NO SAVINGS IN RELOADING?

[CSACANNONEER]

Bulk bullets usually start at boxes of 250-500. I've bought bulk 50bmg bullets in lots of up to 900 amax and 3000 surplus bullets at a time. I've bought 500-5000 handgun or rifle bullets at a time too. When you see a deal, get it!
As far as cost to reload goes, I cast my own bullets from scrap lead. My handgun and lightly loaded lead rifle rounds cost me about about a nickel to about 8 cents a round excluding brass. It's interesting that .25acp costs less than a penny a round less for me to load than .44mag does.

[Nessal]

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.

I'm on the same boat brother. Sometimes if I feel like I have to go late at night...I ask myself if I REALLY have to go THAT bad. If not, I do it at work. Maybe that is too much info.

[Nessal]

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.

Yes you will still save. IMO I think reloading is for anyone that pays attention to the details.

Once you find out that your handloads can be so much more accurate than commercial stuff, you will be HOOKED. Then you start to invest REAL money into accurizing tools to chase even more accurate ammo.

On a second thought, maybe you should reload.

[Stryfe76]

I'm on the same boat brother. Sometimes if I feel like I have to go late at night...I ask myself if I REALLY have to go THAT bad. If not, I do it at work. Maybe that is too much info.

I think that counts as thread crapping

I think in the end it all boils down to reloading saves some cash and allows you to make more accurate ammo. The ratio of cash saved to accuracy is adjustable depending on the amount of money and time you are willing to put into the hobby.

[Bill Steele]

Reloading is cheaper than buying factory loads. How much cheaper really depends on what you shoot and where you buy it.

If you a young guy and making all kinds of money, by all means work a little more and you will not even notice the money you spend on ammo, even if you are like me and shoot 10,000 rounds a year, even if you buy by the box at small local retailers.

I am retired, so I get squat additional for my time. What I do get to do is decide how I spend that time. I can save a meaningful amount of money reloading, I enjoy doing it and I don't have to think about whether Walmart is still carrying WWB, or if they are, did the guy in line in front of me just empty the shelf into his cart?

In the end, none of this stuff are problems people in the third world worry about. Or for that matter, problems we will worry about in the coming years if Congress keeps spending at the rate they are right now.

[IrishPirate]

It's interesting that .25acp costs less than a penny a round less for me to load than .44mag does.

that is interesting.....what kind of setup do you have for casting bullets? how long would it take you to cast 1,000 rounds of something like 9mm, .40sw or .45acp?

[Bigtwin]

Reloading mostly WILL save cash! Here is a fair way to figure it out:http://www.10xshooters.com/calculato...Calculator.htm
You do not have to buy in bulk more than 500-1000 to make up for it quickly. Many folks have said that you will shoot more(that may be true), again it comes down to comparing apples to apples!
For those who factor in "their time"....well that is debatable....what time at what cost? Your current wages? If that is so important then you best be off MAKING money rather than spending time SAVING money(just my thoughts...YMMV)!
Also the fact that you may find yourself enjoying reloading. Read and read more, if you can follow directions, and I mean properly, without shortcuts....you too CAN save money and enjoy the fruits of your labor reloading!

[CALI SHOT DOC]

Reloading makes pretty good sense if you enjoy it and it is hobby. If you are reloading to save money over Walmart ammo, it is probably not worth your loaded time when you consider a reasonable hourly rate.

I don't have any walmarts in a 30-40mile radius that sells ammo so for me reloading makes since because the only ammo i have available to me is the expensive big 5 stuff basically unless i'm in lodi for a trip or something like that. I don't consider an "hourly rate" because if i'm not reloading then i'd be walking my dog or watching tv, etc so its not like reloading is taking up my valuable time

[yoitsbruce]

my break even point after buying the press and calibur conversions kits books and recipe supplies is about 6000 target rounds, 9500 hollow point rounds roughly about 3 months of range shooting. before i even purchased a press i was only shooting <500 rounds @ the range

[twotap]

I'm actually reloading now,.shot shells, not sure I save money. shoot more thats for sure. I do believe they are better than store bought tho.More consistant

[Matt P]

A cut and Paste Job from Survival Blog.com
Since this data was collected in 2009, I know I would be interested in a revised listing of savings.
I do not offer this as anything as a way to consider costs. Please understand I am HEAVILY invested in reloading equipment.
I know Front Sight magazine had a excellent article about the costs of reloading. I will scan it on monday and offer it.
I felt it was so good. I made copies of it in a effort to educate clients.

Cost Comparison: Factory Loads and Reloaded Ammunition, by Grandpappy

There are some significant cost differences between reloading shotgun shells and reloading pistol and rifle ammunition.

