Has reloading saved you money (casting excluded please)

[BullfrogKen]

From that perspective, not much in life is worth doing. It's all overpriced with too little ROI. Might as well eat rice everyday, with the occasional bowl of soup.

Beans. Don't forget the beans.

Beans, rice, and soup on Sundays.

 

[RandyP]

I never calculate my 'labor cost' in any hobby pursuit, that's just plain silly. I engage in my hobbies (and the majority of my life) in my free time.

Nobody would go fishing if you had to figure in an hourly 'wage' for doing it. Or bowling, or golfing or riding a motorcycle or........ you get the idea.

 

[warnerwh]

With reloading I can shoot as much as I want. If I had to pay for ammo I'd not be able to shoot nearly as much. The ability to tailor your loads to exactly what you want and exactly what your gun wants is enjoyable to me as well as many other people. The price just makes it better.

To be honest I don't know how much I'd shoot if I had to pay retail so can't say how much money I would spend. I get to shoot as much as I want and that's all that matters. I do try to buy stuff on sale though. If you start reloading you will likely find yourself shooting much more than you thought you ever would, I'll bet many people found out about that one. Reloading must be looked at as a hobby within itself, not just a money saving activity. Your enjoyment of shooting goes way up when you reload your own ammo. At least that's my opinion.

 

[Super.45]

I started reloading with the eye torwards saving money. Over the years that point became moot as my reloading grew and I was getting better results with my stuff than buying factory stuff.
I get to load a wider diversity of calibers and bullets and loads that I ever could do by buying the stuff already made.
So it comes down that versatility became more important to me than actual cost.
Thas why I don't try to find the cheapest anything. I buy what works and performs for me and I am very happy with my results.
I think compared to Factory new ammo I am saving money but thats not the overiding concern. I also like to load and theres a great sense of satisfaction of seeing my labor results on the target.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I agree with most folks here, reloading is a hobby, its very relaxing to me, and gratifying seeing you're own rounds go off without a hitch with great accuracy. The money savings is a secondary consideration, definitely not the primary.

 

[GaryL]

Beans. Don't forget the beans.

Beans, rice, and soup on Sundays.

My bad. You are correct, of course.

Anyone figure out how much $ is lost while eating? A guy could down a rice or bean shake pretty quick, but then you'd have to spend $ on a blender...

 

[RustyFN]

Anyone figure out how much $ is lost while eating?

When I eat a lot of money is lost.

 

[James2]

You can't save money by spending it. We have all spent a wagon load of money on tools and components. I sure enjoy burning up that gunpowder though.

 

[jcwit]

You can't save money by spending it.

I beg to differ. It all depends on how and on what one spends the money on. Do I really need to go into detail regarding this.

 

[VancMike]

I stand by my statement that I saved $ reloading (somewhere in this thread is my original post). And my spreadsheets prove it.

But someone reminded me of the cost of fishing. Now, that's an activity that costs hundreds, if not thousands of $/lb.

But again.....why would you put a pencil to some fun hobbies/activities?

Oh yeah....I do "rent" the golf course when I use it....haven't made my own yet.....

 

[MtnCreek]

My wife and I have it pretty much figured out: When she comes home and starts telling me how much money she save while shopping, I cringe and I fully understand that what she really means is that she spent a lot of money.

I've stopped telling her how much I 'saved' by reloading.

When Gov revenues are up, do they send you the surplus? No, they just spend the surplus (well, that and them some if talking about the Feds). That's kinda the way most people address their shooting budget.

 

[RustyFN]

You can't save money by spending it. We have all spent a wagon load of money on tools and components. I sure enjoy burning up that gunpowder though.

I agree you are not saving the money going out. But when you spend 1/10 of what you would have spent if you didn't reload then didn't you save 9/10? Let me ask this. When you go buy a car do you try to talk them down or do you pay sticker price? Remember you dodn't save money buy spending it so why would you try to talk them down.

 

[MtnCreek]

In that case, you've already desided to purchase a car and you're not likely to purchase an additional car with your savings. With ammo, it's more like: I need to purchase ammo (or reloading supplies), I have budgeted $X to spend on my ammo purchase. The question becomes: How much ammo (or supplies) can I purchase for the budgeted ammount.

 

[jcwit]

In that case, you've already desided to purchase a car and you're not likely to purchase an additional car with your savings. With ammo, it's more like: I need to purchase ammo (or reloading supplies), I have budgeted $X to spend on my ammo purchase. The question becomes: How much ammo (or supplies) can I purchase for the budgeted ammount.

Neh, doesn't work that way when you're on a fixed income.

 

[1911Tuner]

I think that probably the biggest advantage to reloading isn't to save money, per se. As noted, you can't save money by spending money.

But money isn't the only issue here.

The main perks are that it lets us afford to shoot more, and that's always a good thing...and it becomes an enjoyable hobby in and of itself. Most people who do it like it so much that it eventually gets to the point that they don't reload to shoot...but rather shoot so they can go reload. For me...after approaching 50 years and untold tens of thousands of rounds...on a single-stage press...it's reached the point of being a chore that I don't like all that much any more. Even shooting doesn't hold the same charm as it once did.

But...

I'll continue to do it because...for me...the main advantage is that I can make my own ammunition as long as I have wheelweights, primers, and powder on hand...and I never let myself run completely out of those things. I'll have ammunition through shortages and if push really comes to shove on the political scene, and it becomes too expensive and/or restrictive to buy...I'll have ammunition.

