Why Do People Reload When ...

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35W,

Please, please - don't be flattered - I'm just anal about remembering humorous posts - and I've been here since the first post.

dprice,

Great idea - to stay away from 'honey do's' - priceless! It kept me from weedeatting the yard today!

Stainz
 
You will save a lot of money per round, but will spend the same or more over all with the ability to shoot a heck of alot more. I stocked up on over 20,000 primers last year at $28/1,000, 10,000 bullets, and picked up 24lb of powder in preparation of last years election. I started loading late 2008 during the first election, and seen the craze.

I am still loading on last years stock, and will for most of the year. I just picked up 7,000 primers about 3 weeks ago to replace the 7k that I have loaded since January for $36/1k.

My wife's 38spl loads cost $12.40/100 or $124/1k (Platted bullets, CCI primers, W231 powder.

My 40, and .45 loads are as follows.
40s&w cost 14.51/ 100, or 145.15/1k. (Platted bullets, CCI primers, WST powder).

.45acp cost 12.36/100, or 123.60/1k (Lead bullets, CCI Primers, and WST powder).
 
With the exception of "years ago"....I'm glad I started when i did, Dec. Of '11. Had to be ready for 12/21 eh?

Found I loved it and started building a very modest stock. I was waiting til Feb of this year to finally pay off my truck and be able to build a larger buffer. Well that didn't work like I expected.

I've skipped a couple matches to still be able to shoot as much as I want no issues. But if this goes more then 8 more months I'll have to stop. Lesson learned. Hopefully this will end in a non drastic fashion...


Sent from my CZ85 Combat
 
I get my brass for free, I cast my own bullets, by powder and primers in bulk, and have learned how to get better quality bullets than the factory can provide.
 
My .308 match loads cost me .45 each where can I get match quality .308 for $45 per 100 then add the cast .45acp loads at .17 and again never going to find that price even at wally world
 
Save a boatload particularly on 45 Colt and 44 Special. Also stuff like 303 British and 7.5x55 Swiss which I shoot a ton of out of a K31. Plus get to shoot a WHOLE lot more on other calibers also with cast bullets. If only I could load 22LR would be all set....
 
If only I could load 22LR would be all set....
Click to expand...

I actually shoot very little .22 for the simple reason that I can handload .38 Spcl, 9mm and .40 nearly as cheap as buying .22s. Especially now. I've got a few thousand rounds of .22, but I just would rather have a little bigger bang. At $50-$60 per thousand for the big stuff, I usually end up shooting it.
 
"I get my brass for free, I cast my own bullets, by powder and primers in bulk, and have learned how to get better quality bullets than the factory can provide."

We have a winner!!!!!!
 
The most extreme case I reload.... .500 S&W Magnum

Cost to reload brass I already own = $.74 each

Cost to buy Magnum Rounds.... $4.25 each

Give or take.

similar with 7 mm RemMag and .44 Magnum

.223 at $.30 each

I have a ready ammo supply of very accurate loads.

I learned to reload in 1963 on my grandfather's knee. My equipment is paid for and very high quality.
 
i didnt read all the above posts but did read a lot of them.there is a certain satisfaction in knowing you harvested a game animal with a cartridge yu manufactured yourself.to feed your family.i have not shot any large game in years with a factory made cartridge.my 17 year old son had never killed a deer with a load he did not load.he has been hunting since he was 8.i dont think he would understand why anyone would shoot loads they did not load therselves.
 
my gpa loaded his 32-40 shells with black powder, i load mine with smokeless.he would be proud as he was all about innovation.he taught me a lot!
 
You do not include the cost of brass in the cost of reloading.
When we reload, we load fired brass that we have picked up and don't have to buy.
This is really where the savings are. In re-using the brass.

If you buy new brass its not re-loading.

I cast my own bullets from wheel weights I get free. It costs a little for fuel to melt the lead, and a little for lube, but the bullets are probably less than a penny each.

I can load 44 spl or mag for around 7 cents a shot. How does that stack up against factory ammo? I don't know never buy factory ammo.
 
