What's the best savings you've gotten out of loading versus buying factory ammo?

[Zaydok Allen]

I've been having a lot of reloading epiphanies lately since I'm new to the cult.

I just bought a 500 count box of 10mm bullets on sale. I just realized that if i reload the once fired brass I have, the Accurate No 9 I bought last week, and half a brick of primers I already have, all in it would cost me about 31% of what it would cost me to shoot my preferred 10mm factory ammo. Not bad but certainly not stellar compared to some of you bulk buyers.

What's the best savings you've managed to score reloading versus factory ammo?

 

[entropy]

When I worked at a Trap range, I got reclaimed shot for free (had to retrieve it myself) , hulls for free, just had to buy primers, wads, and powder. I used the same powders for shotgun and pistol, ( Red & Blue Dot, 700- and 800-X) so I'd buy the 8 lb. keg-you get a lot of shells and .38 wadcutters from a keg of Red Dot! It cost me as low as $1.25 a box, and my practice rounds were free, too. I shot a lot of Trap back then.

 

[ray15]

Factory 10mm is expensive.

I reload 9mm, 38 special and .357 magnum. On 9mm my all-in cost is just under 50% of purchasing similar commercial ammo on plinking stuff, and I can make defensive-style ammo for about 30% of factory. 38 special I load for ~40% of factory stuff using plated bullets at a variety of speeds. Top-end .357 magnum, where my loads push 125 or 158gr. Hornady XTP hollowpoints 10% faster than Hornady's loads costs me about 50% of of their 'American Gunner' series or 30% of their 'Hornady Custom' product, both of which push XTP HPs to the 90% level.

My costs are relative to good deals on commercial ammo. It's easy to pay a lot more for it at which point the reloading savings are greater. I buy bullets (aside from the XTPs) in lots of 1K and buy 8K primers and 4-5lbs. of powder on each hazmat charge. I can't do any better on bullets at present but could reduce my powder and primer costs a bit by purchasing in larger quantities.

 

[cp1969]

.45 Colt, using scrap wheel weight bullets. A box of 50 cost about the same as a box of cheap .22 LR.

 

[WestKentucky]

.256 winmag. Hasn’t been commercially produced in about 20 years by any major manufacturer. Typically 2-4 bucks a shot buying loaded ammo. I’m shooting better bullets at 21 cents a shot. Loaded ammo is a 15:1 price ratio to reloading.

7-30 waters isn’t as bad, but it’s a similar setup. Ratio about 5:1

10mm cheap ammo was $30 for a box of 50. Loading Berry’s 180gr truncated comes I think I was in the $.25 range. Ratio roughly 5:2.

Then you get down to common handgun and rifle ammo, most stuff your talking about a 2:1 ratio.

 

[Damon555]

I can load 44 specials for about 25% of the cost of a box of factory ammo from my local retailers.

 

[Dudedog]

Sigh, no savings I just shoot more, and buy more reloading goodies.

 

[CptnAwesome]

Well... I probably spend more money now that I reload...

How you ask...

Well I enjoyed shooting with factory ammo before I started reloading and shot fairly often. Now that the reloading bug has gotten me and I've really gotten into it I shoot WAAYY more than I used to. I'm always buying and tinkering with different bullets and powders and subsequently put more money into ammo than I used to... And I couldn't be happier!

I know I'm saving a lot of money compared to what I would spend on the same amount of factory ammo but I wouldn't be as excited about factory ammo therefore wouldn't shot as much.

 

[Jonesy814]

Factory 38 special is about $34/100 and I load with plated bullets for $14/100
If I bought components in larger quantities I could probably get down to 12/100

 

[JO JO]

Never saved a dime just shoot more and the hobby just grows bigger, but what I do have is a flow of quality ammo not depending on store shelves , I try to keep several years of shooting components on my bench, but I get my biggest savings with 44mag 40 sw and 308 ,as for my 223 and 9mm it’s marginal

 

[someguy2800]

I load 45-70 for about $.35 a round vs $1.50 for factory. 444 marlin costs me about $.60 vs $1.75. In terms of total dollars saved it's probably 38 special. It costs me about $.10 a round for that vs $.32 for factory. Multiply that by a few thousand. A close 2nd would be 25-06, I'm sure I've saved over. $1000 dollars loading that.

 

[edwardware]

What's the best savings you've managed to score reloading versus factory ammo?

I've found an engineering hobby every bit as interesting and complex as old cars (but cheaper) or small airplanes (healthier and cheaper), and it all fits in a large downstairs shop. As an added bonus I can go test and collect data (target shoot) every week. What more could a guy ask for!

Also, I'm about to start loading 375 H&H, so I should save some money there. . . but I wouldn't own the gun if I didn't reload so I'm not sure that counts.

 

[kayak-man]

I can't put a dollar figure on it, but, back in the day, when I was working two jobs, I bought about 500 .40 fmj projectiles, 200 .308 projectiles, and about 4 thousand primers (small and large pistol, small rifle.)

Then I had to go to paramedic school again (accreditation is cold dumptruck) and so I straight up can't afford ammo until I get back on the krankenwagon. Back in the day, I probably payed $200-300 total for all of those components. Without that, I wouldn't be able to shoot at all, let alone the couple USPSA matches, and the range therapy sessions after a couple bad calls while I was finishing up my field time.

