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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How Much Is Really Saved? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 10/24/2011 5:38:54 PM EDT
| I am without a doubt a beginning reloader so if this is just an absolute dumb question i apologize. I was looking into how much money I would save reloading 1000 rounds of .223. I spent $93.00 on 1000 bullets. $28 on 1000 primers and already had the .223 cases from shooting before getting into reloading a few months back. Where I feel like I will actually loosing money instead of save money is the powder, in the last reloading thread I read it said you can reload about 250-300 .223 cartridges depending on if your are loading minimum to medium loads . So a pound of powder is around $30. So thats about 3.5 pounds of powder which equals out to lets just say $100. so after I have $92 in bullets, $28 in primers, and $100 in powder and luckily i have the cases. That's $220. Am I really saving that much money compared to $250 for 1000 at local gun shows? Am I just adding wrong or is all my information just way off base? Sorry for the dumb question. I am just figuring this all out? |
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I am without a doubt a beginning reloader so if this is just an absolute dumb question i apologize. I was looking into how much money I would save reloading 1000 rounds of .223. I spent $93.00 on 1000 bullets. $28 on 1000 primers and already had the .223 cases from shooting before getting into reloading a few months back. Where I feel like I will actually loosing money instead of save money is the powder, in the last reloading thread I read it said you can reload about 250-300 .223 cartridges depending on if your are loading minimum to medium loads . So a pound of powder is around $30. So thats about 3.5 pounds of powder which equals out to lets just say $100. so after I have $92 in bullets, $28 in primers, and $100 in powder and luckily i have the cases. That's $220. Am I really saving that much money compared to $250 for 1000 at local gun shows? Am I just adding wrong or is all my information just way off base? Sorry for the dumb question. I am just figuring this all out? If you need to know info, asking is not dumb. You can save lots of money by reloading. After awhile it will pay off your press and all of your loading accessories . The $250 you may be paying at local gunshows will often get you substandard ammo unless you are shooting at something within 50 yards or so. Who cares about groups at that distance? With a press and some decent projectiles, you can be getting very GOOD groups out to 300 yards or more spending that kind of cash. |
| Your math is reasonable. Goggled "handload cost calculator" and came up with $213.14 per 1000 using a 25 gr charge. If you buy your components in larger quanity your cost per round will decrease a bit. Hard to save a ton of money on .223, 9MM, 40SW, and the like now that every one's got lots on hand. Generally, you'll see more savings on larger calibers or low volumn production rounds. Of course, your custom made, taylored for your specific gun, hand crafted ammo will out shoot that cheap-o surplus gun show crap everyday!!! Right? |
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Buy in bulk and save big $$. I bought 50,000 rds worth of AR components when the price was low about 5 years ago. I've been shooting M-193 ammo ever since for $81 per 1K. These days you see M-193 selling for $480 per 1K. I'm happy to p0ocket the $400 per 1K. My son and I just started reloading for M1 Garands. I bought surplus bullets and powder and after scoring on some Greek brass, we're reloading for $240 per 1K vs CMP's price of $750 per 1K. I've still got over 10,000 rds of components for both 40s&w at $61 per 1K and 45acp at $72 per K. Compare that to WWB prices and you'll understand why I've saved over $27,000 on the 140,000 rds I've gone through in the last 10 years even after factoring in the full cost of this reloading setup.  That's enough to pay for all of my and my son's firearms, our components, and a whole lot more plus it's a great hobby. The truth is that I don't know if I reload to shoot or shoot to reload. |
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I don't think that reloading the mil surp calibers, like .223 and 9mm is worth it. In fact I don't typically hand load for either of these. The one exception is if you're loading for accuracy, in which case you can save big over buying match ammo. But when you are buying 9mm for example, that has cutthroat price competition, how can you expect to save much? The only way is to buy components in bulk and assemble practice ammo.