The following cost summaries illustrate these differences (all cost data collected in June 2009):

Pistol Ammunition Summary:
$0.270 = Total Cost of one New Factory-Loaded 40 S&W 165 Grain Pistol Cartridge.
$0.206 = Total Material Cost to Reload one Used 40 S&W 165 Grain Pistol Cartridge.
$0.064 = Cost Savings of Reloading one Used 40 S&W 165 Grain Pistol Cartridge.

Rifle Ammunition Summary:
$0.800 = Total Cost of one New Factory-Loaded 308 Caliber 165 Grain Rifle Cartridge.
$0.480 = Total Material Cost to Reload one Used 308 Caliber 165 Grain Rifle Cartridge.
$0.320 = Cost Savings of Reloading one Used 308 Caliber 165 Grain Rifle Cartridge.

Shotgun Shell Summary:
$0.240 = Total Cost of one New Factory-Loaded 12 Gauge 2.75-inch #7.5 Shot Shotgun Shell.
$0.410 = Total Material Cost to Reload one Used 12 Gauge 2.75-inch #7.5 Shot Shotgun Shell.
-$0.170 = Additional Cost to Reload one Used 12 Gauge 2.75-inch #7.5 Shot Shotgun Shell.

Shotgun Slug Summary:
$0.631 = Total Cost of one New Factory-Loaded 12 Gauge 2.75-inch One-Ounce Shotgun Slug.
$0.738 = Total Material Cost to Reload one Used 12 Gauge 2.75-inch One-Ounce Shotgun Slug.
-$0.107 = Additional Cost to Reload one Used 12 Gauge 2.75-inch One-Ounce Shotgun Slug.

A more detailed cost analysis that supports the above numbers appears at the bottom of this article.

The above data is based on average costs as of June 2009. I did not select the lowest possible cost nor the highest possible cost for each item. Instead I used the average cost.

If a person wanted to prove a specific point then he or she could easily select a set of extreme cost data that would support his or her point of view. For example, a person could compare the cheapest reloading materials to the most expensive factory-loaded ammunition and show a large savings. Or a person could compare the most expensive reloading materials to the cheapest factory-loaded ammunition and show a loss.

Since I am not trying to encourage or discourage reloading I used the average cost numbers for each material to provide a more balanced perspective.

The above data suggests that the average person could save a little money by reloading pistol and rifle ammunition.

On the other hand, the average person would save money by purchasing new factory-loaded shotgun shells instead of reloading empty shotgun shells.

The above conclusion is the same one I reached in 1974 when I first investigated the costs of reloading ammunition. In 1974 I could save money reloading both pistol and rifle ammunition but I would have paid a premium if I had tried to reload shotgun shells.

The above analysis does not take into consideration the cost of the reloading equipment. If a person were to invest $290 in reloading equipment plus $40 in one set of reloading dies in a specific caliber, then that person would need to reload the following number of empty cartridges to recover the cost of the total investment of $330:

5,156 Pistol Cartridges = $330 divided by $0.064 savings per pistol cartridge, or
1,031 Rifle Cartridges = $330 divided by $0.320 savings per rifle cartridge.

This clearly illustrates that a person would need to reload a lot of ammunition in order to break even on his or her investment of $330 in reloading equipment that includes one set of reloading dies. Therefore, the average person would probably be better advised to invest in new factory-loaded ammunition if he or she can still find it available for sale.

However, if factory-loaded ammunition becomes increasingly difficult to find, or if its price continues to increase, then a person might want to consider the reloading option as a viable alternative.

Some additional information about the reloading process is at the following page on my web site. This following web page also discusses the art of bullet casting and how to reduce your lead bullet cost to approximately $0.05 per bullet using clip-on lead wheel weights and ordinary solder that contains tin:

How to Get More Ammunition During Hard Times.

A general discussion on how to improve your marksmanship ability when shooting at paper targets is at the following page on my web site: How to Hit the Target Bull's-Eye.

The following detailed cost information is provided to support the cost data at the beginning of this article. This cost data is based on the average costs for each material as of June 2009:

Pistol Cartridge (40 S&W 165 Grain FMJ):
$0.030 = Primer Cost ($29.99 per box of 1,000 divided by 1,000).
$0.016 = Average Powder Cost ($15.79 per pound divided by 959 cartridges per pound).
$0.160 = Average Bullet Cost ($15.99 per box of 100 divided by 100).
$0.206 = Total Cost to Reload one Used 40 S&W Pistol Cartridge.
$0.270 = Average Cost of one New Factory-Loaded 40 S&W Cartridge ($13.49 per box divided by 50 rounds per box).

