Reloader math

[r3dn3ck]

You spend the same amount, you just shoot more and/or better ammo. Go buy a lee anniversary kit and you're loading for around 100 bucks + supplies.

my .45acp's cost around 145 bucks per 1000 or 14.5cents each when I'm loading in 100-500 rnd sets. If I buy in bulk on primers and powder I can cut that down to about 9cents. That's for lead. Jacketed are about a nickel higher. I'm at 30% of retail cost at my most inefficient.

[ubet]

Reloading adds up quicker if you are shooting match grade rifle rounds. I was reloading for a 300wsm I had, 185grn vld bergers, win brass, br2, n560 powder (lapua) and it was around $.85 per round (case not included). I couldnt buy factory rounds as accurate as thoughes and if I could have, it would of cost A LOT of money. My 308, 175gr match kings, br2, varget, win brass probably around $.45 a round where as federal match is around $1. It adds up quick.

[NotEnufGarage]

my .45ACP costs about 15 cents per round, so less than 1/2 of what I'd pay at WalMart.

[russ69]

...And is there a math constant for savings across the board, or if you shoot X amount of ammo a year you need to think about reloading, etc?

Here's a few key points about reloading:

a. You can save money reloading handgun ammo if you use an inexpensive lead bullet and fast burning powders.

b. A good rifle bullet cost a lot of money and the cost per round is high. You are reloading rifles to produce better ammo for your gun. It's an accuracy thing not a cost saving thing.

c. If you are really loading high volume, you'll buy your components in bulk and when prices are best. You'll then have a consistent ammo supply.

[Springfield45]

It is a lot like buying a power tool to do a single project. Once the project is finished you have the tool for the next project.

The initial cost of reloading for one caliber is high and will not pay off very soon. So start small (9mm, 223). But once you are set up it is not very expensive to start reloading additional calibers because most of the equipment is the same. Once you have the basics you only need to buy the die set, bullets, primers, powder and brass.

If you pick up all the useable brass like I have for years you may all ready have brass to use. A lot of people don't reload and if you ask will often give you their brass. I had over 500 .40 S&W cases on hand before I even owned a 40 S&W. I now reload for over a dozen different calibers from 9mm to .577 Snider.

[ubet]

Here's a few key points about reloading:


b. A good rifle bullet cost a lot of money and the cost per round is high. You are reloading rifles to produce better ammo for your gun. It's an accuracy thing not a cost saving thing.

.

FALSE, look at my post above. Its all relative, you can run viht powder (lapua), lapua brass and lapua bullets, its going to be less than if you buy factory lapua loaded ammunition. In fact, I would argue you arent going to see a quick saving UNLESS you are loading match centerfire rounds.

You can load a 338lapua for around $0.90 for a 300gr bullet (lapua scenar) $2.79 for the case x 10+ uses it comes down to $.28, br2 $.03, 92grs of n570 $.47 @$37.50/lb you will get 77 rounds from 1 lb of powder.

So one loaded round of 338lapua with the absolute best componets is $1.68, where as if you were going to buy that round loaded by lapua its going to be right around $7.00 PER ROUND.

I would say its A MAJOR COST SAVING THING.

Note, all prices obtained from midwayusa.com

[winnre]

When I was a kid I reloaded .223 one round at a time. I worked midnight shift as a gas station and had plenty of time to kill, so I reloaded in my little glass booth. Come to think of it, the stations around us got robbed but mine never did. Anyway I had time on my hands then, but not so much now. It sounds like reloading is not for me.

[wayneinFL]

You can save more money loading for handguns than you can for rifles. And it takes less time. I use a Lee turret press, because I can swap calibers easily. My first was 45 ACP, but now I load a lot of handgun calibers.

