Why bother reloading?
- Thread starter AKMac
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Otto
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- May 14, 2007
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I totally agree with you. If all you plan to shoot is a 1000 rounds then your math makes sense.
But for me, I load 17K of 45acp a year. So by your calculations I save $765 a year. And that doesn't count the other calibers I load for.
For a low volume shooter like yourself, WalMart will certainly fulfill your needs.
Nate1778
Member
Monetarily I agree, but the one thing that will happen is you will start to shoot, A LOT more if you reload. So for that reason it is probably more valuable to the shooter whom only shoots 1000 rounds a year.
There are ways to get it down to the cost of the primers and powder only, but that simply relies on the reloader. We didn't get into this hobby (shooting) to save money.
I don't agree. You can get into reloading pretty inexpensively if you don't buy all the biggest and baddest presses etc. Prices will get better, especially primers, as things catch up. Metal prices have already declined quite a bit since their peak. When people quit buying everything in sight at today's prices (and I have nothing against that, let's not go there here) things will settle down quite a bit IMO.
Reloading will save money and offer the reloader more possibilities than buying ammo can, as well as breed confidence and launch them on what can be a very satisfying hobby. If they don't like reloading, they can always load till they "break even", and then sell their equipment to someone will will be glad to get a good deal.
hossfly
Member
I did the math a while back and for most of my cartridges I was loading for about 1/3 the price of factory purchase. Now this was before the left wing changes in the country and my components were bought before then so I couldn't say if that's changed anything or not.
bullseye308
Member
Here is something else to look into. If possible, pick up every piece of brass at every range you can get to. If you can't load it scrap it. If it is in a caliber you don't have, you can trade it for brass in a caliber you load for. Every piece of brass has value, either to you, someone els, or the scrap yard. Lots of things can be traded for with no out of pocket expenses. Look at craigslist for reloading equipment or even for casting equipment & lead. It may take a while, but it has been known to pay off.
hossfly
Member
There's certainly something to be said for the value of the time it takes. If I had it to do over I wouldn't have loaded rifles because I don't shoot centerfire rifles enough to make it worth the aggravation. The problem now is I've zero'ed with handloads and can't buy them at the store. 
Has the cost gap closed in recent years? I haven't run any figures in awhile.
Has the cost gap closed in recent years? I haven't run any figures in awhile.
For one don't mail order components if you can the haz fee will kill you if you buy in small quantities. Here is my math.
For 45 ACP
1000 Rainier plated 230 grain bullets - 120 dollars
1 lb of HP-38 - 17 dollars
1k LP primers - 30 dollars
Range brass or brass I have fired - free
All obtained locally
Total 167 dollars for 1k bullets so 16.7 cents a bullet almost half the price of Wal-Mart
Now 223
1000 Hornady 55 grain fmj - 80 dollars
1k SR primers - 30 dollars
3 pounds Ramshot Tac - 53 dollars
Range brass or brass I have fired - free
All bought locally
Total 163 dollars for 1k bullets thats 16.3 cents a round.
I think you just need to find your powder and primers locally.
For 45 ACP
1000 Rainier plated 230 grain bullets - 120 dollars
1 lb of HP-38 - 17 dollars
1k LP primers - 30 dollars
Range brass or brass I have fired - free
All obtained locally
Total 167 dollars for 1k bullets so 16.7 cents a bullet almost half the price of Wal-Mart
Now 223
1000 Hornady 55 grain fmj - 80 dollars
1k SR primers - 30 dollars
3 pounds Ramshot Tac - 53 dollars
Range brass or brass I have fired - free
All bought locally
Total 163 dollars for 1k bullets thats 16.3 cents a round.
I think you just need to find your powder and primers locally.
Arkansas Paul
Member
I'm with ReloaderFred. I shoot so I can reload. By the way, I'm fairly new to THR. What's a troll?
oldreloader
Member
I don't worry about the math. I know I can build better ammo for less money. For me, reloading is a hobby in it's self. I enjoy doing it. That's why MY choice of a press is single stage. I WANT to do it slow, because I enjoy it. I don't like the math because it gives me a headache.LOL.
mongoose33
Member
The cheapest I can find WWB in .45 is for 35 cents per round.
I'm reloading .45 for 13 cents per round.
I'm under 20 cents per round for .223, about 10 cents per round for 9mm.
