Reloading price for .38's

ROADKING33 · May 9, 2005, 07:09 PM

I have two S&W .357 magnums a 686 6" and model 66 2.5". I go thru ammo like water and I've been considering reloading. How much to reload .38 target rounds nothing fancy, say a box of 100??? How much more for magnum rounds?

cheygriz · May 9, 2005, 08:14 PM

Assuming you buy lead bullets for the .38, you should be able to reload 100 rounds for about $5.50-$6.00. There's no need to waste money on jacketed bullets in a .38 spec.

.357 Magnum. Assuming you use Jacketed hollow points, and buy in bulk (lots of 1,000 or more) you should be able to load them for $9.50-$12.00 depending on where you buy components.

If you buy in bulk online, you can save 30-40 percent over Mom-n-pop gun shops.

HSMITH · May 10, 2005, 12:41 AM

Locally I can buy 158 SWC lead bullets for $36 per thousand, primers are $16 per thousand. 38 brass lasts forever it seems, and 357 brass will often go 10 loads without a bit of trouble. 38 brass ends up costing just parts of a cent per load even buying new, so I consider it "free" in loading costs. 357 brass is about $12 per hundred new locally, so we will call it 1.2 cents per shot for the sake of discussion. Powders vary greatly. We can use the old standby for 38, Bullseye, and Power Pistol for 357 as it is a powder I like a lot. A nice load for the 38's is 3.5 grains of Bullseye, which would yield 2000 rounds per pound. Per pound locally is about $16, lets call it a penny per round. We have 3.6 cents per bullet, 1.6 cents per primer, one cent for powder and 'free' brass. That totals 6.2 cents per round, or $6.20 per hundred rounds, $3.10 per box is a WHALE cheaper than you will buy it.

The 357 math is about the same, but powder will be about 2 cents per round since a pound will only load 1000 rounds, so add another buck per hundred. Jacketed bullets locally are about $10 per hundred, so you triple the bullet cost if you want to use them and end up at about 13 cents per round, or $6.50 per box using your brass. If you buy new brass add 1.2 cents per round, that still puts you under $8 per box of magnums with jacketed hollow points which is about what the absolute cheapest 38 special lead bullet loads cost around here.

klw · May 10, 2005, 12:05 PM

When I figure the costs of the rounds I reload I DO NOT include the brass simply because I don't know how many times I can reload a case. If I ever start wearing my brass out, and hence figure out how many times they can be reloaded, I'll add this in.

For 38 Specials, if I have to buy linotype to make the bullets from, a round costs me 3.5 cents each. Basically the cost of the primer, powder and bullet. If I can make the bullet from wheelweights (which costs nothing), then the price is 1.1 cents each.

Wheelweights limits velocity. A wheelweight bullet can be every bit as accurate as a linotype bullet but it CAN NOT have a high velocity. At higher velocities wheelweight bullets are noticeably less accurate.

Of course limiting velocity with a 38 Special isn't really a problem. With a 357 it might well be.

cheygriz · May 10, 2005, 04:55 PM

Quote:

quote

Wheelweights limits velocity. A wheelweight bullet can be every bit as accurate as a linotype bullet but it CAN NOT have a high velocity. At higher velocities wheelweight bullets are noticeably less accurate.

Good point. I use wheelweights in standard bullets ONLY up to about 1300 FPS. For higher velocity, I use gas-check design bullet moulds, and/or a harder metal such as linotype.

G56 · May 10, 2005, 07:46 PM

38 mid range loads with a lead bullet will usually come out about a nickel each, and 38 special brass will last almost forever with mid range loads, I've got some that have been reloaded at least 20 times.

If you want 357 magnum you would usually use jacketed bullets, which raises cost somewhat depending on bullet cost. If you loads are pretty warm, you will have shorter brass life also.

May 9, 2005, 07:09 PM	#1
ROADKING33 Member Join Date: April 5, 2005 Posts: 32	Reloading price for .38's I have two S&W .357 magnums a 686 6" and model 66 2.5". I go thru ammo like water and I've been considering reloading. How much to reload .38 target rounds nothing fancy, say a box of 100??? How much more for magnum rounds?

May 9, 2005, 08:14 PM	#2
cheygriz Senior Member Join Date: May 11, 2002 Location: high up in the rockies Posts: 2,289	Assuming you buy lead bullets for the .38, you should be able to reload 100 rounds for about $5.50-$6.00. There's no need to waste money on jacketed bullets in a .38 spec. .357 Magnum. Assuming you use Jacketed hollow points, and buy in bulk (lots of 1,000 or more) you should be able to load them for $9.50-$12.00 depending on where you buy components. If you buy in bulk online, you can save 30-40 percent over Mom-n-pop gun shops. __________________ If you think a mighty military force is expensive, wait 'til you see what a weak one costs.

May 10, 2005, 12:05 PM	#4
klw Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2005 Posts: 118	Costs When I figure the costs of the rounds I reload I DO NOT include the brass simply because I don't know how many times I can reload a case. If I ever start wearing my brass out, and hence figure out how many times they can be reloaded, I'll add this in. For 38 Specials, if I have to buy linotype to make the bullets from, a round costs me 3.5 cents each. Basically the cost of the primer, powder and bullet. If I can make the bullet from wheelweights (which costs nothing), then the price is 1.1 cents each. Wheelweights limits velocity. A wheelweight bullet can be every bit as accurate as a linotype bullet but it CAN NOT have a high velocity. At higher velocities wheelweight bullets are noticeably less accurate. Of course limiting velocity with a 38 Special isn't really a problem. With a 357 it might well be.

May 10, 2005, 07:46 PM	#6
G56 Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2004 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 302	38 mid range loads with a lead bullet will usually come out about a nickel each, and 38 special brass will last almost forever with mid range loads, I've got some that have been reloaded at least 20 times. If you want 357 magnum you would usually use jacketed bullets, which raises cost somewhat depending on bullet cost. If you loads are pretty warm, you will have shorter brass life also. __________________ John

May 10, 2005, 12:41 AM	#3
HSMITH Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2002 Posts: 2,019	Locally I can buy 158 SWC lead bullets for $36 per thousand, primers are $16 per thousand. 38 brass lasts forever it seems, and 357 brass will often go 10 loads without a bit of trouble. 38 brass ends up costing just parts of a cent per load even buying new, so I consider it "free" in loading costs. 357 brass is about $12 per hundred new locally, so we will call it 1.2 cents per shot for the sake of discussion. Powders vary greatly. We can use the old standby for 38, Bullseye, and Power Pistol for 357 as it is a powder I like a lot. A nice load for the 38's is 3.5 grains of Bullseye, which would yield 2000 rounds per pound. Per pound locally is about $16, lets call it a penny per round. We have 3.6 cents per bullet, 1.6 cents per primer, one cent for powder and 'free' brass. That totals 6.2 cents per round, or $6.20 per hundred rounds, $3.10 per box is a WHALE cheaper than you will buy it. The 357 math is about the same, but powder will be about 2 cents per round since a pound will only load 1000 rounds, so add another buck per hundred. Jacketed bullets locally are about $10 per hundred, so you triple the bullet cost if you want to use them and end up at about 13 cents per round, or $6.50 per box using your brass. If you buy new brass add 1.2 cents per round, that still puts you under $8 per box of magnums with jacketed hollow points which is about what the absolute cheapest 38 special lead bullet loads cost around here.