Reloading is it worth it?

[dcloco]

Example of 204 ruger, INCLUDING buying new brass, loading the new brass 10 times and throwing away....

If you shoot 5000 rounds in a year, you will have saved enough money to purchase ALL of the components consumed and purchase ALL of the reloading equipment....you will save, on 5000 rounds (375x5= $1725 to $700x5= $3500!!!)

My reloaded 204 rounds costs:

Bullet ($33/250 count) 0.13
Powder ($135/8lbs) 0.07
Primer ($23/1000) 0.03
case (use 10 times, $17/100) 0.02

Twenty five cents per round....or $5 per box of 20 ....or $25/100....or...$250/1000 rounds.


For reference...check Cabela's website. Prices range from 124.99 to 189.99 per 200 rounds. So...$625/1000 to $950/1000 (plus shipping). Hmmm...$375 to $700 to spend on components and reloading equipment....on your FIRST 1000 rounds. Same amount on the second 1000. (note...do NOT try this logic on your wife....you will be buying SHOES or EARINGS or SOME GOOD SMELLY STUFF instead).

Bottom line...saving $1725 to $3000 is some serious cash. I load approximately 5K rounds per year, total, of various calibers. Some are cheaper to reload for, some are more expensive. I load for ACCURACY and the cost savings. There is no way that I could afford to purchase 2000 rounds of 204 per year...let alone rounds for my 357 mag, 44 mag, 17 Remington, 223, 243, 6.5x55, 270, & 7.5x55.

Thursday afternoon, as witnessed by my prairie dog hunting partner, I shot two different prairie dogs, on two different mounds, at 445 yards, one after the other. Yes, it cost me 50 cents, but it was worth it. Had it been store bought ammo, the cost would have been close to a dollar per shot.

 

[dcloco]

Hmm...how much for a GOOD ...no make that a GREAT basic reloading set.

Midway/Frankford Arsenal tumbler combo - on sale this month - $50
Forster/Bonanza CoAs press - $229
Forster die lock collars 12 for $33
Forster case trimmer & pilots - $50
Hornady Model M scale - $55
Hornady powder throw - $85
Digital caliper - $15
Dies - I LIKE Redding - Deluxe set with neck die - $75
Corn Cob media - $5
Flitz - to make your brass shine - $5
Primer pocket uniformer - $15
Primer hole flash remover - $9
Case neck chamfer tool - inside - Lyman VLD - $12
Case neck debur tool - $10
Reloading recipes - free online
Reloading manual - $40

About $700.

Your first group of five and all are touching - PRICELESS!

 

[yhtomit]

As someone gearing up to do it right now, I think reloading *will* be worth it

- for moderate quantities of ammo, I am happy with the speeds I anticipate (eventually) with the turret press I ordered today; while there is a generally given range that goes "up to 250 rounds / hour" for it, I'll be satisfied with considerably less than that.

- it looks like a fun, interesting, involving hobby that will happen to let me shoot more often. It's nice to be involved in multiple aspects of the same activity.

- Initial investment doesn't need to be high; even considering the several tools / implements I have yet to purchase to complete my own setup, the tools themselves should end up costing less than $400 (press, dies for .45ACP, scale, calipers, tumbler, a couple of reloading manuals, a few bins and buckets), and that's for all-new equipment. (Even if I am tempted into more of the worthy accessories dcloco lists above, I'll come in well under $700, just because I went with a press / dies combo that costs considerably less.)

- Ammo prices are uncertain but show a strong tendency to rise The more independent I am of the need to buy new boxed ammo, the better, and the more valuable a frequently discarded commodity (fired brass) becomes to me. I'm still dependent on factory-made primers, smokeless powder, brass (in the long run) and bullets (unless I get into casting etc), but it will be cheaper to stock up further ahead on all of those than on factory ammo after not very long.

timothy

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I've been reloading 40 S&W for the last year or so and I just recently began reloading 357 magnum. Right now, my 40 S&W rounds are averaging 11 cents/round compared to 25-30 cents for quality factory ammo, no wolf or CCI blazer. My 357 rounds are averaging 12 cents/round, compared to over 30 cents/round factory. I enjoy reloading also, its a great hobby, I enjoy the process of making my own ammo.