You want a break even analysis for 45ACP at today's prices. I'm going to assume you don't want to cast bullets for now, and I'm going to assume you've been saving your 45 ACP cases. You have been saving cases, haven't you? (Says the guy who has 45 LC cases for when he eventually buys a 45 Colt)

A 2000 round case of Montana Gold 230 GR FMJ goes for $323, I'll round up to $.17 a round. I'll figure Winchester 231 has doubled since the last time I bought it, and round up to $.02 a round. I'll figure $180 for a case of large pistol primers. That's a little high. $.04 a round. The Lee turret press kit I bought years ago is now $215 plus $42 for dies. I'll figure $300 with shipping to be safe. You now buy 50 rounds of 45ACP for $18, so that's $.36 a round.

You break even at 2307 rounds. After that, all your ammunition is about half price you're paying now.

If you spent another $200 on casting equipment, you break even at 1666 rounds and after that your ammunition is a sixth of what you're paying now.

I didn't figure time, because I don't know how much your time is worth. Besides, reloading becomes a hobby unto itself. If you're figuring the time you spend reloading, you might as well figure the time you spend shooting. But if you want to know, I load about 200-250 rounds an hour. So it would to take me a couple of Saturdays to set up a new caliber and load 2300 rounds

If I were you, I'd forget about the time and money and start reloading. You're going to shoot more and that's always a good thing.

[winnre]

I save my brass but some of it goes into off limits areas at the ranges. Other times they get funny bumps or other issues. Firing 100 rounds may net me 60 cases if I am lucky.

[bohoki]

30=(30-5)+(5-3)+3 You are doing it wrong the men paid 10*3=30 of that 5 to much was charged of that 5 belhop keeps 2 5-2=3 and that is what he returned to the men. It cancels out. You are doing the math wrong though. You are using $9 as the constant, when it isnt $10 or $30 should be. The 9 never enters the equation.

subtracting then adding to get an answer works and doing it backwards works. But using multiplication in lieu of adding is going to lead you to a different answer, especially if done out of order.

yea that is a lesson in tricking the mind with confusion the men paid 9 each so thats $27 the hotel got $25 the bellhop got $2 there is no extra


but back to the reloading its hard figuring every variable

i did a easier pay for itself purchase was lee bullet mold and sizer that stuff paid for itself in one batch of 500
as a box of 200dn swc is like $50 and the mold was $25 and the sizer was $20 but that was only cause i had a source of free lead


the reloading costs are

press cost
dies cost
powder measure cost
bullets cost
primers cost
powder cost
brass prep costs(tumbler.media,trimmer,debur)electricity


so for me
press $50 dies $35 measure $25 brass prep $100
so whast that like $215 roughly so how much ammo can you buy for $215 say 45 acp then so at about $20 a box thats 1000 rounds
now to figure the disposables so 1000 bullets is about $100 primers is about $30 and powder is about $25 so you add that back in

then you have to add a few more to make up for those so i figure all that stuff would pay for it self in say 2000 rounds

but then you are comparing apples to oranges since i am using cheap lead vs fmj so its chasing your tail

[russ69]

FALSE, look at my post above. Its all relative, you can run viht powder (lapua), lapua brass and lapua bullets, its going to be less than if you buy factory lapua loaded ammunition. In fact, I would argue you arent going to see a quick saving UNLESS you are loading match centerfire rounds...I would say its A MAJOR COST SAVING THING.

Most guys that don't reload, just buy the cheapest crap ammo they can find. I was trying to explain, the main reason to reload rifle ammo is better accuracy vs the cost of cheap ammo where the savings aren't as large. For guys like you and me, we already know how much it costs to make or buy premium ammo but new reloaders are usually just looking at the cost of loading cheap components.

[wayneinFL]

I save my brass but some of it goes into off limits areas at the ranges. Other times they get funny bumps or other issues. Firing 100 rounds may net me 60 cases if I am lucky.

