Somebody needs to go ahead and tell the OP the truth. You won't save a dime by reloading! You will enjoy it so much and have to try different bullet ad powder combinations that you will probably spend more, but you will shoot a hell of a lot more and have so much more fun.
With all due respect, I hear this argument all of the time, and it isn't true in all cases.
I started reloading way back in 1972 when I began shooting center-fire handguns at an outdoor range. After I went out with 100 rounds of .45 Colt and a New Service revolver and shot all of my ammo I was well satisfied. No desire to shoot more .45 Colt that day.
But, I did quickly realize that factory ammo was expensive and that I could not afford to do this on a regular basis, especially if I acquired more guns.
I also quickly learned that I could reload cartridges for about 1/2 the cost of factory, even with factory bullets. So, I acquired first a Lee Loader, and then an RCBS JR3 press, some powder dippers, and such. Even so, I still only shot 100 rounds of .45 Colt in a session because that was enough to satisfy me.
I started casting bullets from reclaimed wheel weights and a box of ammo dropped to the cost of the powder and the primers for 50 rounds.
But, it still made no difference to me. 100 rounds of center-fire pistol was plenty for me for one session. The reduced cost did not increase my desire to shoot more rounds.
And, when my gun collection expanded it didn't change.
Sure, I shot more often than I could have afforded to otherwise, but I could produce 5 boxes of cast bullet reloads for the cost of one box of factory ammo. So, I was ahead of he game.
Cartridge cases can last through 5 to 10 reloads depending on the cartridge. Straight wall cases can last longer.
And, as a traditional .45-70 shooter, the OP wants to shoot cast bullets for accuracy, and won't be going through buckets of ammo every session like CAS shooters or combat sports shooters.
So, all things being equal, reloading should save him some money.
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