I've changed components since then, and I'm sure prices have fluctuated, but I was at one point figuring that I was able to load about a thousand rounds of 9mm for the cost of 200-300 rounds of factory ammo. It's even better for the 10mm

 

[Charlie98]

Being able to actually shoot my .348WCF without having to mortgage the house. Factory ammo is absurdly expensive... if you can find it. The other one would be my .41MAGs... ammo is available, but unaffordable in the quantities I shoot it.

 

[mcb]

410 shot shells are probably the biggest savings as a percentage.

But I have found reloading does not save me any money I just shoot more for the same expenditure...

 

[z7]

308 win “Match” type ammo, 30 cent bullet, 20 cents of powder and primer and a 10 cent piece of brass (average cost of reloading 10 times)

$0.6 per shot, tuned to my rifle with the ELDM 178g that I want to shoot, $12 box of ammo vs $25-$30 for match ammo ordered online where you have to pay shipping

 

[jmorris]

My 458 socom, costs me a primer and 20+/- grains of powder to shoot my cast and coated bullets.

Looking at ammoseek.com the cheapest factory stuff is $1.49 ea and looks like an average in the $2 a shot range.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Oh I know I'm not going to save a dime gents. I'm excited to shoot more and when I consider I'll get to shoot more than three times as much 10mm than before, I get a big grin on my face.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

Bought a manual, Lee hand press, a set of dies, and a Hornaday scale. I already had a set of calipers. Started reloading by buying a package of primers as a friend gave me a box of bullets and some powder. I had saved my brass and had some range pickup.

Decided the hand press was good for deprimining and for a bug out bad. So bought a Lee Classic Turret, a hand primer and a powder measure.

Bought bullets, primers and powder when I could find them.
Bought boxes to keep the assembled ammo in
Bought some ammo crates to keep my powder and boxes of ammo in
Bought more bullets, more primers, more Powder. Picked up more range brass.

Bought another manual.

Bought trimmers, bought more Dies, bought tools to clean up the trimmed shells.
Bought a tool to swage military style crimps.

Getting ready to buy the 2x4s, nuts and washers to build a new reloading bench. I have plywood, MFD and other stuff for it.
Getting ready to buy a small saw to make 300 Blackout from 223/556

I’m sure I missed lots of things. My point is that I’ve bought my gear frugally and yet there is always something else to buy to make loading easier, faster, or whatever.

If I don’t count the gear as it’s now paid for. My only expenses for my ammo are bullets, powder and primers. So depending on how I catch the sales I “save” 1/3 to about 1/2 maybe a little more or a little less depending on how patient I am.

 

[red rick]

The reason I bought a press , .45 Colt new about $40 at the time local . Reloads with new brass $20.38 and after that with my brass they will be $8.03 with the supplies I have now .

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Fortunately I knew I was going to reload some day when I first started shooting 10 years ago or so.

So I have many thousands of cases to load. Eventually I'll need new brass. May start buying it soon an stash it for the future. Keep the train moving.......

 

[Speedo66]

Picked up an original Winchester '73 in oddball .38-40 caliber, had never even heard of it. Looked at ammo prices and almost hemorrhaged. Up to $75 a box for Remington or Winchester.

With lead bullets from Missouri Bullet Company and some Trail-Boss powder, I can knock out a box on my Lee turret press for less than 10% of that.

 

[berettaprofessor]

all in it would cost me about 31% of what it would cost me to shoot my preferred 10mm factory ammo. Not bad but certainly not stellar compared to some of you bulk buyers.

Savings? Who knows? Are you figuring in the cost of the reloading press? 10mm Dies? Tumblr/ultrasonic cleaner? Scale? Dedicated bench? Funnel? Primer tool? and optional stuff (cartridge trays, storage trays, polish, tumbling media, bullet puller, media separators, shelves, trimmers, manuals etc)? I'm not sure, for low-volume reloaders, there is ever any savings, but it sure makes a good hobby. Now, if you were reloading 50000 rounds a year of just one caliber, then yeah, you're going to save some money. Reloading as I do, 11 or 12 calibers, 200-500 rounds/year of each, not hardly.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Savings? Who knows? Are you figuring in the cost of the reloading press? 10mm Dies? Tumblr/ultrasonic cleaner? Scale? Dedicated bench? Funnel? Primer tool? and optional stuff (cartridge trays, storage trays, polish, tumbling media, bullet puller, media separators, shelves, trimmers, manuals etc)? I'm not sure, for low-volume reloaders, there is ever any savings, but it sure makes a good hobby. Now, if you were reloading 50000 rounds a year of just one caliber, then yeah, you're going to save some money. Reloading as I do, 11 or 12 calibers, 200-500 rounds/year of each, not hardly.

Just talking component costs. I'm not a high volume loader, but I don't think it will be more than 2.5-3 years before my equipment pays for itself. I also plan to load for the next 30+ years. So in that timeframe, I think I will either save a lot of money if my shooting drops off, or shoot more. Either way it represents savings to me.

 

[brewer12345]

The weirder or more obscure the cartridge, the bigger the savings. You can also make stuff that is difficult or impossible to buy. At times, 35 Rem has become unobtanium from the factories, for example. It is also nice to be able to make weird stuff. My next load development effort will be with 30-06 making up a plinking/small game load with a light (118 grain) cast bullet. Go find some of that from the factory (much luck to you).