when is reloading worth it (low volume)?

[mnh327]

How many rounds would you say per month or per year would make it worth it to reload?

If I did it, I'd start with 357 magnum and either .500 or 44 magnum (which I don't even own yet). What's the cheapest, quality way to get into these reloads for low volume, with the option of possible 45acp and 9mm down the line?

[Bongos]

Reloading is not going to save you money, you just basically will make you shoot more..about 10x more...but just to put it in prospective a single stage press will get you by with calibers like the SW500, SW460, or 44 Mag, but once you get into 45acp and specially 9mm, you are going to hate it in a single stage. Reason: on the SW500 for instance, a range trip will yeild at most 40-50 rounds, you can easily reload 100 rd in hour on a Single stage press, going to 9mm, your consumption is more like 300-400 rounds.. bottom line it's going to suck loading 9mm... a progressive like a Dillon Square Deal (if you plan on just reloading pistol cartridges) or a Basic Dillon 550 (most people will just get the 550B)...

But to answer you question, shooting the SW500... 20 rounds is like $40.. $2 a round. If you reload the brass you already own, the cost is as follows Bullet $0.30, Primer $.03, Powder 200rds per pound say $20 per pound...= $0.10 total cost $ 0.43 per round

Plus reloading also opens the door for you load for any caliber in existence, thus not limiting you to the standard...it would only cost dies and shellolder (except got the forster Co-AX)

[bumpo628]

How many rounds would you say per month or per year would make it worth it to reload?

If I did it, I'd start with 357 magnum and either .500 or 44 magnum (which I don't even own yet). What's the cheapest, quality way to get into these reloads for low volume, with the option of possible 45acp and 9mm down the line?

Looking at the .357 mag, a typical box of ammo runs about $23 for new, $17 for reloads. I have no problem buying BVAC reloads from CTD, so I'll use that as a reference.

Not counting the cost of brass, here is a rough breakdown of your cost of reloading:
Bullet: 158 grn LSWC for $32.50/500 or 6.5 cents per round.

http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=5&secondary=10

Powder: about 4 grains of W231 (start 3.4, max 5.0) @ $20 per lb. at local store. This only costs about 1.2 cents per round.

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

Primers: Magnum Small Pistol Primers @ $20 - $30 per 1000 at local store. So that makes it about 3 cents per round.
Online, you can get powder and primers at powdervalleyinc.com and wideners.com.

That brings the grand total per round to about 11 cents.
A box of 50 will run you $5.50.
That is a savings of $11.50 per box from the reloads or $17.50 off the new ammo.

As for tooling, there are several options:
You can get started with a Lee Loader for $23 and that is all the tooling you need.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=702138

You can step up to a Lee Reloader press for $25.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=807734

Or a breechlock press for $50. The breechlock is nice since you don't have to set up the dies everytime.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=176078

A turret press is probably the best option for low volume reloading. It gives you the ease of quick caliber changes and you do not have to touch the dies once they are set up. Just buy spare turrets with each new die set.
The cheapest turret is this one: $71 - http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=405548
The best option is the LCT for $95 - http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=814175

Add the dies for $25 to any of the presses above.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=418312

Other than that, you'll need a scale and calipers to get started. You can get both of those for under $50 combined. A better scale costs about $55 by itself. A manual is about $20. Later you need to add a tumbler, powder measure, and an impact puller for about $100 combined.

If you get the recommended LCT with all the stuff, you could probably get it all for $300 or so. The payoff point will depend on the equipment you choose, but saving between $11-$17 per box will pay the tooling off pretty soon. You could always buy the Lee Loader and upgrade later.

[mnh327]

could not have asked for a better, more complete answer! Thanks!

[r3dn3ck]

It's worth it right away. You don't spend any less but you get to shoot more and tune a load to your gun. As an example with .44mag, good stuff is about $1.50 or more per loaded round in retail form. You can load the same quality projectile for 1/3 of the cost even in small batches. The kitting and package sizes for components seem designed to cause you to spend the same cash but to deliver 3x the shooting.

I load about a dozen calibers and found even with .45acp I would make my investment back after less than 1000 rounds.

[John Browning]

Reloading is always a win in the cost department. As others have said, you'll shoot more to make up for the savings, but there isn't a situation where it is not cost effective to roll your own. You'll get more accurate, better quality ammo that is less expensive.

I can make up a box of .280 Reminton using Norma Brass, Benchrest primers, Berger bullets and do all the little bits to tune it up for less than it would cost to shoot a "premium" box of the factory stuff. Once you reload, the "premium" factory ammo is about three steps worse than your basic blaster handloads. In bulk reloading, I can whip up a batch of .45 ACP at around $160/1000.

[Tzvia]

Yes, always a win.

