Should I start reloading?

[Joe7cri]

Hello everyone,

An old timer convinced me to start reloading to save some money when I shoot and he mentioned all the other benefits (Accuracy, Fun Hobby, SHTF Skill, etc...), but when I started to price components I figured it would cost me a lot more to reload. Maybe I did something wrong but the way I figure it, I'll spend $.18 per shot just for powder, forget about the price of the bullet and primer. This was figured using the formula of 5.5 grams of powder per shot and a 4 lb. container of powder costing $60.00. Is this correct, does it cost about $.18 per shot for powder?

Right now I'm only paying $.12 per shot for factory 9mm, and $.22 per shot for factory .45. I realize I'm not getting the same accuracy or the enjoyment that I'd get from reloading but money is a major concern. Please advise, did I miscalculate?

Also, before I get bashed, I did read the sticky "Questions on Costs of handloading" but I couldn't open the zip on my MAC.

 

[benedict1]

WHOA!

You need to be very careful--GRAINS NOT GRAMS! There are 7000 grains per pound. Powder is the least expensive item!

Suggest you get a good intro. book on reloading--

 

[Hazzard]

You won't use 5.5 grams for a load on 9mm or 45ACP
I believe you have grams confused with grains. 7000 grains in a pound.

$60 for 4 pounds = $15/pound

7000 grains/pound = $.0021 per grain

5.5 grains/load = $.011

 

[Joe7cri]

That's why I posted the question, I saw a data sheet which said min. 5.1gr max 5.7gr and figured it was grams.

Thanks for the Help, I can now place my order with midway.

 

[Hazzard]

Please include a good reloading manual with your order. And read it thoroughly before you start. And we're here to answer questions as well.

 

[dtalley]

Go ahead and place that order. The people here are great and will answer any question you have. I should know because I ask questions all the time and always get excellent answers.

Enjoy reloading

 

[Joe7cri]

Thanks for the support, The guy who first suggested reloading told me said he would also help set me up and walk through everything with me.

 

[RustyFN]

Joe I don't have an exact number but I think I am close. I figured I can reload 9mm for $6 to $7 per 100 as long as I save brass and don't have to buy any. Thats about half price of Winchester value pack.

 

[Ditchtiger]

If you go further into reloadind and cast your own the price drops by half again.

 

[wuchak]

I suggest that you get a couple of books to learn more about it. Also pay a visit to www.handloads.com.

The ABC's of Reloading is an excellent book. Takes you through reloading from beginning to end.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=738288

Lee's Modern Reloading manual provides a great guide to loading and serves as an excellent reference for load data. For the price you can't beat it. He gives the hard sell on Lee loading equipment but if you can overlook that the information is excellent. Lee stuff is very good by the way. Especially for the price.
http://www.midwayusa.com/ebrowse.exe/brandlisting

I like to resize and deprime in a batch with my Lee Handpress (let's you do it outside or in the living room while watching tv) and then run the shells through the tumbler. If I don't feel like using the handpress I use a Lee single stage press mounted to a piece of plywood and clamped to a Black the Workmate 225 ($19.95 at Amazon right now which is a killer deal. It's solid and works great for a portable reloading bench as well as for projects around the house.)

Once the brass is clean I clean the primer pockets and check that all the shells and flashholes are free of cleaning media.

Next is to prime all the brass using a Lee Handprime tool. It's fast, easy, and safe. Working quickly it's easy to prime 100 shells in under 5 minutes. With the priming tool you can also prime anyplace.

Next it's onto the Lee turret press which is setup with the expander die with the Autodisk powder dispenser (very accurate), seating die, and the factory crimp die. Once started a completed round comes off the press about every 5 seconds.

I think I have about $300 invested in equipment and that includes calipers, .357 dies, brass tumbler, hand press, turret press, scale, case trimmer, single stage press, hand primer, and powder measure. At one point I put together a spreadsheet calculating the cost of each round including primer, brass, powder, and bullet. As I recall it came out to about $6 - $7 for a box of 50 full power .357's loaded with Remington 180 grain JHP's. The Remington factory load of the same bullet is currently selling at Midwayusa for $29.49 a box of 50. At that savings the loading equipment only took about about 700 rounds to pay for itself.

You probably will not spend any less money on ammo reloading than you did buying it. You'll just have more to shoot and you'll be shooting premium ammo that is custom tuned to your guns for less than the price of the cheapest factory ammo on the shelf.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Please get AT LEAST three manuals for cross-checking data.

And welcome to the addiction!!

 

[MartinBrody]

Should I start reloading?

Yes, it is almost as much fun as shooting.

Right now I'm only paying $.12 per shot for factory 9mm, and $.22 per shot for factory .45.

Thats $6 a box for 9mm and $11 a box for .45? Sounds too good to be true.

 

[FortyRodRay]

I have found after more than a half century of loading that there is no end to learning. I strongly advise you go to the closest range and find someone there who will walk you through the motions. I know that every chap on this board would. I wish you were down in Dixie. There is nothing like seeing the equipment work.

I keep an old Pacific "Super Delux", Redding scale, and Bond measure for any friend who wants to get started. They have been around the track a few times. Free pamphlets with suggested loads are not books on handloading. I agree with all who say that you cannot have too many references. I like Phil Sharpe's books to go along with any of the modern books. A good man to begin with even if he is out of print.

Good luck and straight shooting.

 

[Run&Shoot]

Substantial savings!

Here is my latest calculations for the cost of relaoding.

Case: $0.03
Essentailly free (pick up at range, plus, you surely are going to shoot 200+ rounds of factory ammo to test fire your defense load right?) In the years I have shot I only bought new cases when I just *couldn't* wait to shoot that much facotry ammo to save up cases. But mostly I have far more cases then I need at any one time. But let's say you buy all of your cases new and use them 5 times (you may easily get 10 uses out of them if not loading max pressures all the time). Let's say about $15 per 100 cases X 5 loads per case = three cents per load.

Bullet: $0.05
Lead is about $20-$30/500 depending on brand and caliber. Say average of $25/500 which equals $0.05 per bullet

Primer: $0.01 (about $10/1000)

Powder: $0.03
Depending on caliber and powder it could be anything from 4 gr to 24 gr per handgun case. Let's say an average of 10 gr. 7000 gr per pound at 10 gr per case equals about 700 rounds per pound of powder. A pound of powder costs about $15-$20, so let's use the high side for cost. That gives us $20 per 700 rounds or about three cents per round.

Total is about $0.12 per loaded case, or about $6.00 per box of 50. But I believe that is on the high side. For instance in 9mm I know I have gotten loads per shell, and bullets for about $20 and only use about 5.0 grains of Win 231, and I have never bought cases to begin with. So my cost for 9mm is about 7 cents maximum, or about $3.50 per box of 50.

I would estimate that across a few handgun cartridges you might average $4 - $5 per box of 50. I have not seen many places to buy even the cheapest factory ammo at much less than $10/box these days.

 

[Cowboybootnut]

Once you get all the equipment and manuals, I concur that you also need to have someone experienced to "show you the ropes." I was lucky in that I had a good friend who showed me the reloading basics and let me use his reloading equipment, before I bought mine.

Once you get it going, you will find that reloading is not only economical, but relaxing.

But remember, just like baseball's old saying of "Keep You Eye On The Ball" you have to keep your mind on reloading, you can get hurt, or cause damage to equipment.