Economics of reloading

[howiepa]

Ya know wrt to reloading pistol calibers and finding a local source of powder and primers, I'd like to be able to find some Powder PERIOD! There seems to be no pistol powder available anywhere! And it looks like the big supply houses are filling their backorders first and not putting anything on the shelves.

At a recent gun show I heard that we're looking at an 18-month drought of powder. Supposedly there was a big fire at one of the plants that makes gun powder supplies. I haven't bothered to verify any of this so take it with a grain of salt, but powder is scarce, as you've noticed. I thought I did a good job of stocking up until I spoke with a range guy who has my stash quadrupled.

[Rblakely]

OkeeDokee - making the plunge.

Purchased and assembled a bench for reloading over the weekend. Ordered a Lee Pro 1000 press and .40 S&W die set today. Will order enough supplies to get me started later today (1lb of Titegroup powder, 1000 once fired brass, 1000 CCI Primers and 1000 180gr boolits).

After I get some .40 started I'll probably get a set of .380 dies.

Looking forward to getting started.

[sparke]

Laxammo is good ammo but when you figure your cost to buy are you adding the shipping cost? That's the Achilles heel when it comes to ordering ammo on line. To ship 1,000 rounds of 9mm cost ~$25. That adds about .03 cents to every round.

[Rik Bitter]

Below is an excerpt from a post I made on another site http://www.pa2a.org/thread-you-want-...ading-now-what

Here's my take...

3) The Economy of Reloading
---------------------------

Most people become interested in reloading as a way to save money on ammo. If you start reloading you
WILL save a lot per round but you will also invest a lot of time and energy in the process. If you're
a "time is money" type of person it may not be for you. However, if you look at it as a separate hobby apart
from your shooting and find the process of making ammo enjoyable then the time calculation is not a factor
and you'll save money or (likely) shoot more often.

So just how much will you save if you start reloading? As with most things, the answer is: That depends.
First lets just consider the ammo components themselves.

Brass, pick them up after you shoot = FREE (new brass is available separately but can get pricey)
Primers, 1000 count box = ~$35.00
Powder, 1 lbs. (7000 grains) bottle = $18.00 - $27.00
Bullets, price varies by caliber and construction = $20 per 100 on up (heavier = more expensive)

To better illustrate lets take a box of 45 ACP pistol rounds

A 50 count box of Federal 45 ACP, 230 gr FMJ at my local Wal-Mart is $24.67

If we were to reload the exact same box of ammo:

Brass (range pickups) $ 0.00
Primers $ 1.75 (purchased as 1000 ct box for $35.00)
Powder (5.3 gr) $ 0.76 (purchased as 1 lbs. bottle of HP-38 for $20.00)
Bullet (230gr FMJ) $11.25 (purchased as 100 ct box for $22.49)
----------------------------
Total $13.76 (Savings of 44%)

You can bring the cost per box down even lower by buying powder and bullets in larger quantities, using a
lighter weight projectile, and switching from Jacketed or hollow point to lead. My favorite target load
for 45 ACP (200 gr Lead Semi-wadcutter, 4.8 gr HP-38) only costs $6.05 per 50 rounds because I can get
quality hard-cast bullets locally (no shipping) in 500 count boxes and I buy powder in 4 or 8 lbs containers.
In general, the more the round you are reloading costs, the more you will save by reloading.

[mikal90]

Why I reload, Cost? Accuracy? Pleasure? and Oh Yeah What's an ammo shortage?

[Fossil4Life]

Why I reload, Cost? Accuracy? Pleasure? and Oh Yeah What's an ammo shortage?

I would probably add therapeutic to that list.