James2 said:
You do not include the cost of brass in the cost of reloading.
When we reload, we load fired brass that we have picked up and don't have to buy.
This is really where the savings are. In re-using the brass.

If you buy new brass its not re-loading.

I cast my own bullets from wheel weights I get free. It costs a little for fuel to melt the lead, and a little for lube, but the bullets are probably less than a penny each.

I can load 44 spl or mag for around 7 cents a shot. How does that stack up against factory ammo? I don't know never buy factory ammo.
Click to expand...
Sure you do Included the cost of the brass). If the cost of your brass is actually zero, then that is the cost, zero, a perfectly valid cost. If someone paid me (Hey, I can dream can't I?) to get rid of their old brass, I would use a negative cost. If you buy new brass (or, as I do, buy loaded ammo, shoot it once and after that, I am reloading) there is a cost to the brass

Pick any nits up with the brass you get at the range?:neener:

Lost Sheep
 
James2 said:
You do not include the cost of brass in the cost of reloading.
When we reload, we load fired brass that we have picked up and don't have to buy.
This is really where the savings are. In re-using the brass.

If you buy new brass its not re-loading.

I cast my own bullets from wheel weights I get free. It costs a little for fuel to melt the lead, and a little for lube, but the bullets are probably less than a penny each.

I can load 44 spl or mag for around 7 cents a shot. How does that stack up against factory ammo? I don't know never buy factory ammo.
Click to expand...
To a point. Like for me, the odds of me finding 41 magnum brass laying around at a range/the desert, probably about as likely as me finding a diamond ring.
I have no choice but to buy new brass, but even then, it ranges from $22 to $26 for 100 pieces and I can get more than a few uses out of it, so the price is negligible, and that is far cheaper than buying a box of 100, hell, even a box of 20 rounds of loaded factory ammo.
 
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I'm just getting into reloading right now and have placed an order for all the needed gear. Due to the madness, it won't be in for a while. Nonetheless, I decided to become a reloader because of the following:

1. Cost savings. Once you discount your re-use of the brass, things are quite a bit cheaper. Also, I'm going to cast my own bullets, further reducing the component costs.
2. Once I have enough primers and powder in stock, I can produce enough ammo to last years. This recent shortage and price gouging of ammo has really opened my eyes. I do NOT want to be caught up in another buying frenzy, have no ammo in stock and scalpers are trying to sell 9mm ammo for over a $1 per round on gun broker. No way, Jose. I want to mitigate that and control my own supply chain!
3. I like to tinker and learn new things. Why not learn mastery of your ammo by making some of it your own?
4. If things ever really go downhill civilization-wise, somebody needs to be the man to know (as a previous poster mentioned) to produce ammo. It is a basic security need for your neighborhood watch and I am willing to be the responsible civilian sheepdog that prepares for that day and prays it never comes, but just in case...

That about covers it.
 
My cost to reload .44 magnum is about .22 per round or 11.00/box, I think. That's .16 for the bullet (Berry's 220gr. PFP), .04 for the primer, and .02 worth of powder (9 gr. of W231). I front-loaded the cost of the brass to Box #1. I bought all my supplies pre-panic, so those figures may not be accurate for the current market. The cheapest pre-panic factory ammo I used was 27.99/box for PMC.
 
I want to mitigate that and control my own supply chain!
Click to expand...

Umm, if you haven't noticed, reloading components have been part of the same mad dash by the panic stricken. It settled down after Obama was elected, it should settle down by deer season and be routinely available is what I've read. It being stocked shelves.
 
I have access to a couple Police ranges in the area and pick up all the brass. Been buying bullets and boolits, powder and primer for years in anticipation of reloading. Bought equipment earlier this year. Brass free, all other components have been paid for many years over. Almost free.:D

I am a new member to THR and this is my first post.
 
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dg803,

Welcome to THR.

Sounds like you have the right approach: scrounge what you can; buy when materials are (comparatively) cheap; stockpile against times like now; enjoy the whole process; shoot when you like.

Jeff
 
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