Reloading --- Cost Savings? Not So Much

[DTtuner 21]

Excerpt from SurvivalBlog.com post:

 

"If a person were to invest $290 in reloading equipment plus $40 in one set of reloading dies in a specific caliber, then that person would need to reload the following number of empty cartridges to recover the cost of the total investment of $330:

5,156 Pistol Cartridges = $330 divided by $0.064 savings per pistol cartridge, or

1,031 Rifle Cartridges = $330 divided by $0.320 savings per rifle cartridge."

 

http://www.survivalb...tory_loads.html

 

 

Interesting stuff. I was always under the impression that the cost savings from reloading paid for themselves in a short time frame, and regardless of ammunition type.

 

For Rifle ammunition, the investment in reloading equipment seems a good idea.

 

[JimmyAGR 54]

It all depends on what you are reloading. I reload for both 5.56 and 7.62 and the comparative ammo would cost close to a dollar more. Think Black Hills or Federal GMM. If you use match grade ammo the savings will be much greater especially after you have a collection of cases.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

I wouldn't put that much stock into the number they have there, 1st they are old numbers but even so, prices on loaded ammo and supplies to load your own have gone up. I just think the number they are using are a little high. I am new at it but I can see a larger saving than what they show there. Brass I collect, mostly mine but I have bought once fired brass and that brings the brass cost down. Primers can be had for a really nice price if you stock up when there are sales or deal going on, same with bullets and don't forget the bulk buys we do here on the forum. Powders, same thing as primers and bullets. Don;t forget, brass can be loaded more than once, especially if you load minor, so each time you reload the brass your total cost per round goes down.

 

Even with there numbers, the number of rounds reloaded by many here probably paid for the equipment in the first year, not to mention you can load to your gun.

[Guest]

IMHO, reloading is by and far above more economical than buying ammunition ready to go.....

 

** PLUS ** should the prevailing winds change and a tax of some sort, or other monetary levy be placed on ammunition, you can roll your own....

 

Finally cost is NOT the sole contributing factor to the benefit of metallic reloading.........

[usnmars 136]

It all depends on the caliber you are loading. Figure some of the surplus rifle calibers that ammo is expensive to buy but yet reload is a considerable cost savings. One that comes to mind is .303 Brit. I can buy a box of 20 for about 15 but yet load my own for about 6. And I know the quality of what I make isn't even comparable to off the shelf stuff. The stuff I make is in a class of its own and you cant buy it.

[Babaganoosh 192]

Those numbers are nowhere near accurate. Out of 1 pound of powder I can make 1660 rounds of 9mm. I can get lead bullets for 60 bucks per 1000 but opt for plated or FMJ at appro 86 bucks per thousand. Primers approx 32 bucks. Use my own brass I have collected. That means you are looking at approx 130 bucks for 1000 9mm rounds. Where can you get brass cased 9mm rounds for 13 cents a pop? I have yet to see a case of 1000 9mm rounds for anywhere near that cheap. So I save approx 65 to 70 bucks per thousand. In 5000 rounds I have saved about 350 bucks over retail. Ive shot 5000 rounds in the past few months.

 

Plus the bigger the round you make, the more you save. When I load .45 I prob save 100 bucks per thousand.

 

Plus the fact that the rounds reloaders make are much nicer to shoot.

[Maksim 1,504]

You don't reload to save money. You reload to save per box.

 

[tony357 386]

Reloading pays for itself in a short peiod of time.

 

especialy odd calibers like 41AE last box of 50 i purchased in 1992 on sale was 39.99 at the original harry's.. they had 2 boxes and i purchased both.

 

lets figure it out in 9mm.

2000 bullets fmj montana gold. 210.00 can do cheaper this is list.

2000 primers 28.00 box =56.00

6992gr =1pound powder using unique powder 5.2 gr charge 10,400 gr to load 2000 rounds about 1-3/4 pounds=16.79 1lb=33.58

total to load 2000rounds=299.58

 

inexpensive ammo about 16.99 box 50 2000rounds=679.60

[bry@n 195]

Well, my cost for 2k rounds would be about $400, so in your equation, I would save $100 per 2k.

[compujas 21]

Another thing to keep in mind is quality of the ammo. Say you're loading for a precision .308 (like I do). The cheapest ammo you can find is about $12/box for 20 rounds for American Eagle. My calculations with my particular components show that I pay $8.61/box, so not a huge savings. But taking into account that I am loading match grade ammo that will typically run about $30-40/box, I'm saving a crap load of money for the quality.

 

When it comes to pistol, everyone starts reloading to save money and continues reloading to shoot more. My calculations for 9mm when buying bulk powder and plated bullets with free brass is $5.49/box. When's the last time you found 9mm brass cased ammo for that cheap.

