Reloading small cartridges, is it worth it?

[5.56]

I only shoot auto loading pistols in 9mm. I have multiple revolvers in .38/.357 mag. The only rifle cartridges I shoot are .223/5.56x45(little interest in reloading this caliber) and .308x7.62x51.

I have trouble justifying purchasing a reloading press due to the fact the caliber I shoot nearly 80% of the time is 9mm. I can buy 9mm factory loads for about .19 cents a round and I find it hard to justify the material cost PLUS time spent(huge factor) on reloading compared to just buying factory ammo. Now that I am getting more into shooting .38/357mag and .308/7.62x51 I am seeing the benefit of reloading. I pay about .25 cents a round for .38, .30 cents a round for .357 mag and .50 cents a round for .308/7.62x51. It seems like the benefit to reloading after buying all the equipment is maybe a dollar or so per 50 rounds for these calibers. Now you have to ask yourself, is a dollar worth the amount of time you spent reloading?

I'm sure I'm missing something here, help me out.

[JMP]

No, 5.56, you aren't missing out on much at all. For 9mm, there really isn't a gigantic cost savings unless you are putting thousands per month down range. If you go up to larger cases like 45 ACP and bigger, you start seeing more cost savings, and it goes up from there. Where you see a large benefit is in loading much higher quality ammunition, especially in your rifle. It sounds like you are buying the cheapest bulk ammo that you can get. If you are satisfied with the accuracy you are currently getting, I'd not bother trying to reload it. For a top quality short action cartridge, like 308, you need to figure that it costs $0.50/round on the low end to reload it yourself as the bullet on its own costs at least about $0.30. Then, on top of that, you have a primer, powder, and equipment. Now, I guarantee that my $0.50/round 308 will destroy the cheap $0.50/round factory bulk. Thus, the question is, are you seeking precision, or do you find yourself satisfied with things like the aforementioned blasting ammo?

Every situation is bit different. If you are content shooting the stuff you have, you may as well just strick with it.

[SonofWWIIDI]

I only shoot auto loading pistols in 9mm. I have multiple revolvers in .38/.357 mag. The only rifle cartridges I shoot are .223/5.56x45(little interest in reloading this caliber) and .308x7.62x51.

I have trouble justifying purchasing a reloading press due to the fact the caliber I shoot nearly 80% of the time is 9mm. I can buy 9mm factory loads for about .19 cents a round and I find it hard to justify the material cost PLUS time spent(huge factor) on reloading compared to just buying factory ammo. Now that I am getting more into shooting .38/357mag and .308/7.62x51 I am seeing the benefit of reloading. I pay about .25 cents a round for .38, .30 cents a round for .357 mag and .50 cents a round for .308/7.62x51. It seems like the benefit to reloading after buying all the equipment is maybe a dollar or so per 50 rounds for these calibers. Now you have to ask yourself, is a dollar worth the amount of time you spent reloading?

I'm sure I'm missing something here, help me out.

new factory, or reloads? Brass, steel or aluminum case? More info man, I need more info!

Those prices are pretty good if it's factory new brass cased.

[the86d]

Plated 9mm saves a LOT, and they are as accurate as I am...

I haven't updated Freedom Munitions prices on this sheet, but the rest is what I have less-than-recently bought.

It was last month I bought 5k primers (3k SPP, 2k SRP) for about $119, including shipping, even more recently on sale.

[5.56]

new factory, or reloads? Brass, steel or aluminum case? More info man, I need more info!

Those prices are pretty good if it's factory new brass cased.

.19 for factory new aluminum 9mm and .22 cents for factory brass 9mm. The rest is factory new brass case. I only buy in bulk at a minimum of 1000rds each purchase. I shoot quite a bit but it's mostly 9mm and Tula .223. If I need accuracy out of my ar15 I shoot speer gold dot 64gr. I can get federal gold match 168 bthp for .83 cents a round and that seems to be one of the best factory loads for .308 which gives great groups at or under MOA with my mossberg mvp patrol. I guess reloading just doesn't quite make sense for me at this time.

The big appeal of it to me is having the knowledge and ability to do it.

[5.56]

Plated 9mm saves a LOT, and they are as accurate as I am...

I haven't updated Freedom Munitions prices on this sheet, but the rest is what I have less-than-recently bought.

It was last month I bought 5k primers (3k SPP, 2k SRP) for about $119, including shipping, even more recently on sale.

The total prices are if you already have the brass correct? How many times on average can you shoot one case?

[wpod]

[diveRN]

Assuming bulk purchase of components for 9mm (range pick ups for brass, 1000 bullets, 5000 primers, 8lb powder), I just scanned my usual online reloading suppliers for prices and came up with the following costs:



0.1175/round vs .19/round is roughly $72.00 savings on every 1000 rounds. If you're loading for speed and volume, you'll need a progressive press so figure you'll spend ~$1k for that and another ~$300 for incidental tools, dies, storage equipment, ammo cans, etc.

