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Old July 28, 2012, 04:02 PM   #1
kmaultsby
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To reload or not to reload final decisions

Hello everyone I about make my final decision to start to reload or not. I just came back from my local gun show purchase five hundreds rounds reloads of 9mm FMJ at $86 which comes out to be around seventeen cents a bullet. If I reload I will be reloading 9mm, 45 ACP, 223, and 308 mostly 9mm and 45. So will I save per bullet if I do my own reloading in mostly 9mm and 45?
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Old July 28, 2012, 04:34 PM   #2
Lost Sheep
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If you want an answer, you have to ask a complete question.

How much do can you buy bullets for? How much can you buy powder for? How much can you buy primers for? I would ask how much you can buy brass for, but you already have a supply now, but eventually you will have to replace them. And a question asked very seldom, how much can you sell your used brass for?

Of course, once you have all that information, you can go to any of these sites and plug the numbers in.

https://www.google.com/search?q=hand...ient=firefox-a

If the link does not work in your browser, here is just one of the sites listed

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

9mm and 45 ACP (and shotgun) have the slimmest savings. I have even bought commercially loaded new ammunition at retail for less than I could buy the components alone (45 ACP). I bought 4 cases.

But there is more profit to reloading than just savings.


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Old July 28, 2012, 04:35 PM   #3
PawPaw
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I reload .38 special for 4 cents per pop, but I make my own bullets, too. I cast them from scrap lead, load them into my saved or scrounged brass and shoot them cheaply. I load .45 ACP as well, for about the same 4 cents per pop.

Should you reload? That's up to you and the set-up costs might be prohibitive, but when you amortize that cost over several hundred thousand rounds of ammunition, the cost of equipment gets amortized down to almost nothing. Whether or not you reload is a decision only you can make. You won't save any money, trust me, but you'll shoot a lot more. And, you'll make better ammo than you can buy.
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Old July 28, 2012, 05:05 PM   #4
Auditor
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The calculator says I can reload for about $.10 per round of .45.
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Old July 28, 2012, 05:10 PM   #5
kmaultsby
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To Lost Sleep Hey thanks for the link. Well I have a full bucket of brass mix of 45 and 9mm so brass is not a problem. I guess I will have to go to my local suppliers and get prices for power bullets and primers.
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Old July 28, 2012, 05:18 PM   #6
Sparks1957
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Reloading is probably not something you want to undertake if your only goal is saving money.

It does allow me to shoot quite a bit more for the same money, plus I get ammo that is at least as good as factory-made if not better.

I happen to enjoy reloading (so far, I'm relatively new to it) as a hobby in its own right. It gives me an excuse to go out to the shop for a few hours a week and make enough ammo for the next couple range trips.

If you're buying components in bulk, it can get quite cost-effective in the long term... but only if you enjoy doing it to begin with.
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Old July 28, 2012, 05:44 PM   #7
chuckee
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I reload all my guns! its a hobby I like and beside I put together better ammo then the FACTORY.
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Old July 28, 2012, 05:48 PM   #8
Lost Sheep
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How do I love reloading? (Apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

How do I love reloading?

Let me count the ways:

Economy: Depending on what cartridges you are reloading (and whether or not you want to count your time and the up-front equipment costs) you can save anywhere from just a little to 80% or more of your ammo costs. (9mm is very close to no savings. 500 S&W, my friend's ammo costs are $0.75 per round, factory loaded ammo is $3.00 each for comparable ammo. More exotic calibers (especially rifle calibers) can save even more. Some rounds are not even available on a regular basis at any price.

Quality: Ammo you craft yourself can be tuned to your firearms particular characteristics. Handloaders for rifles quite often find some individual guns have quite striking differences in group size when shooting tuned ammunition.

Knowledge: As you study reloading, you will, perforce, also study internal ballistics. The study of internal ballistics leads into the study of how your firearm works.

Customization: Ammo you load yourself can be tuned to your particular needs. My friend with the 500 S&W loads full power loads and "powder puff" loads that clock 350 grain slugs a little under 800 feet per second. I know that's more than a G.I. 45 ACP's power and momentum, but they shoot like 22 rimfire in that big, heavy gun. Great for fun, familiarization, training and letting the curious bystander go for a "test drive" with a super-light load, a medium load, a heavy load and, if they are still game one of the big boomers. This tends to avoid the "rear sight in the forehead" mark.

Satisfaction: Punching small bunches of small, medium or large holes in paper or bringing down a game or food animal with ammunition you crafted yourself has a good deal of satisfaction. Same reason I prefer to make my own biscuits instead of store-bought.

Smug satisfaction: When the ammo shelves are bare during a market or political scare, loaders are demonstrably less affected by the shortages. A couple of pounds of powder, a thousand primers and bullets (or few pounds of lead) and a hundred cartridge cases wouldn't fill a small book carton, but lets the loader know he can shoot while price-gougers take advantage of non-loaders.

Self-satisfaction: The repetitive, calm, attentive concentration of the reloading activities is often found to be so much fun as to bring to the shooter's mind the question, "Do I reload so I can shoot shoot or do I shoot so I can reload?". Some find loading to be as satisfying a hobby as shooting or fly-tying or many other hobbies.

The more fanatical among us combine a couple of the features I have mentioned and, instead of shooting for bullseye accuracy at the range, reload in a search for the "magic load" that achieves perfection in a given rifle. Then, they move on to the next target, which is another rifle and another tuned load. But you do have to be at least a little fanatical to even get it. It is the hunt they seek, for they enjoy the quest more than the goal.

I am sure there are many other reasons, but these are the main ones I can think of.

Lost Sheep

p.s. To Elizabeth: When two-thirds of your name is shared with respected firearms makers, what do you expect?
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Old July 28, 2012, 07:47 PM   #9
Ethan.G
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http://www.realguns.com/calculators/...stsavings.html

this is by far the best calculator, itl tell you how many rounds you need to make in order to break even.

youl find the most savings with big rifle bullets

also this
Quote:
Smug satisfaction
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Old July 30, 2012, 06:38 PM   #10
osageid
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I am with Lost sheep, it is more hobby and pride than just economics. It completes shooting but also ability to produce ammo when you can't buy it , priceless


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Old July 30, 2012, 09:26 PM   #11
1stmar
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Agree with most, I reload for enjoyment as well as economy. Isabel about $40 per 50 in 30-06, $30 per 50 in 22-250 and $11 per 50 in 45acp
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Old July 30, 2012, 10:13 PM   #12
tkglazie
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Quote:
The repetitive, calm, attentive concentration of the reloading activities is often found to be so much fun as to bring to the shooter's mind the question, "Do I reload so I can shoot shoot or do I shoot so I can reload?"
well said
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Old July 31, 2012, 09:32 AM   #13
ThisIsMySig
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As some here have said, there is much more to reloading than just saving money. I enjoy reloading more than shooting! Staring at a newly built round with a shiny copper bullet or a slick moly-coated lead semi wad cutter is very satisfying. Then, when you proudly display a round you built to a non-reloader at the range, all you want to do is shoot it so you can reload it again. The best part of all this is that most of the time you are shooting next to someone who does not reload. They will give you all their once-fired brass.

Get your brass from the range if you can and carefully inspect each case before reloading. The case is the most expensive part of the round and in a short time you will have buckets full of range brass.

And like OSAGEID said, you have the ability to make your own anytime you want, and not have to run out and buy it.

Well, gotta go, have to reload.
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