[caz223]

You'll find this site is an excellent source of info.
Mine the search function for all it's worth, most of these topics have been beaten to death several times over.
Save your brass, definately.
I figured out the cost savings for my personal use for .357, I'll pass it on.
Primers, $15 per thousand in quantity, $20 locally per thousand.
Bullets, remington 125-140 grain, maybe $55- $60 per thousand. (I buy in massive quantities, at least 10,000, and get the big price breaks.)
A full snortin' load for 125 grain bullets runs about 14 grains of blue dot, so you'll need 2 pounds of powder per thousand, if you buy in quantity, it will be about $15, if you buy locally and pay retail, it MAY be over $20 per pound.
So figure 20 per k on primers, 60 per k on bullets, and $40 per k on powder.
$120 per thousand.
I used to buy magtech 125s, and pay $15 per box of 50.
It would take 20 boxes to make 1000, so 20 x 15= $300, you save well over 50%.
I factor in my time, and call it an hourly wage, if I don't make at least $10 an hour, it's not worth it to me.
My 550 turns out 400-450 per hour with me at the wheel, so I factor my estimates for 8 boxes per hour.
15-6=$9 saved per box.
8 boxes times $9 saved per box= $72 per hour.
Yeah, it's worth it, at least to me.
Those estimates are VERY conservative. There's much more to be saved with careful shopping, buying in quantity, and only shooting the loads you need, not the premium ammo you could easily make.