At what point does reloading save $

[Pheoinx]

I have a 9mm pistol and this winter I plan on buying another as well as a .223 semi auto and a .308 bolt action. I have found ammo to cost:
.223=$0.24 /round
.308=$0.45 /round
9mm=$0.14 /round

these are in 20-50 ct. boxes of Black Hills or Winchester white box. I plan to buy in bulk (1000 rounds) down the road.

My question is this, how many rounds per. month (over a 1 year period) would one need to shoot before it would make sense financially to begin reloading.

What are start-up and setup prices for reloading, are the setup prices cheaper (as an average) when you reload several different cartriges or are the expensive components not universal?


Thanks for any advice.

[Southla1]

I never figure out the cost per round to reload because I either have or can acquire brass, I shop for bargains both on line and off line for components, this includes auctions etc., plus I cast a lot of bullets.

What I can do is answer this for you.............once you have a basic set up which includes several different loading manuals, press, powder scale, powder measure, priming tools for the press or a hand priming tool, and all the assorted goodies that go with the set up, changing caliber is a minor investment. All you need to switch caliber is a set of dies and a shell holder, and of course the bullets, you will most likely already have a suitable powder, primers etc.

Dies run $40 down, and usually can be found for a lot less at auctions, or on E-bay.

[Chemistry]

I wanted to do things right the first time, so I didn't exactly skimp when it came to reloading gear.

Here's what it cost me to get started with reloading the 9 mm (or whatever caliber you want) cartridges:

Dillon RL550B press: $330.00
Caliber Conversion Kit: $26.00
Dillon Carbide Dies: $50.00
Mechanical / Dial calipers, from Dillon: $25.00
Kinetic Bullet Puller: $20.00
Primer Flip Tray: $12.00
RCBS electronic scale: $89.00
Dillon Bench Wrench: $6.00
Lumber / other hardware for making bench: $30.00

For the hardware listed above, that came out to be $588.00

My initial purchase of consumables were the following:

2500 Fiocchi standard small pistol leadless primers: $50.00 (yeah, I know, more expensive, but it's all that the store had that day)
1 lb of Alliant Power Pistol propellant powder: $15.00
1000 Remington 124 grain FMJ bullets: $46.00

Assuming that brass was free, my costs of reloading each 9 mm round came out this way:

124 grain Remington FMJ bullet: 4.6 cents
Fiocchi leadless primer: 2 cents
6.3 grains of Alliant Power Pistol: 1.5 cents

Which meant that each of my own cartridgges cost me 8.1 cents, which translated to $8.10 for 100 rounds. Not much of a savings here, but as I learned more and more, and became a wiser (poorer?) shopper, I have managed to cut down my costs:

124 grain Berry's TCJ-RN bullet: 4 cents
Winchester small pistol primer: 1.3 cents
6.0 grains Alliant Power Pistol: 1.4 cents

This comes out to about $6.70 for 100 rounds. Even compared to the 11 dollar "WalMart Value Pack" of Winchester USA ammo, it's at least some savings.

For a better idea of how much you save, though, let's compare the .45 ACP cartridge here:

230 grain Berry's TCJ-RN bullet: 7.2 cents
Winchester Large Pistol Primer: 1.3 cents
5.5 grains Hodgdon Universal Clays: 1.2 cents

This comes out to 9.7 cents / round, or $9.70 for 100 rounds of .45 ACP ammo. Compared to the 25 dollars it costs for 100 rounds of .45 ACP factory ammo, that's a darn good deal.

[Chemistry]

Anyways, at a cost savings of 15 dollars for every 100 rounds of .45 ACP ammo that I have loaded, that translates to 150 bucks / 1000 rounds.

In my time as a handloader, I have manufactured about 5000 rounds of .45 ACP ammunition, give or take a few hundred. This alone has already paid for the reloading hardware.

Well, I should re-state that... In my case, I was able to shoot 2-3 times as much ammunition for the same amount of money spent; no real savings.

[skud007]

I just started to get into reloading about a year ago. I bought the Lee Challenger Anniversary kit . It came with the press, powder measurer, scale, shell holders etc.......everything you need to get started reloading except the dies which were around $20. I also bought the Modern reloading book by richard lee. I see they have the total kit with the book I have for 62.99 right now!

You also have to buy your powder and primers but they aren't really that expensive. Around $18+ for powder and primers are only around $2-3 for 500.

It is a little expense to start out, but I think in the money you save you can pay for the tools in the first hour or two of serious reloading.

