Cost of actual ammo per 1000

JNewhouse · April 20, 2001, 09:48 AM

Okay, this has been bugging me for a couple of weeks.
I know this father/son pair of people that swear up and down that it would be more expensive for them to reload 45ACP and 9mm than to buy it. I don't believe it.
So, what I would like to ask all of you is, what does it cost you to reload whatever caliber you reload? This is not counting the price of brass, because y'all use used brass, right? Now's the time to brag.
I have been able to get my 9mm price down to about $80 a thousand without trying, but I don't stock up on stuff. I haven't calculated the .308WIN cost because a one-hole group is priceless.

Jorah Lavin · April 20, 2001, 10:05 AM

If I could buy decent brass-cased .45acp for $79.54/1000, I might not have started reloading!

I just started at the beginning of this year, and my ongoing costs are:

1000 230gr round-nose slugs @ $47.44 (including shipping)
1 lb Winchester 231 (will reload more than a thousand rounds, but... whatever) $16.10
1000 primers $16.10

When I get back on my feet financially and start buying in real bulk, I'll be able to trim those prices some... particularly buying powder in bulk, (8 lb jugs) and I will probably look for lots of 10,000 bullets at a time. I don't know if I'll be able to trim the price of the primers much... that is the going rate at my local mom&pop gun store, so probably I will.

If you count the equipment cost, then it will take a year or two to pay off the investment, but averaged over 5 years, and the many thousands of rounds I plan to load in that time, it is a pretty small investment; I think less than $400.

If I accounted for my time, my costs would be very high, but I find reloading to be a relaxing hobby, so the time spent is actually a benefit to me, not a cost.

Another benefit for me is that I get to shoot a nice mild load which is really accurate in my Kimber.

Someone did a costs breakdown over several thousand rounds recently in this forum; look back over the archives for the last two months, and you should find lots of information and hard numbers.

For me, it is no question!

-Jorah

PS: I've heard reloaders say that 9mm would be hard to beat price-wise over bulk ammo, but I've also been told that you can save pretty good cash on .357 and even .38spl, both of which I shoot, whereas I don't shoot 9mm, so I've not paid much attention to it. As for the rifle ammo, I think you can save money, but the customization aspect is probably more important for most handloaders there.

LilJoe · April 20, 2001, 10:44 AM

Primers WLP 14.35 per 1000
Powder Win231 at 5gr 92.00 per 8lbs
Bullet 200gr lead RN 33.50 per 1000

Cost per bullet would break down too: 5.4 cents per round. Thats $2.70 per box of 50. Or $54 per 1000! But thats not counting the prices of the Brass ( ours has been given to us ) and thats not counting the cost of the equipment. As for the time I spend reloading, I can't count that, I enjoy the process and plus it keep me out of the site of the wife! That way I don't have to work on the hunny do list! LOL

I have been trying to find a way to make it even cheaper cause the more you reload the more you shoot. Or in my case the more I reload the more she shoots! I can get the lead for $28 per thousand but then have to wait.

Factory ammo say you get a deal on it for 10.00 per box. Thats $7.30 to put towards the equipment and then once that is paid toward more guns then more dies! So reloaing doesn't save you muoney it just give you more for the money! Whats the saying the one with the most toys wins? Dang she has me beat!

Joe and Marci

[Edited by LilJoe on 04-20-2001 at 05:38 PM]

Jorah Lavin · April 20, 2001, 11:25 AM

I think I can get it at my range for $44/thousand, but that is a great price I wouldn't mind equaling.

Do you have any idea how many reloads you actually are getting out of your 8 pound keg of powder?

Art Eatman · April 20, 2001, 11:43 AM

Jorah, I've been loading 5.8 grains of 231 behind a 200-grain lead SWC; that's about 1,200 rounds per 7,000-grain pound. 8 pounds = about 9,600 rounds, which oughta hold a fella for a week or two.

From a rifle standpoint, quality '06 ammo is a buck a shot, from most stores. More, if you're stuck with purely retail, like True Value Hardware.

Most of my bullets run about 17 cents, roughly. Powder, 11 cents. Primers, call it two cents to keep life simple. Brass is all over the place, from freebies at a range to a nickel at many gunshops. So, 30 to 35 cents a shot.

It's even cheaper, obviously, for my .243 or .223, handloading...

, Art

El Rojo · April 20, 2001, 04:02 PM

I reloaded some 10mm for some friends once and I was able to make about $40 for the lot of a 1000 rounds from the cheapest price I saw for the same amount of reloads. It is cheaper to reload em yourself.

Rifle rounds is where reloading is so crucial. How many people have the cash to buy cases of Federal match ammo? I don't really have that money. Instead I can reload my own using Fed components for nearly half the price. Plus I can reload a huge variety of different rounds. As far as I know Hornady does not make commercial 110 gr V-Max loads for the .308 Winchester. I make them myself. Speer does not make 125 gr TNT HP cartridges. I have to do that myself. You get a generally higher quality round at less price when reloading. There is no other way to go. Plus as so many people have said, IT IS FUN!

