What's my TIME worth, loading? (Monetizing your time at your press)

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Thats a tough one. I love reloading, and that time is my "relaxation and down time". So if I HAD to do it more, I probably wouldn't like it as much. So for now the time I spend doing it is priceless, but I could not do it for others. As there are very few days I feel like reloading or even shooting anymore, the time I spend doing both cannot really have a value on it.
 
Lost Sheep,

Oops, I knew I forgot something!

Commercial ammo would be around $22-$23 bucks per 50. This is for .45 ACP.
Reloaded cases are so far at about 6-7 ( and counting of course )
 
And here is the basic data you asked for:

Number of times your brass can be (or will be) reloaded. Hard to tell I lose them. Say 5.
cost of your brass new 40 usd avg per bag of 250
cost of your primers 9 USD avg 100 caps
(1)Cost of powder for round: 100 USD per kilo VW. Itnis about 5 cents a round on avg.

"spillage" and your charge weight avg 7gr and spillage about 5%

Amount of time to load your typical session's production, to include ALL TIME SPENT.
2 hours 100 rounds. not counting collection and sorting.

Boxes: (please note these are european prices. stuff is expensive here)
9mm LRN box of 50 / 12 USD
45acp winchester fmj 50/ 25 usd
s&b 303 british match box of 50/38 usd
s&b 7.62x53r match box of 50 / 50 usd
.223 rem. i avoid all the cheap stuff. fiocchi 30 usd per box of 50
s&b gold tip match for 223 rem is expensive 20 usd for 20.

I do not reload (prepare) buck shot or other 12ga.
 
WOW

TheCracker, 777TRUTH, saltydog452, dragon813gt, Cjohnson76, I asked you not to open debate on whether counting your loading time is appropriate or not. For the same kind of reason some people do not count their time invested in their hobbies, other people do want to count it. Just human nature to ignore or attend certain details.

I do understand and appreciate your position on the matter. It is a valid position. I just do not want to discuss it here.

higgite, dragon813gt, amortizing the equipment cost in with the components cost is standard practice in cost accounting, so I thought I would do it. I even thought of adding in a factor for the equipment upgrades we all do from time to time, but that was just too variable.

Including the equipment cost is primarily useful to the non-reloader who is considering making the investment. Otherwise, you are right. Whether or not to CONTINUE reloading should leave out the equipment cost (but might include the saleable value). If the question is whether or not to add a caliber, then only the differential cost of the dies and accessories would weigh in.

bds, you are exactly right.

Everyone, thank you for your thoughts and your data. I had no idea this thread would generate such a response. I will try to get the spreadsheet into a usable format some time this week.

Lost Sheep
 
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Depends what I'm loading. For 45 auto I can buy cheap bulk ammo for $309 per 1,000. I can cast and load 1,000 rounds for $25 in 7 hours. That means I saved $284. That means I got paid $40.57 per hour to reload my own ammo.
 
Sorry Lost Sheep. I really wasn't trying to mess with your thread. Working that press is my love. I do apoligize. I have around $1100 in reloading equipment and feel that I have made that up over the time I have loaded. I do apoligize, again my friend. I read it wrong. I guess thats what happens when you read it on an Ipad without glasses...

50 bmg (this is just my specific load but it is with Barnes 750gr turned brass bullets..etc)
Powder $100 8lb(233 rounds worth)
Primers $115 per 500
Brass .$68 per round (average 6-8 loads)
Bullets $.90 each
Less than 1 minute on average per round prep
Cost of buying same Match ammo $8-10 a round depending on supply

I do load other calibers but would have to dig out my cost sheets to see how much it cost. My .308 runs me about $1.13 a round for the specific load with match A-max. I do remember that but will have to look through my logs to break it down penny for penny.
 