I usually buy all my stuff through midwayusa and they are really reasonable. For instance a box of 100 remington .308 brass is 18.87. After you have it though you can reuse it many times. You can check out their website and find all the other prices and come up with a price comparison of reloading vs. buy factory.

Other that just saving money there are two other reasons to reload.

One is improved accuracy over factory loads.
How you ask? There are a few reasons: after you shoot a cartridge you have fire formed the case to perfectly fit your rifle, you can have control over the powder type and charge, and you can seat the bullet to optimum depth that almost touches your riflings to yield better accuracy. Ammunition manufacturers are under restraints that handloaders are not. The ammo that they manufacture has to be interchangeable for every standard chamber.

Secondly It's Fun!!!
<p>Firing ammo that you have reloaded in itself is somewhat rewarding!

[Skullboy]

IMO, you don't really save money reloading.Yes, when you reload, the cost of ammunition goes down(and the quality goes up), but with cheaper ammo, you start shooting more.I think the costs work out even in the end.

Expensive ammo = less shooting

Cheaper ammo = more shooting

Thats what happened in my case when I started to reload to save money(Actually ended up spending more money stocking up on components!!). HTH. Skullboy.

[Cee-Zed]

Short answer: you can pay for a Lee Anniversary Kit with the first 1,000 124gr FMJ 9mm loads. People always make the mistake of comparing apples to oranges when doing these CBAs. For example, the 9mm you load is going to be FAR, FAR superior to 115gr Winchester USA value pack ammo. Assuming you have any idea at all what you're doing, you will never load ammo of that low of a quality. After a lot of experimenting, I have determined that virtually all 9mms shoot 124gr bullets better than 115gr. You are not going to find 124gr 9mm loaded ammo for $10.96/per 100.

Components and dies are often marked down considerably. I once bought 1,500 115gr Speer JHPs (not Gold Dots) for $45. My original pistol dies are all RCBS carbide dies that I found on sale for $20. I decided I wanted a Lee Auto Disk. That meant I needed to buy a Lee expanding die for 9mm and .45 at @$10 each, right? Not when I found complete Lee steel 3-die sets for $7! You will probably never find loaded ammo marked down 50-70%, but it happens quite frequently with components and dies.

What are you waiting for?!?

[Guy B. Meredith]

As mentioned above, you don't really save money. You end up shooting more so you end up spending the money anyway. However, if you mean how soon before you begin saving on each shot...

I bought:
Hornady Lock-N-Load press (came with micrometer meter on powder drop)
Hornady M3 tumbler
RCBS primer flipper
RCBS 5-0-5 scale
RCBS dies (later Hornady dies as well)
RCBS lockout die (safety)
Gorilla brand shop table
RCBS inertia bullet puller
Lymnan and Speer manuals

for less than $750. Might cost a bit more as I got a real deal on the L-N-L at $250.

I shoot mostly .38 spl, use Starline or Remington brass, Winchester small pistol primers and West Coast Bullets copper plated bullets for a high quality, clean shooting round.

The best price I was able to get on commercial reloads with assorted brass was $7.50 per 50. Factory would be $10 minimum for the same quality, but as much as $15. Call it $7.50 then.

I produce 50 rounds for less than $4.00, call it $4.00. This means I save $7.00 per 100 over the best commercial prices and would need to produce 10,700 to break even. I have slowed down recently but I was shooting about 10 to 12 thousand rounds per year. That means I broke even in less than a year and have now gone on to produce something in the range of 22,000 and now had an additional saving of over $800 (too lazy to do the numbers).

If I were comparing against fresh commercial ammo it might take 6 months to break even.

The best part is that the ammo I produce is tailored exactly to my taste and needs. I can control the price/quality without having to shop around or give in on any aspect.

And this ammo allows this mediocre shooter to get results that make it look like I actually know what I am doing.

[swifter...]

Mostly, the savings are illusory. There is always a new reloading gadget to get, and you don't reload to save money anyway. If you're starting from that viewpoint you'll probably find it less rewarding than frustrating. Ammo that precisely fits your weapon, or that uses a component that you cannot buy loaded make it worthwhile. Keep buying your ammo, you'll be happier.

Tom

[Cee-Zed]

swifter, I think I understand your point. I will try to make it in a slightly different way. Please correct me if I misunderstand you.

Pheoinx,
The point of handloading is not to make junk like Win USA 9mm cheaper than they make it, but to make GOOD ammunition for about the same price.

I think you can save money by handloading. However, you would be better served by selling Amway products two nights a week for your loaded ammunition expenses if that is your only goal.

How was that?

