The math on reloading... how different it is

[otisrush]

I started reloading because I thought it would be fun, interesting, and give me more accurate ammo. The cost savings (if you wanna call $/round savings savings even though I'm shooting more) were a nice bennie - not a justification for loading in the first place.

The myriad "Is it worth it to load [9mm, .223]?" threads I found interesting. I get why people might view reloading as only a cost savings venture, but as @kmw1954 pointed out, we all have hobbies where we don't look for justification based on saving money. We do them because they're fun. I'd load my own ammo if it cost more than what I could buy.

I recently tested some 9mm loads. This picture explains why I load: When i step on the firing line with ammo I've loaded myself I'm confident in what I've got and have a significant amount of personal satisfaction in the fact I'm the one that went through the work to find an optimum load.

I've said this before but I'll say it again: It's especially *fun* to be able to manufacture ammunition when there is a drought - but reloaders don't have any inherent ability to better weather ammo droughts than non-reloaders. The key to weathering an ammo drought is stocking up - whether that's reloading components or loaded ammo. In a drought both are hard to come by.

 

[Reloadron]

During the early to mid 90s I was loading Sierra 168 gr Match King bullets at about maybe $0.15 a bullet and remember thinking I could buy Remington UMC or Winchester White Box per round for less than I was paying for a bullet. Well close anyway. They say when you hand load you really don't save any money but you do shoot more. I began rolling my own in 1972 when I came home from Vietnam with a fascination of snipers and their ammunition. Interesting because with all in all over 9 years in the Marine Corps while drawn to accurate shooting I never saw or met a sniper.

Retired now with plenty of time and living here in frozen NE Ohio winters are especially boring so I load those load recipes which have proven themselves in my guns. Happy to be well stocked with components and been doing quite a bit of .45 ACP and 38 Special as well as 357 Magnum loadings. Just bought more ammo cans from Midway using their birthday pricing. Maybe next week I'll move on to .308 Win, .223 Remington and some 30-06 Springfield stuff. When and if spring ever gets here I should be in good shape. Nice being older and retired with kids who have kids of their own and plenty of time to do the things I and my wife enjoy. Damn COVID has put a damper on some of our winter plans but there is always ammunition to load and plenty of time to do it.

Ron

 

[WestKentucky]

I like odd. Anybody buying .256 Winchester magnum for blasting ammo these days? $2-3 a round is fairly normal, and prices keep climbing as supply dries up since they quit making it several years back. Reloading in blocks of 100 I put in about $3 worth of primer, $1 of powder, and $20 worth of bullet. Call it a dollar worth of amortization and energy used between tumbling, lighting, and heating/cooling. That’s a nice round number of $25. I only shoot about a hundred rounds a year through that gun but that’s still over $200 in saved money when compared to buying blasting ammo. That $200 would buy both of my presses in one year, and 5 sets of dies each year. So with 400 rounds, I have paid for my entire reloading setup, and that doesn’t even touch the other 20 calibers I reload for.

I have recently started casting bullets. I dropped about 400 bucks into it so far and have plenty lead to last me a while. I only got 1 mold before the casting rush hit so I’m kinda stuck at the moment but that will clearly pay for itself even if I’m buying lead at around $2 a pound and not fooling with wheel weights. That puts me at $6 per hundred bullets $2 in powder, and $2 in primers for 38sw or 38 spl. $5 a box ain’t bad. 50 boxes of loaded rounds will save enough to pay the difference between buying component bullets and casting. More like 25 boxes of comparing buying factory ammo.

 

[mdi]

I gave up counting pennies/costs of my handloads about 35 years ago. One way to ruin an enjoyed pastime is to attach $$$ to it.

How much does that fish you caught cost you? Bait, transportation, licenses/tags, boat costs, not to count the temporary equipment like line that is replaced often and lures, sinkers and other hardware often lost vs what you would pay at the market?

 

[kcofohio]

I'm like some here. I got into reloading shortly after finding a gun range to join. First couple of trips in town to find the right ammo did it. Yeah, I used the excuse of saving money, but that's a long forgotten thought.
Though I still look for deals, cost vs. ammo price usually isn't given a thought.

 

[sparkyv]

I'm an Excel junky. Tracking the cost is part of the reloading challenge and enjoyment for me.

COSTS? What are Costs? I do it because I enjoy it not because I am trying to save a penny.

I stopped keeping track of the cost of reloading tools.

I have never totaled up what my equipment cost because I can't figure it out. I

I enjoy it, don’t think I ever put a round or box price tags on it.

I gave up counting pennies/costs of my handloads about 35 years ago. One way to ruin an enjoyed pastime is to attach $$$ to it.

 

[blackd24]

I'm an Excel junky. Tracking the cost is part of the reloading challenge and enjoyment for me.

If I knew how much I spent I might feel the need to stop spending... out of sight out of mind. Reload, unload, reload, unload.

 

[Charlie98]

Reload, unload, reload, unload.

It's the Circle of Life!