The real savings comes in when you shoot more expensive ammo, like .357 mag, .44 Mag, .45-70, or virtually any other centerfire rifle ammo (.308 is a maybe). For example, I have a rifle in .338 WIn Mag, it generally runs $40-50 a box and up. But I can handload it for less than half that. Anything that you can load with cast bullets is a money saver to handload. |
| Also you can load premium hunting rounds for about half the price and again these are tailored to your gun. Even with .223 you can't compare 1000 rds of wolf to a 1000 rds of V-max handloads the price is close but that is about it. I am starting to agree with some others, I think I shoot just so I can reload. |
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I am without a doubt a beginning reloader so if this is just an absolute dumb question i apologize. I was looking into how much money I would save reloading 1000 rounds of .223. I spent $93.00 on 1000 bullets. $28 on 1000 primers and already had the .223 cases from shooting before getting into reloading a few months back. Where I feel like I will actually loosing money instead of save money is the powder, in the last reloading thread I read it said you can reload about 250-300 .223 cartridges depending on if your are loading minimum to medium loads . So a pound of powder is around $30. So that's about 3.5 pounds of powder which equals out to lets just say $100. so after I have $92 in bullets, $28 in primers, and $100 in powder and luckily i have the cases. That's $220. Am I really saving that much money compared to $250 for 1000 at local gun shows? Am I just adding wrong or is all my information just way off base? Sorry for the dumb question. I am just figuring this all out? The difference is you have 100% control over the quality of your handloads. The funshow reloads not so much, and they might be the lowest quality cheap components available. How can you know? Once you get a good load figured out, you can buy in bulk and the price will be lower. It's a great feeling to know you can load your own ammo and not have to depend on some store to have some in stock. Remember 2009? 
Some of us keep right on shooting when others couldn't buy ammo anywhere. Be sure to read all the info at the top of the page. Faqs, Tutorials. |
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You question is perfectly good, and yes, for some people reloading certain calibers is not economically feasible for the amount of time and materials involved.
If you are considering reloading to just save money, you should definitely do the math to find out whats best for you, as popular cartridges like .223, 9mm for practice cut it very close to factory prices unless you buy components in bulk. Reloading largely pays off for those using costly calibers (6.5 Carcano, 9.3x62 Mauser, etc) or who want to tailor a cartridge to maximize their gun's precision and power for match shooting or hunting. Always ask questions about something you're unsure about, it will save you time, money and headaches if someone has an answer or advice. 
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Buy rifle powders in 8lb quantities or larger. Make a large order from powder valley like $500 or more in powder and primers and the math will add up. You have to do big orders or the haz mat fee will make it not worth it.
I load 9mm 147gr for far less than factory prices and any .45 acp. |
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I save a lot on 45acp, 44 mag and 357, quite a bit after the first load (with new brass). I go for cost savings with pistol, rifle I like to take slower and I don't care about cost so much.
Really depends on how much you want to throw at it. It's can be a fun hobby. With all fun hobbies, they tend to get out of control. All of a sudden you are rocking a $1000 press, $400 trimmer, $300 powder dispenser scale, $1000s in consumables (brass, bullets, etc), and many more cool things. If you are looking at reloading as simply a means to an end (high volume shooter), realizing your up front cost and sticking to it may be a bit easier than you might think. Spend $4000 now to save over the course of a few years. From a hobbyist point a view, it's a constant struggle to not overspend. There are lots of cool expensive gadgets that I know may make my life easier, but the thrify person that started to reload to save money just can't pull the trigger sometimes. |
| Depends on how much you shoot, only shoot 250 rds every year then yea your not saving much, shoot 5000 rounds in a year then by your math youd save 600 bucks. Beyond that if you look around you can find bullets for way less I think I paid 10 bucks a pound for sierra seconds. |
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your powder costs are way too high. A 8lb jug should cost you $130 or so, about $16 a lb. You can use cheaper primers like Wolf for $16/K For blasting ammo I agree. Way too high. Hi-techammo has pull down powder for about $80-$90 / 8lbs? You can get 1000 bullets for around the same price too. That'll give you decently priced blasting ammo. Now IF you load the heavier bullets and prep for the best long range accuracy it'll take a bit more of your time but the savings are even better over retail cost of the "high end" ammo. If you're not in a hurry be sure to scour the EE on sites for deals, including the auction sites too. The best technique is to sit on your cash and bide your time. Then when you least expect it you'll come across a really great deal. When that happens spend the coin and stock up on all you can afford. That's a tried and proven method I think many use....... |
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This is my perspective on reloading prices.
