Reloading really is becoming a labor of love

Lennyjoe

Lennyjoe

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2002
Messages
8,280
Location
Southwestern Ohio
When I first started reloading, there was a cost benefit savings in buying components and spending time on the bench. That was in the last 90’s when primers and powder prices were decent, but now I’m wondering if it’s just a labor of love.

Here’s why I say that. I’m currently in winter mode in Ohio and I do the majority of my mass reloading while the weather is ugly out. Currently loading 1,000 strings of .223 using 55gr Hornady FMJ, H335 and CCI 450 SRM primers. The current cost breakdown sits as follows:

Hornady 55 gr bullets, x1000 $120
Hodgdon H-335 X 4 lbs. $176
.223 use brass x1000. $90
CCI #450 primers X 1000. $95
Total cost $481

I found the following available online for $418 plus shipping and wonder why I even spend hours prepping brass, loading and QC Inspection when I can just order online and be done. Yes, I do get better accuracy with my reloads but is it really worth it in the end?
IMG_0007.png

This doesn’t apply to hunting loads and precision shooting, only to mass reloading to increase my ammo stock for ‘“just in case”

Anyone else feeling the same way?
 
I've never paid for 223 brass and WSR primers at Bass Pro are down to $63 per K. So my costs are lower than yours. But to answer your question, yes, IMO improved accuracy is worth more money. That's why you can't compare the price of tuned hand loads vs low end range fodder. At least that's true for me.

But if the bottom line for you is cost, it looks like you may be losing money.
 
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If you want to make yourself feel better you will have a little powder left over after the 1000 rounds, and you can use the $90 in brass many times. I get your point though, if you count your time it can seem like an effort in futility.

For me its more the ability to do it myself and not have to worry about buying ammo and market prices. If I have componants on hand i do not have to worry about bare shelves. I'm also still using $35 primers and bulk Hornady 55 FMJ that I have had for 6 years. :)

-Jeff
 
For myself I wouldn’t call it exactly a labor of love. It’s a hobby. I LIKE it…a lot.

I have a dedicated room for it and some nice equipment I’ve put together over the years that I enjoy using.

It’s relaxing to go turn on a mix of Cash, Marty Robbin’s, Charlie Pride and set up a run of whatever caliber. It’s also a space to just get away for some quiet time. I don’t crank through the process for max rounds per hour and take my time as I find the whole process calming.

Like you I spend time during the cold and snowy winter months producing ammo that will be shot throughout the summer/fall. I would reload even if the cost was the same or higher than store bought ammo for no other reason than the self sufficiency aspect of it.

However, over 90% of the shooting I do is straight walled pistol cartridges in revolvers and lever action rifles. You mentioned .223 in your post. That brass requires a lot more prep. Prep that I find tedious and is one reason I don’t reload for it. I buy all .223 off the shelf to negate that aspect of the process. I do have dies and components for the caliber just in case (that self-sufficiency thing again).

I might just make some time this weekend to do a run of mid level .32 H&R mag for the wife to shoot. No doubt at one point during that session Marty will be in the background singing ‘Big Iron’ through the speakers.

Taking the dogs for a walk in a couple of hours and afterwards heading to the range to shoot some store bought .223 through a new Ruger M77 International needing to be sighted in.
 
It all depends on one’s use for the ammunition.

There are a lot of extreme defenders of reloading on here even when it doesn’t make financial or time management sense. Or they have components stockpiled from the Reagan era, and good on them; I’ll eventually be one of those people as I buy components when the price is down. Went down that road.

Maybe I’m just in a different point of life kids and their sports, running a business, volunteering on a school board, and being present in the home not just holed up in my reloading room.

For me, in regards to reloading common bulk ammo such as 9mm and 556 and price is in parity with buying bulk new brass ammo; I’ll buy bulk new ammo and use that at the range. For self-defense training with 9mm handguns and 556 carbines I’ll save my time (ones most valuable finite resource). There just isn’t enough difference in accuracy for skills development in this use.

What I do load for is cartridges or loadings where it does make sense. And I fully know there will be many times in the future where my stockpile of components built up along the way for 9mm and 556 will come into use, we've seen some of these instances in recent history, sandy hook, antifa riots, Covid, etc. Maybe some of that time is in my retirement and that sounds like a great retirement plan for activities.

I enjoy reloading and mechanical things, but reloading for the sole purpose to save money on 9mm and 556 range fodder isn’t one of them at this current consumer environment.

When I can get locally 556 for $425-450/1000 and 9mm for $200-225/1000, and with the current prices (not including shipping/hazmat if necessary) of primers ($0.09-0.12), powder ($45-50/#) and projectiles ($0.10-0.12) it’s a no brainer. All the while collecting, processing and cleaning this brass for future use.

