NO SAVINGS IN RELOADING?

[five.five-six]

Also, what kind of idiot makes a small 600 rd trip when he knows he will need 1800 rounds for the month.

IDK, last time I looked for ammo at wall mart all they didn't have any for weeks from what I read, quite often they only have a few hundred rounds in stock at any time YMMV

[five.five-six]

cut n paste article written my some guy that buys bullets by the 100, primers by the 1k and powder by the pound FTL.

[CSACANNONEER]

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?

I now have a 20lb, bottom pour RCBS lead pot and a scat load of different molds from .177 airgun pellets to .69 cal round balls (for making canister rounds for 3" cannons). I lucked out and scored some 8-10 cav H&G molds in 9mm rn, .38 wc and .45acp swc a few years ago. I use a Star lubesizer for production stuff and even had a .25 acp bushing custom made. For oddball stuff, I have an old Lyman 45 lube sizer. Both have midway heaters under them.

I figure that I can cast, lube and size about 1000 rounds in 3 hours.

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

If you're just loading 12g trap loads then, you aren't saving a lot over buying bulk at Walmart. But, if you are loading .410 or 28g, you're saving a fortune! I have my little .410 Mec 600 set up in my livingroom right now. I have a 12g Mec but, it's hiding in a box somewhere until I need to load specialty rounds. For 00 and slug, I use my Lee Load All Jr. (not to be confused with a Load All II).

If your married with kids reloading is out no matter the cost

When my stepson was 11 (I didn't meet him until he was 10), he was helping me load. Reloading can be a good family hobby. Even a 6 year old can help peck primers, box ammo check for berdan primed cases, sort brass, etc. It can be a good way to bond with your children while showing your trust in them and letting them prove that they are responsible. At 12, my stepson loaded some 50BMG rounds for me which I preceded to shoot my first sub .6moa group with during a match. I was as proud of his accomplishment as I was of mine. The time we spent reloading together was priceless!

[joelogic]

Why is this thread still going? There is obviously savings in reloading. If you think there are no savings then buy your ammo. If you don't have time to reload how do you have time to shoot? I reload a large supple in about two hours. Shooting a match takes more than 12 hours. I leave my house around 7am and don't get back until 4pm, plus time to prep and clean gear. If you only shoot for a couple hours a month or less because you don't have more time then buy your ammo.

[submoa1]

Reloading is fun. You can tailor a round to your chamber. Accuracy is outstanding with good equipment and skill. As far as handgun, if I need fmj 9mm I go to walmart, if I need good accurate HP 9mm I load my own for a substantial savings.

Reloading saves money and is really the other half of the shooting sport to me.

[oddjob]

Handgun savings;

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=reyrnzkN_JB0j-sSjXDTtQg&output=html

Neat calculator too;

http://handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

Bottom line is yes....you do save money. If you factor in your press it will take awhile, but you will end up saving money in the long run.

[Munk]

Here's my breakdown:
Walmart's price for .40s&w WWB 100ct. 30$ (37$ at Bass pro and 46$ at big5)
Cost of 100 Hornady FTX 180grn 10mm(.40) 20$
Cost of 100 primers 3-4$
Cost of 800 grns of powder (100x 8grns) about 2.30 (1lb = 7000 grns = about 20$ for bluedot)
Brass is being re-used, or harvested, or whatever. So I consider it a non-cost.
26.30 at its most expensive to make 100 rounds of hot .40 s&w.

That's a savings already over WWB, with NO BULK, no cheap components, and no discounts; all of the prices quoted are seen in-store at various shops (a mix of Ammo bros, bass pro, turners etc..). You save money AND get superior ammo. If you were to purchase ammo identical to what you just loaded it would cost you about 2-3 times as much.

(powder level is a bit hot for .40 and low to mid for 10mm this cost run works on both cals add 1$ to powder cost if doing hot 10mm.)

Then there's the fact that reloading is its own hobby, I enjoy it. By purchasing powder in 5-8lb containers, you get massive savings. By buying primers by the 1000ct, you save a few bucks, and bullets can be had MUCH cheaper if purchased in bulk as well (More so for lead/plated/practice than hunting/SD types). Then there's the economic usage of powder by doing lighter practice/plinking loads.


Smaller/cheaper cals have a smaller savings margin, but it can be made up for with bulk processing. The rarer the round, or the more specialized you make it, the more your savings can show through and offset the costs of reloading startup in a much shorter timeframe.

[five.five-six]

I just spent 2 hours loading up 200 rounds of .308 match

I use:
46.0 +/- .0 grains varget
168 grain A-max +/- .1 grains
BR2 primers
federal once fired match brass

calculate in the 18 bullets that went in the "plinking pile" and $0.14 per casing, which will be free next time I shoot them, it works out to $0.58 per round IIRC that's about the price of 70's era milsurp .308, and mine is more consistent than even the best commercially available match ammo

after shipping those 200 rounds will run you over $240 shipped... I got them for $116, with free brass it will be $82

[AIMSMALL]

Cool thread, makes me want to go load up some ammo right now. I'm too tired though so I guess I'll have to wait till tomorrow. Loading 45ACP 5.0 gn bullseye and 230gn TMJ's and various .223 loads on a lee loadmaster. Very rewarding hobby, shoot more plus more accurate.

[jayboy74]

I am thrifty ,I bought almost all of my reloading stuff 2nd hand. My first setup i had maybe $40 in a press , scale , 8 different die sets, Some mixed projectiles and brass , trimmer etc , I then traded for 100 223 projectiles , 100 primers , 1lb jug of 2230 powder from a reloading buddy . Had about $20 in the trade for a total of $60 in whole setup. I have since Loaded 100 rounds of 223. I have $60 in the 100 rounds including initial setup cost, I could have bought the same ammo from walmart for $50 so i am $10 in the hole but my next 100 rounds i should only have $10 in projectiles , $5 in primers and the remainder of the cost for the setup $10 , So i will be able to reload 100 rounds for $25. I pick up and reuse brass , I never purchase it. If your like me and only shoot from time to time and can pick up and reload on the cheap it will save you a ton of money. When you first start loading it will take a while to produce the ammo. Case prep is what takes so long , I usually tumble and prep all my brass , Once this is done i seperate it into 50 round bags. Then when i sit dow to reload i can reload about 20 rounds in 20 minutes or so.