So far I have loaded 3000 rounds of 40 S&W 155 grain Rainier bullets for about $340. Compare this to Fiocchi factory ammo, which is what I used to shoot, and I would have spent $750. Is reloading worth it? Hell yes!

My 357 rounds will end up costing me about $225 for 2000 of'em. These are 125 grain semi jacketed soft points from Remington, I got a screamin deal on Midway. Today in Sportsman's Warehouse, Winchester 357 ammo was $17/50 x 40 boxes = $680. This is a 70% savings!.

As others have mentioned here, I use the money savings to buy more bullets, primers, and powder, so I end up shooting 50% more ammo for the same cost as half the amount of factory ammo.

Even if I factor in the cost for my Lee turret press and dies, my cost per box of 50 for both the 357 and the 40 is just over $6/50 and its better ammo.

Reloading is most certainly worth it, I'm never going back to factory ammo.

One more tidbit, I bought 1000 once fired 40 S&W brass for $20, so brass cost is negligible. I can probably reload these cases 10 times, as I am loading light target rounds.

 

[jeepmor]

No, complete waste of time. Leave your empties at the range for me.

Seriously, it's a hobby just like your guns are. It keeps me in the gun hobby when I can't be shooting. It goes well and makes it more enjoyable. I have two kitchen cabinets in my garage lightly loaded with stuff over about a year. Gunbroker here, craigslist there, some Sportsman's Warehouse visit, a few trips to Bi-Mart. Goes well with outdoor lifestyles. I reload only a few calibers. Hunting calibers coming soon, pistols and .223 taken care of because I go through volumes there. And I like working with my hands a lot. I mean a lot, I have a garage stuffed with 3 hobbies that overlap plenty of tools, (jeep, home improvement, reloading) and a few hobbies storing the hobbies involving the outdoors. Backpacking, jeep gear, and a boat too.

Outdoors is my preferred mode of operation. Reloading makes the outdoor endevour anticipation and arrival all the sweeter. I'm a DIY type, so it fits. If you are not, see my first two sentences in this thread.

 

[Cowboybootnut]

I am with the previous posts about reloading being relaxing, and just plain fun. I don't shoot as much as I use to, but when I did, it was nice to go to my reloading area a work up 50-100 rounds of what ever caliber I was shooting at the time.

It was also challenging because I reloaded some of the smaller pistol calibers, .25 acp and .32 acp.

 

[baz]

It's not going to be worth it for everybody. But it is for me. I leave out the cost of brass and the up front cost of the equipment, as well as the opportunity cost of my time. I look only at the incremental cost of powder and bullets. I then compare that to the cost of commercially purchased ammo. Even a round like 9mm, which can be purchased commercially cheaply enough, can generate quite a bit of savings: I can load up a practice round comparable to WWB for about half the cost of Wally World WWB 9mm. I can load up 357 magnum practice rounds for less than a quarter of the cost of a box of the commercial equivalent. The savings are less on rounds for hunting or social work because then you are buying higher quality bullets.

Once you have the equipment, then you can ignore the equipment cost in deciding to load additional calibers. I'm not loading rifle calibers yet, but it is only a matter of time before I start loading .223. When the milsurp is all gone, and Wolf is in short supply, reloading .223 looks cheap at any cost.

 

[dairycreek]

Please convince me If I'm wrong. It would take many thousands of rounds to break even and even then the overall savings would be negligable.

This is not a straightforward question at all. The answer depends on both how much one shoots and what one is shooting. Between my son-in-law and I we shoot 1K to 2K rounds per month. However, some of my son-in-law's rifle calibers are pretty exotic and will cost over $100/box new. Once we have the correct brass for these exotic calibers the savings offered by reloads are appreciable.

If I were just shooting 9mm handgun I would not bother with handloading. But, depending on how much and what is shot the savings do mount up.