I’ll save my time at the reloading bench for varmint 223 loads, target loads, hunting ammunition, subsonic loads, boutique milsurp loads, etc.

In the end I guess you could say I’m reloading what makes sense in my life and stockpiling components when they are a good price for when I have "more discretionary time and less discretionary income.”
 
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Lennyjoe said:
I found the following available online for $418 plus shipping and wonder why I even spend hours prepping brass, loading and QC Inspection when I can just order online and be done. Yes, I do get better accuracy with my reloads but is it really worth it in the end?
Click to expand...
It's worth it to me, and I can load .223 for about .35c per round, or about $350 per 1K. That cost is reusing my brass. Purchased brass obviously raises the cost.

Where it makes most sense to me is the hard or even impossible to find ammo for some of my guns. That is purely from a cost perspective.

But I enjoy reloading sometimes, so sometimes I do it. For me it's a hobby, not a job, and that makes a big difference in how I look at it.

It also sounds to me like you've answered your own question on whether it's worth it. Buy the ammo, then reload the brass, and you can take the cost of the brass out of your reloads.

chris
 
Lennyjoe said:
When I first started reloading, there was a cost benefit savings in buying components and spending time on the bench. That was in the last 90’s when primers and powder prices were decent, but now I’m wondering if it’s just a labor of love.

Here’s why I say that. I’m currently in winter mode in Ohio and I do the majority of my mass reloading while the weather is ugly out. Currently loading 1,000 strings of .223 using 55gr Hornady FMJ, H335 and CCI 450 SRM primers. The current cost breakdown sits as follows:

Hornady 55 gr bullets, x1000 $120
Hodgdon H-335 X 4 lbs. $176
.223 use brass x1000. $90
CCI #450 primers X 1000. $95
Total cost $481

I found the following available online for $418 plus shipping and wonder why I even spend hours prepping brass, loading and QC Inspection when I can just order online and be done. Yes, I do get better accuracy with my reloads but is it really worth it in the end?
View attachment 1191384

This doesn’t apply to hunting loads and precision shooting, only to mass reloading to increase my ammo stock for ‘“just in case”

Anyone else feeling the same way?
Click to expand...
A lot of people buy nato ammo for that reason and hand load the money maker cartridges. I don't shoot 9mm, 223 I do load with 80s mostly for long range, and 308 is my play and experiment cartridge. With 45c being stupid expensive I'm in love with the labor that saves me money... what your loading is the biggest factor....
 
At the risk of ruffling some feathers.......and don't mean to dis anyone here.......but I come from a background where firearms are a tool. Normally, when I bust a cap, something dies. When it comes to ammunition, more important to me than anything else is that I always have a cap to bust on something what needs it. The only reason for extended practice is to be proficient so when it is time to bust a cap, something dies. One shot, one kill mentality.

So concept of mag dumps and spraying up hillsides for the fun of it is about as foreign to me as buying new Titleist golf balls and swatting them into the ocean for the fun of it, then worrying about how much they cost. Or taking my big power boat that measures fuel usage in gallons per mile on a poker run, the worrying about the cost of fuel. I also participate on a shotgun forum, and guys there are shooing 100 rounds a day and constantlty grouse about how much reloading components cost vs. cheap factory ammo.

If cost is an issue, find another way to scratch the itch? Air rifle pellets punch holes in paper too and 1,000 of them cost less than primers alone do. And you can even recover and reuse the lead.

Once upon a time, I had a small sailboat and challenged a guy with a big twin engine cigar boat to a race.......10 miles to an island.....around and back. He laughed in my face until he heard the terms..........we each got 1 gallon of gas.
 
Lennyjoe said:
When I first started reloading, there was a cost benefit savings in buying components and spending time on the bench. That was in the last 90’s when primers and powder prices were decent, but now I’m wondering if it’s just a labor of love.

Here’s why I say that. I’m currently in winter mode in Ohio and I do the majority of my mass reloading while the weather is ugly out. Currently loading 1,000 strings of .223 using 55gr Hornady FMJ, H335 and CCI 450 SRM primers. The current cost breakdown sits as follows:

Hornady 55 gr bullets, x1000 $120
Hodgdon H-335 X 4 lbs. $176
.223 use brass x1000. $90
CCI #450 primers X 1000. $95
Total cost $481

I found the following available online for $418 plus shipping and wonder why I even spend hours prepping brass, loading and QC Inspection when I can just order online and be done. Yes, I do get better accuracy with my reloads but is it really worth it in the end?
View attachment 1191384

This doesn’t apply to hunting loads and precision shooting, only to mass reloading to increase my ammo stock for ‘“just in case”

Anyone else feeling the same way?
Click to expand...
Okay. Now go look up .44Spl, .38Spl, .357Mag, .32Long, .32H&R and .44Mag defense, hunting, and Bullseye commercial ammo. How’s the availability? Can you find $8/50 .44Spl? How about $4/50 .38Spl LHBWC? Find me a box of .45AutoRim with a .456” 255gr WC loaded for Webley Mk.1 pressures for under $20/box of 50 and I’ll listen to the argument that “reloading doesn’t pay.”