Use good bullets and other components. Don't obsess about super low price. If you use good quality components, your ammo will be as good or better than the best match quality ammo out there. That's right, better than the stuff that costs $1 per round. If you benchmark your reloaded ammo against comparable match ammo, the savings are stupendous! I reload 223 for about $0.25/rd. Midway sells Black Hills ammo for $0.80 to $1.00 per round. I save $0.55 to $0.75 per round. <–– Now THAT is worth doing. |
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Honestly, you save nothing reloading.
You just get more rounds for your money. I was getting 7640 winchester 55gr bullets for $400. 8# of WC844 for $90 1000 CCI 41 primers for $30. 1x fired brass is going for $60 per thousand. So I'm not saving any money, just getting to shoot more. 
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If you want to reload cheap blasting ammo and save money over Wolf, Brown Bear, etc. you are going to have to watch for deals and buy in bulk. Watch sites like Powder Valley (not too long ago I was getting Wolf primers for $15/k), Hi-tech Ammo (air pulled bullets for around 7 cents shipped when available, WC844 powder for $80/8lbs) and GI Brass.
There are a bunch of guys on this forum who are loading rounds for 10 or 12 cents because the piled it deep when they found a deal. |
| As said before you also can't put a price on the feeling of putting rounds you just rolled in storage. I love that feeling of grabbing a complete round off the press and adding it to its friends in the loaded bucket. Its an addicting hobby that adds to the whole shooting experiance. Its funny seeing other reloaders at the range as they stare at brass falling on the ground thinking in there heads how they can't wait to pick those cases up and start filling them. |
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Quoted: I don't think that reloading the mil surp calibers, like .223 and 9mm is worth it. In fact I don't typically hand load for either of these. The one exception is if you're loading for accuracy, in which case you can save big over buying match ammo. But when you are buying 9mm for example, that has cutthroat price competition, how can you expect to save much? The only way is to buy components in bulk and assemble practice ammo. The real savings comes in when you shoot more expensive ammo, like .357 mag, .44 Mag, .45-70, or virtually any other centerfire rifle ammo (.308 is a maybe). For example, I have a rifle in .338 WIn Mag, it generally runs $40-50 a box and up. But I can handload it for less than half that. Anything that you can load with cast bullets is a money saver to handload. I agree, commercial M-193 is only 48¢ per round and my M-193 handloads cost me 8.1¢ per round so the $400.00 per K I save handloading them 'isn't worth it'.  My 158grn JSP 357mag handloads cost me 13.1¢ per round vs the 70¢ per round similar quality commercial 357mag costs around here so I'll happily save the $28.45 per box. As I said previously, my 30-06 M-2 ball handloads cost my 24¢ per round vs the 75¢ per round I can buy the Greek stuff for so I'll pocket the $510 per K savings on that too. Let's see, $400 savings on 1K of 5.56mm M-193 plus $510 savings on 1K 30-06 M-2 ball plus $59.90 savings on 100 rds of 357mag would equal a total savings of $980! That's enough to buy a decent reloading setup and still have money left. |
| One of the big question one should be asking one's self is do I have the time. It takes time to reload a few rounds on a single stage press. If you are blowing through a few hundred rounds every other weekend are you going to have time to set down and reload during the week? I was single once and really into reloading, I have thousands of pistol and rifle rounds reloaded all on a single stage press but prepped to the max, cases sized, cleaned, all cut to min case length, primer pocket cleaned, uniformed, flash hole deburred, military crimps removed. This took lots of hours. Once I got married my time went other places and my once dedicated reloading room was turned into a bedroom once again. I have recently started to get my stuff out again and set up, I am finding all sorts of nice suprizes like 1000 pieces of 308 and 243 all prepped and primed just waiting for powder or cases set up to adjust the case trimmer quickly or bullet seater. Make sure you mark stuff and leave notes as to what is what. When I open an ammo can setting right on top in a note stating that there are x pieces of this cal. brass which have this and that done to them, what they are trimmed to and what primmer they have in them so it's real easy to pick up where I left off 8 years or so ago. |
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I don't think that reloading the mil surp calibers, like .223 and 9mm is worth it. In fact I don't typically hand load for either of these. The one exception is if you're loading for accuracy, in which case you can save big over buying match ammo. But when you are buying 9mm for example, that has cutthroat price competition, how can you expect to save much? The only way is to buy components in bulk and assemble practice ammo. The real savings comes in when you shoot more expensive ammo, like .357 mag, .44 Mag, .45-70, or virtually any other centerfire rifle ammo (.308 is a maybe). For example, I have a rifle in .338 WIn Mag, it generally runs $40-50 a box and up. But I can handload it for less than half that. Anything that you can load with cast bullets is a money saver to handload. I agree, commercial M-193 is only 48¢ per round and my M-193 handloads cost me 8.1¢ per round so the $400.00 per K I save handloading them 'isn't worth it'.