That's one of the reasons I liked IPSC matches. I'd shoot a 45ACP one day and pick up enough 9MM and 40 S&W to break even and then some. Another day I'd shoot a 9MM and pick up enough 40 and 45 to break even and then some. When I was on the board of an IPSC club I shot for free AND took a bucket home once in a while. I was friends with an RO at the local range and used to get brass from him once in a while. If I can't find scrap brass, I trade. I have at least two full buckets of brass at home, not counting the stuff I already have cleaned up. For some of the more unusual calibers, like 32 H&R, I've bought brass. I shoot most handgun calibers until the cases crack- most of them are low pressure and last a long time, so I haven't bought a piece of handgun brass in years.

To clean it I used to use a commercial cleaning solution. Then I started using my own solution with a little dish soap and a little toilet bowl cleaner. One day I decided to make a tumbler. A vibratory tumbler would have been possible but it was easier to make a rotary tumbler out of a big mayonnaise jar, drill, and some threaded rod on a plywood base. Took about 15 minutes to build. I've used the same box of corn cob media for years.

[wayneinFL]

Just saw this:

i did a easier pay for itself purchase was lee bullet mold and sizer that stuff paid for itself in one batch of 500
as a box of 200dn swc is like $50 and the mold was $25 and the sizer was $20 but that was only cause i had a source of free lead

Free lead is easy. I used to take my company van to the local Firestone every 3000 miles for an oil change, tires, etc. They made a lot of money off me. I'd throw a bucket in the back of the van when I went over there, then I'd hang out and BS with them. Before I left, I'd ask if they had any used wheelweights. "Sure!" I'd take whatever they had in the bucket. "Thanks, guys, see ya' next month!" I still have two full buckets of wheelweights in the garage, not counting all the ingots I molded.

And not to go on, but I wanted to include this. Once you're set up for one caliber, it's easy to break even on the next caliber. When I went from 45 to 9mm, it cost me about $60 for dies, powder measure and a turret plate. That $60 was pretty easy to break even on. For a new caliber, I can set my dies and powder measure in 20 or 30 minutes, crank out 500 rounds in 2 or 3 hours and break even in an evening.

Then once you have it set up, it swaps out as fast as you can twist the turret out and snap the other one in.

Man, I love reloading.

[zfields]

That's one of the reasons I liked IPSC matches. I'd shoot a 45ACP one day and pick up enough 9MM and 40 S&W to break even and then some. Another day I'd shoot a 9MM and pick up enough 40 and 45 to break even and then some. When I was on the board of an IPSC club I shot for free AND took a bucket home once in a while. I was friends with an RO at the local range and used to get brass from him once in a while. If I can't find scrap brass, I trade. I have at least two full buckets of brass at home, not counting the stuff I already have cleaned up. For some of the more unusual calibers, like 32 H&R, I've bought brass. I shoot most handgun calibers until the cases crack- most of them are low pressure and last a long time, so I haven't bought a piece of handgun brass in years.

To clean it I used to use a commercial cleaning solution. Then I started using my own solution with a little dish soap and a little toilet bowl cleaner. One day I decided to make a tumbler. A vibratory tumbler would have been possible but it was easier to make a rotary tumbler out of a big mayonnaise jar, drill, and some threaded rod on a plywood base. Took about 15 minutes to build. I've used the same box of corn cob media for years.

I'm a little weary to pick up much 9mm from IPSC/USPSA ranges. To much of it ran through major guns.

[wayneinFL]

I'm a little weary to pick up much 9mm from IPSC/USPSA ranges. To much of it ran through major guns.

Good point. I load mine to pretty low pressures, so I don't worry too much. The only problem I've seen is where the case expanded too much and it doesn't feed well. I can usually see it when I pick it up or when I run it through the press and it doesn't size easily. If I'm going to a major match I case gauge every round by dropping it in the chamber of the gun I'm shooting, whether Im shooting 9, 40 or 45. Of course, I usually pick up behind production shooters anyway- we have a Thursday night match every week in Broward, there are very few open guys there, and they're usually using 38 super. If not, there are always IDPA matches.