Oh, I know the answer! “Turn in all of those old guns for new sneakers and buy a fantastixalpastixal 9mm WunderPistole and a 5.56mm MattyMattel Mouse gun. You’re just too far behind the times!”


If all you shoot is 9mm and 5.56mm NATO then cheap factory is the way to go. For anything else, handloading rules.
 
Lennyjoe said:
When I first started reloading, there was a cost benefit savings in buying components and spending time on the bench. That was in the last 90’s when primers and powder prices were decent, but now I’m wondering if it’s just a labor of love.

Here’s why I say that. I’m currently in winter mode in Ohio and I do the majority of my mass reloading while the weather is ugly out. Currently loading 1,000 strings of .223 using 55gr Hornady FMJ, H335 and CCI 450 SRM primers. The current cost breakdown sits as follows:

Hornady 55 gr bullets, x1000 $120
Hodgdon H-335 X 4 lbs. $176
.223 use brass x1000. $90
CCI #450 primers X 1000. $95
Total cost $481

I found the following available online for $418 plus shipping and wonder why I even spend hours prepping brass, loading and QC Inspection when I can just order online and be done. Yes, I do get better accuracy with my reloads but is it really worth it in the end?
View attachment 1191384

This doesn’t apply to hunting loads and precision shooting, only to mass reloading to increase my ammo stock for ‘“just in case”

Anyone else feeling the same way?
Click to expand...
Not really.

You are paying a premium for your reloading components. All of the component prices that you listed are high but you found the lowest price on ammo.

For a 55 FMJ load, I use a surplus powder and a regular primer, and am loading for half the cost of loaded ammo. That has worked for nearly 30 years.
 
MarshallDodge said:
Not really.

You are paying a premium for your reloading components. All of the component prices that you listed are high but you found the lowest price on ammo.

For a 55 FMJ load, I use a surplus powder and a regular primer, and am loading for half the cost of loaded ammo. That has worked for nearly 30 years.
Click to expand...

Where can I find surplus powder and a regular primer that gets me loading 9mm for $0.10-0.12/round and 5.56 for $0.22-0.23/round? Don't forget an FMJ to top that off.

Sign me up.

I can talk about the primers I have in inventory that I bought at $0.025 and 55gr. SP's I bought at $0.06 and powder at $20/pound. But that does someone buying in today's component cost environment no good.


Here is where I talk in generalities, not poking at you @MarshallDodge.

Too often we compare old component cost to current ammo costs. How about I flip it around and talk about the 5.56 that I bought for $0.15/round that I still have a bit of and ask why should I reload when cost of primers are $0.08/round, FMJ's are $0.10/round and powder is $0.12/round (1# of TAC $42, 26gr). So based on my 1990's era ammo, reloading costs me 2x as much as the ammo I can shoot in my inventory.
 
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I stopped loading 5.56 and 9mm even before the economic downfall. Not worth it. I still have components pre Obumer.
Bought a few cases of each
 
Don’t get me wrong, reloading for things like hunting, precision shooting and SD is still a necessity for me. That and I’m not bulk reloading to “mag dump” or fun shooting, but to have a good supply of ammo for my family to be able to fight to survive.

Yea I get reuse of brass when I go to the range but if I want 5-6,000 rounds in reserve, I need to get brass from somewhere.
 
I've always been one of those who was concerned about the sky falling. Never ran around telling everyone the end is near, but I've always tried my best to be prepared. With that in mind ever since I first began reloading I stopped at the local discount store every Friday to see what they had on sale for primers, powders, and .22LR ammo. And I never left the store without adding to my stash of supplies each week.
As we went through ups and downs of availability or phony price increases, I began to go home occasionally without anything bought. But as soon as things got back to normal I started buying again. During those lean times, or times when prices went nuts I was feeling pretty happy I'd squirreled away components! And in the last few years I'm even happier with lack of supplies, and extreme price increases! I pull out a brick of 1000 primers with a $7.50 price tag on it and just smile.
I also built up my supply of lead to cast, and of course jacketed bullets for cartridges I don't cast for. I don't have an exact count, but I must have 50,000-60,000 primers, and guessing close to 100 lbs. of various powders.
I still buy primers, but only if someone offers them cheap. I had a friend who called me about 18 months ago to say he'd bought a bunch of reloading supplies at an estate sale and that included 12,000 large rifle primers. He wanted to know if I needed any, and I told him I'd buy them all when he said I could have them for $300.
Last fall I bought a guy's entire reloading room of equipment and supplies. I kept all the primers, and a few items, and sold off all the rest to recoup my investment, plus a small profit. So the primers were free, as were some bullets, and a nice Swarovski 20x-60x spotting scope.
I have to keep adding to my reloading stash as almost everything I shoot is 1800's single shot rifles in obsolete cartridges. So if I couldn't reload they'd just be wall hangers, and I'd be getting rid of them.
 