My 158grn JSP 357mag handloads cost me 13.1¢ per round vs the 70¢ per round similar quality commercial 357mag costs around here so I'll happily save the $28.45 per box. As I said previously, my 30-06 M-2 ball handloads cost my 24¢ per round vs the 75¢ per round I can buy the Greek stuff for so I'll pocket the $510 per K savings on that too. Let's see, $400 savings on 1K of 5.56mm M-193 plus $510 savings on 1K 30-06 M-2 ball plus $59.90 savings on 100 rds of 357mag would equal a total savings of $980! That's enough to buy a decent reloading setup and still have money left. Commercial M193 is not 480/K. It's more like $300/K, and you can find it cheaper than that sometimes. |
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I don't think that reloading the mil surp calibers, like .223 and 9mm is worth it. In fact I don't typically hand load for either of these. The one exception is if you're loading for accuracy, in which case you can save big over buying match ammo. But when you are buying 9mm for example, that has cutthroat price competition, how can you expect to save much? The only way is to buy components in bulk and assemble practice ammo. The real savings comes in when you shoot more expensive ammo, like .357 mag, .44 Mag, .45-70, or virtually any other centerfire rifle ammo (.308 is a maybe). For example, I have a rifle in .338 WIn Mag, it generally runs $40-50 a box and up. But I can handload it for less than half that. Anything that you can load with cast bullets is a money saver to handload. I agree, commercial M-193 is only 48¢ per round and my M-193 handloads cost me 8.1¢ per round so the $400.00 per K I save handloading them 'isn't worth it'.
My 158grn JSP 357mag handloads cost me 13.1¢ per round vs the 70¢ per round similar quality commercial 357mag costs around here so I'll happily save the $28.45 per box. As I said previously, my 30-06 M-2 ball handloads cost my 24¢ per round vs the 75¢ per round I can buy the Greek stuff for so I'll pocket the $510 per K savings on that too. Let's see, $400 savings on 1K of 5.56mm M-193 plus $510 savings on 1K 30-06 M-2 ball plus $59.90 savings on 100 rds of 357mag would equal a total savings of $980! That's enough to buy a decent reloading setup and still have money left. I was being polite and didn't throw the  on your 8 cents a round claim on .223 ammo. Care to break that down?
And you obviously did not read the rest of my post, as I mentioned that .357 and specifically lead bullets was a place where you actually could save some money. |
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Buy in bulk and save big $$. I bought 50,000 rds worth of AR components when the price was low about 5 years ago. I've been shooting M-193 ammo ever since for $81 per 1K. These days you see M-193 selling for $480 per 1K. I'm happy to p0ocket the $400 per 1K. My son and I just started reloading for M1 Garands. I bought surplus bullets and powder and after scoring on some Greek brass, we're reloading for $240 per 1K vs CMP's price of $750 per 1K. I've still got over 10,000 rds of components for both 40s&w at $61 per 1K and 45acp at $72 per K. Compare that to WWB prices and you'll understand why I've saved over $27,000 on the 140,000 rds I've gone through in the last 10 years even after factoring in the full cost of this reloading setup. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v726/Coloradoglocker/100_5542.jpg That's enough to pay for all of my and my son's firearms, our components, and a whole lot more plus it's a great hobby. The truth is that I don't know if I reload to shoot or shoot to reload. I haven't much to add here except to say that I love you reloading room and agree 100% with the bolded part. |
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What kind of powder/bullets are you using when you say you are only spending $.25 a round? Just curious. I got today's pricing from MidwayUSA.com to answer your question. Hornady 75gr HPBT-M $88/600 = $0.147/rd Hodgdon Varget $157/24 gr per round = $0.067/rd Winchester SR primer $142/5000 = $0.028/rd Winchester case $445/2000 = $0.022/rd Total cost = $0.26.4 Add some tax and shipping and you may be as high as $0.30/rd. You can do better than the above prices if you look around. If you do that, you should be able to get down to $0.25/rd. As I said earlier, don't obssess about uber-low cost. You're reloading is match quality ammo - low SD, super-accurate, tailored to your firearm's characteristics. |
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I don't think that reloading the mil surp calibers, like .223 and 9mm is worth it. In fact I don't typically hand load for either of these. The one exception is if you're loading for accuracy, in which case you can save big over buying match ammo. But when you are buying 9mm for example, that has cutthroat price competition, how can you expect to save much? The only way is to buy components in bulk and assemble practice ammo. The real savings comes in when you shoot more expensive ammo, like .357 mag, .44 Mag, .45-70, or virtually any other centerfire rifle ammo (.308 is a maybe). For example, I have a rifle in .338 WIn Mag, it generally runs $40-50 a box and up. But I can handload it for less than half that. Anything that you can load with cast bullets is a money saver to handload. I agree, commercial M-193 is only 48¢ per round and my M-193 handloads cost me 8.1¢ per round so the $400.00 per K I save handloading them 'isn't worth it'.
