NO SAVINGS IN RELOADING?

[Abenaki]

I have been reloading for over 30 years.
I am still using powder that cost just over $7 a pound!
I also cast my own boolets!

One of my favorite handguns is a 41 mag. I can load a box of 50, using cast boolets for
around $5 a box! Now thats saving some money!

One thing that I have a hard time with, is the guys that want to throw in labor cost.
Do you figure in labor cost when.... you are asleep? fishing? watching a movie?
How about sex?......well....maybe that does cost ya!!!!!

Take care
Abenaki

[Nessal]

I wouldn't say that it's completely true.

You will definitely save money especially if you are loading match grade stuff. Now, if you factory in your labor as part of the cost, then of course you're not saving money. But most of us do this as a hobby and it's not something that we mind enough to calculate labor cost.

My .223 reloads costs approx 15 cents each round given that I have used brass. My match grade .308 costs about 90 cents a round with new brass and about 50 cents a round with used brass. .40SW costs about 30 cents a round with old brass. But their accuracy can not be touched by factory stuff.

I load mainly for accuracy and not cost savings. But I do pump out 500 .223 plinking rounds the night before I go to Panoche hills.

You DO definitely save money in reloading but it depends on how you calculate it. I haven't bought ammo in over 2 years and the money that I spend on reloading would cost wayyyy less than if I were to get off the shelf stuff.

[Stryfe76]

I don't think you can factor in a cost for your time unless you are taking an unpaid day off of work to reload or other wise stop doing something that produces money. If you are reloading during any free time that you are not currently being paid for then that time does not have a monetary value unless you are selling your reloads. That time may have other value like spending it with family but it's not a dollar amount.

[AAShooter]

I don't think you can factor in a cost for your time unless you are taking an unpaid day off of work to reload or other wise stop doing something that produces money. If you are reloading during any free time that you are not currently being paid for then that time does not have a monetary value unless you are selling your reloads. That time may have other value like spending it with family but it's not a dollar amount.

Many want to value their time at least as much as minimum wage. Otherwise, they would rather buy their ammo.

[Full Clip]

You won't be saving much if you usually shoot Wolf, Tula or any of the cheap import stuff. But some 30-06s with Nosler Partitions? Some .303 Brits or 7.62x54rs with Hornaday SSTs? Some .223 with Barnes Triple Shocks or Winchester/Nosler Ballistic Tips?
Yeah, you're saving a LOT of money.

[toby]

Many want to value their time at least as much as minimum wage. Otherwise, they would rather buy their ammo.

Thats fine but at what rate do they value their time while sitting on their duff and watching a ball game? getting nothing done.....

[Nessal]

Many want to value their time at least as much as minimum wage. Otherwise, they would rather buy their ammo.

Do you factor in the time when you take a dump and say to yourself, "Well this is going to cost me money!"?

If you are doing this for a living then by all means calculate in your labor cost.

But for 99% of the masses, this is a hobby.

[Artsville]

Can you buy 45acp locally? I never can find it. Now i make as much as i need for half the price. You will shoot more.....it just seems easier to keep shooting when you know you can just reach in the bucket and get some more at half what you would have paid.

[Stryfe76]

Thats fine but at what rate do they value their time while sitting on their duff and watching a ball game? getting nothing done.....

That was my point. I can place a dollar amount on my time but I'm not getting paid when I'm watching TV, playing video games, driving to walmart, paying for factory ammo, driving my factory ammo home, etc so no matter what I do with my expensive free time I don't have any money coming in.

I do have money going out during my expensive free time, if I go to the range it costs me $10 +ammo so If I shoot 4 50rd boxes of factory ammo I just spent $90. If I shoot ammo I reloaded then I'm only out $44 and I can use that other $46 to go out to the movies with a pretty girl or grab a burger and load up another 5 boxes of .45 if she's washing her hair.

[Stryfe76]

Do you factor in the time when you take a dump and say to yourself, "Well this is going to cost me money!"?

You know I did realize one day that if your lunch doesn't agree with you and you are forced into the restroom during a non break period that you are technically being paid to take a dump.

[ronas]

I think I save money reloading. But bottom line I don't really care since I think reloading is fun.

[gemini1]

So lets say I go twice a month at the rifle range and shoot 200 223/5.56 rounds each trip and once a month on the pistol range and spend around 100 rounds, would reloading be for me? I dont need to factor in labor, since as most say, its a hobby.

[IrishPirate]

it all depends. I can reload 1000 45acp for about the cost of 500 from Walmart if i already have the brass. i don't think about labor since i'm not doing it to sell yet. If you reload, you'll shoot more. reloading is for everyone, no matter how much you currrently shoot.

[SixPointEight]

That puts you near 5000 rifle and 1200 pistol rounds a year. If you keep shooting exactly that you'll save money. After a year or so to pay for the cost of equipment. If you actually like to shoot, and only shoot what you do because of cost. Then for the same money you spend now you'll shoot 9000-10000 rifle rounds and 2500 pistol rounds a year.

[Revoman]

Bottom line is yes it's less expensive than buying factory. Even factoring in the cost of components, gear and presses.

It's not like you won't get most of your money back if/when you sell all of that stuff, so you'll get cash back for anything that you have. How can you factor that?

Paying yourself to load is ridiculous, do you pay yourself to shoot?

I will say that buying in bulk is the best way to save the most money although you spend more to get the bulk. Hey it's only going to cost more next year anyway, why not buy all that you can for today's price?