So if you are thinking of reloading, toying with it at all (or even if not) always save your brass. There is no reason to give what you own to the range.

I built a brass catcher that fits on a tripod or sits on the bench, for less than 20bucks. Unless the brass is shooting straight up, it will catch most of it. I don't want to run around looking for my brass, so it saves me the hassle:

[Ross]

I reload the following with a single stage:

30.06 (for a Remmy 700)
30.06 (for a Garand)
.270 (Remmy 700)

.45 acp
9 mm

and ramping up for .223

Never mind how often you are shooting now, after getting the equipment you will want to shoot more in the following stages:

1. a few rounds of different grain loads to see what shoots best in your gun (and also as a sanity check to know you really did it right).
2. lots of rounds of one grain load and some of different loads just cause.
3. two pounds of powder which you developed your favorite load with
4. a bulk purchase of bullets
5. thoughts of trying different powder loads

And for the nay sayers who claim you'll need or want a progressive to spend less time loading and more time shooting?

Unless you are loading for you, the wife, your friend and his wife, two kids, and friends kids, what you can reload in the span of a weekend (with a couple nights a week priming) will produce plenty for you and the wife to shoot one afternoon at the range.

[bohoki]

if you keep startup cost low it can pay for itself in as little as one box of primers

like say 45 colt cowboy from cabellas

you get 250 for $184

you can buy lee dies for $40 and a lee cast press for $25 or the classic loader for $25

buy 5 packs of primers for like $3 each a box of 500 bear creek bullets for around $40 a pound of (recommended powder by the little scooper paper in the lee die sets)

and after the first batch you have paid for the equipment

[Whiterabbit]

This one is from my post in the other thread:

"If I pay CA retail for primers, powder, and the best Barnes bullets I can find ($42/50 ), reloading is expensive, even if I consider the brass and labor free (labor should count negative, a day in the garage is never poorly spent!)

BUT because I shoot a boutique caliber, the cheapest lead-free ammo I can find is $90 a box.

When I ran the numbers, my reloading equipment would all pay for itself after I load and shot SIXTY TWO cartridges."

So it is possible to make your money back in very low volume, depending on what you are reloading for and how. EVEN IF you pay top dollar retail-at-your-local-gunshop prices for components. If I were reloading something cheap, it would take me a few more cartridges to make back my investment.

I should also say to get started cost me around $200 give or take from craigslist. I got way better stuff than hand tools (powder drop, benchmount press, digital scale, etc etc etc) and is roughly what I was working with to calculate my break-even point.

[damndave]

My reloading of 9mm is probably the worst when it comes to cost savings. Factory 9mm runs about $0.20/rd and I can reload it for about $0.10-$0.12/rd if you have your own brass. The setup ran me about $180, so I'll break even at around the 1800 rd mark.

With my match 223 and 308 rds it's a little different. I make those for about $0.40/rd compared to buying them new for $25ish per box.

[CSACANNONEER]

"Worth it" means different things. I'd say that if I only reloaded 5 rounds a year but, I always broke records with those five rounds, it would be "worth it". Or, maybe there's a hunter who only loads a couple rounds a year but, always get's a clean kill with them.

If you are purely talking finacial gain, it depends on the cartridge and equipment. A $20 Lee set will save a few bucks on top of the $20 kit, after loading just one box of 32-20 for my revolver or a 50 round box of 25-20 for my old '94.

[chim-chim7]

S&W .500 Magnum

240 rounds of factory Hornady 500gr. ammo Total $651

250 New Starline brass $150
250 Hornady XTP Bullets $180
250 Large rifle primers $12
1 lb. powder $22
Total $364 for first use


Reload same brass----Total $214 for each use after the first reusing the brass. Around $180 if you use cast bullets. Is it worth it? That goes without saying.

[Whiterabbit]

S&W .500 Magnum

240 rounds of factory Hornady 500gr. ammo Total $651

250 New Starline brass $150
250 Hornady XTP Bullets $180
250 Large rifle primers $12
1 lb. powder $22
Total $364 for first use


Reload same brass----Total $214 for each use after the first reusing the brass. Around $180 if you use cast bullets. Is it worth it? That goes without saying.

And you get starline brass rather than hornady brass.

[Whiterabbit]

you can reload in the span of a weekend (with a couple nights a week priming) will produce plenty for you and the wife to shoot one afternoon at the range.

I think this is big, too. Reloading for me is an incremental process. Have a spare half hour here or there during the week, it's an excuse to spend some time in the garage. Set up the tumbler and have at it.

Or use that time to resize the rounds.

Or use that time to prime rounds.

This weekend I loaded something like 70 rifle rounds and it took no time at all because I already had the rounds cleaned sized and primed, ready for powder and bullet.

Now I need more powder....