My 158grn JSP 357mag handloads cost me 13.1¢ per round vs the 70¢ per round similar quality commercial 357mag costs around here so I'll happily save the $28.45 per box. As I said previously, my 30-06 M-2 ball handloads cost my 24¢ per round vs the 75¢ per round I can buy the Greek stuff for so I'll pocket the $510 per K savings on that too. Let's see, $400 savings on 1K of 5.56mm M-193 plus $510 savings on 1K 30-06 M-2 ball plus $59.90 savings on 100 rds of 357mag would equal a total savings of $980! That's enough to buy a decent reloading setup and still have money left. I was being polite and didn't throw the on your 8 cents a round claim on .223 ammo. Care to break that down?
And you obviously did not read the rest of my post, as I mentioned that .357 and specifically lead bullets was a place where you actually could save some money. To get 8.1c a round, you'd have to find 55gr FMJBT for 3-4c a round. That is really stretching it. And that is with wolf primers being $15/K and powder at $80/*lbs. Shipping has got to be a factor as well. 8.1c a round would be very difficult. |
| I agree with the above comment.... unless my math is really bad 445/2000 = $0.22, not $0.02. Although by no means an expect in reloading (I have some bullets and a digital caliper), I'm thinking for a lot of people getting into reloading they've saved their brass, at least in my case I can subtract the $0.22 for the equation for awhile. |
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Some latest costs.
Wiedners just had Hornady 55 FMJ-BT shipped for $420.00 for 6000 bullets Ramshot TAC 8lb $134.00 no tax, no shipping This spring, Cabelas CCI primers $19.95 1000 Brass costs from 1-6 cents apiece depending on what you get. The best part is reloading your own shells, knowing what you got and finding loads that each individual rifle likes 
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I don't think that reloading the mil surp calibers, like .223 and 9mm is worth it. In fact I don't typically hand load for either of these. The one exception is if you're loading for accuracy, in which case you can save big over buying match ammo. But when you are buying 9mm for example, that has cutthroat price competition, how can you expect to save much? The only way is to buy components in bulk and assemble practice ammo. The real savings comes in when you shoot more expensive ammo, like .357 mag, .44 Mag, .45-70, or virtually any other centerfire rifle ammo (.308 is a maybe). For example, I have a rifle in .338 WIn Mag, it generally runs $40-50 a box and up. But I can handload it for less than half that. Anything that you can load with cast bullets is a money saver to handload. I agree, commercial M-193 is only 48¢ per round and my M-193 handloads cost me 8.1¢ per round so the $400.00 per K I save handloading them 'isn't worth it'. My 158grn JSP 357mag handloads cost me 13.1¢ per round vs the 70¢ per round similar quality commercial 357mag costs around here so I'll happily save the $28.45 per box. As I said previously, my 30-06 M-2 ball handloads cost my 24¢ per round vs the 75¢ per round I can buy the Greek stuff for so I'll pocket the $510 per K savings on that too. Let's see, $400 savings on 1K of 5.56mm M-193 plus $510 savings on 1K 30-06 M-2 ball plus $59.90 savings on 100 rds of 357mag would equal a total savings of $980! That's enough to buy a decent reloading setup and still have money left. I was being polite and didn't throw the on your 8 cents a round claim on .223 ammo. Care to break that down?And you obviously did not read the rest of my post, as I mentioned that .357 and specifically lead bullets was a place where you actually could save some money. As I said in my first post, I bought the components (bullets, primers, and powder) 5 years ago from Pat's Reloading and got free shipping and hazmat because of the large quantity buy. My cost breakdown per rd is as listed below. Bullets - M-193 bullets at $25 per K = 2.5¢ per rd Brass - LC true once fired (crimp still in) at 0 = 0¢ per rd (I have over 9,000 pieces of true once fired LC brass I've collected at our range