost me about $75/100rds including buying my brass, basically breaking even on cost but spending my time which I don't count. Reusing my brass has brought my cost down to about $35/100 for 55gr fmj's or about $38/100 for 62gr hp's. So I'm currently breaking even on fmj's or maybe saving a little bit, but I'm saving a good bit on hp's.

Like some others have said, you save money reloading expensive calibers/cartridges. 480 Ruger cost me $40/20rds IF I can find it. And that's the cheapest I've found it for, it can go for a lot more than that. I can load it for less than $9/20rds, a considerable savings.

Also mentioned above, you can load what YOU want to shoot. I like 185gr swc's in my 1911, but don't recall seeing them in any stores in the last few years at least. Other benefits include being able to shoot a gun that you just can't buy ammo for, or shooting a common cartridge like .223 or 9mm when there isn't any factory ammo to be found, which has happened in the last few years.

chris
 
I know I might as well be trying to communicate with the air, but shooters have created an exponential increase in the amount of powder and primers burned since the invasion of the AR platform. Tens of thousands of people who either had never shot before or only shot maybe 100 rounds per year are now spraying thousands of rounds down range. As long as that is the case, components will be in short supply and carry a healthy price tag. I admit my numbers are picked out of the air I'm talking to, but the idea is true.
 
DustyGmt said:
when case quantities are plentiful, yet expensive.
Click to expand...

Your first assumption is wrong... maybe...

There was a time, not too long ago, when you could NOT find case quantities of 5.56mm ammo at any price. Go back in some of the reloading threads to see member's posts of empty store shelves... either in the ammo aisle, or the reloading aisle. The past 3 or 4 weeks have shown us that, yet again... the false rumor that Lake City wasn't going to sell ammo on the civilian market, spooked everyone, and some of the online vendors sold out almost overnight. You could say the same for something like 9mm, or even 7.62mm, but that is a bit of a different market dynamic.

If you rely on what's on the shelves at any given moment... in this day and age... you could very well be disappointed.

GeoDudeFlorida said:
Reloading the NATO cartridges is pretty much a losing game unless you go for the more advanced hunting loads or competition shooting loads. Comparing service loads in 5.56mm, 9mm, and/or 7.62mm the factory surplus will always be cheaper.
Click to expand...

My modus operandi is to have a reasonable stash of factory ammo, all the while maintaining a reasonable amount of handload components to weather the dry spells. I process the brass when I have nothing else to do, and have proper amount of components (powder, bullets, primers...) to load up what I feel is a reasonable amount at any given time.
 
I posted about this in another cost of reloading thread on Jan 26th.

In recent months I have seen these prices-
Primers $60/k
Powder $26/lb
55 FMJ $90/k

Some have already posted better prices than that in this thread.

The main reason that I reload is for better accuracy. Match grade ammo is at least $1 round. I can make it for less than half of that, which makes the difference worth it.
 
I grew up during the golden age of handloading, although wages were pretty low. Around ‘59 or so I was reloading 38 special and 22 Hornet. Primers were a half cent. Hodgden powder was often under a buck a pound and lead was about free.
I just saw a pound of Green Dot for $49.95.
Yikes. When my pile of components is gone I’m probably done (so why did I just buy PW progressive shotshell loade?)
 
MarshallDodge said:
I posted about this in another cost of reloading thread on Jan 26th.

In recent months I have seen these prices-
Primers $60/k
Powder $26/lb
55 FMJ $90/k

Some have already posted better prices than that in this thread.

The main reason that I reload is for better accuracy. Match grade ammo is at least $1 round. I can make it for less than half of that, which makes the difference worth it.
Click to expand...
I haven't seen $26 powder in a year and then it was 12 ounces.
 
MarshallDodge said:
I posted about this in another cost of reloading thread on Jan 26th.

In recent months I have seen these prices-
Primers $60/k
Powder $26/lb
55 FMJ $90/k

Some have already posted better prices than that in this thread.