Looking at some of the posts above... I mentioned previously about not loading 9mm and 5.56mm. One of the reasons is because of how I use those particular firearms. 9mm is a defensive round to me, I don't own a 9mm that would be considered a target pistol, I don't carry 9mm reloads as defensive ammos, but I don't want to shoot expensive SD ammo for practice (beyond proving the function in the weapon and turning it over every 6 months.) Generic WWB (et al) provides that to me without sacrificing a bunch of time yanking the handle upstairs. Same-same with 5.56mm ammos, which requires even more time to prep and reload. Now, the caveat to that is target ammo... I did (and do) load 5.56mm intended to be fired for accuracy (in my H-Bar, for example.) I could also say the same thing about 7.62mm general practice ammo... at .40-50/rd for factory, I'll pay that all day long for out of the box ammos. Of course, those days are long gone, well... at least for now, so I've actually spent some money on power tools that will expedite the case prep process. No, I'm not trying to amortize out the cost... these days you do it or you don't shoot... and that's a price I'm not willing to pay.

 

[.308 Norma]

Four years ago I was "embarassed" to admit I was reloading 9mm.

I just enjoy the process.

I'm sure there are many things people (including myself) that "enjoy" doing things they are embarrassed to admit they do. But reloading isn't one of them as far as I'm concerned. I love reloading and I'm not embarrassed to admit it.
I've said it before - I've even bought guns because I thought they would be fun to load for. On the other hand, before the current "crises," I didn't load 9mm very often because, even though I'm retired and have the time, building different ammos for various revolvers (32 Mag thru 45 Colt) is more fun to me.

 

[cfullgraf]

I enjoy reloading as a hobby itself. The fact that I save a bit on ammunition costs is an added benefit.

As part of the hobby, I enjoy trying new cartridges and new tools and equipment.

 

[mdi]

Hmm. I reload 9mm ( and 9mm for my defensive ammo). I also reload 32 Auto. I also have reloaded 44 Special with 123 gr. balls. Not embarrassed by any...

 

[Zendude]

It didn’t take long for reloading to pay for itself for all the 38 special and 32 magnum I shot.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Heck yes.. my justification even when WWB 9mm was .16-.17 per round was i could make it a few cents cheaper but the accuracy was considerably better. Now regardless of accuracy the math is largely in favor.

It will be nice to look back on this thread when the new normal stabilizes and the threads start popping up again about us it really worth reloading xyz cartridge

My handgun shooting isn't good enough to see the difference.
It still isn't worth it to reload for me because I have a good stock pile.
I do have reloading supplies if I need too.

 

[buck460XVR]

For most of us, saying we are saving money on ammo by reloading is like saying we are saving money on food by hunting.


Just sayin'....

 

[kcofohio]

Hmm. I reload 9mm ( and 9mm for my defensive ammo). I also reload 32 Auto. I also have reloaded 44 Special with 123 gr. balls. Not embarrassed by any...

I didn't keep my 32 Auto long. After recovering only 25% of the casing, talk about an easter egg hunt amongst spent 22lr littering the grounds.

 

[sparkyv]

That's a worse recovery ratio than my 10mm!

I didn't keep my 32 Auto long. After recovering only 25% of the casing, talk about an easter egg hunt amongst spent 22lr littering the grounds.

 

[.308 Norma]

For most of us, saying we are saving money on ammo by reloading is like saying we are saving money on food by hunting.

For sure...I never say either of those things.
However, there's something I like about cleanly taking a nice sized big game animal with one of my own handloads - even if that handload cost me half again as much as a factory load would have, and even if those venison steaks cost me half again as much as prime rib if I was to total everything up.

 

[WestKentucky]

For most of us, saying we are saving money on ammo by reloading is like saying we are saving money on food by hunting.


Just sayin'....

You forgot fly tying and rebuilding old cars.

 

[AJC1]

You forgot fly tying and rebuilding old cars.

Fly tying is about keeping my 11 year old from loosing them all the time... somehow investing his time making them cause a lot more consern about loosing them. I make him size brass when he gets to trigger happy. Personal investment seems to temper their carelessness...

 

[Reloadron]

<Off Topic> but somewhat humorous.

We can all pretty much agree those of us who reload do it for a myriad of reasons or reasoning with a few common denominators. So like fishing it's a hobby and not always an inexpensive hobby. Yes, I can buy fish for likely less than I can catch them. At least when I reload I know I will come away with something but fishing not so much. I like fishing simply for the relaxation.

So my brother the avid fishing type calls me, I want to say it was 2013 right after I retired. Wants me to go Muskie Fishing with him on Lake St. Clair which is in Michigan and actually bordered by Michigan and Canada. So I need a temporary Michigan and Canada fishing license. OK, why not. My brother has two of his friends lined up making a party of four. I figure I am not going to drive to Detroit on the Saturday but will drive up on Friday and I book a motel. I am in heavy traffic about 3 miles short of my exit and motel when the truck feels funny. Yeah, a look down reveals 4500 RPM and I am doing 50 MPH. Poor engine was screaming. I make it to the hotel, get checked in and ask the clerk if there is a neighborhood bar close. Well right across the street. So I walk across the street to ponder my problem. A few guys sit beside me at the bar and a conversation starts. The guy beside me is smashed and in conversation I mention my dead truck. Lucky me the drunk guys buddy just opened a repair shop so he calls the guy and hands me the phone. Nice guy and I explain my nightmare. Apparently God was with me because his shop is about 2 miles up the road. So I leave the bar and bid a farewell to my newfound friends. Walk across the street and take my truck to this guy and he gives me a ride back to my motel. My brother is there so I clued him in. The guy with my truck will call me Monday with a damage report after he looks at it.