over the last 10 yrs.) Primers - Win SR at $19 per K = 1.9¢ per rd Powder - WC844 surplus powder at $80 per 8lb keg = 3.7¢ per rd (56,000grns in 8lbs makes 2,240 loads at 25grns per load) My math says that 2.5 + 0 + 1.9 + 3.7 = 8.1. What does your math say? (BTW I still have over 16,000 rds worth of M-193 components left!) And I did read your post completely. My comment is criticizing your first sentence that I highlighted in bold. In fact, If you'd read my response carefully, you'd have noticed that I'm agreeing with your second paragraph and adding that the savings I've noted are enough to buy a reloading setup with. |
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Some latest costs. Wiedners just had Hornady 55 FMJ-BT shipped for $420.00 for 6000 rounds Ramshot TAC 8lb $134.00 no tax, no shipping This spring, Cabelas CCI primers $19.95 1000 Brass costs from 1-6 cents apiece depending on what you get. The best part is reloading your own shells, knowing what you got and finding loads that each individual rifle likes Ok, THIS is quite a bit more realistic. About 15c a round, minus the cost of brass. Boost it up to 20c a round with purchased once-fired brass. $200/K Compare that to $300/K for factory M193. Given, if you load it right, it should be more accurate than XM193 or PMC. I won't deny it can be done cheaper, but most folks aren't willing to drop $1000s on components all at once just to see that 2c savings. |
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Quoted: Ok, THIS is quite a bit more realistic. About 15c a round, minus the cost of brass. Boost it up to 20c a round with purchased once-fired brass. $200/K Compare that to $300/K for factory M193. Given, if you load it right, it should be more accurate than XM193 or PMC. I won't deny it can be done cheaper, but most folks aren't willing to drop $1000s on components all at once just to see that 2c savings. Have you looked at the price of XM193 lately? The days of $300/K are long gone. I'm finding it at $420 - $480. That American Eagle M193 ammo for $300 isn't true mil spec M193. |
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Ok, THIS is quite a bit more realistic. About 15c a round, minus the cost of brass. Boost it up to 20c a round with purchased once-fired brass. $200/K Compare that to $300/K for factory M193. Given, if you load it right, it should be more accurate than XM193 or PMC. I won't deny it can be done cheaper, but most folks aren't willing to drop $1000s on components all at once just to see that 2c savings. Have you looked at the price of XM193 lately? The days of $300/K are long gone. I'm finding it at $420 - $480. That American Eagle M193 ammo for $300 isn't true mil spec M193. No, those days are still here, my friend. Wideners has IMI for even cheaper. 318 for 1200. Federal XM193 is still right around 300/K. What do you consider "true" mil-spec M193? The prices you listed in the 2nd to last post are pretty unrealistic for most reloaders. When a new reloader asks " how much will I save? ", I don't think it's fair to quote the prices you've given as a normal expectation. |
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I don't think that reloading the mil surp calibers, like .223 and 9mm is worth it. In fact I don't typically hand load for either of these. The one exception is if you're loading for accuracy, in which case you can save big over buying match ammo. But when you are buying 9mm for example, that has cutthroat price competition, how can you expect to save much? The only way is to buy components in bulk and assemble practice ammo. The real savings comes in when you shoot more expensive ammo, like .357 mag, .44 Mag, .45-70, or virtually any other centerfire rifle ammo (.308 is a maybe). For example, I have a rifle in .338 WIn Mag, it generally runs $40-50 a box and up. But I can handload it for less than half that. Anything that you can load with cast bullets is a money saver to handload. I agree, commercial M-193 is only 48¢ per round and my M-193 handloads cost me 8.1¢ per round so the $400.00 per K I save handloading them 'isn't worth it'.