You can save significant money *if* you buy components in bulk, i.e., thousands of bullets at a time, 5k or 10k primers at a time, powder in 4# or 8# kegs, and you re-use brass.
Yeah, there are up-front costs. You can't buy in bulk without paying a lot of money up front, in addition to the cost of the equipment.
Here's the metric I like best: I'm saving 22 cents per round in .45. I can load, conservatively, 300 rounds an hour on my LnLAP press. Multiplying 22 cents by 300 rounds an hour, and I'm *paying* myself $66 an hour to reload.
Who has a part-time job that pays $66 per hour?
On top of that, I produce better ammo than factory loads, I enjoy reloading, it's relaxing, I can try out all sorts of different loads and bullets, I'm not hurt by the ammo shortage, and in any SHTF scenario I'm prepared.
So what's not to like?
I'm reloading .45 for 13 cents per round.
I'm under 20 cents per round for .223, about 10 cents per round for 9mm.
You can save significant money *if* you buy components in bulk, i.e., thousands of bullets at a time, 5k or 10k primers at a time, powder in 4# or 8# kegs, and you re-use brass.
Yeah, there are up-front costs. You can't buy in bulk without paying a lot of money up front, in addition to the cost of the equipment.
Here's the metric I like best: I'm saving 22 cents per round in .45. I can load, conservatively, 300 rounds an hour on my LnLAP press. Multiplying 22 cents by 300 rounds an hour, and I'm *paying* myself $66 an hour to reload.
Who has a part-time job that pays $66 per hour?
On top of that, I produce better ammo than factory loads, I enjoy reloading, it's relaxing, I can try out all sorts of different loads and bullets, I'm not hurt by the ammo shortage, and in any SHTF scenario I'm prepared.
So what's not to like?
dwave
Member
I shoot .357 mag and .44 mag, check out the ammo costs for those rounds. In this area 50 rounds of .357 costs $34+tax. That is the cheapest price. So lets look at how much it costs me to make my own.
Powder $23/pound (local)
Primers $34/1000 (local)
bullets $38/500 lead (internet order + shipping)
www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp tells me that it costs .157 per round. Also says that it costs me 7.83 per 50. 7.83 < 34 by a large margin.
However, it is fun to do!
Powder $23/pound (local)
Primers $34/1000 (local)
bullets $38/500 lead (internet order + shipping)
www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp tells me that it costs .157 per round. Also says that it costs me 7.83 per 50. 7.83 < 34 by a large margin.
However, it is fun to do!
hossfly
Member
Well...I too am not hurt by the ammo shortage per se. But the primer shortage has put a dent in my willingness to burn powder. I'll be tickled when/if that run ever ends.
When you go into a handloading / reloading forum that has many members who enjoy handloading almost as much as shooting (for some perhaps more...) and start insinuating to the forum that it makes no sense to handload knowing that this is going start ruffling feathers... you probably are a troll. I would call it just plain old bad manners.
It sounds to me like you have made your calculations and found what you think works for you. What's left to discuss?!
LGB
Last edited:
To the OP, when your question is "Why BOTHER reloading" you've already furnished all the info needed to answer it yourself.
If you view this hobby as a bother, it obviously ain't for you, so just shoot store bought and post on the factory ammo websites?
A 'troll' on the internet refers to someone who posts obviously inflammatory or ridiculous questions just to watch the responses from well-intentioned folks who mistakenly think they are serious.
If you view this hobby as a bother, it obviously ain't for you, so just shoot store bought and post on the factory ammo websites?
A 'troll' on the internet refers to someone who posts obviously inflammatory or ridiculous questions just to watch the responses from well-intentioned folks who mistakenly think they are serious.
SharpsDressedMan
member
Your math must be off. Buy a box of 100 bullets, Gold Dots or XTP's, and caculate the price per round after loading them, but use your once fired brass from your once fired factory ammo. I'll bet you will load them for a lot less than $1.00 a round, like some of those 20-25 round boxes sell for. For bulk blasing, you have to buy bulk bullets or cast or use lead bullets, but for the premium stuff, "you gonna save a lot"!
Certainly a touchy group. I was hoping this discussion would turn into a thread about the best places to find components cheaply and ways to make our hobby a little more inexpensive.
Thanks to the posters who took the time to write a well thought out response that added to the discussion.
To the people who said I'm a troll, you obviously lack the ability to construct a logical response that proves me wrong or adds to the discussion.