$1,300 investment in reloading / $72savings/1000 rounds means you'll have to load around 18,000 rounds just to break even on your investment and that's figuring that prices aren't going to go up if another Sandy Hook happens before you shoot that much. Costs go way down if you use a single stage or turret press, but then you have to factor in your time.

Personally, I don't shoot much 9mm - mostly .40 and .45 so I save considerably more per round and can press out 500 rounds of .45 (my typical monthly range volume) in a little over an hour, which means I don't have to hunt around to find the best deal on ammo, order it, wait etc. I can load up what I need to shoot and head to the range.

If you shoot a lot, you'll end up keeping ahead on components so figure on investing another $1k - $2k (minimum) in maintaining enough components inventory to keep up with what you shoot.

Reloading is a convenience and let's you shoot more, for the casual shooter it doesn't provide any net cost savings.

[LRShooter]

I've been reloading 40 S&W for years. I figure my cost is somewhere around $160-170 per 1000. I have priced factory ammo in a while, but I'd guess that's around an $80-100 savings. I'm getting tired of reloading it though so I'm going to get either a 9mm conversion barrel or just buy another pistol in 9mm and start buying 9mm by the case for $200 or so. My time is worth a little more to me than the $40 or I'd save shooting my 40SW reloads. -- Same thing with 55 gr .223.

Now I'll keep reloading .308, 30-06, 38/357, 44mag, 45acp, heavy bullet .223, and the only way I can afford to shoot it 338 Lapua.

[liber]

I can get federal gold match 168 bthp for .83 cents a round and that seems to be one of the best factory loads for .308 which gives great groups at or under MOA with my mossberg mvp patrol.

I haven't found that for that price. I pay $1/round typically for any 308, and Federal American Eagle is more locally. Buying in bulk I can get just a bit cheaper.

Match is closer to $1.50-$2/round in 308 for me.

[Full Clip]

More than worth it for the .357 and .308, even in relatively small quantities, provided you aren't competing price-wise with the lowest-quality ammo on the market.
IMHO, the 9mm, not so much, unless you're making high-quality rounds using Speer Gold Dots or similar.
Also, I found the time spent on reloading to be a fun and informative process — I got to know my guns' performance capabilities far more intimately than I ever would have shooting factory ammo.

[JagerDog]

Yup. I even load 12g and 20g target rounds where the saving is even slimmer. I enjoy reloading almost as much as shooting it up.

But when I have the components..and paid for most quite some time ago, shooting feels "free". Going to the store and buying ammo to shoot that weekend fells "expensive'.

[rsrocket1]

I cast my own bullets as well as reload and develop lots of different loads. I consider it as much of a hobby as the shooting part for me so I enjoy my time doing all of it. My rounds cost about 5-6 cents each regardless of the caliber. 3 cents for the primer, a penny for the powder and 1-2 cents for the lead. A typical 200 round range session then costs $10 in ammo which makes it a very easy financial decision as to whether or not I want to go shooting that day.

The same debate goes around and around in the RC model aircraft hobby. With so much time needed to build a plane, why not just buy one pre-made. Some prefer to build, some just want stick time, some enjoy both.

For me, it takes about 10-15 minutes to load 100 rounds at a leisurely pace. I tend to go out to the garage and load only 100 rounds at a time several times a week simply as a break from the other routines around the house. The ammo stash builds up quickly. When I start to see one caliber running low, I switch the dies and in 5 minutes am set up for that cartridge. I can't imagine sitting for hours in front of my press cranking out all my ammo in one session.

Same goes for casting. I typically cast for 1-2 hours about once a month. That gets me several months worth of bullets for that caliber and it typically takes less than half the morning or a quick session after dinner in the evening.

If your time is too valuable (even 15 minute stints), I completely understand and it's simply more convenient to shoot smaller quantities of more expensive ammo. Plus, if you dislike loading and don't get any enjoyment out of it, it can be as bad as washing the dishes or mopping the kitchen floor. Buy the ammo.

[liber]

I can get federal gold match 168 bthp for .83 cents a round and that seems to be one of the best factory loads for .308 which gives great groups at or under MOA with my mossberg mvp patrol.

Gunbot is showing $1.15/round the cheapest for that.

You can get Nosler 168 gr. BTHP competition bullets for $0.23/ea at Powder Valley, that's the most expensive piece of reloading.

You would pay $.30~ for a SMK which is what is in the Federal Gold Medal Match.

I don't see how you wouldn't save money.

[CSACANNONEER]

I cast and reload so, it costs me about $3/50 for .25acp to 44mag.