My 158grn JSP 357mag handloads cost me 13.1¢ per round vs the 70¢ per round similar quality commercial 357mag costs around here so I'll happily save the $28.45 per box. As I said previously, my 30-06 M-2 ball handloads cost my 24¢ per round vs the 75¢ per round I can buy the Greek stuff for so I'll pocket the $510 per K savings on that too. Let's see, $400 savings on 1K of 5.56mm M-193 plus $510 savings on 1K 30-06 M-2 ball plus $59.90 savings on 100 rds of 357mag would equal a total savings of $980! That's enough to buy a decent reloading setup and still have money left. I was being polite and didn't throw the on your 8 cents a round claim on .223 ammo. Care to break that down?
And you obviously did not read the rest of my post, as I mentioned that .357 and specifically lead bullets was a place where you actually could save some money. As I said in my first post, I bought the components (bullets, primers, and powder) 5 years ago from Pat's Reloading and got free shipping and hazmat because of the large quantity buy. My cost breakdown per rd is as listed below. Bullets - M-193 bullets at $25 per K = 2.5¢ per rd Brass - LC true once fired (crimp still in) at 0 = 0¢ per rd (I have over 9,000 pieces of true once fired LC brass I've collected at our range over the last 10 yrs.) Primers - Win SR at $19 per K = 1.9¢ per rd Powder - WC844 surplus powder at $80 per 8lb keg = 3.7¢ per rd (56,000grns in 8lbs makes 2,240 loads at 25grns per load) My math says that 2.5 + 0 + 1.9 + 3.7 = 8.1. What does your math say? (BTW I still have over 16,000 rds worth of M-193 components left!) And I did read your post completely. My comment is criticizing your first sentence that I highlighted in bold. In fact, If you'd read my response carefully, you'd have noticed that I'm agreeing with your second paragraph and adding that the savings I've noted are enough to buy a reloading setup with. Your savings is coming from an investment that you made some time ago, and isn't realistic for someone new to the handloading game. |
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Depends on how much you shoot, only shoot 250 rds every year then yea your not saving much, shoot 5000 rounds in a year then by your math youd save 600 bucks. Beyond that if you look around you can find bullets for way less I think I paid 10 bucks a pound for sierra seconds. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to drive to Sedalia and buy Sierra's "seconds"; I miss when I used to live in the area and got their seconds for around $3 per pound for the 2200s... |
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Depends on how much you shoot, only shoot 250 rds every year then yea your not saving much, shoot 5000 rounds in a year then by your math youd save 600 bucks. Beyond that if you look around you can find bullets for way less I think I paid 10 bucks a pound for sierra seconds. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to drive to Sedalia and buy Sierra's "seconds"; I miss when I used to live in the area and got their seconds for around $3 per pound for the 2200s... hrt4me those 2200's are now $9.21 a pound & .223 stuff is running $12 to $19 |
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I think it's worth it for several reasons. Pride in craftsmanship and being able to shoot considerably more than if you weren't reloading. Your cost savings will continue to rise depending on your volume that you shoot and and order. If you don't plan on shooting much it's a waste of money, however being able to go the range and blow through 500 rnds without being concerned about the commercial cost is priceless in my book.
Also think of it as therapy.
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The 8 to 9 cent per assembled 223/556 cartridge is for real,, I was pulling same stunt 5-6yr ago... right now I only have a bit over 1000 M-855 pils I bought cheap, and 22lb of WC-844 from PAT,, Primers is gone, so I am working the $30/1000 price now.