So we show up at the boat Saturday morning early and one of my brother's friends is a no show. So now we divide by three for boat and mate tip. Boat and tip went from $250 each to $333 each but OK, nothing to do. Told my brother never invite friends whose wives won't let them go fishing! Fortunately I have a very good old friend who lives in Canton, Michigan just outside Detroit. We go back 50 years growing up NY. So I call Steve and he comes and gets me Sunday morning. Monday the repair guy calls and my transmission is toast as I figured and I am looking at $2,000 which for a GMC Yukon is actually cheap and that will include labor and a 70K mile warranty on the rebuilt transmission. OK, go ahead and do it. Four days later, Thursday, I get my truck back and on Friday I head back to Cleveland. Great week visiting Steve and we even took in a Tigers game.

I think it was an old Capitol One Visa commercial.

Gasoline about $100
Truck Transmission $2,000
Motel $200
Share of boat $333
Michigan and Canada fishing temp license $100

Catching my first Musky Fish after a good fight? PRICELESS!



Ron

 

[Jack63]

In 1lbs of powder you have 7000 grains and that's enough for me you can load alot of 40s.

 

[LightninST]

<Off Topic> but somewhat humorous.

We can all pretty much agree those of us who reload do it for a myriad of reasons or reasoning with a few common denominators. So like fishing it's a hobby and not always an inexpensive hobby. Yes, I can buy fish for likely less than I can catch them. At least when I reload I know I will come away with something but fishing not so much. I like fishing simply for the relaxation.

So my brother the avid fishing type calls me, I want to say it was 2013 right after I retired. Wants me to go Muskie Fishing with him on Lake St. Clair which is in Michigan and actually bordered by Michigan and Canada. So I need a temporary Michigan and Canada fishing license. OK, why not. My brother has two of his friends lined up making a party of four. I figure I am not going to drive to Detroit on the Saturday but will drive up on Friday and I book a motel. I am in heavy traffic about 3 miles short of my exit and motel when the truck feels funny. Yeah, a look down reveals 4500 RPM and I am doing 50 MPH. Poor engine was screaming. I make it to the hotel, get checked in and ask the clerk if there is a neighborhood bar close. Well right across the street. So I walk across the street to ponder my problem. A few guys sit beside me at the bar and a conversation starts. The guy beside me is smashed and in conversation I mention my dead truck. Lucky me the drunk guys buddy just opened a repair shop so he calls the guy and hands me the phone. Nice guy and I explain my nightmare. Apparently God was with me because his shop is about 2 miles up the road. So I leave the bar and bid a farewell to my newfound friends. Walk across the street and take my truck to this guy and he gives me a ride back to my motel. My brother is there so I clued him in. The guy with my truck will call me Monday with a damage report after he looks at it.
Hey how much were the Tigers tickets , don’t short change us on the story Thanks for sharing!
So we show up at the boat Saturday morning early and one of my brother's friends is a no show. So now we divide by three for boat and mate tip. Boat and tip went from $250 each to $333 each but OK, nothing to do. Told my brother never invite friends whose wives won't let them go fishing! Fortunately I have a very good old friend who lives in Canton, Michigan just outside Detroit. We go back 50 years growing up NY. So I call Steve and he comes and gets me Sunday morning. Monday the repair guy calls and my transmission is toast as I figured and I am looking at $2,000 which for a GMC Yukon is actually cheap and that will include labor and a 70K mile warranty on the rebuilt transmission. OK, go ahead and do it. Four days later, Thursday, I get my truck back and on Friday I head back to Cleveland. Great week visiting Steve and we even took in a Tigers game.

I think it was an old Capitol One Visa commercial.

Gasoline about $100
Truck Transmission $2,000
Motel $200
Share of boat $333
Michigan and Canada fishing temp license $100

Catching my first Musky Fish after a good fight? PRICELESS!

View attachment 978025

Ron

 

[kmw1954]

The cost of reloading? Cheep!
What's the cost of a therapist or counselor? Just last Friday I had to move my older brother from rehab to Hospice. Since Saturday I have resized almost 1k 223 cases, hand lubing each case with Hornady Universal Lube and sizing one at a time on an RCBS JR3 press. This has taken hours sitting at the press alone in my Solemn thoughts, old music making background noise.

Thankfully I have been able to come back here for a bit a reality and nuttiness.

 

[WeekendReloader]

If you think reloading is expensive, try owning a boat.

 

[Hartkopf]

At least reloading is not like racing cars or horses where; to make a small fortune............
start with a LARGE fortune.

In reloading; to make a small fortune..............
start with a small fortune.