BreechFace said:
Where can I find surplus powder and a regular primer that gets me loading 9mm for $0.10-0.12/round and 5.56 for $0.22-0.23/round? Don't forget an FMJ to top that off.

Sign me up.

I can talk about the primers I have in inventory that I bought at $0.025 and 55gr. SP's I bought at $0.06 and powder at $20/pound. But that does someone buying in today's component cost environment no good.


Here is where I talk in generalities, not poking at you @MarshallDodge.

Too often we compare old component cost to current ammo costs. How about I flip it around and talk about the 5.56 that I bought for $0.15/round that I still have a bit of and ask why should I reload when cost of primers are $0.08/round, FMJ's are $0.10/round and powder is $0.12/round (1# of TAC $42, 26gr). So based on my Reagen era ammo, reloading costs me 2x as much as the ammo I can shoot in my inventory.
Click to expand...
My sources are changing constantly.

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

$230/k loaded

If you are shopping Brownells, Midway, etc, you are taking the easy route but it is costing you.
 
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ballman6711 said:
It also sounds to me like you've answered your own question on whether it's worth it. Buy the ammo, then reload the brass, and you can take the cost of the brass out of your reloads.
Click to expand...

This sounds like a good step in the direction of preserving time in your life as well as getting your costs down on cartridges available in bulk (i.e. 9mm, 5.56 and sometimes 308 Win), while being able to shoot and stay proficient.
 
I see where you are coming from. But yes like others said it is a hobby, and unlike other hobbies when you look at it from a cost standpoint, it really does not cost you anything. You would spend basically that on ammo anyway right? So why not do something you enjoy as well. I am assuming you enjoy reloading for whatever reason, I sure as hell do.

I find reloading as just a calm and peaceful time, I enjoy it greatly....I unplug from the world while doing it.
 
Otto said:
^^^^ This price doesn’t include shipping. So add another $88. Total cost is $506.
That exceeds what you’re paying to reload.
Click to expand...

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$0.45/round $9 flat rate shipping
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Prvi PPU 5.56x45mm NATO Ammunition M193 PP52 55 Grain Full Metal Jacket 1000 rounds - PP52CASE - $449.95 ($8.99 Flat Rate Shipping)

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I can currently get 223/556 locally for $0.42-0.44/round for PMC, Federal, other random manufacturers, it's whatever the owner can get in. All his bulk ammo arrives on pallets and he sells off them. Very low overhead just pallet jacks, a counter and some shelving for individual box ammo.
 
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For the most part, my handloads fill a need that can't otherwise be reasonably met by the factories. There are exceptions, though. For example, if I could find essentially mil-spec .30-'06 for my Garand, at a price comparable to my cost of handloads, I would jump all over it. This seems fairly analogous to the OP's situation, so in his shoes, I think I'd buy the factory stuff.
 
.38 Special said:
For the most part, my handloads fill a need that can't otherwise be reasonably met by the factories.
Click to expand...
This is something that most don't consider. I can load .223 62gr hollow points for almost the same as 55gr fmj's if I catch the bullets on sale. 62gr hp's are not even close to fifty cents a round, maybe $1 a round for factory ammo IF you can find it.

chris
 
In general, my time is far more valuable for me than my money, so unless I'm really getting something out of my ammo, I'm not spending my TIME to make it. I reloaded tens and hundreds of thousands of rounds of blasting ammo when I was action shooting, but for high speed, low drag shooting today, I'm happy to order a case of ammo and pay someone else's diluted overhead costs rather than committing my time in less cost efficient manufacturing. I reload my precision and specialty ammo, but I'll blast with and hunt with factory fodder with a smile on my face. Same reason I won't cast bullets any longer - I'm not making anything so special that I can't buy them in a relatively cost effective price relative to my time, so I don't waste time making bullets. It's pretty easy to return a profit against my time saved by NOT reloading a few thousands rounds of 223 and 9mm blasting ammo each year by putting those hours to work in other business ventures, and the intrinsic value of NOT spending more time at the reloading bench and more time doing other passions is certainly palpable, even if it's not monetized.
 
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