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

My press more than pays for itself every time I turn out just one box of .500 S&W magnum...

[DevsAdvocate 112]

Too many different variables to consider. But really comes down to what you shoot, what you shoot it for, and how much you shoot it.

 

For me, the main caliber I would reload is 5.56mm NATO... I definitely shoot that the most.

[Dan 177]

I calculated that I was saving around .40 cents per round over commercial when I reload match .308 rounds. That comes to around a $8 savings per box of 20. Sure it will take me reloading 87 boxes worth (1750 rounds) to break even on the equipment purchase, but that will definitely come in time.

[Old School 611]

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

 

Cost calculator

[bry@n 195]

So I figured out I saved $75 per or $6 and change for a box of 9mm. Save even more on .40, so it is worth it to me.

[Babaganoosh 192]

So I figured out I saved $75 per or $6 and change for a box of 9mm. Save even more on .40, so it is worth it to me.

 

That's my calculation too. That isn't chump change.

[Lunicy 4]

If you cast your own, buy in bulk, etc... you can save a bundle.

Easy math:

Lee kit +- $200 (you could actually use a hand press and get your cost down to $100)

Mold $30

furnace $40

$270 in equipment (maybe $170)

 

 

One of my .38 loads =

$110 for 8lb of powder

= about 1/2 of a cent per round

Primers $103.99/5000 wolf

= .02 per round

Brass = free (range pick up)

Bullets = free (reclaimed lead and wheel weights)

 

$2.59 per 100 rounds

This is real cheap. You will tinker and spend more on stuff. You will end up with a progressive press.

 

It doen't cost more to reload .40 or .45

[hd2000fxdl 422]

If you cast your own, buy in bulk, etc... you can save a bundle.

Easy math:

Lee kit +- $200 (you could actually use a hand press and get your cost down to $100)

Mold $30

furnace $40

$270 in equipment (maybe $170)

 

 

One of my .38 loads =

$110 for 8lb of powder

= about 1/2 of a cent per round

Primers $103.99/5000 wolf

= .02 per round

Brass = free (range pick up)

Bullets = free (reclaimed lead and wheel weights)

 

$2.59 per 100 rounds

This is real cheap. You will tinker and spend more on stuff. You will end up with a progressive press.

 

It doen't cost more to reload .40 or .45

 

Don't get much cheaper than that, by the way do you shoot at OB??

[raz-0 1,259]

I generally find you can save at least 25% on 9mm, 35% on .40, and almost 50% on .45.

 

.233, I save about $0.24 per round for something comparable of new manufacture (I.e. not match grade ammo). I can load .308 match grade ammo for about $0.40, a savings of over a buck per round on match grade .308. It also does just over 1/2 moa out of my rifle, which commercial won't.

.444 I can save over a buck a round as well.

 

 

[Krdshrk 3,878]

inexpensive ammo about 16.99 box 50 2000rounds=679.60

 

Not really. $9.99/box w/ free shipping from cabelas....

$399.60 for 2000 rounds

[tommy3rd 132]

i don't shoot enough to justify reloading. For every hour spent reloading, I can work an hour overtime to pay for enough factory ammo. I do the same justification with lawn mowing vs. hiring a landscaper. maybe i'm just lazy.

[raz-0 1,259]

Ok, I wen't back and looked at their numbers for pistol ammo because I was wondering why they were so off from my experience. Their numbers are just wrong. cheapest .40 I can find is $12.50 per box. That's $0.25 per round They come up with $0.27, which means they are probably talking something along the lines of wally world WWB.

 

Using my current suppliers of components, AND assuming I don't ever reuse brass, just buy cheap once fired, I come up with a raw material cost of $0.165 cents per round. They come up with $20.6. That's with purchasing things in largish quantities to manage shipping costs, but shipping is in that price of $0.165. Stepping up to a more expensive jacketed bullet, rather than the plated I use with good results, only adds $0.02 per round. Stepping down to a coated lead round would bring it down by $0.015 cents per round. Oh yeah, and I'm doing that with 180gr bullets, I could shave a little off the price with 165 like they are using, but doing cheapest steel cased crap I could find for the commercial price, it was also 180gr. I don;t know what they are using for their bullet price of $0.165 per bullet, but montana gold is $0.12, precision delta, bulletworks plated, precision moly coat, and bayou bullets burnt tire stank green coated bullets are all less than that and shoot well. Primers are way cheaper now if you buy intelligently. You can get the cost down to about 1.6 cents per primer. They have it at 3 cents per primer.