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I do my reloading in large amounts in the winter. I have the time then as outdoor activities are minimum. There is a $$ savings as well depending on what calibers you are loading. 9mm is pretty cheap these days but .45 is a different story. I find rifle to be a great savings as compared to buying loaded ammo. especially 30-06 or .308 which is very pricey these days. Also in the winter I find it a nice hobby to do as there is only so much tv I can watch and the kids are grown and on their own.
 
Looking at .44 special there are a lot of lead 50 round boxes for $35+and a few up in the $40+ range.

I can get a 100 round box of Hornady JHP bullets for about $25.

Seems a lot cheaper to do it myself.
 
Say you invest $500 in a loading bench on which you are able to load 100 rounds per hour.

I would (did) invest more so...

20 hours of your time at the press for 2,000 rounds.

...I could load more in the same amount of time.

I could assign a dollar figure for my time, but it's meaningless as I don't get paid to watch the boobtube or surf the net. If I were self employed, it might be different.
 
Is that the price for powder and primers alone?

Yes. The brass is free and the lead for the bullets is free. The equipment has payed for it self a long time ago. The only money I have in the round is powder and primers.
 
See all the variables posted here? I think that hits the nail on the head of why we REALLY reload.......the options are endless and the $ savings are just perk of a very enjoyable and INCREDIBLY ADDICTING hobby.
 
Cjohnson76 (post 31), don't worry about it. I knew the concept would generate debate. I just wanted to nip it.

jerkface11, EddieNFL, please don't open the question of whether we SHOULD count our time (see my initial post and post #29). I know there is valid disagreement there. That belongs in another thread.

I opened the question not to suggest it SHOULD be done. I opened the thread because it CAN be done.


In school, I learned this riddle; "Do you know why some people become accountants?"

"Because they didn't have the personality to become undertakers."

Chalk it up to my personality.

Lost Sheep
 
Thats a tough one. I love reloading, and that time is my "relaxation and down time". So if I HAD to do it more, I probably wouldn't like it as much. So for now the time I spend doing it is priceless, but I could not do it for others. As there are very few days I feel like reloading or even shooting anymore, the time I spend doing both cannot really have a value on it.
Cjohnson76, I re-read your post. You make a good point. I, too find relaxation in loading. I guess my next project is to figure out the cash value of that relaxation.

You see a pattern here?

Not only do I get relaxation by punching holes in paper at distance, in refilling the brass for punching those holes, but also in playing with numbers. I do Sukoku, too, but I'm not very good at it...yet.

Like I said. it's my personality. Love it or leave it. I get my jollies where I find them.

Lost Sheep
 
Lost Sheep,

Right, it all pays the same.

When it is no fun anymore, it is time to move on.

Again, nice analysis and a different way of looking at the costs.
 
jerkface11, EddieNFL, please don't open the question of whether we SHOULD count our time (see my initial post and post #29). I know there is valid disagreement there. That belongs in another thread.

If you want to avoid disagreement, avoid the internet...and debate.
 
Ok let's break it down your way. The alternative to reloading is sitting on the couch watching dancing with the stars. So that time must be worth LESS than nothing.
 
Quote:
I can cast and load 1,000 rounds for $25 in 7 hours.

Is that the price for powder and primers alone?


$18/1000 was the least I ever spent, mostly due to the machine below. Bullets are the most expensive part. If you count time actually doing something, not waiting for a machine to get finished doing it for you, actual "hands on" time for 1000 is under three hours from mixed brass out on the range to loaded rounds ready to casegauge.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=158478&highlight=master+caster
 
I think I missed the basic premise of this thread the first time through. I looked at it as my time was worth nothing if I had nothing else to do that made money. But, instead I think the OP simply wants to put a monetary value on his time at the press, because it does have monetary value. For instance, if you spend 10 hours at the press and save $200 in ammo cost, you just made $20/hr.... and the key point... you made $20/hr whether that was your intention or not... AND you still had fun. It has nothing to do with your regular job or with turning your hobby into a job. At least, that's how I see it. ymmv
 
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Lost Sheep

Thank you for your contribution to those who are still on the fence at the very least it should push them off one side or the other.
I dont reload to save money in the conventional sense. The real reasons are that I can shoot premium bullets at a set of standards for each of my rifles at the cost of nonpremium factory loads or less. This means I actually hunt with the same bullets as I use for target practice. I also like the fact that I can make what I need when I need it which limits the ammount of loaded ammo that I stockpile.
Great thread.
 
