crunching some numbers for reloading

[beknar]

first the required equipment-

a progressive reloading press:

http://cgi.ebay.com/LEE-PRO-PROGRESSIVE-1000-PRESS-223-90633-NEW-/220717078922?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3363c3598a#ht_3121wt_905

cost: 171

case tumbler:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Reloading-Case-Tumbler-w-Media-Holds-300-9mm-Brass-/110641798427?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c2c3dd1b#ht_775wt_1139

cost: 41.99

media:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lyman-Easy-Pour-Turbo-Media/727257.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=/catalog/search.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dmedia%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=media&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products

cost: 14.99

now for the costs for the rounds themselves

100 .223 bullets for 10.99:

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=HO&prodID=HO2267BAG&prodTitle=Hornady%20.224%2055%20gr%20FMJBT%20With%20Cannelure%20%20Rifle%20Bullets%20100/bag

cost per round: .10

1000 small rifle primer for 18.99:

http://www.natchezss.com/Category.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=TL&prodID=TLKVB223&prodTitle=Tula%20Ammo%20Small%20Rifle%20Non%20Corrosive%20Primers%201000/box

cost per round: .01

1 pound small rifle powder for 13.99:

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=HD&prodID=HDPYR&prodTitle=Hodgdon%20Pyrodex%20Rifle%20Powder%201%20lb

cost per round: .04
calculation for this: 7000 grains per pound, using 24 grains for .223 comes out to 291 rounds, divide 13.99 by 291, you get .04

so by my calculation, each round will cost you without the initial equipment:

.10 + .01 + .04 = .15

15 cents per round, for a total savings of 24 cents over the wal-mart .223 bulk pack (costs 39 cents). that's pretty good!

now, let's say i use up oh .. 100 .223 rounds per month (it's a little low estimate, i know, but it's in between extremes). and the total cost of the equipment: 227.98

so, multiply the cost savings of 24 cents by 100 rounds a month: $24
divide 227.98 / 24 = 9.49 months

i make up the cost of the equipment within 9.49 months and from then on, i'm saving 24 cents per round. that's over a 50% savings after the first 9.49 months!

some questions:

What did I miss?
Can I use the media over and over again?
what is with the .224 sizing of the bullets? why isn't it .223?

[XDRoX]

Use this:

http://10xshooters.com/calculators/Handgun_Reloading_Cost_Calculator.htm

Besides initial setup costs you can reload for about half of what the ammo would cost at walmart. I reload 223 for $170 per 1k. I reload 38spl for under $90 per 1k.

So yes, pretty good savings for much better ammo. To me it's a no brainer.

[Antihero47]

Best thing you can do is get a reloading manual first. Read that and then jump in. You're not factoring in the amount you will be spending for all of the shipping. Also understand that you will be paying a $25 hazmat fee when buying powder and primers.

You need to take all of this into consideration in your price per round since the value packs at walmart do. The best way to be cost effective is to order all of your components in bulk... 2 or 3 k .223 bullets, 8 or 4 pounds of powder, 5 k primers. Make the $25 hazmat pay itself off.

Have fun.

[LGB Loader]

Handload for performance. Handload for the fun of it but remember if you handload to save money, your in for a big surprise.

LGB

[SixPointEight]

You didn't include hazmat into your powder cost. If you're buying one pound, buy local. Primers as well, also, you spaced on the partial cents. Your primer cost is .019 per round. Almost 2 cents. Powder cost, after hazmat(if you order online) is .1333. Your cost per round is close to .20 right now.

Still a bit cheaper than factory, but keep those things in mind. In reloading, either estimate your cost per 1000, or keep all the "partial cents" in until the very end. Then round them up.

[beknar]

that's true, i didn't account for shipping or hazmat for primers and powder. hmm. let me re-calculate.

[LGB Loader]

you should also remember to account for scale, case prep tools, Trimmer, champfer/deburr, etc as well as a couple of manuals. There are other things as well.

Telling you again, read post #4 of this thread.

LGB

[Mikeb]

Reloading to save money is a fools errand. What you do is shoot more and understand it better. Plus for those so inclined it give you control and a bit of meditation in your shooting sports.
take care
Mike

[beknar]

that's true, i didn't account for shipping or hazmat for primers and powder. hmm. let me re-calculate.

okay, for shipping costs:

reload press: $0 (ebay seller has free standard shipping)
case tumbler: $0 (ebay seller has free standard shipping)
media: $5.95

so that takes my equipment costs to 227.98 + 5.95 = $233.93

the prices I quoted for the rounds themselves are from natchezss.com, so they can combine shipping, and the total shipping for 100 bullets, 1000 primers and 1 pound of powder is (7000 grains, 291 rounds) is $15.97. Split that over the 3 items and that's $5.32 each.

For the bullets, that adds .05 per round, for the primers it adds .00532 per round, for the powder, that adds .018 per round.