As one poster above pointed out, I guess what's killing me is the hazmat fee's and shipping charges. I would guess by the time I drive 90 miles to closest reloading supply store, and add an additional 4.7% sales tax, I might be getting somewhat close to a shipping and hazmat fee. I could do the math on that too for you degreed mathematicians in the forum
Thanks to the posters who took the time to write a well thought out response that added to the discussion.
To the people who said I'm a troll, you obviously lack the ability to construct a logical response that proves me wrong or adds to the discussion.
As one poster above pointed out, I guess what's killing me is the hazmat fee's and shipping charges. I would guess by the time I drive 90 miles to closest reloading supply store, and add an additional 4.7% sales tax, I might be getting somewhat close to a shipping and hazmat fee. I could do the math on that too for you degreed mathematicians in the forum
fecmech
Member
Akmak--You've convinced me, you should buy factory ammo!
bullseye308
Member
If the closest place for you to buy locally is 90 miles away, it may make more sense to buy online with all the fees involved. My favorite toy store is 30 miles away and for me that is a long drive. Everything else I need is within 8 miles. I plan a "trip" to hit several stores in the area when I go out to make the trip more worth it and buy as much as possible to maximise my trip and gas. I do also call ahead before driving that far to make sure I don't waste a trip.
Either way it goes, you can save money reloading. One of the good things about reloading is once you have stock on hand, you no longer have to worry about avaibility like lots of folks do. If you want to hit the range, you pull from your stores or load some up and go. No more hitting multiple shops looking for overpriced ammo(and maybe not finding any). Another plus is tailoring your ammo to your gun for more accuracy. Factory just has to function in every gun, reloads function and also are more accurate(usually). It won't cost you much to find out that you can't get back if you decide you don't wanna do it. Heck, you may just like it.
Either way it goes, you can save money reloading. One of the good things about reloading is once you have stock on hand, you no longer have to worry about avaibility like lots of folks do. If you want to hit the range, you pull from your stores or load some up and go. No more hitting multiple shops looking for overpriced ammo(and maybe not finding any). Another plus is tailoring your ammo to your gun for more accuracy. Factory just has to function in every gun, reloads function and also are more accurate(usually).
It won't cost you much to find out that you can't get back if you decide you don't wanna do it. Heck, you may just like it. 
buck460XVR
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- Joined
- Feb 6, 2007
- Messages
- 10,080
I reload cause I enjoy it. Like many have stated I don't save any money, I just shoot more rounds when I go to the range. To tell the truth, I spend more now that I reload than I ever did when all I shot was factory ammo. Just don't tell my wife.
For those that shoot 500 rounds a year or less, the payback from initial startup costs will probably never be realized. What value you put on your spare time can make a difference also. Even if one can reload for a quarter of what factory ammo costs, if one doesn't have the spare time to spend, the loss of quality time with the wife and kids can be much more than the extra cost of factory ammo. Also, what you shoot can make a big difference whether or not you decide to reload. Most of the time I can buy bulk .45ACP, .223 and 30-06 for about the same as what I can reload it. For plinking it performs as well as my handloads. Altho both my son's shoot my handloads, I prefer factory ammo when taking other folk shooting, just because. But alas, Wally-world does not handle .460 S&W and most other places want $2 a pop. Good factory .357 and .44 is also much higher than what I can reload it for. So for me it just makes sense..........for others it may not.....and I'm fine with it.
For those that shoot 500 rounds a year or less, the payback from initial startup costs will probably never be realized. What value you put on your spare time can make a difference also. Even if one can reload for a quarter of what factory ammo costs, if one doesn't have the spare time to spend, the loss of quality time with the wife and kids can be much more than the extra cost of factory ammo. Also, what you shoot can make a big difference whether or not you decide to reload. Most of the time I can buy bulk .45ACP, .223 and 30-06 for about the same as what I can reload it. For plinking it performs as well as my handloads. Altho both my son's shoot my handloads, I prefer factory ammo when taking other folk shooting, just because. But alas, Wally-world does not handle .460 S&W and most other places want $2 a pop. Good factory .357 and .44 is also much higher than what I can reload it for. So for me it just makes sense..........for others it may not.....and I'm fine with it.
ReloaderFred
Member
The problem lies in the way the OP asked his question, which came off argumentative from the start. If the question had been asked in another way, the responses would have been different, I'm sure.
Hope this helps.
Fred
Hope this helps.
Fred
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