Add time ordering and getting components.

Add setup and cleanup time. R&D.

Add the "cost" of an extra room in the house for the workbench and storage. That extra 100 square feet that you pay rent/mortgage - space isn't free. If you otherwise need a 3 bedroom house, you'll need a forth or turn a room into a gun loading room. Factor in an extra 10% onto your monthly mortgage/rent would be a fair estimate for a reasonable reloading area.

If you enjoy it do it... heck I am getting paid nothing to sit here on the computer...
 
If you want to avoid disagreement, avoid the internet...and debate.
I do not intend to avoid debate. I just want to confine the debate to another thread, please (as I asked in Post #1).

Thanks for your thoughts and feelings. I recognize they are valid. I just want to discuss them elsewhere.

Leadcounsel (post 48), you are correct. But I am not ready to take it THAT far...yet. I gotta get better at Sudoku first. (post 40)

Lost Sheep
 
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Sorry Lost Sheep. I really wasn't trying to mess with your thread. Working that press is my love. I do apoligize. I have around $1100 in reloading equipment and feel that I have made that up over the time I have loaded. I do apoligize, again my friend. I read it wrong. I guess thats what happens when you read it on an Ipad without glasses...

50 bmg (this is just my specific load but it is with Barnes 750gr turned brass bullets..etc)
Powder $100 8lb(233 rounds worth)
Primers $115 per 500
Brass .$68 per round (average 6-8 loads)
Bullets $.90 each
Less than 1 minute on average per round prep
Cost of buying same Match ammo $8-10 a round depending on supply
Congratulations. When you are loading 50 BMG, you are making $420.66 per hour (after your initial investment in equipment is paid for, which will take you almost 160 rounds).

Cjohnson76's 50 BMG
>>> 1100 Cost of the loading tools
>>> 900 Bullets (per thousand)
>>> 23 Primers (per thousand)
>>> 28 Powder (per lb)
>>> 240.3433476 load (grains per round)
>>> 0.0% spillage/shrinkage
>>> 68 Brass (per hundred)
>>> 6.5 # of times each case is used

>>> 16.66666667 Time required to load 1000 rounds. Include EVERYTHING. Picking up, cleaning, sorting, inspecting, filling primer tubes, etc.
39.7797755 (Calculated) Cost per increment loaded (see below for increment size)

>>> 180 Cost per box for purchased ammuntion
>>> 20 Rounds per box referred to above

>>> 20 Incremental round count

In the 4 hours it took you to load 240 rounds (at your estimated 1 minute per round, you "earned" (by saving) $145.66 per hour.

$1100.00 equipment
477.36 240 handloaded cartridges
582.64 4 hours time
equals the cost of:
$2,160.00 240 commercial rounds at $9 each

I haven't figured out how to make the columns of my spreadsheet line up properly, but here is my best attempt so far.

Round Time Loading
Count spent Wage
reloading Equivalent
20 0.33 $(2,879.34)
40 0.67 $(1,229.34)
60 1.00 $(679.34)
80 1.33 $(404.34)
100 1.67 $(239.34)
120 2.00 $(129.34)
140 2.33 $(50.77)
160 2.67 $8.16
180 3.00 $53.99
200 3.33 $90.66
220 3.67 $120.66
240 4.00 $145.66
260 4.33 $166.81
280 4.67 $184.95
300 5.00 $200.66
320 5.33 $214.41
340 5.67 $226.54
360 6.00 $237.33

Thanks, everyone, for the overwhelming response.

Lost Sheep
 
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