The main reason that I reload is for better accuracy. Match grade ammo is at least $1 round. I can make it for less than half of that, which makes the difference worth it.
Click to expand...
This looks about right. Powder at that price is probably "Shooter's World." But Ramshot TAC and X-Terminator have been ~$31 for 1 pound. Prices can be lower per pound in 8# jugs, but not always.
I bought Winchester #41 primers for 0.63 cents and was not limited in quantity
I've seen Hornady bullets that cheap, and Armscor for as little as 6 cents. I bought better SP bullets at 11.
 
PapaG said:
I haven't seen $26 powder in a year and then it was 12 ounces.
Click to expand...
Natchez had Hodgdon Titegroup for $26.99/pound up until the end of 2023. Now it's $37.39. Which is still better than a lot of other vendors.

I've gotten to the point where Natchez is the first place I look for anything reloading-related. They usually have the best prices on powder and bullets. And they have "free Hazmat" sales more frequently than most other vendors...usually at least once per month.

I find that Amazon often has the best prices for non-consumables (parts for reloading equipment, dies, etc.) And free shipping, usually. I bought three shell-holders from them just the other day.

Edit: Here's something to add perspective in this discussion. The cost of powder, as a function of the total cost of a round, can vary quite a bit. As an example, suppose Natchez has a free hazmat sale on a pistol powder marked at $38/pound, and that I get 3 pounds and pay $18 for shipping. I'm loading .38 Special rounds with these powders. I'll throw anywhere from 2.8 to 4.6 grains per round. Let's say an average of 4 grains. There are 7000 grains in a pound. That means my powder cost per round is $0.025...two-and-a-half cents. That's a lot more than it was in the "good old days", but it's not much of the total cost of the round. $0.19 is the cost of new brass from Starline. $0.10-ish for the primer. The bullet is the expensive component. Lead wadcutters are still pretty affordable; jacketed bullets will put me out anywhere from $.25 to $.60 per round, depending upon what I load. I conclude, therefore, that powder cost ought not make us cringe much, if we're talking pistol rounds. 60 grains of $55 powder in a magnum rifle load is pricey.

Availability is what concerns me most about powders.
 
Last edited:
The bottom line is that shooting has gotten a lot more expensive over the past few years, for a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons may eventually go away, but others won't. The new reality is that shooting is simply going to cost more than it did.

My personal response is to emphasize blackpowder far more than I used to - I have always been an enthusiast, but it now is my main concentration. There are two primary benefits: one is that it is much slower paced, so I simply burn less powder and lead per unit of time, and the other is that blackpowder and lead haven't gone up in price at nearly the same rate as smokeless and factory bullets.

Of course, the AR-15 crowd is unlikely to have any real interest in buying a flintlock, which I guess suits me just fine. God forbid they all start hoarding Swiss 3F! :D
 
I should shoot more black powder. I have nearly two pounds of FFFg Goex sitting around the house, and hundreds of projectiles. And plenty of Pyrodex and 777. I'd only have to buy 209 primers or #11 caps, depending upon which rifle I'd shoot.
 
The only time I load 223 is for hunting rifles. ARs shoot the bulk ammo(and I accumulated a bit over the yrs)
What others are saying in this thread on that and 9mm are very true. I actually broke it down for my new shooter, as she thought she might want to load for her 9. An outfit up here just had a sale on Norma 9mm, target ammo. They were selling it for $9.99/50 box, limit 40 boxes(2cases) When I did the math, with tax, it came down to like .24/round. When I broke down the individual components, we couldn't load them for less than .27/round. I told her, buy 2 cases, that'll keep you busy for a while. And seriously, even the regular store price made it .255/round, still cheaper.
Some cartridges it's the best option, those 2, yea save some brass, but you'll be farther ahead buying bulk and shipping the brass off to the recycler
 
Some posters have mentioned that one of the main benefits to them is tailoring loads and significant accuracy improvements. Is this still the case when you buy the most inexpensive bullets, primers, etc... why is there such a disparity in quality between handloaded and factory loaded. I certainly don't doubt it. Just wondering why if I am loading cartridges with identical components, why are the handloads better? Is it because each gun is different, QC in the factory, powder charge variances, etc... I imagine factory loaded bulk ammo is made with the cheapest powder they can source and buying by the pound and testing different powders could be a factor in terms of what your specific gun likes.

