Reloading costs

[cracked butt]

I'll never come even close to breaking even on reloading. I've even rationalized taking up bullet casting to save money- yeah right, I would have to cast about 20,000 bullet made out of free lead to ever break even, and then that doesn't account for my personal time put into it.

I've seen cost breakdowns in lyman reloading manuals about how much money reloading saves, these days I just laugh when I see the figures.

What I get is th ability to make ammunition the way I want it, when I want it. I don't have to worry about the sporting goods store being closed or about trying to track down suppliers for oddball calibers I happen to shoot. I don't need to make up excuses like "I would buy a Swedish 96, an M1 Garand,a 1909 Argie, or a K-31 if I were a reloader," I simply go out and buy them with confidence that I know I will be able to enjoy them to their maximum extent because I make my own ammunition.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I saved a fortune reloading .45 ACP, and another small fortune with 10mm. Reloaded tens of thousands of .45 and a few thousand 10s over a period of 5 or 6 years. I'm quite sure I paid for my equipment many times over but was paid off even better in what I learned and in accuracy not provided by factory ammo.

 

[45auto]

I agree with Steve-Ray and have saved a 'ton" of money loading 45ACP, and do so each year.

Even comparing new promo "garbage loads" in ACP to my reloads I save a lot.

 

[sumpnz]

newfalguy101 - You are way off. I checked it three times just to be sure I wasn't suffering from "fat fingers" or transposing numbers when I typed the numbers in. Each time I came up with $0.143 (rounded of course to 3 decimals).

40gr/round * 1lb/7000gr = 0.005714lb/round

0.005714lb/round * $25/lb = $0.143/round.

 

[The Bushmaster]

At almost age 63 I will not go into the amount of time That I have "wasted" over the years on stupid things that have absolutely NO VALUE what so ever.

"Wasting" time reloading ammunition? You have GOT to be kidding. One must maintain full consentration. That means the brain is working, eye and hand coordination is being exersized, the mind is taken off of other stressful problems and the end product will put you out on the range getting fresh air, exersize and good company....Where's the "waste" of time??...I don't see it. :banghead: I will "waste" my time reloading any time over the TV, getting drunk, sitting around in total boredom.....Excuse me, but you see, I have get back to cleaning 5 more firearms and preping more brass. There I go..."Wasting" more time. And God knows that I have only 37 years left to "waste"

By The Way...Reloading is cheaper then a therepist... Reloading your own ammunition is still cheaper then factory ammunition. Have you seen the gas prices lately???

 

[Razorwire]

Agreed with all said on reloading reasons. I started reloading in about 1970 so reloading costs have changed big time over the years. I reload to save money, and to "unstress" and to have just the load I want, when I want. It doesn't hurt to make it more difficult for "Big Brother" to track my little arsenal. From time to time I will convert one easily obtained Mil brass to another. Example good mil 308 / 7.65 with minimal work will make .223 / 5.56, or .243. Mil .308 used be dirt cheap, either once fired brass or loaded rounds.

 

[P0832177]

The whole question is reloading cost effective is for the birds, the shooting sports are hobbies. Hobbies cost money! Personally I can not see reloading a few boxes of ammo for such a common caliber, ie 243 in Rem 7600 pump gun. Reloading does not save money! It allows to shoot obsolete cartridges, high cartridges, and it allows volume production of various rounds 9mm, 45ACP, 223, 308, and a lot more! Equipment costs money, whether entry level stuff like Lee, or high end stuff like Dillon. I find reloading a great diversion!

 

[newfalguy101]

newfalguy101 - You are way off. I checked it three times just to be sure I wasn't suffering from "fat fingers" or transposing numbers when I typed the numbers in. Each time I came up with $0.143 (rounded of course to 3 decimals).

I plead "it was late" I honestly dont know what I did, but I cant replicate it again this morning.

I recrunched the numbers and came up with the same as you.

The remainder of my original post still goes however, even if I am not a math whiz

 

[redneck2]

So, to sum this up...

you don't have to justify anything. If it's something you want to do and can afford it without making your family suffer, then do it

how do guys "justify" golf??? Got to be one of the goofiest excuses for a "sport" I've ever seen. Knock the ball in the hole, then take it out. Kinda like shooting a group then taping up the holes in the target....but if that's what you want, knock yourself out

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Kinda like shooting a group then taping up the holes in the target

Say! Not bad. Tape's cheaper'n targets.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Yup...Nuthin' like hittin' a little white ball(what it done to you)around a horse pasture knockin' it down gopher holes and takin' it out just to do it over again...

Redneck2...Looks like you may have won that one. You are absolutely correct when it comes to hobbies

 

[trickyasafox]

i think it does save a lot of money. i dont load for 243 so my figures will be different from yours but for 22-250 i save a bundle

35gr powder (not actual load weight but for math's sake it helps)
at 18 bucks a lb of powder (about my local price)
thats 9 cents in powder per cartridge.
i bulk buy 22 cal bullets at 38 or 40 bucks a thousand so we'll call it 4 cents for the bullet.
cases i have, so i dont consider them a cost.
primers are 1.78 per hundred locally so we'll call it an even 2 cents

so 9+4+2=15 cents a cartridge. 20 rounds per box that gives us a grand total of 3 dollars a box. beats the heck out of the 12+ tax i was paying locally

and as far as 9mm goes, i think it is definatly worth loading for. a lot of guys say its not worth their time but i disagree. primers run 17 bucks a thousand by me, and another 16 bucks for some bullseye. i use about 10 bucks worth of powder per thousand rounds loaded so its 27 dollars right there. to order berrys plated bullets by the 1000 is about 40 bucks to your door. 67 dollars a thousand, or 6.70 per hundred shooting a round i like is about 50% of what my local cost is. shoot lead and you can cut that down to about 28 bucks worth of lead from some casters. so thats 56 dollars a case of ammo. to me its definatly cost effective to load!

 

[The Bushmaster]

You are tricky Trickasafox except you forgot one important thing...Because you can load for less you shoot more and that brings it just about even or probably much more...Right??