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Old June 1, 2002, 09:27 AM   #1
The Walrus
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Cost of all reloading gear for .45 ACP - and how much will I save?

I'd like to reload .45 ACP to save target practice costs... and I'm wondering, what machinery and equipment will I need? If any of you have handy a full shopping list of reloading supplies, and suggestions for training manuals/books on the subject, it'll be very helpful.

How much will I save, per 100 rds, over the long run, compared to factory ammo?
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Old June 1, 2002, 09:35 AM   #2
critter44
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Can't help you much on the cost. It's been too long since I bought my stuff and bagan relaoding.

On the cost savings, however, I can testify. It will NOT save you money, it will COST you money! Why? You can reload for 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of new, BUT you will shoot TEN TIMES AS MUCH!!!! Tis more fun though!

Good luck with your new addiction! Join the rest of us addicts who aren't even TRYING to do a 12-step program to stop!
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Old June 1, 2002, 10:11 AM   #3
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BTW, you might get an idea of the cost of reloading equipment at www.midwayusa.com. There may be other on-line sources also.
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Old June 1, 2002, 11:23 AM   #4
JohnK
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Quote:
How much will I save, per 100 rds, over the long run, compared to factory ammo?
There's no way to answer that question. 100 rounds in new brass with a custom bullet could easily cost more than 100 rounds of cheap FMJ ammo. Or by the time you're on your 10 reloading of the brass and using inexpensive LRN bullets you it could cost 1/4 the cost of FMJ, or 1/10 the cost of some preimum load like Hydrashocks.

For me the components generally cost about $7.50/100 rounds of LRN 45 ACP, excluding brass because I haven't bought 45 ACP brass for years. How much it costs you will vary greatly depending on the bullets you choose to load.

What equipment you get to start with will also have a huge impact. Maybe you're wealthy and will get a Dillon 1050 for $1000 or maybe you'll start with a Lee single stage for $100.

Here are the web sites of the major reloader makers, they cover the entire range from very basic single stage loaders to high volume progressive presses that will give you an idea of what loaders cost:
http://dillonprecision.com/default.cfm?
http://www.rcbs.com/
http://www.hornady.com/
http://www.leeprecision.com

While the initial cost of the loading equipment might seem high, and can easily get to several hundred dollars, over the course of your hobby that cost really is tiny since it will last for many years, or often decades. The ability to custom craft ammunition to fit exactly what YOU want instead of what the ammo makers lawyers allow them to make is also a huge bonus that can't really be measured in dollars.

Welcome to a new hobby, ask whatever questions you want - better to ask and be safe than possibly hurt yourself or others through ignorance!
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Old June 1, 2002, 11:33 AM   #5
dennis carter
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Critter44 has it right. As a test, ask someone who's gotten into reloading whether they're saving anything and the answer will often be "I save lots of $$$." Then, ask them how much per year they spent on shooting when they weren't reloading compared to the amount they're now spending.

The disappointing, uhm, "savings" from reloading will be more than offset by the satisfaction you gain as you develop that perfect load for your perfect firearm.

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Old June 1, 2002, 11:52 AM   #6
Mo_Zam_Beek
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It is not how much you save - it is how much more you will be able to shoot.


This is esp true with match rifle rounds. I could not imagine not reloading for this on a cost basis alone - not to mention accuracy.
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Old June 1, 2002, 12:07 PM   #7
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How much you gonna shoot.
If just some.....reloadin is for fun.
If a lot, reloadin makes financial sense.

We shoot enough to justify bulk powder, bullets, primers etc. Runs around 5 cents a round in the larger calibers.

Labor cost is infinately variable. What is your leisure time worth ?
Takes us less than an hour to crank out 500 rounds of handgun ammo.

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Old June 1, 2002, 12:21 PM   #8
444
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Let me try to answer your question. The cost of tools to begin reloading for one caliber can be as low as maybe $30. For that amount of money, you can load perfectly adequate ammunition for one caliber. The ammo you turn out with that equipment will be every bit as accurate, safe, and reliable as any round of ammo ever produced in the history of mankind. So why pay anymore than $30 for gear ? Speed, and ease of operation. The more you spend, the faster you can churn out ammo and doing it is easier. Most people who load for pistols desire speed because you shoot a lot of ammo from pistols and you don't want to spend all your free time loading. So, instead of spending time, you spend money.
The cost of reloading components obviously varies and without knowing the specifics you can't predict how much you might save over buying factory ammo. If the only reason you reload is to save money, there are some calibers that make this a waste of your time. 9mm and .223 Rem come to mind. I am a hardcore reloader and have been for 20 years. I do reload for .223 Remington. I own two highly accurate bolt action rifles in that caliber and I want to squeze every ounce of accuracy out of them. I also want to choose my bullets. I like the Hornady V-Max bullets, I like the Nosler Ballistic Tips. However, I recently bought an AR15 which is also in .223. I have started buying factory ammo for it instead of shooting my own loads. Why ? The cost difference is insignificant, I am not trying for super tight groups and I am not hunting with it at present so the bullet isn't a big consideration and neither is ultimate accuracy, and I don't want to chase brass.
If you want ultimate performance from you gun, you have to reload but then we have totally gotten away from the money issue.
I believe that over the long haul, reloading will save you money in any caliber, but that is only one small reason for loading your own. This whole thing about not saving money because you shoot more is cute, but I believe what you are asking is; If I load 100 rounds using X components, will it be cheaper than simply buying factoy loads that also used X components. My answer would be, probably. Again, it depends on what bullet we are talking about, what kind of quantity did you buy your components in ? What kind of quantity did you buy the factory ammo in ? Hard question to answer. Probably the least significant savings would be if you compared the cheapest possible factory ammo (foreign made, steel case, berdan primed, laquer all over it etc.) over the cheapest possible handloads (we have to compare apples to apples so we can't compare using home casted bullets etc. ). The most significant would be if you were comparing loads using premium bullets; the handloads would be significantly cheaper. This last case makes a good case for buying a very inexpensive loading setup. You could handload your premium ammo; ammo you are not going to be shooting a whole lot of. Then you can buy this imported cheap stuff for shooting beer cans etc.
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Last edited by 444; June 1, 2002 at 12:45 PM.
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Old June 1, 2002, 12:22 PM   #9
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If you plan to shoot very little, maybe a couple hundred rounds per year, just buy ammo. If you are going to shoot a couple hundred rounds per month, reloading makes sense. If you are going to shoot a couple hundred rounds per week, I am very jealous!!!!