Rifle Cartridge (308 Caliber 165 Grain):
$0.030 = Primer Cost ($29.99 per box of 1,000 divided by 1,000).
$0.120 = Average Powder Cost ($21.99 per pound divided by 184 cartridges per pound).
$0.330 = Average Bullet Cost ($16.49 per box of 50 divided by 50) .
$0.480 = Total Cost to Reload one Used 308 Rifle Cartridge.
$0.800 = Average Cost of one New Factory-Loaded 308 Cartridge ($15.99 per box divided by 20 rounds per box).

Shotgun Shell (12 Gauge 2.75-Inch #7.5 Shot):
$0.039 = Primer Cost ($38.99 per box of 1,000 primers divided by 1,000).
$0.049 = Average Powder Cost ($18.49 per pound divided by 378 Shells per pound).
$0.290 = Average Shot Shell Cost ($50.99 per 11-pound bag divided by 176 Shells per bag).
$0.032 = Average Wad Cost ($7.89 per bag of 250 Wads divided by 250).
$0.410 = Total Cost to Reload one Used 12 Gauge Shotgun Shell.
$0.240 = Average Cost of one New Factory-Loaded 12 Gauge Shotgun Shell ($23.97 per case of 100 shells divided by 100 shells per case).

Shotgun Slug (12 Gauge 2.75-inch One-Ounce Slug):
$0.039 = Primer Cost ($38.99 per box of 1,000 primers divided by 1,000).
$0.107 = Average Powder Cost ($18.79 per pound divided by 175 Shells per pound).
$0.560 = Average One-Ounce Slug Cost ($13.99 per 25 Slugs divided by 25).
$0.032 = Average Wad Cost ($7.89 per bag of 250 Wads divided by 250).
$0.738 = Total Cost to Reload one Used 12 Gauge Shotgun Slug.
$0.631 = Average Cost of one New Factory-Loaded 12 Gauge Shotgun Slug ($9.47 per box of 15 slugs divided by 15 slugs per box).

The cost of the empty metallic brass shell case and the empty plastic shotgun shell is not included in the above figures because those items are being reused and therefore they may be considered a “sunk cost.” A sunk cost is an expense that was incurred in the past and it is not relevant for future purchase decisions. In other words, after you have paid for the factory-loaded ammunition, and you have fired that ammunition, then you have the choice to either: (1) discard your empty shell cases, or (2) re-use those cases. If you decide to re-use your fired shell cases then you do not incur any new additional expense.

Sales tax and/or shipping expenses were not included in the preceding data. These costs would be unique to your geographical location and they would equally impact all the above costs by the same ratio.

The above costs for new factory-loaded ammunition are based on the cost of that ammunition at a Wal-Mart in the southeastern United States as of June 2009.

[aaronraby1]

seriously....

[dadswickedammo]

If your married with kids reloading is out no matter the cost, now if you have time on your hands to shop for mil-surp brass pulled bullets gun shows for powder and primers you can save tons the big savings for me are with .308, 30-06, and large pistol.the real time killer is trimming i don't have multi thosund case feeder preper chingas a lee turret a rcbs trim pro with a cordless drill rigged up to it, deburring tool stuck in a drill press and do 500 to 1000 at a time (each task) so i have baggs of brass all in different stages and i did find a cool program on my computer to print lables for finished ammo was at the range today(yes got rained on) but the range guy was asking where i got the boxes of DAD"S WICKED AMMO Christmas Plinkers. Not only did i make the ammo but the cool boxes can you guess what everybody is getting for Christmas?

[freonr22]

possum hollow trimmer is $30 for drill press ^^

[Linkpimp]

Well lets see..

Here’s a quick example, (note) I’ve been reloading for years, so no equipment or brass are included below. They were paid for long ago…..

I just finished up loading 800 rounds of .30 carbine.




Street value (50 rds for $20) = 320 + tax.

It cost me just under 1.5 lbs of Viht N110 ($50.00) + 800 primers (call it $25.00) + $80.00 in bullets = $155.00

So, just by reloading the .30 car, I’ve saved myself $165.00.. Not to bad..


Here’s another example..
I’m going to be loading up 250 rounds of .308 next.




This will cost me 2 lbs of powder $40.00 + 300 primers $12.00 and 250 bullets $67.00, totaling $120.00

.308 sells for basically $1 buck around. So again street value on this would be around $250

So now I’m saving myself $130.00

Total saving in one night of reloading $285.00.. Not to bad..

Plus!.. Our reloads are custom tailored to our firearms, we control the kick, the muzzle flash , we control the velocities, and when we properly prep our brass. Gentlemen, we make our own match ammo for less.. Also note thou.. For match ammo, I would not use that powder, primers or bullets.. This is just plinking ammo.