 

For their 168gr .308 load, their bullet price is high. They have bullets at $33 a box of 100. As long as I stay away from lead free options and berger bullets, highest price I can get to is about $30 a box of $100, I can get a nicely performing match grade 16gr bullet for $0.25 a round. Primer cost I can get down to about $0.26 for large rifle in a brand I know will work. So with a little shopping and shipping smarts, you can get the components to you for about $0.42 shipped vs. their $0.48. What is really wrong is the price they have for factory ammo. I can actually find .308 plinking ammo for less than $15.99 per box ($12.95 for something brass cased). A box of stuff loaded with a 168gr match bullet is more like $28-30 a box of 20, which is $1.40 a round, not $0.80. What I get for $0.42-$0.43 is a NICE match grade round vs. $1.40 at retail.If I go with a no name 168gr hp match bullet like in the $28 a box match ammo, bullet price drops to $0.19 per round and round cost drops to $0.37 per round vs retail of $1.40. Go for a 147-150gr bullet like you actually get for $15.99 per box, and I cna get the bullet price down to $0.15 per round buying in bulk. That's $0.32 per round vs their $0.80.

 

I agree with them 100% that loading shotgun makes no financial sense. you ahve to cast your own shot to make it cheaper than retail, and to do that you need to drop a hefty sum on equipment to do it in any kind of volume.

[zoid 24]

I know I'm saving. No way I could even buy a 1911 or any 45ACP pistol unless I reloaded.

It's around $350-450/1000rds. When I reload it's closer to $120-130 depending on what

I'm loading. Plus it's made the way I want and shoots more accurately for me.

 

9mm is not as much of a savings, but I'm still saving at least $100 per 1000rds. The way

I see it I can shoot double the amount for the same price.

 

One things for sure: Yeah you don't save money, you just shoot more!

[bulpup 98]

You don't reload to save money. You reload to save per box.

 

Thats the way Iook at it too. When I consider how much time I have at the range and the random times I can actualy go, it is far better for me to pump out 100 the night before instead of buying two boxes at the range or traveing out of my way to pick some up before going to Cherry Ridge.

 

I know I COULD buy 1000 9mm rounds in bulk, and have. However this is just how I prefer to do it.

[Zell959 40]

With the Dick's in East Hanover no longer selling ammo, reloading saves me the PITA factor of going out of my way to get ammo elsewhere and/or bails me out when I don't plan ahead with my online ammo orders.

 

Also, as others have said, the savings are greatest with rifle ammunition designed for accuracy. Even a relatively green reloader can turn out ammunition that will outperform budget priced varieties of ammo and end up with something more comparable to match quality ammo. An advanced reloader, which I don't consider myself to be just yet, can take the benefits to another level and produce ammunition customized to their rifle that will shoot more accurately than even the highest quality factory ammunition.

[matt6669 71]

I can reload .45 LSWC for less than 5.50 a box of 50. You find me new manufacture for even twice that and I'd be impressed. I can probably load FMJ's for not much more than that too, probably like 7.50-8 dollars. The cheapest .45acp FMJ's are well into the high teens low 20's

 

Plus tailoring your loads is priceless. Being able to take trailboss and load it into a .45 case and let my girlfriend shoot my 1911 : priceless

[LorenzoS 100]

I don't know where some of you guys are buying your 9mm target ammo from. I just picked up several 1,000 round cases of RWS 124 grain, which is excellent quality, from targetsports.com for $210 each including shipping.

[usnmars 136]

Reloading is a hobby within a hobby. Some reload for cost some reload for accuracy. I myself load for accuracy. The ammo I make cannot be bought and is in a standard of it's own. If you were to buy ammo like I make it would be verrrrrrrrrrry expensive. As an example take a brand new rifle round from a major manufacturer and roll it across your bench or counter top and stare at the very tip of the bullet. The wobble in the tip is called runout and is the bullet not seated in the neck straight. Normally with factory ammo is appalling that this stuff is passing QC. But my loads there is almost zero runout. I can keep going on and on about comparing top notch factory loads to reloads but I will say if it can be done to a round during the brass prep and loading process, I do it from neck turning to weighing and sorting my brass. Now you can see a major difference in the way the ammo shoots. I have a 100% custom FLAIG .308 that is a true blueprinted rifle built by a fameous gunsmith to be accurate. With Hornady 155gr TAP ballistic tip ammo the rifle will shoot about an inch at 100yds, but with my reloads and the exact same bullet the rifle will shoot 1 ragged hole. For me the fun of reloading is pushing the limits and seeing what can be done. It's fun to work up that magic recipe and seeing what it will actually do. So for me the saving money isn't really a factor, it's quality. Knowing what I put together at night in the basement will blow away anything on the shelf is a rewarding feeling for me.