 

[Eljay]

I've justified buying a lot of stuff (guns, cars, motorcycles) by just thinking "anything you can buy, you can sell" if you don't like it sell the stuff. I own 8 presses and a bunch gear,but a lot was bought used (yard sales are great for deals). I've loaded aprox. 400 different loads. How many different factory loads do you shoot? I have 20 powders and 40 different bullets on the shelf right now. Reloading is a hobby in it's self.

 

[Deavis]

Please convince me If I'm wrong. It would take many thousands of rounds to break even and even then the overall savings would be negligable

Search for "reloading cost" there are lots of threads covering this topic with cost breakdowns. The short summary is that if you shoot enough to seriously consider reloading, you will pay less for ammo over the long run than buying factory. How fast you recoup depends on how much you shoot and how you buy your supplies. Buy in bulk, i.e. a case of bullets (4k 9mm), the largest jug of powder (8#), etc. Reloading supplies don't spoil easily

The truth is that you don't actually save money, you just shoot more.

 

[Antipasta]

Jeepmor, you make a good point; it is a natural attraction to DIYers. I take it as a sign of failure on my part if I have to pay to have brakes fixed or if I have to call a plumber or electrician. There's something very satisfying about taking things apart and fixing them, even if I have to go out and buy a book and learn it from scratch. Reloading is no different and it satisfies my creative and independent side.

 

[lawboy]

I love reloading and bullet casting. If I could not do it, I would likely stop shooting. I long ago stopped doing it to save money. I couldn't care less about whether I save money. It is a great activity and learning experience.
YMMV.

 

[koja48]

If you shoot A LOT - Yes. If you're a casual "Hey, think I'll go shooting today," kinda person, then No. If you are in a desperate search for a new addiction . . . buy a press. Reloading puts the "Zen" in shooting . . . I reload for a multitude of calibers, but wouldn't give it up if I only reloaded for one (yeah, like THAT will ever happen!).

 

[yhtomit]

Dairycreek - what calibers are those? (yikes!)

"This is not a straightforward question at all. The answer depends on both how much one shoots and what one is shooting. Between my son-in-law and I we shoot 1K to 2K rounds per month. However, some of my son-in-law's rifle calibers are pretty exotic and will cost over $100/box new. Once we have the correct brass for these exotic calibers the savings offered by reloads are appreciable."

A box of how many?! And what kind of ammo is that, anyhow? This sounds like a great way to reduce wars; make governments use expensive ammo, and get authorization from the taxpayers who'd be paying the check.

timothy

 

[ilbob]

It's alot like getting into solar power.
It costs a good deal to get into, but the accumulated savings down the road are immeasurable.

Except that unless someone else is paying for a substantial part of your solar power setup, you will never recover the money you put into it if you consider the time value of the money itself.

 

[Hazzard]

I'd have to agree that it depends on the caliber that you shoot and the quantity. I bought a Lee loadmaster set up for 45ACP when I got into IDPA and, at the same time, my 2 kids (young adults?) started to express a real interest in going to the range with me. It took a little over 2 months for me to pay for the press in cost savings. Bear in mind that I already had all of the other required equipment such as powder scale, etc. and I have free brass available that I pick up at the range.

I also just started reloading for a Puma rifle in .454 Casull and I can load rounds that duplicate factory rounds that cost $28 per 20 for about $14, and that includes the cost of the brass. After the first loading, the cost decreases because I have the brass already (at $6 per 20) Now that's a cost savings!

 

[tasco 74]

the way i got into reloading i certainly shoot cheaper than factory..... bought my bair heavy cast press used from my brother in law,bought lee speed dies,lee scale,another lee reloader press used at a gunshow,bought most of my brass once fired .38 spls at gunshows,...... i'm thinkin i don't have $100 in equipment and tools....... i shoot bullets i cast myself from recovered lead and wheel weights..... i bet my ammo cost is somewhere around 10 for a penny!!