Just need to figure at current parts costs, which is still a ton cheaper than buying new factory assembled ammo. I was doing 147gr 9mm for suppressor/SMG use at approx $130/1000 as opposed to the Alabama Ammo Special K stuff at $300/1000.. Figure loading 115gr 9mm per 1000 as opposed to the $34/100 (9MMUSAVP) I seen at Gander Mountain here Saturday evening.. 1000 bullet for $75, primers $36-40, FREE Brass, and maybe $18-20 (Titegroup).. |
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Buy in bulk and save big $$. I bought 50,000 rds worth of AR components when the price was low about 5 years ago. I've been shooting M-193 ammo ever since for $81 per 1K. These days you see M-193 selling for $480 per 1K. I'm happy to p0ocket the $400 per 1K. My son and I just started reloading for M1 Garands. I bought surplus bullets and powder and after scoring on some Greek brass, we're reloading for $240 per 1K vs CMP's price of $750 per 1K. I've still got over 10,000 rds of components for both 40s&w at $61 per 1K and 45acp at $72 per K. Compare that to WWB prices and you'll understand why I've saved over $27,000 on the 140,000 rds I've gone through in the last 10 years even after factoring in the full cost of this reloading setup. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v726/Coloradoglocker/100_5542.jpg That's enough to pay for all of my and my son's firearms, our components, and a whole lot more plus it's a great hobby. The truth is that I don't know if I reload to shoot or shoot to reload. +1 Reloading has given me a equal or better product at a lesser cost !! |
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your math is fuzzy , I get $ 0.465 with your numbers not $0.26.4 Quoted:
I agree with the above comment.... unless my math is really bad 445/2000 = $0.22, not $0.02. Although by no means an expect in reloading (I have some bullets and a digital caliper), I'm thinking for a lot of people getting into reloading they've saved their brass, at least in my case I can subtract the $0.22 for the equation for awhile. Dispute not my powerful math-fu, young grasshoppers, for you are WRONG!
0.147...Hornady 75gr HPBT-M $88/600 = $0.147/rd 0.067...Hodgdon Varget $157/24 gr per round = $0.067/rd 0.028...Winchester SR primer $142/5000 = $0.028/rd 0.022...Winchester case $445/2000 = $0.022/rd 0.265...Total cost = $0.26.4 I did recheck the math, and it is correct. The "mistake" (misconception) you guys made was forgetting that the brass is reusable. I assume a piece of brass is good for ten uses and amortize the cost accordingly. If brass was not reusable, your price would be correct. I don't know any reloaders who do not reuse brass. Do you? |
| Some people have to face up to the true cost of shooting as a hobby when they run these numbers for the first time. They find it diffcult to understand they can recoup their cost of reloading equipment in so few rounds. It's not that the cost is low, on the contrary, the cost of shooting is high, so when you save 50% of the cost of ammo, the total dollars add up fast. It is easy to recoup a $1k investment in reloading gear. |
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Depends on how much you shoot, only shoot 250 rds every year then yea your not saving much, shoot 5000 rounds in a year then by your math youd save 600 bucks. Beyond that if you look around you can find bullets for way less I think I paid 10 bucks a pound for sierra seconds. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to drive to Sedalia and buy Sierra's "seconds"; I miss when I used to live in the area and got their seconds for around $3 per pound for the 2200s... hrt4me those 2200's are now $9.21 a pound & .223 stuff is running $12 to $19 I'm basing my numbers from around 1991 to 1993 when I used to shop in Sedalia.... |
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your math is fuzzy , I get $ 0.465 with your numbers not $0.26.4 Quoted:
I agree with the above comment.... unless my math is really bad 445/2000 = $0.22, not $0.02. Although by no means an expect in reloading (I have some bullets and a digital caliper), I'm thinking for a lot of people getting into reloading they've saved their brass, at least in my case I can subtract the $0.22 for the equation for awhile. Dispute not my powerful math-fu, young grasshoppers, for you are WRONG!
0.147...Hornady 75gr HPBT-M $88/600 = $0.147/rd 0.067...Hodgdon Varget $157/24 gr per round = $0.067/rd 0.028...Winchester SR primer $142/5000 = $0.028/rd 0.022...Winchester case $445/2000 = $0.022/rd 0.265...Total cost = $0.26.4 I did recheck the math, and it is correct. The "mistake" (misconception) you guys made was forgetting that the brass is reusable. I assume a piece of brass is good for ten uses and amortize the cost accordingly. If brass was not reusable, your price would be correct. I don't know any reloaders who do not reuse brass. Do you? Whatever helps you sleep at night..... but 445/2000 does not equal 0.022. True if you wanted to include ten reloads then (445/2000)/10 = 0.022, but your original post included no such information. So I believe the "mistake" made is you not including this supposed 10 reloads you're now including (which you still didn't account for in your math)
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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How Much Is Really Saved? (Page 1 of 2)
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