Question about reloading .45 acp

[shalviin]

Is it even worth it to get into reloading now? I shoot about 1500 rounds of .45 a year. I pay about .25 to .35 per round (buying reloads or cheaper factory ammo). Would I save up enough to recover my costs in a few years?
If the answer is yes, does anyone around the Sac/Elk Grove area reload them and has the time to show me a few tricks. I will bring lunch. Also, what is a good setup to start off with? Powder and primers, bullets, etc? I will buy the initial brass but plan on reusing them a few times.
Ps- when selecting a press, I need to consider the fact that I might reload rifle calibers (.308 or 30-06) in the future too.

I appreciate your help!!

[Fizz]

It's a simple math equation to figure out what your break even of reloading vs buying factory ammo. Just price it all out. The more you spend on consumables and tools the further out your break even goes.

You won't save any money as you'll shoot more... but there are worse things in life.

[shalviin]

Thanks Fizz. It almost seems like I will save under a nickle a round if I use really cheap supplies. I guess I would much rather pay the nickle and not worry about time, etc.

[sghart]

Not this again.

My apologies to the OP but these things always start out with the best of intentions but eventually a non-reloader will show up in a thread-crapping mood to tell us how we are all shortchanging our children/families/pets/gardens by reloading instead of buying factory ammo, thereby wasting valuable time better spent on Facebook/Twitter/whatever.

Why these guys that don't reload read a reloading thread is beyond me.

I save a lot of money on 45 ACP, it is one of my most fired and reloaded calibers. I cast my own bullets and have been using the same pile of brass since forever. But I won't bore you any further because Donny Dickshine will be along shortly with a spreadsheet proving me wrong and shaming me into using my time volunteering for Hillary.

Out.

[Eljay]

Thanks Fizz. It almost seems like I will save under a nickle a round if I use really cheap supplies. I guess I would much rather pay the nickle and not worry about time, etc.

I'm not sure where you get that from. Maybe it's from buying brass. Nobody buys .45 brass. Just start saving it from the factory ammo you're shooting now.

I pay 14 cents/round and it's nicer than factory. If you're paying 30 cents a round now that's 16 cents per. 1500 rounds is $240/year. You would pay off a turret press and all the accessories in a year or so but it would take about 10 hours to crank out that many rounds and I don't know how you value your time.

If you had a fancy press it would be about 1.5-2 hours but fancy presses cost quite a lot more as you might imagine.

[shalviin]

Sghart- haha. Thanks man. And volunteer for Hillary?? Never!!

[shalviin]

Eljay- would you be able to PM me links to the supplies you buy? Times is not an issue if its just an hour or two a week that I spend. It sounds fun and educational at the same time.

[sghart]

Sghart- haha. Thanks man. And volunteer for Hillary?? Never!!

shalviin,

Thanks for having a sense of humor!

You can save a ton of money,especially on the larger calibers. My favorite example is 45 Colt. I see it in my local Sportsmans Warehouse for $45 per 50. Since I cast my own bullets I can load the same 50 rounds for about $6.

You will make an initial investment in equipment but with a little patience and buying used you can get in cheaper. Shooting lead bullets, even the ones purchased commercially, will help a lot.

There are many, many generous people on this forum that will help you get started and put you on the right path.

You came to the right place. If there is anything that I can do to help you please don't hesitate to ask.


Steve in N CA

[shalviin]

Thanks Steve. Now I gotta look up 'casting your own bullets' to see what all I need. Appreciate the help Sir.

[Win231]

It's definitely worth reloading 45's. You'll shoot for half the cost. But some people say you'll shoot twice as much. I say, even if that's true, you're still saving around 50%.

[shalviin]

Well it would be even better shooting twice as much for the same cost. ��

[bazineta]

I'm at about 15 cents per round of .45 ACP. The most expensive part is the bullet, but buying Hi-Tek coated in quantities of 2000 keeps it reasonable. If I were to cast my own it'd be considerably cheaper.

[MendoChuck]

I don't even bother to figure it out.
First off I like reloading and having as many rounds as I need available when those times happen that I get to shoot.
I also participate in a lot of matches and never have to wonder when I can get enough rounds to attend a match.
I reload 45ACP and have used brass that is always left lying around.
Most of the time it is new brass from folks that ALWAYS BUY there ammo.
I have never purchased brass . . . . but of course I need powder, primer and of course bullets.
Since the club that I belong to usually buy powder, primers and bullets in bulk together as a group the price is always way lower than folks that buy individually.
We usually gather during one of the matches and one guy will drive to Santa Rosa and do the pick up. We all make sure that his time, gas and wear and tear on this truck is covered. He does have to use a truck . . . . after all a load a couple hundred of boxes of 500 each of bullets weighs a lot.
Everyone orders what they need, 9mm, 45ACP, 40s and of course 38's.
When you have 20 to 30 folks or more ordering we usually get a very nice deal.

Besides reloading sure beats watching TV . . . . . .

[shalviin]

MendoChuck- you guys in the Sac area?

[Eljay]

Eljay- would you be able to PM me links to the supplies you buy? Times is not an issue if its just an hour or two a week that I spend. It sounds fun and educational at the same time.

I PM'd him Bayou/Cabelas/Powder Valley along with some details about what brands I use.

It's definitely an interesting hobby and .45 is a great starter caliber. You save enough to make it worthwhile and it's a very straightforward cartridge.