Why Do People Reload When ...

[Reefinmike]

mainly because with bulk components and cast, I can literally shoot ten boxes for the same price as factory ammo(well, call it 20-30 boxes if you factor in panic prices on factory ammo). Also because I never have to rely on a store to allow me to have my weekly fun, I just need powdervalleyinc once a year, my local tire store once a month and the berm at the range every so often. Also feels nice watching the guy next to you cringe before shooting off every 15 cent 22lr while you're sending 230 grains of lead down range for 3.7 cents

 

[readyeddy]

Because I can't find any factory 30 06 loads that use SGK #2160 with Lapua brass.

 

[blarby]

The biggest advantage to reloading is the ability to make your ammunition when shortages occur.

Well, I must say I never anticipated needing that advantage- but it is a nice, big fat one !

Personally I enjoy being able to surpass factory ammo quality in a big way- for less cost. Thats a win win for me. Even if I factored in minimum wage labor for plinking fare- its still a win. If I factor in premium labor for what I consider premium ammo ( precision cast bullets, match grade case prep, individual weighing of powder charges, just to name a few of the processes ) To the tune of about $25 an hour ( the average I end up getting for my actual work )- it kinda gets a little closer, but I can't walk into any store pre-ammopocalypse or not, and buy ammunition of that quality.

Not to mention there aren't a lot of purveyors of 215gr Gas Checked hardcast Hollowpoint bullets loaded to my pressure spec in 44 Remington Magnum.... nor are there any that offer .308 cartridges with 180 grain bullets loaded to an average OAL of 2.865 when seated uniformly to the ogive. Even if I wanted them, it's just not to be had.

To top it off, all the fun I've had over the last year with shotgun loadings ? That doesn't come in abox from walmart. It just doesn't.

Specifically, my 44 plinking loads cost me :

Bullet : 0.04 ( this includes a labor cost at $8.50/Hr )
Primer 0.03 (before the crazy- I bought sleeves of CCI for $30 locally- still have plenty)
Unique 0.02 ( 875ish per #- not as good as 45 ACP, but that ain't bad ! )
Lube : 0.005 ( I don't even know how to figure this'n... My last box of BA lube was like $65, and I have no idea when it will run out- no time soon )
Assembly labor 0.06 ( assuming a conservative estimate of about 125 per hour )

15.5c per round. Thats $7.75 per box of 50, and thats the most accurate math I can give you from my end.

My premium SD rounds ( which I trust enough to sleep next to- YMMV, for many reasons...I made this decision awhile ago ) :

Bullet 0.23 ( 200g GDHP )
Primer 0.04 ( Mag Match or Benchrest LRP's in custom tapped brass )
Powder 0.09 ( H110 )
Brass Prep 0.166 ( I can prep about 150 an hour correctly from new, at $25/hr )
Assembly Labor 0.41 ( Individual powder weight and full observed and noted assembly about 1 per minute at $25 per hour. This includes batching 25 from each lot, noting the components used, dating and timetagging the assembly video, and storage of those rounds with that SD card in that lot )

93 cents per round, or 46.50 per box of 50.

I've tried two types of factory ammunition for this gun.

While the remington had a fireball big enough to roast a hot dog on ( I cannot imagine firing this in a dark room half awake...sweet jeebus ) It was not particularly accurate, the flat noses didn't deploy particularly well in any media I tried, and it was loud enough to literally wake all 9 levels of hell. They were $48/50 rounds at Walmart.

The COR-BON rounds I tried in 260 grain shot as well as could be expected in the short barrel of my 44, but the recoil was..... STOUT ( not that my HD rounds aren't, but this would dislocate your wrist if you held it even slightly incorrectly ) the muzzleflash was good, and it had a great HP deployment. The cost : $45 for a box of 20 rounds.

So, in 44 mag- I'm very happy with my handloading results. Both in terms of quality, and price.

 

[Flt Simulation]

I just load .45 ACP

I don't need to buy brass since I always pick up my old brass and any other .45 ACP brass I find at the range.

The last time I bought bullets (prior to all this trouble we now have), it was costing me $132 per 1,000 to the door for Precision Delta 230gr FMJ RN.

Anyway, with primers and powder added, the cost for me reloading 230gr FMJ RN is 18 cents per round. That's $18 for a box of 100.

How much does it cost to buy a box of 100 .45 ACP FMJ now (if you can find it)?

 

[blarby]

45 ACP FMJ here in JC is currently $24/50 at the new LGS- they are the only place in town that has them.

They have HD ammo in 45 I believe it was $28/25.

In Eugene, S/M guns has 45 at about 75cents a round last I checked. They had a few flavors. They were selling 9mm at the height of the crazy for $1 per round
Yep. For 9mm. They sold every shot of it they had.

Lol, poor suckers that have to buy this stuff..............

 

[Flt Simulation]

.45 ACP FMJ here in JC is currently $24 / 50
___________________________

Jeeeze, that's $48 for 100

And to think, it cost me $18 for 100

Reloading is a no-brainer in this day and age if you like to go out and shoot a little.

 

[blarby]

Yep, and I cast for 45, makes it WAY cheaper than that.

But even if you have to buy bullets- its still a no-brainer. Loading 45 once you have it down pat- even on a single stage press, is about as easy as it gets.

 

[Armored farmer]

Yep, and I cast for 45, makes it WAY cheaper than that.

Yea, plus the satisfaction of a shiny new bullet dropping from your mould!....then planting that bullet in a empty casing with a fresh primer and powder charge.....then putting that bullet through your target.

 

[housecat]

Any reloading handbook you buy the first sentence in the book is don't expect to save a lot of money reloading. You might save a little more by reloading with the ammo shortage. Another thing you are going to run into is the selection of bullets. Even when supplies are plentiful you can't find JSP bullets for a 357 or a 44. You can cast bullets but to get cheap factory ammo velocity you need a gas check. People say they can reload ammo for $4 a box but unless they are reloading for a 25 auto they have a $4 box of ammo.

Really? When I shot in Metallic Silhouette matches, I used my Ruger 44 mag with plain based cast bullets. They turned over the 200 meter rams just as reliably as the jacketed bullet factory loads. Leading was not a problem either. There must have been tons of really bad shooters at the matches because I out shot a lot of them with my lousy $4.00 a box ammo.

There is more to casting a bullet than whether or not you stick a GC on the end of it. Use the proper balance of antimony/tin/lead, quench the bullets, size the bullet to match your barrel, use a good lube and you can get surprisingly high performance out of plain based cast bullets.

Run your post through the Cast Boolits forum. The people are nice and the replies you get will be civil, but the level of disagreement will be high.

 

[dragon813gt]

Gas checks for cheap factory ammo velocity :laugh:
I don't use gas checks for full power 357 loads.


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[Sport45]

Why Do People Reload When ...

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It looks like it only costs a few dollars less per box?

A few dollars a box times lots of boxes equals lots of money.

Besides that, reloading can be as enjoyable as shooting. And most hobbies do cost money.

The money I spend on my reloading hobby allows me to shoot for free!

 

[exdxgxe4life]

50% of my brass comes from range pickups. Huge money saver, while time consuming. Accuracy is a major plus, you have an array of better bullet choices. I also cast my own .44 bullets from free wheel weights and make my own gas checks. I can shoot .44 mags for .05 cents. Not too bad son!