buying factory ammo vs reloading is reloading really cheaper

[travisbomhoff]

im thinking about getting into reloading but it,s expensive to get started are the savings worth it?

[freakshow10mm]

Of course it is.

[buffybuster]

im thinking about getting into reloading but it,s expensive to get started are the savings worth it?

Depends on how much you shoot. The more you shoot, the faster the savings will pay for your initial investment. Just keep in mind that reloading is also a time consuming process at is best done in solitude.

I don't know a serious shooter that doesn't reload. If you're going to shoot matches regularly, it's pretty much a prerequisite (unless you're independently wealthy).

[CSACANNONEER]

You not only end up with cheaper ammo but, you also end up with BETTER ammo! There is no way that commercially loaded ammo can come close to shooting as well as carefully handloaded ammo, loaded for a particular gun and the particular condition which it will be shot under.

As far as how much per round it might cost you. I cast my own bullets and reuse my brass many times. So, my .45 acp handloads cost me about $2.50-$3.00 per box of 50! Yea, I scrounge my lead for free and it's a little extra work to cast bullets but, all I have to pay for is bullet lube, primers and powder. If you need to buy .45acp bullets, it should raise the cost to about $7.50-$10.00 per box of 50 depending on your sources for components.

When it comes to rifle ammo, it's more work but, the savings are even greater and the percission of your finally tuned reloads will be far better than any commercial ammo on the market. I figure it costs about $6 to load a box of 20 rifle rounds like .308, 30-30, .270, 30-06, 7.5 Swiss, .300winmag, etc So, is reloading worth it?

[BuisJoel]

IMO, its worth it even if you dont shoot that often. Im starting to get into the hobby and i only will shoot maybe 100-300rds a month. Im planning on still buying in bulk to save but its going to take a while to cover all the equipment purchased. Some might look at that and get a bit discouraged, BUT to know that ever single round you chamber into that firearm was hand tailored for YOUR gun/rifle and specific needs, whether it be plinking/hunting/matches, AND was made by your own two hands, well that to me is Priceless

[krzgoat]

I think overall for me it's cheaper in the long run. Some people will say you just end up shooting more which is true.

I generally reload for about half the cost of factory ammo. That would mean I could shoot twice as often or twice as much when I got to the range.

Granted there is an initial investment to get into reloading but if you shoot often enough you should get that investment back quickly in the savings depending on how often you shoot.

Of course some people say that time is money too and that reloading takes time. This is true but for me it's a nice hobby so I don't calculate my time into it.

Let's say for instance I shoot twice a month at the range and I shoot 100 rounds each time.

For the sake of some easy math let's say a box of 50 costs 20 dollars and I can reload for 10.

If I shot factory ammo I would spend 40 dollars in ammo twice a month.

80 dollars a month for 12 months I would have spent 960 dollars in a year for factory ammo.

If I reloaded I would spend half that 480 dollars saving 480 dollars but spending some time reloading. I know plenty of people that have gotten into reloading for around 480 or even less not including the cost of components since that is factored into the first half of the cost.

Plus as others have said you get better ammo than factory.

[Fjold]

If you start reloading you will go broke faster. You wind up shooting too much.

I just ordered $800+ of Sierra bullets last night.

[CSACANNONEER]

If you start reloading you will go broke faster. You wind up shooting too much.

I just ordered $800+ of Sierra bullets last night.

When I saw your reference to your recent precious metals investment in another thread. I assumed you put in an order for Barnes bullets. I guess I was wrong.

I'll agree with Frank about going broke faster though. The last time I bought rifle bullets, it cost me over $1200 for 900 bullets. IT was a great deal though. The same bullets run +$40/20 if I had to buy them retail. Yes, I'm talking about bullets and not loaded ammo.

[NRAhighpowershooter]

when you have one of these,

you HAVE to reload....but seriously, as the others have said, if you shoot a lot, reloading IS the way to go...but it is easier to keep costs down is to buy components in bulk quantities.

[bohoki]

hell yea i got more time than money and have already loaded a couple thousand 9mms on a single stage press i generally limit myslef to one or two hundred a day

also cast my own bullets

it saves money but raw materials such as bullseye and small pistol primers are expensive all at once as opposed to say $10 for one box once and a while

picking up 9mm casings that i would have just strewn and left not more than 2 years ago is a bit of a hassle though

[qtrxist]

i started reloading 4 months ago, spent a total of $1200 for everything i need AND want for reloading. that doesn't include materials, just like everybody else said you will spend more on the 3 components (picking up brass saves alot!), buy by bulk, i shop around who has both primers and powder so i save myself HazMat fee.

there is a reloading calculator on the intrawebz, i did mine and i should be able to recoup my expenses on my press after doing 10,000 rounds. i have done 5,000 rounds so far.

the BIGGEST advantage for reloading yourself is you have the ammo in your hand. no more searching who has it, no more missed days at the range or competition.

Reloading is basically doing custom ammo for your gun, an ammo that will shoot better, more accurate, etc. most of all, will cost you cheaper. Cheaper comparing round for round on factory ammo.

from most calgunners who reload, we dont 'actually' save money reloading, we shoot MORE for the value of our money.

[popeye4]

It is a new hobby that supplements your shooting hobby. There is a startup cost (just like you had to buy your gun before you could start shooting). Once you get into it, you won't even think about the cost savings.

[Chris M]

Initial investment isn't really all that bad.

My initial investment (last weekend) was:

Lyman Single Stage kit: $300 @ Bass Pro
- Single Stage Press
- Case Trimmer
- Electronic Scale (which sucks, by the way)
- Powder Measure
- Primer Tray
- Primer Feeder
- 49th Edition Manual
- Deburring tool
- Case Lube kit

The only things that I needed to buy separate were:
- Tumbler - $60
- Tumbler Media - $15
- Dies - ~$30 per set
- Loading Trays - <$5 each

A little over $400 for the equipment.

I don't include the cost or brass, bullets, primers, and powder, because that's what you're already paying for when you buy manufactured ammo.

For me, I'm starting out by reloading only 30-06. Typical 30-06 ammo ranges from $25-$40 for a box of 20. That's $1.25 to $2.00 per round.

With the components that I purchased, if I get 8-10 reloads on the brass, my cost is about $0.75 a round...and they will be made with far superior components, and far tighter tolerances, customizing the ammo to a specific gun, greatly increasing accuracy. I don't shoot a whole lot, so I'm going to take my time, and measure every charge of powder. Plus, I'm having a lot of fun doing this so far - even though I still don't have any primers (on order). I've been spending some time the past few days prepping the cases.

Once I load about 300-500 rounds, I figure the equipment has pretty much paid for itself.

The investment is well worth it, in my opinion. Plus, just in the past couple weeks I've learned so much more about so many aspects of the sport that I was mostly ignorant of.

[kenworth1114]

I like to reload my own ammo so I can put together real light target loads that my nieces and daughter like to shoot in my revolver,(not to mention the savings!) I am using the Lee anniversary reloading package which included all equipment needed to reload except the dies, it was less than $100 dollars at the time, it's not the most polished stuff around but it gets the job done, its a good idea to have a experienced reloader walk you thru the process, I am sure many of the guys here would be willing to help you.

[freakshow10mm]

Think of all the things you aren't paying for when you handload. As a commercial manufacturer I pay/have to factor:

labor
advertising
insurance
payroll taxes
website
phone line
office supplies
packaging
labels
excise tax (federal)

If you simply buy a press, buy components, and do it yourself, you will save on all that, which is about half the retail price of ammunition.