Initial cost is a big turn off to many, but the way I looked at it was the sooner I bought my reloader the more of my lifetime I have to save money!

LilJoe · April 20, 2001, 04:35 PM

Jorah Lavin, an 8 pound keg is 56000 grains. So what ever your charge is will tell you how many charges you will get out of it in a perfect world. For the lead I don't pay shipping. I just pick it up. I can get less a quality lead bullet and sometimes have to wait a couple of weeks for $28 a 1000. As for the price on the keg it was $92 something.. Oh plus tax.....

Joe and Marci

Jorah Lavin · April 20, 2001, 04:55 PM

I've been loading at 4.7 grains, which works out to 11,900 or so rounds... I got about 1,400 rounds from a one-pound jug, which works out to 11,200 rounds; I have never checked my scale, which now (seeing this) seems to be a necessity; I think someone mentioned that Lyman has some scale-check weights...

Ahhhh, there they are:
http://www.lymanproducts.com/powdsca2.html

Quote:

Scale Weight Check Sets
Assures that scales provide accurate readings. Deluxe 10-piece set has 210.5 grains total weight. ‘’New” shooters set totals 60.5 grains for normal powder use range.
Price:
Deluxe Set (#7752313) $26.50
Shooters Set (#7752314) - $19.95

I'd hate to be making all these careful measurements with a scale that isn't accurate.

-Jorah

JNewhouse · April 20, 2001, 05:19 PM

...but I just wanted to be sure.
Besides, I was curious as to how cheap you guys could get your handgun calibers loaded.
I hope to start buying bulk this summer. I have only been loading by the thousand right now. There seem to be a lot of laws in California regarding how much powder you can have at one time/where to keep it/transport it/eat it.

LilJoe · April 20, 2001, 05:33 PM

I never give the powder a chase to sit around. If I have all that I need then if I'm not being slavedriven by the wife, on the puter or at work I'm in the gunroom pressing. And if I'm out then the wife says I get cranky. Does Cali say how many rounds your allowed to have yet???? I'm sure if they don't they will soon! LOL

Joe and Marci

Hemphill · April 21, 2001, 02:04 AM

For me, I can reload 40SW with West Coast 180gr RNFP, 4.8gr WST, and WSR primers for about $68/k. For 45, I use 200gr Western NV SWC, 4.3 gr Clays, WLP primers for about $57/k.

fulltlt · April 21, 2001, 07:44 AM

http://www.trapshooters.com/rlcalc.htm has a reloading cost calculator on their website. Granted it is for shotgun but you can put in zeros for wads and it should calculate out the cost for you. One of these calculators would be a nice addition to TFL.

April 20, 2001, 10:05 AM	#2
Jorah Lavin Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 1999 Location: Indian Land, SC USA Posts: 593	I'd like to see where they are buying their .45 ammo... If I could buy decent brass-cased .45acp for $79.54/1000, I might not have started reloading! I just started at the beginning of this year, and my ongoing costs are: 1000 230gr round-nose slugs @ $47.44 (including shipping) 1 lb Winchester 231 (will reload more than a thousand rounds, but... whatever) $16.10 1000 primers $16.10 When I get back on my feet financially and start buying in real bulk, I'll be able to trim those prices some... particularly buying powder in bulk, (8 lb jugs) and I will probably look for lots of 10,000 bullets at a time. I don't know if I'll be able to trim the price of the primers much... that is the going rate at my local mom&pop gun store, so probably I will. If you count the equipment cost, then it will take a year or two to pay off the investment, but averaged over 5 years, and the many thousands of rounds I plan to load in that time, it is a pretty small investment; I think less than $400. If I accounted for my time, my costs would be very high, but I find reloading to be a relaxing hobby, so the time spent is actually a benefit to me, not a cost. Another benefit for me is that I get to shoot a nice mild load which is really accurate in my Kimber. Someone did a costs breakdown over several thousand rounds recently in this forum; look back over the archives for the last two months, and you should find lots of information and hard numbers. For me, it is no question! -Jorah PS: I've heard reloaders say that 9mm would be hard to beat price-wise over bulk ammo, but I've also been told that you can save pretty good cash on .357 and even .38spl, both of which I shoot, whereas I don't shoot 9mm, so I've not paid much attention to it. As for the rifle ammo, I think you can save money, but the customization aspect is probably more important for most handloaders there.

April 20, 2001, 10:44 AM	#3
LilJoe Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2001 Location: North Eastern Ohio Posts: 185	45 cost breakdown Primers WLP 14.35 per 1000 Powder Win231 at 5gr 92.00 per 8lbs Bullet 200gr lead RN 33.50 per 1000 Cost per bullet would break down too: 5.4 cents per round. Thats $2.70 per box of 50. Or $54 per 1000! But thats not counting the prices of the Brass ( ours has been given to us ) and thats not counting the cost of the equipment. As for the time I spend reloading, I can't count that, I enjoy the process and plus it keep me out of the site of the wife! That way I don't have to work on the hunny do list! LOL I have been trying to find a way to make it even cheaper cause the more you reload the more you shoot. Or in my case the more I reload the more she shoots! I can get the lead for $28 per thousand but then have to wait. Factory ammo say you get a deal on it for 10.00 per box. Thats $7.30 to put towards the equipment and then once that is paid toward more guns then more dies! So reloaing doesn't save you muoney it just give you more for the money! Whats the saying the one with the most toys wins? Dang she has me beat! Joe and Marci [Edited by LilJoe on 04-20-2001 at 05:38 PM]

April 20, 2001, 11:25 AM	#4
Jorah Lavin Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 1999 Location: Indian Land, SC USA Posts: 593	Joe, is that price for your lead including shipping? I think I can get it at my range for $44/thousand, but that is a great price I wouldn't mind equaling. Do you have any idea how many reloads you actually are getting out of your 8 pound keg of powder?