I have never saved a penny by reloading my ammo. But, I shot a whole lot more than my friends who bought theirs.
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Old June 1, 2002, 12:48 PM   #10
bdhawk
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i have a 422. it shoots just under 2" at 25 yards, with a bench rest. a friend has a ruger with a bull barrel. our guns shoot almost equally.
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Old June 1, 2002, 03:39 PM   #11
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An SDB set up in a couple calibers with everything else you will need, will be around $500-600, but only if you only want to reload pistol calibers. You could pay less initialy and pick up "convienice" stuff later.
A 550 or 650 will be more. Check out Dillons site, and add it up. I spend as much on shooting now as I did before reloading, but I shoot ALOT more. My shooting improved 100% after starting to reload.
I find reloading to be a very good way to relax.
Once I get a house, hopefully this summer, I plan on casting my own bullets, which will allow me to shoot even MORE. And maybe getting a 650. (hee hee).
I would only consider Dillon equipment, because they have been so outstanding to deal with, and the gear is superb.
For the cost of one gun, you will be either shooting a heck of alot more, or, with extreme self control, saving money on your shooting.
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Old June 1, 2002, 06:53 PM   #12
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I started reloading in 1971 when I got out of the Army, so I've been at this for a while. As several have said, the real savings is that you get to shoot a lot more for the money spent.

My recomendation would be a Dillon SDB since you only said 45 ACP. As to savings, I buy my components bulk (at least in lots of 1000 if not more) and I reload a ball duplicate with plated bullets for $90/1000. That works out to $4.50 per box. I have thousands of rounds of 45 ACP brass so there is not a cost there. The $4.50 is bullet, primer and powder. I've paid for my press many years ago.
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Old June 1, 2002, 08:22 PM   #13
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That question was asked many times in many different ways.

Suggest doing a TFL search in the reloading forum. Lots of good stuff has already been discussed.
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Old June 1, 2002, 08:44 PM   #14
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With people like Cheaper Than Dirt sometimes selling S&B .45s for around $9 a box it's all too easy for me to keep buying factory stuff and not get "around to it", although a buddy has a Dillion 550 and over 3,000 rounds of my once-fired brass ... Type of bullet seems to be the biggest cost variable for us ... when we get around to it!
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Old June 2, 2002, 06:02 AM   #15
Hal
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Quote:
How much will I save, per 100 rds, over the long run, compared to factory ammo?
A close approximation would be close to $.65 a shot in my case. A lot depends on what round you choose as a defensive load. I use 230 gr Federal Hydra Shok's @ about $75. per hundered. I duplicate the ballistics for about a dime a shot in my Kimber. The difference between a premium level handload and a a shoot-em-up level handload is really insignificant. You don't find many,,,,or any for that matter,,,posts here or anywhere else that start out "What kind of so-so load should I use in my ____(fill in the blank)". Time and time again people compare the cheapest factory ammo they can buy, to what amounts to(in a well researched and assembled handload) the best ammunition money can buy.
Want to change to an exotic caliber, but high ammo costs are a put off? Hey, no problem. A set of dies will only run a few bucks. Once you buy the basics, press, scale, powder, primers etc, you're good to go with just buying another set of dies.
Please don't fall into the "But S&B is sooo cheap,,,reloading is a waste of time" trap.

P.S. I know this is mostly a rehash of what JohnK said early on. It's so true thought that it bears repeating. Like the others say, there's been a lot of this covered before and most of the time the "You'll shoot more"'s are in the majority. What the "you'll shoot more"'s take for granted is all the extra ammo they(we) use is the result of a lot of tweaking and experimentation to work up the best load possible.
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Old June 2, 2002, 11:43 AM   #16
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All the above I would ditto for the most part.

I reload and love it. Now that I'm getting a little age on, I can say that from an eyesight POV I'll be able to see to reload and reload very well longer than I will be able to see to shoot all that well.

I spend more but shoot a lot more and better.

BUT

I still buy loaded ammo.....and in bigger lots......because I have my eye on recycling that particular lot of brass from a fav manufacturer as long as possible before I even buy it.
If you shoot 45ACP it does get lost before it wears out, especially if you shoot at indoor ranges or grassy areas.
S-

Even if I had but one firearm, and could not shoot it well or often, I would still reload ammunition for it.
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Old June 2, 2002, 04:40 PM   #17
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Apart from all the good reasons above, I have one more reason to reload my own, availability.

My local gunshop have been out of 9mm for at least 6 months (ok, he have a few expensive Norma). Other handgun calibers is also hard to find where I live. But I can buy and store powder, primers and bullets to last for a pretty long time without problem. Just buy them cheap in bulk when the time is right, then load when needed.
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Old June 2, 2002, 08:16 PM   #18
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I picked up a .xls file from glocktalk that will calculate the costs of reloading. Here's the thread:

http://www.glocktalk.com/showthread.php?threadid=78745
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