 

[RustyFN]

In that case, you've already desided to purchase a car and you're not likely to purchase an additional car with your savings.

What you do with the savings doesn't have anything to do with if it's savings or not. Besides if you go to buy a car and they want $30,000 and you talk them down to $25,000 you didn't save any money because you spent $25,000. At least that's what some people are saying.

 

[orionengnr]

Meh, I'm of two minds here. If I did a spreadsheet I could probably prove (or disprove) whatever theory I wanted to present.

If I stick to facts, I will say that:

--Fifteen years ago I would go shooting about twice per year.
--Ten years ago it was maybe four times per year.
--About five years ago I started collecting my brass, seeing the direction this was going. I also started buying primers at that time, as well as powder.
--About 3 1/2 years ago a friend was leaving the country and willed me his Dillon 450. I started handloading. He returned a year or so later; my wife bought me a Dillon 550 for Christmas and I returned his 450.

Conclusions:
I am not sure how many rounds I have loaded in the last three years, but I have been shooting about once a week for the last 2 1/2- 3 years....mostly .45 acp, but others as well. I have a "fair number" of primers and enough cases, projectiles and powder to use them all.

I have dies and components for such cartridges as 10mm, .41 Mag and .45LC, and have loaded a fair number of each. Each of these cartridges is expensive to buy, and I load them for about 25% of the cost of factory loads.

Bottom line--I have spent a lot of money on presses, dies, components, etc.
Not sure if the amount of ammo I have produced has offset that cost. But I am certain of two things.
1. Were it not for handloading, I would not be able to shoot once a week, and my skills would be at a significantly lower level than they are now.
2. Were it not for handloading, my 10 mm, .41 Mag and .45 LC (and perhaps others) would either never have been bought or would sit in the safe because I could not afford to feed them.

 

[9teenEleven]

at today's component prices, I pay $145 for 1000 .45 fmj, and $115 for 9mm fmj.

At walmart, it would cost me $350 per 1000 for .45 and $240 per 1000 for 9mm.

I shoot about 1000 rounds a month, so I save $170 a month assuming that I shoot 500 9mm and 500 .45.

My reloading setup cost me about $600 but I've saved that in just over 3 months of shooting.

 

[BullfrogKen]

For the Thread Win

Bottom line--I have spent a lot of money on presses, dies, components, etc.
Not sure if the amount of ammo I have produced has offset that cost. But I am certain of two things.
1. Were it not for handloading, I would not be able to shoot once a week, and my skills would be at a significantly lower level than they are now.
2. Were it not for handloading, my 10 mm, .41 Mag and .45 LC (and perhaps others) would either never have been bought or would sit in the safe because I could not afford to feed them.

Orion totally nailed it.


I don't reload . . .

• so I can make claims about how much money I've saved;
• so I can sit on a big pile of ammo like a dragon would on a heap of treasure and admire it;

I reload so I can shoot. A lot. Every week. And walk the never-ending path to master the discipline.

Were it not for reloading I could not do it. My guns would sit in my safe, and I'd tell myself lies about how good I was. And any ammo I bought would be hoarded away, only to be brought out on occasions. Because I reload I know myself. I know my skill level, how perishable those skills are, how much and how often I need to shoot to keep them fresh.

And I don't look at my ammo pile as a treasure to be sat upon. It's the sustenance I will consume along the journey.

 

[Ignition Override]

It must be saving us money per round, though we might shoot Enfields and a Spanish FR8 etc more often, if we buy the tedious single stage Lee gear (like mine) and just enough low-cost chamfer etc/pocket scraper tools to make it safe.

My temptation is to keep just two 1-lb. bottles of powder in reserve, and the urge is to go out often to buy more powder. The recent compulsion is to mark cases each time they are reloaded, so that I can go shoot, reload them again, trying to determine how long those dozen test cases can last!
They are test cases, and my wife designates me as a mental case.

The good news for 7.62 plinkers is that Russian-made 7.62x39 is still fairly cheap.
The SKS goes out very often because this low-cost ammo can destroy a target, and there is No time spent reloading it.

 

[J_McLeod]

I'm actually spending more on ammo than I did before I started reloading, but I shoot a lot more.

 

[Nushif]

so i can sit on a big pile of ammo like a dragon would on a heap of treasure and admire it;

i do that! >.<

 

[Obsidian]

I've put out a large amount of money in to my basic equipment, and am learning as I go.

So far as saving money I would say no. I shoot more from my rifles and get more practice in..

While the basic stuff I will pay off eventually in cost savings, I still buy new ammo, for the pistols anyway or the .223s.

I would say I shoot a lot more now, have more fun., Saving money, no. My friends save money with out the equipment purchases I've done and the reloading of such.

I have fun. That is what matters. I save money in the basic shot per whatever measurement. Get more accurate loads. And just... have fun!

 

[Afy]

It has saved me money, also it allows me to shoot rifles I wouldnt be able to otherwise.
For example my 8x60S, a round costs me less than 70 eurocents to load, while manufactured ammo (RWS) is about 5 Euros a round.
Simillarly for 6BR etc. The only centerfire rifle I do not reload for is the 7.62x39 where I got a killer deal on 4K of wolf, and my 7.5x55 Swiss where I cant match the consistency and accuracy of the GP11 surplus.

 

[Ala Dan]

Yes-Money Saved

I use to cast my own bullets, but time restraints (kid and grand-daughter)
nullified what little time I had~!