Pour it on, it's a subject I'm interested in but after years of poking around and reading reloading threads, it seems like something you have to just do to figure it out, then maybe it becomes clear.
 
DustyGmt said:
Some posters have mentioned that one of the main benefits to them is tailoring loads and significant accuracy improvements. Is this still the case when you buy the most inexpensive bullets, primers, etc... why is there such a disparity in quality between handloaded and factory loaded. I certainly don't doubt it. Just wondering why if I am loading cartridges with identical components, why are the handloads better? Is it because each gun is different, QC in the factory, powder charge variances, etc... I imagine factory loaded bulk ammo is made with the cheapest powder they can source and buying by the pound and testing different powders could be a factor in terms of what your specific gun likes.

Pour it on, it's a subject I'm interested in but after years of poking around and reading reloading threads, it seems like something you have to just do to figure it out, then maybe it becomes clear.
Click to expand...
It is in my rifles. I load 55 grain FMJ over the minimum charge of Tactical Rifle that will cycle my rifles, which is 19 grains, and it shoots better than factory ammo by a good margin. It’s only doing about 2500 fps but I only have a 200 yard range available anyway. I have three loads that are nearly equal or better accuracy than Gold Medal Match in my 308 and an FMJ load that is close.
 
First, you're never going to under-price foreign factory bulk-pack military ammo on sale. Until it gets banned by another stupid liberal law, that is. The whole reloading thing is no longer about saving money...it's about having on hand the supplies to build the ammo you and your guns like, in sufficient quantity, anytime you want.
If you are a casual shooter...say, a couple times a year, you will be better off buying enough of each caliber to last you a couple years. But if you shoot a lot, or don't want somebody telling you what ammo you can buy, or how much of it, then reloading might be in your future. It's about independence and self-sufficiency.
 
I still have a Coleman cooler, sealed down at my farm full of black. F, FF, FFF and FFFFg in real DuPont, original GOI, Curtiss and Harvey, Elephant and maybe one or two others. Stuff doesn’t deteriorate. Sadly, that was a years supply for wife and I in the 70s. Might donate most of it to the scouts.
 
I see my reloading savings in .357 ,44 mag and 300BO. All day long. Personally I still see savings in 3030 and 22-250 cause I’m sitting on cheap components. OP, it’s not much but if you PM me your address I’ll send you 10 or so 45-70 cases I have in the garage. Sold the rifle years ago so I have no need for them.

Also. Casting is a HUGE money saver for me.
 
.38 Special said:
The bottom line is that shooting has gotten a lot more expensive over the past few years, for a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons may eventually go away, but others won't. The new reality is that shooting is simply going to cost more than it did.

My personal response is to emphasize blackpowder far more than I used to - I have always been an enthusiast, but it now is my main concentration. There are two primary benefits: one is that it is much slower paced, so I simply burn less powder and lead per unit of time, and the other is that blackpowder and lead haven't gone up in price at nearly the same rate as smokeless and factory bullets.

Of course, the AR-15 crowd is unlikely to have any real interest in buying a flintlock, which I guess suits me just fine. God forbid they all start hoarding Swiss 3F! :D
Click to expand...
Well, not really....

My AR.
jbFZbCB.jpg


My muzzleloader, which isn't a flint lock, to be true - that's next. :)
yktgEO5.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
  • Locked
New to reloading
Replies
23
Views
846
GP100man
G
Havok7416
  • Locked
.308 Cost Savings
2
Replies
28
Views
2K
dragon813gt
D
PCCUSNRET
  • Locked
Still Cheaper To Reload .223 Even With Higher Component Prices
Replies
5
Views
721
Rule3
Rule3
CMV
  • Locked
FMJ bullet prices way down
Replies
13
Views
1K
longdayjake
longdayjake
N
  • Locked
Cost to reload 55gr M193 Ammo?
Replies
15
Views
2K
Ndenway
N
Back
Top