 

[TEDDY]

one item not mentioned is the question ??? what are you going to shoot when ammo dries up.many are talking about lack of surplus ammo.I havn't bought pistol ammo for 20 yrs or more.
get a Lee clasic turret press /dies/ powder measure.yes dillons are great and so are the rest.but they are much more expensive.lee has state of art machines and designs. soon you may want to cast your own lee molds and pots are inexpensive[not cheap]I have just bought 4 molds to add to the 20 I have. my powder was bought yrs ago 100 lbs and primers also.my cost is cent a round.bullets no cost/ case no cost/ primers at 5 per 1000/powder 5 lb
course this was when I bought them.20 a pound now.primers 20 a 1000 now.
people spend to much time worrying about cost.reloading and shooting has kept me alive and going.(I'm 83).thats another good reason.

 

[eaglef1]

Would anyone be able to share how much money you can save, when purchasing components online, if you have a C&R?

 

[RustyFN]

I haven't found where I can save much on components but you can save a lot of money on other things. Here are some examples of what you can buy at Brownels.
Rusty

078-000-107
30-Round AR-15/M16 Magazine w/Chrome Silicon Spring $17.95 Dealer
$12.50

High Cap Mags
Gun Parts
078-000-113
30-Round AR-15/M16 Magazine w/SS Spring $17.95 Dealer $12.50

High Cap Mags
Gun Parts
078-000-159
20-Round AR-15/M16 Magazine w/Chrome Silicon Spring $17.95 Dealer$12.50

High Cap Mags
Gun Parts
078-000-160
20-Round AR-15/M16 Magazine w/SS Spring $17.95 Dealer $12.50

892-800-432
TA01 4 x 32 Scope $990.00 Dealer $792.00


Scope Parts

892-800-433
TA01b 4 x 32 Scope $1,045.00 Dealer $836.00

 

[wcwhitey]

It is a hobby in and of itself. It is one of the few hobbies I have had that can actually save me money, so it is good hobby to have. As far as the cost savings goes that will change over time as well. In the not so distant past you could buy surplus .308 and .223 dirt cheap and 38 Special was $5.00 a box, hardly justified firing up the press. All I was reloading for a while was .45 ACP and .44 Spec/Mag which was always expensive. Now I load just about every round I shoot, some I save a little, some I save alot. I use a RCBS Rock Chucker Master Kit purchased over 30 years by my father. The dies and components are as good now as they ever were. They have paid for themselves many times over. Anyway you get the point, once you learn the process you are not a slave to the ammo market, you shoot what you want when you want. If I were to offer some advice, take note of your shooting habits and once you establish your pet loads and recipes buy in bulk. The real savings is buying in quantity. Bill

 

[scrat]

if you are buying all your components the answer is no.

If you are looking for quality ammo the answer is yes.

if you get into casting your own bullets the answer is hell yes.


so that about sums it up

 

[philbo]

I also just started reloading for a Puma rifle in .454 Casull

Wow! same rifle made me move towards reloading. Now I am loading for pistol and rifle. I save over buying ammo at retail, but more than anything is the satisfaction of producing more accurate ammo. Saving money is just icing on the cake as I do not look at reloading as a chore but as a reward.

 

[glockman19]

With CA microstamping & ammo bans/limits possibly on the horizon I'm leaning closer and closer to joing the ranks of reloaders. I'm narrowing it down to Dillion 550 or 650. I'll be loading 5.56/.223, 7.62/.308, .45, 9mm & .38 special & .357. Also some .30-06

Thank you for all of your advice. I'll load up buying as much ammo as I can and just keep the brass for when I need it. Next issue will be who's bullets to buy? I have a Sierra poster with all of their bullets. Who else should I be loooking at? Speer? Hornaday?

 

[Sunray]

"...easy to pick up at the range..." Lots of ranges will ask you not to come back if you help yourself to the brass laying around and you have no idea how that brass has been treated.
Reloading in NOT about saving money. It's about using the best possible ammo in your firearms. It lets you shoot more as well. The endless search for the best price for ammo goes away too.
Milsurp ammo is not loaded for great accuracy. It's loaded for reliablity. The better stuff anyway.