econonics of reloading

[billclou]

I have tried to do the math with regard to purchasing reloads or setting up and doing the reloads myself. I just can't seem to justify the expense. I use anywhere between 100 and 300 rounds monthly. Can be 9MM or 45ACP depending on what spikes my interest. At least 50% of the brass is not retrievable as it is shot during competitions. I'm not yet a good enough shooter to appreciate fine tuning my bullets so that is not a concern.
Should I just do as I do and wait till LAX ammo has a yard sale and stock up, or can someone explain why I should start reloading. The time spent reloading is not of concern as I would probably enjoy the hobby.

Any info will be truly appreciated.

Bill

[joelogic]

You shouldn't. Reloading does not save any money. Especially if you only shoot 100 rounds of pistol a month.

[Quinc]

Lee pro 1000. 1 in 9mm and one in 45 will cost you about 120$ each. If I shoot 200gr lead bullets(that i buy) and reuse my brass I think it cost me about 6$ per box of 50rds of .45acp using bullseye powder. My friend cast his bullets and loads 9mm for about .4 cents a piece.

[AAShooter]

Reloading sucks if your are just doing it for the money. Then it is another job. Most reloaders do reloading as hobby in and of itself. Many enjoy reloading as much as shooting. In those cases, it has great synergy and allows you to shoot more.

[Kenji8]

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[MIAMIbaseballer]

I have tried to do the math with regard to purchasing reloads or setting up and doing the reloads myself. I just can't seem to justify the expense. I use anywhere between 100 and 300 rounds monthly. Can be 9MM or 45ACP depending on what spikes my interest. At least 50% of the brass is not retrievable as it is shot during competitions. I'm not yet a good enough shooter to appreciate fine tuning my bullets so that is not a concern.
Should I just do as I do and wait till LAX ammo has a yard sale and stock up, or can someone explain why I should start reloading. The time spent reloading is not of concern as I would probably enjoy the hobby.

Any info will be truly appreciated.

Bill

You won't like it or enjoy it... Keep buying commercial

[AAShooter]

Also, realize your reloader is an asset. You can often sell it for near what your purchased it for.

[stand125]

Also, realize your reloader is an asset. You can often sell it for near what your purchased it for.

LEE stuff sometimes sells on ebay for more than what you can buy it for new.

[trew10]

Reloading is mainly worth it when it is for long guns as ammo for rifles are way more then that of hand guns.

[bballwizard05]

Reloading sucks if your are just doing it for the money. Then it is another job. Most reloaders do reloading as hobby in and of itself. Many enjoy reloading as much as shooting. In those cases, it has great synergy and allows you to shoot more.

THIS THIS THIS! AAShooter has proven before he is an intelligent mind, and he (or she) does so again. I reload because I love the hobby. The fact that I save almost .30 cents per shot on my M1 Garand, or shoot 38 special for roughly .08 cents per shot (and it constantly drops as I re-use brass over and over) is just icing on the cake.

[Clownpuncher]

Here's a cost calculator that allows you to add in the cost of the equipment as well as the consumables. Plug in the cost of your factory ammo and it will tell you how many rounds you need to make in order to break even. Divide that number by how many rounds you shoot a month and you'll know how long it will take to break even.
One thing to keep in mind though, if you do a big buy of a few thousand projectiles, primers and powder you will recoup a bit faster because the price of factory ammo keeps going up and up.

http://www.realguns.com/calculators/handloadingcostsavings.html

[Colt562]

I dont reload to save money, I have spend so much money on accessories alone that I probably wont make up for it anytime soon, shooting wise. But I do it for the hobby and trying out new loads. I dont really care for factory loads, to general. So I make my own. Gives me the pleasure knowing that I created each round that goes bang in my gun.

If you have a oddball caliber you will save on that. But if you are just reloading 9mm and nothing else, I personally dont think its worth it. I used to only reload 9mm but stocked up quite a bit, so I moved on to 308, stocked up on that, so I moved on to 223. Once I blow through my rounds I will restart. Its kind of a fun process to test loads as well.

[AAShooter]

THIS THIS THIS! AAShooter has proven before he is an intelligent mind, and he (or she) does so again. . .

My ex-wife might argue with you but thank you.

When I got into reloading I did it with a buddy. We went in together and bought a progressive reloader. We would get together more. We shoot more and reloaded more . . . paying for the reloader many times over. Another alternative if money is tight.

I always thought it would be nice if the gun clubs had a reloading co-op where you could go in to buy discounted reloading supplies and rent time on a reloading machine. I know the laws and liability make that tough but I think it would be cool.

[DarkSoul]

To start, as was mentioned above, reloading is a hobby unto itself, I have become a full blown reloading tweeker, and have started to load ammo for firearm calibers I don't even own, just because they are challenging.

As for cost savings, It really depends on the volume you shoot IMO If you are only shooting 100-200 rounds a month, it's gonna take some time to recoup your expenses, so it may not be worth it. If you are like me, I shoot at a minimum of 500 rounds a month, and sometimes as much as 1500 per month, so I recouped all my initial expenses pretty quick, but of course I kept buying better and faster equipment............

You might want to try and find someone local that reloads and check out their operation, and see what you are getting into.

[bandook]

I have tried to do the math with regard to purchasing reloads or setting up and doing the reloads myself. I just can't seem to justify the expense. I use anywhere between 100 and 300 rounds monthly. Can be 9MM or 45ACP depending on what spikes my interest. At least 50% of the brass is not retrievable as it is shot during competitions. I'm not yet a good enough shooter to appreciate fine tuning my bullets so that is not a concern.
Should I just do as I do and wait till LAX ammo has a yard sale and stock up, or can someone explain why I should start reloading. The time spent reloading is not of concern as I would probably enjoy the hobby.

Any info will be truly appreciated.

Bill

Skip it. 9mm is almost never with the trouble and with the low volumes of 45acp, it's probably not worth the hassle.
(you also have to scrounge for brass which - at least for me - takes attention away from shooting semi-autos).

Revisit the decision if you end up with 45colt or 357Magnum. You will save money reloading these calibers and you don't have to chase shells out of revolvers.