[Michael Mayfield]

I started to reload to save money and to get the ammo I want, like reduced pressures for older guns, less recoil for targets. I don't reload 9mm, because it is inexpensive to buy. But when you compare 45 Colt at ~5 bucks a box to bought at 12 and up, it really gets worth while. Then I found out that it is pretty interesting in itself, especially when you start looking for just the right combiation of components to squeek out that extra little bit of accuracy. And there's always that 8x56R that's so hard to find. Of course I end up spending all the savings by shooting more, but isn't that really the point? I went for the Lee anniversary kit, very low end price, works just fine. A new part of the shooting sport/hobby to enjoy. And I can always reload ammo when the weather is nasty. Ask arround and you'll find someone who will share some time and let you try it out.

[swifter...]

Cee Zed,

I think we're on the same page...
Tom

'Sides, I find it a very rewarding hobby in itself. Sometimes I think I shoot just to handload some more!

[markmcj]

In 9mm a 50 rd. box cost me close to $3.50. 124 gr. HP w/ mv of 1150 fps. .07 cents a piece.
In .308 win. 20 rd box cost close to $5.00. 168 gr. SMK w/ mv of
2650 fps. .24 cents a piece.
.223 is the same as .308. 50gr. Ballistic tip at 3600 fps.
In the firearms I shoot this ammo in the accuracy is exellent. No factory ammo will beat it. At least with me shooting.

For any cost you run up, it will be cheap compared to the amount you will be able to shoot and become a better shooter.

mark mcj

[Pheoinx]

Thanks for the information. Im going to have to do this. I just needed information to get the set-up cost past my wife (easier than I thought-her dad reloads 12 guage to save $$). I will admitt I will spend a fourtune on gizmos and gadgets. I like to have the best of everything. To make a better round at a cheeper price.... perfect! If I shoot more rounds... even better!!

Thanks, I will be looking for mor advice later ie. powder types and brands bullet types etc.

Are there any good modern books that any of you would highly recommend on the subject??

[Cee-Zed]

Just to warn you in advance, virtually all books on the subject and the reloading manuals themselves are published by companies with a financial interest in reloading. For example, manuals are published by the manufacturers of bullets, molds, etc. There is always a certain amount of space wasted on flogging their products. "The ABC's of Reloading" is a good general reference book. (Even this book is published under the auspices of the "Handloader's Digest" magazine.)

My favorite introductory book/manual is Richard Lee's "Modern Reloading." This is often found at a discount these days, which probably means that they are about to put out a new one. Depending on how you look at it, this is either the best manual or a complete rip-off. It is essentially a compilation of all the "free" data from powder companies. (In other words, you could find all of the data in it for no charge on the web or by writing the company.) In reality, having all of it in one bound book, side-by-side, etc. beats the heck out of flipping through a dozen glossy leaflets (all using a different format). Lee's take on reloading is somewhat different than most other companies, and his explanations of why he designed equipment as he did is pretty darn interesting.

To a certain extent, which brands/products that you use determine which manuals are useful.

Current and Generally Useful Manuals: Speer #13, Lyman 47th ed., Lyman Pistols and Revolvers, and (maybe) Hornady 5th ed. The Hornady uses a different format from other manuals, and it is generally more annoying than helpful, IMHO. However, Hornady always has a few calibers that no one else tests, because they make a LOT of different bullets.

Excellent Manuals, but Too Product Specific: These are excellent manuals (some are better than the Hornady), but they aren't that necessary if you don't use their products. Nosler and Sierra seem to fall into this "gray area." If you start loading for several diffferent bolt-action rifles, you'll want the Sierra eventually. There are others that I cannot recall at the moment.

Waste of Time and Money: Barnes, Norma, VihtaVouri, etc. These are way too product-specific, and you're not too likely to use their products, especially early on. Barnes has a reputation for being the worst manual ever published (too many mistakes and misprints to trust).

Many people run out and buy the most expensive equipment possible. That's fine by me, but I want to point one thing out. For what a set of Dillon dies, shellplate, etc. cost to switch calibers, you could buy an entire Lee Challenger Anniversary Kit and a couple sets of Lee dies. I've got nothing against progressives, but I am not investing in one at this time for a number of reasons.

There are several calibers that I shoot, but less than 300 rounds a year. For example, I wouldn't want a progressive for 7.62x54R, .303, and 7.92x57. I'm not full-length resizing, and I'm weighing the charges by hand. A progressive would be more of a hindrance at that point. Even when I get my progressive, I'm still going to be using that Lee Challenger for loading small quantities of rifle cartridges, depriming, etc. In fact, I am no longer in a big rush to get a progressive.

Just my $0.02.