If I split the hazmat fee over the primers and powder, that adds .013 and .018 per round.

so the previous cost per round without shipping was .15, added in the rest:

.15 + .05 + .00532 + .018 + .013 + .018 = .25432

25.4 cents per round ain't bad at all! it's a savings of 13.6 cents a round.
so, that means with a total equipment cost of $233.93 / 13.6, I'd make up for that cost within 17.2 months. Still not bad! It makes the bulk re-loading entirely worth it.

Now to price out a re-loading book .. Any recommendations?

[bumpo628]

Here are some better deals on the equipment:
btw, Grafs only charges $5 for shipping regardless of how much is on the order. Coupon code "blue" may still take the $5 off.
The cost ends up about the same, but you get better (and more) equipment from a more reputable seller.

$160 - LEE PRO 1000 RELOADER 223 REM w/RIFLE CHG DIE

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/8020

$72 - FRANKFORD ARSENAL QUICK-N-EZ CASE TUMBLER KIT (Tumbler, sifter, media, polish)

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/778

for future reference:
$7 for 10 quarts of tumbler media (aka -Zilla Ground English Walnut Shells Reptile Bedding)

http://www.petco.com/product/102881/Zilla-Ground-English-Walnut-Shells-Reptile-Bedding.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

For a reloading book, this is a good one:
LYMAN RELOADING MANUAL 49th EDITION SOFT COVER

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/10641

[SixPointEight]

25.4 cents per round ain't bad at all! it's a savings of 13.6 cents a round.
so, that means with a total equipment cost of $233.93 / 13.6, I'd make up for that cost within 17.2 months. Still not bad! It makes the bulk re-loading entirely worth it.

Now to price out a re-loading book .. Any recommendations?

If you want to actually save money. Buy in bulk. And I don't mean little bulk. I mean BULK.

If I order enough for 5k rounds, I could be loading for about $130 per 1k.

Savings in the order of $170-200 over any other 1k cases I've seen.

[iareConfusE]

Reloading to save money is a fools errand. What you do is shoot more and understand it better. Plus for those so inclined it give you control and a bit of meditation in your shooting sports.
take care
Mike

That's not completely true.... Reloading saves you a lot of money in terms of cost per round. If you're directly comparing the cost of the number of rounds you've reloaded to the same number of rounds of commercial ammo that you would have bought, you would have easily saved money by reloading.

Now if you keep using up your reloading components and buying up more and more without having shot all of your previously reloaded rounds, then yeah, it will get expensive because you will feel like you need to keep your reloading supplies replenished, even though you have probably thousands of those reloading components tied up in live ammunition that you've stored.

I didn't want to buy a 1911 before I started reloading because it was $.50 a shot for every round of .45ACP. Now that I reload, I can reload .45ACP at $.17 a round, if not counting my initial investment on the reloading equipment (not components). That enabled me to purchase a 1911 and shoot it while being within my financial means.

[Mikeb]

That's not completely true.... Reloading saves you a lot of money in terms of cost per round. If you're directly comparing the cost of the number of rounds you've reloaded to the same number of rounds of commercial ammo that you would have bought, you would have easily saved money by reloading.

Now if you keep using up your reloading components and buying up more and more without having shot all of your previously reloaded rounds, then yeah, it will get expensive because you will feel like you need to keep your reloading supplies replenished, even though you have probably thousands of those reloading components tied up in live ammunition that you've stored.

I didn't want to buy a 1911 before I started reloading because it was $.50 a shot for every round of .45ACP. Now that I reload, I can reload .45ACP at $.17 a round, if not counting my initial investment on the reloading equipment (not components). That enabled me to purchase a 1911 and shoot it while being within my financial means.

No what I am saying is if you go to the range and spend $0.50 / round then shooting 40 would seem like enough...$20.00 if you get them for $0.20 / round then you can shoot a bunch more. And you made up that test batch with a new powder. And you have these to test that you think are the cats meow. At some point you still spend 20 bucks but you know a lot more about what makes the hole in the paper.
take care
Mike

[iareConfusE]

No what I am saying is if you go to the range and spend $0.50 / round then shooting 40 would seem like enough...$20.00 if you get them for $0.20 / round then you can shoot a bunch more. And you made up that test batch with a new powder. And you have these to test that you think are the cats meow. At some point you still spend 20 bucks but you know a lot more about what makes the hole in the paper.
take care
Mike

In short... you get more bang for your buck. Literally.

[Oceanbob]

Forget about numbers....

Pretend you and the wife spent a weekend in Vegas and it cost you $600.

You get back home Sunday night and your work week starts...you get over the 600 down the tube..you move on with life.....you work all week as usual...

Now....on Saturday morning you stumble into the Garage and your new press, dies, gear, scale, powder, primers, cases, boolits are on a new bench with a neat bar stool and a nice overhead light.

Wow..it's FREE. (thank goodness you never did go to Vegas)

It was all a bad dream...

Get busy.