April 20, 2001, 04:02 PM	#6
El Rojo Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2000 Location: People's Republik of Kalifornia Posts: 2,057	It is cheaper. I reloaded some 10mm for some friends once and I was able to make about $40 for the lot of a 1000 rounds from the cheapest price I saw for the same amount of reloads. It is cheaper to reload em yourself. Rifle rounds is where reloading is so crucial. How many people have the cash to buy cases of Federal match ammo? I don't really have that money. Instead I can reload my own using Fed components for nearly half the price. Plus I can reload a huge variety of different rounds. As far as I know Hornady does not make commercial 110 gr V-Max loads for the .308 Winchester. I make them myself. Speer does not make 125 gr TNT HP cartridges. I have to do that myself. You get a generally higher quality round at less price when reloading. There is no other way to go. Plus as so many people have said, IT IS FUN! Initial cost is a big turn off to many, but the way I looked at it was the sooner I bought my reloader the more of my lifetime I have to save money!

April 20, 2001, 05:19 PM	#9
JNewhouse Member Join Date: April 30, 2000 Location: Anaheim CA USA Posts: 41	I realize it's cheaper, and you realize it's cheaper... ...but I just wanted to be sure. Besides, I was curious as to how cheap you guys could get your handgun calibers loaded. I hope to start buying bulk this summer. I have only been loading by the thousand right now. There seem to be a lot of laws in California regarding how much powder you can have at one time/where to keep it/transport it/eat it.

April 20, 2001, 09:48 AM	#1
JNewhouse Member Join Date: April 30, 2000 Location: Anaheim CA USA Posts: 41	Okay, this has been bugging me for a couple of weeks. I know this father/son pair of people that swear up and down that it would be more expensive for them to reload 45ACP and 9mm than to buy it. I don't believe it. So, what I would like to ask all of you is, what does it cost you to reload whatever caliber you reload? This is not counting the price of brass, because y'all use used brass, right? Now's the time to brag. I have been able to get my 9mm price down to about $80 a thousand without trying, but I don't stock up on stuff. I haven't calculated the .308WIN cost because a one-hole group is priceless.

April 20, 2001, 11:43 AM	#5
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Jorah, I've been loading 5.8 grains of 231 behind a 200-grain lead SWC; that's about 1,200 rounds per 7,000-grain pound. 8 pounds = about 9,600 rounds, which oughta hold a fella for a week or two. From a rifle standpoint, quality '06 ammo is a buck a shot, from most stores. More, if you're stuck with purely retail, like True Value Hardware. Most of my bullets run about 17 cents, roughly. Powder, 11 cents. Primers, call it two cents to keep life simple. Brass is all over the place, from freebies at a range to a nickel at many gunshops. So, 30 to 35 cents a shot. It's even cheaper, obviously, for my .243 or .223, handloading... , Art

April 20, 2001, 04:35 PM	#7
LilJoe Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2001 Location: North Eastern Ohio Posts: 185	Jorah Lavin, an 8 pound keg is 56000 grains. So what ever your charge is will tell you how many charges you will get out of it in a perfect world. For the lead I don't pay shipping. I just pick it up. I can get less a quality lead bullet and sometimes have to wait a couple of weeks for $28 a 1000. As for the price on the keg it was $92 something.. Oh plus tax..... Joe and Marci

April 20, 2001, 05:33 PM	#10
LilJoe Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2001 Location: North Eastern Ohio Posts: 185	Powder storage I never give the powder a chase to sit around. If I have all that I need then if I'm not being slavedriven by the wife, on the puter or at work I'm in the gunroom pressing. And if I'm out then the wife says I get cranky. Does Cali say how many rounds your allowed to have yet???? I'm sure if they don't they will soon! LOL Joe and Marci

April 21, 2001, 02:04 AM	#11
Hemphill Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 1999 Location: Reno, NV, USA Posts: 116	For me, I can reload 40SW with West Coast 180gr RNFP, 4.8gr WST, and WSR primers for about $68/k. For 45, I use 200gr Western NV SWC, 4.3 gr Clays, WLP primers for about $57/k.

April 21, 2001, 07:44 AM	#12
fulltlt Senior Member Join Date: December 31, 2000 Posts: 120	http://www.trapshooters.com/rlcalc.htm has a reloading cost calculator on their website. Granted it is for shotgun but you can put in zeros for wads and it should calculate out the cost for you. One of these calculators would be a nice addition to TFL.