What's YOUR investment into reloading?

[Clark]

If a guy could charge over $1/ word for typing advice, and he has 100,000 gun forum posts, you do the math.

[rajbcpa]

Around $1,500 including a Dillon 550B, RCBS rock chucker, dies for 6 calibers , scales, and other tools....

[super6]

Add dillion shotshell reloading to your common pistol and rifle reloading, presses and components! Adds some spread sheet horror.

[flashhole]

I've been keeping a detailed spread sheet of my equipment forever. I buy something, it goes on the list ... I sell something, it comes off the list. I keep two tabs, retail price (for insurance purposes) and what I actually paid for it.

Retail is about $7800. What I actually paid is about $4600. I'm in decade 3 of purchases. Thats just the reloading equipment, no consumables or stored ammo or guns, scopes, cases, etc. and I consider myself to be frugal with this hobby. One claim I can make ... I use everything I have. Nothing sits around collecting dust but I will confess I have not been as avid a shooter since Obama took office and waged war on gun rights. I've been hoarding a bit of supplies, including lead, and slowed down on the shooting to conserve primers, powder and bullets.

[Silver00LT]

I need to add retail price for insurance reasons as well.

[osirus82]

im not in to deep yet- bout 1100- but im still fresh and have a couple thing i need to get before i actually get all setup, i still need a electronic powder scale, case trimmer, case lube, dillon powder alarm, cleaning unit and maybe that fancy auto-shell loader, yep another 500 or so. not to mention finish welding up a reloading table.

[armoredman]

I think if I added up all the costs I have laid out for reloading gear and casting equipment, and then priced out the cost of all the ammunition I assembled as opposed to the cost of factory ammo of a similar type at the same era, I believe I would come out ahead...FAR ahead...

[Dondor]

Lee classic kit - 70
3 sets of RCBS dies - 120
Lyman tumbler and media - 100
Case trimmer - 40
Bullet puller - 20
Deprime die - 25
Lock Collets - 20
Powder - 200
Primers - 300
Bullets - 700
Brass - 100

Comes out to about 4 to 5 Leather Coach purses...

[BigD_in_FL]

Hell, guns are cheap even at todays prices, bullets are expensive

Always been that way, which is why you should buy top quality guns - so they can last through all that ammo.

I have one 12 gauge that has about 300,000 through it - most of which were reloads. That is a lot of wads, shot, powder and primers over 18+ years.....and that is just for one gun

[FloridaGuy]

I have 2 Dillon Presses and all the equipment that goes along with them. I also have enough components to load over 20,000 rounds of ammo across 7 different calibers. Total cost would be close to $10,000+ if I totaled everything up. But the investment may go higher because I am thinking about adding another Dillon press.

I justify the money because I shoot a lot probable 400 rounds a week give or take. My better half does not mind me spending the money because she shoots also so she get some of the benefits from the reloading.

[Crashbox]

Never really tallied up the expense but it's probably around $2,500 +/- or so (including casting equipment I haven't used yet)- and I've only been reloading for about four years!

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

If you keep on reloading for the next 30-40 years. By then your investment will be considerably higher. No doubt about it. But less noticeable in the wallet because of what is called "The trickle out theory." Your Mula? It doesn't go up. It doesn't go down. It just~goes~away~. Hopefully one day well into the future you'll walk into that Cave of yours and see nothing but Green spread out all over that entire bench. But until that time comes. Red will do too.
BTW I like that man cave of yours. Very nice how you & your Lady set it up. A place for everything. And everything in its place. (Nicely done.)_

I don't dare post how much I've spent over the years. If my wife were to get a glimpse of the amount. I could expect to see some serious conversation in My Man Cave. ~~ <-

S/S_

[Lost Sheep]

Armoredman has cast a challenge at your feet.

If you figure out how many rounds of ammunition those $656 of components will make, what is the retail value of those rounds?

You will probably hit break-even before you run out of your first batch of components, and after that, it's all gravy.

Extra points if you then figure the (theoretical) cost of your time at the press, and the new break-even point.

One more point if you figure out the (again, theoretical) cost f your time learning to reload.

Here is a thread that puts those calculations in a spreadhseet.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=663065

Please, those who object to counting one's time, do not object here. Those parts of the question are only meant for those who choose to. You have my blessing to ignore your time spent at the bench and I hope you will give me your blessing to include mine. Thanks for allowing me to indulge my love of puzzles without defending another of my hobbies.

Lost Sheep

[Silver00LT]

Thanks for the compliment on everything's position SS.

Good post Larry!

[zcrenna]

Comes out to about 4 to 5 Leather Coach purses...

YES! That's awesome
And reloading equipment has better resale value than Coach bags

Back to topic, I'd say I'm about $1000 - $1200 deep so far.

Lee Classic press kit single stage
308 and 223 dies
About 7000 primers
Powders
Bullets
Various little tools: trimmers, chamfers, scales

Not even 6 months in yet, and I foresee this hobby continuing for a loooong time

[cryogenic419]

I've probably got somewhere around $2000 into the equipment. Consumables like primers, powder, brass and bullets I have lost track of, however I do have a rather extensive stockpile of everything. Shortages or not....I still shoot on a regular basis without worrying about running out.

I know despite how much I currently have invested in all of this, it has made shooting more affordable. Factory loads of 500 mag are around $3 a bullet, reloads have got it somewhere down to 75 cents. Couldn't even tell you the price of factory match grade .308 but I am sure its up there.. 10MM....if you want to shoot proper full power loads, you are going to pay a pretty penny for them. Now with my latest venture into doing highpower rifle competitions, factory ammo would bankrupt me.

Being able to create loads custom made for specific purposes for your guns, most times more accurate than anything you could buy from a store....how can you possibly put a price tag on that?

[Silver00LT]

My hunting rounds I paid $27.99 for a box of 20 in .308(before I started reloading).

Costs me 15¢ for 9MM, 54¢ for .308 and when I start .223(have everything just been lazy) it'll be 29¢ a round.

Savings(to cheapeast ammo):
9MM - 15¢ per round
.308 - 86¢ per round

[Geezerbiker]

I'd rather not know but I'm in the situation of having to take inventory for insurance and I'll probably find out soon enough...

I my equipment and most of my supplies have been bought over many years. Most of the supplies were bought on sale but I'll be surprised if that ever happens again...

Tony

[BigD_in_FL]

Comes out to about 4 to 5 Leather Coach purses...

Plus a Kate Spade purse or two, plus a pair or two of Jimmy Choo shoes, plus about 25 Longaberger baskets.................and on and on it goes........

[Shootest]

I don’t know exactly how much my equipment has cost me, I never kept track, but I know it has been worth every penny. As close as I can figure it’s around $3400.

[Rimfire5]

I have spent over $ 2,200 on presses, dies for 7 rifle calibers and 5 pistol calibers, scale, trim mate, and various stuff to make reloading easier and quicker.

Since August 2009 I have loaded 17,400 rounds and spent over $6,300 on materials. I shoot mostly match bullets with Lapua brass so the cost per hand load may be more than some would spend.

I have religiously added up the costs of factory ammo by caliber and also have calculated the cost per round for each caliber since I started reloading.
Since August 2009 I have kept a total of what the 17,400 rounds would have cost if I was buying factory ammo and then calculated the equivalent cost of factory ammo. It would have come to over $ 18,000 but that was using 2009 -2010 prices when you could buy Federal Premium Gold SMK .308 for $24 a box. At today's prices, factory ammo would cost a lot more than 2009 so the savings would be even larger.

So I figure since I started reloading, I got to shoot at least 2.5x the number or rounds that I could have afforded if I didn't hand load.

Not only have I been able to get better accuracy with my hand loads in every caliber that I load for, but I calculated that I am also saving about 71 cents for rifle rounds and 48 cents for pistol rounds over factory ammo every time I pull the trigger.

[g.willikers]

Component costs are like gasoline in the car.
Expendables.
So my actual investment calculation is just for re-usables, like hardware and brass.
Lyman turret press.
Lee single die press.
Mec Jr. shotgun press.
Dillon Square Deal press.
Two beam scales.
A bunch of die sets.
And the usual accessories, like calipers, primer and case prep tools, 'etc.
All in all, probably not much over $1,500, if that.
Quite a bargain, considering all the inexpensive ammo made over the years.
And the enjoyment of the hobby of reloading, in its own right.

[hooligan1]

a lot!!! and I dont itemize because if my smarter/prettier half found out she wouldn't let me play with you guys anymore..... heheheh

[WESHOOT2]

My accountant once counted over $90,000.

[TNT]

I started out in 1990 by maxing out a 2500.00 credit card and it has doubled since then in all probably too much