Economics of reloading

[Sparxfly72]

I like to shoot as often as I can. Buying ammo, as most of us know, is expensive.

I have been seriously considering reloading. I am approaching it from a cost perspective (versus consistency or match grade ammo perspective)

I started looking at the component costs of reloading .40 S&W. After a quick search I found the following:

1. Brass - assuming I would buy brass I found once fired .40 for $0.04 per round (oncefiredbrass.com)

2. Primers - CCI pistol primers from Midway $0.03 per round

3. Powder - Buying 8lbs and assuming about 5 gr each that's about $0.02 per round

4. Bullets - 180gr plated flat nose about $0.13 per round

Add all that up and it comes to $0.22 per finished round. This does not include the $200 for a Lee Progressive press.

I currently purchase most of my .40 S&W from Laxammo.com. Their reloads are $0.265 each. Is the 4 1/2 cents savings really worth it? I would have to load over 4400 rounds for the savings just to pay for the press.

A cpl things. Brass should be amortized a bit. Reloading each case at least 4x puts them at .01 a piece. Second, unless you are paying upwards of $210 for that jug of powder, that cost is overinflated. Another point is ..are you including shipping and/or tax into your equations? For 40s&w I buy from rocky mountain reloading and get 165gr plated seconds for .11 a piece delivered/insured. With all that, my cost for reloading 40 is a tad over .16 a piece.
Addressing these chuckleheads and the "worth their time" for reloading...HA!
A. If you are new to reloading, your time reloading isn't worth much. You don't have enough experience or knowledge to warrant much.
B. Get over yourself. Your not special. Do you get paid to wash your ass, brush your teeth, watch tv, pay attention to your kids/mommy?

[knight0334]

It is very difficult to match/beat bulk ammo prices versus reloads. It will take thousands upon thousands of rounds of ammo to recoup your equipment costs, which only after that are you saving money.

But if you are loading defensive, hunting, or specialized ammo you can recoup costs much faster.

Examples:

44mag 240gr JHP 50rd boxes typically sell for $29.99 to $39.99. You can reload cartridges to same specs or better for about 1/4 to 1/2 the cost.

.32S&W - box of 50 goes for $30. Reloading cost = well less than $10.

20rd 45-120 smokeless ammo = $110-$130. Reloaded cost with new brass = $65. With used brass = $20-$30

[PA1749]

I used to reload. Here are my thoughts on whether or not it pays

1. Reload if you enjoy it as a hobby.
2. Reload if you shoot rare expensive calibers.
3. Reload if you compete and want custom ammo.

If you shoot common mass produced calibers, don't have a lot of spare time, and none of the above reasons apply to you, just buy the ammo.

[Sparxfly72]

It is very difficult to match/beat bulk ammo prices versus reloads. It will take thousands upon thousands of rounds of ammo to recoup your equipment costs, which only after that are you saving money.

But if you are loading defensive, hunting, or specialized ammo you can recoup costs much faster.

Examples:

44mag 240gr JHP 50rd boxes typically sell for $29.99 to $39.99. You can reload cartridges to same specs or better for about 1/4 to 1/2 the cost.

I think u meant 20rnd boxes. At Wallyworld yesterday, Federal 240gr flat-point 50 end box was $41.xx + $2.49 tax for total of $44 a box or 88¢ a piece. I reload target 44mag for 17¢ a piece.

[pennlineman]

Calibers like 9mm are hardy worth the effort since it can still be had at pretty reasonable prices. Where it pays off is on the less common ammo. Big bore pistol like .44 mag, .454 Casull, 500 S&W, etc. Obscure or obsolete rounds like .32-20 and .38 S&W. Also check the price on premium rifle and magnum rifle. Definitely a savings through reloading there.

I some guns I could not afford to shoot were it not for reloading. Today I'm finishing off 500 rounds of .454 Casull. This should last me a few years, all one batch. Once the guns are sighted in I'm good to go for a long time.

[Sshuker]

Calibers like 9mm are hardy worth the effort since it can still be had at pretty reasonable prices.

I reload a good amount of 9mm, which everyone thinks is not economically practical. Find 9mm for less than $15 per box of 50 and you are doing well. I reload that same box for $5.26

Add in that what I am making is far superior to what you can buy for $15/box, so comparing it to the $25/box category would provably be a more accurate calculation. But being honest, if I were buying ammo for the range, I would be buying the $15/box stuff, so that is where I keep my comparisons. Getting to shoot better ammo is just a bonus.

Now, the $15/box is before tax and my $5.26 is total cost to get to my bench, so I should be comparing to $15.90 total price paid, so that is $10.64/box saved.

Without pushing it, I can reload 300 rounds an hour. At $10.64 savings per 50, that works out to $63.84 per hour. (run those numbers on the $25/box ammo I am actually shooting and it comes out to $118.44/hr)

Hardly worth the effort? I wish someone would pay me $63.84/h to do anything that I enjoy doing.

It is very difficult to match/beat bulk ammo prices versus reloads. It will take thousands upon thousands of rounds of ammo to recoup your equipment costs, which only after that are you saving money.

I started with a used Lee single stage kit for $100. I have moved to a Dillon press for $400 and have about $200 in other equipment upgrades, so I have $700 in equipment. Now, I could sell the Lee press used and get back my $100, I could sell the Dillon press for $300 and the other equipment for say $100. So, I have $700 out, but equipment with a resale value of $500. So, to be fair, I really only need to recover the true "sunk cost" of my equipment.

At $10.64 per 50, that means it took me 19 boxes (950 rounds) to recover my sunk costs. Shooting 6 boxes a week, I recovered my sunk cost in just over three weeks.

And all of this is reloading 9mm. The caliber everyone thinks is not worth the effort.

[knight0334]

I think u meant 20rnd boxes. At Wallyworld yesterday, Federal 240gr flat-point 50 end box was $41.xx + $2.49 tax for total of $44 a box or 88¢ a piece. I reload target 44mag for 17¢ a piece.

I don't buy 20 or 25 round pistol ammo boxes.. The last 50rnd boxes of 44mag I bought were $29.99 and $39.99. My handloads come in much less.

[wanneroo]

I use full metal jacket bullets for 9mm, not plated or lead and my calculations are that the rounds I am loading right now I am doing for 15-16 cents a round. Good quality factory ammo comes in around 30 cents a round.

This year I am going to get a better, faster press, but I think I am set right now for all other equipment with one or two exceptions. I'd say that within a year or so with having gone through the process of learning how to reload, working out how to make it efficient and the cost of the equipment, it will more than pay for itself, even with the 9mm round said to be a waste of time.

[markshere2]

Keep in mind that reloading; although cheaper per round than buying new.
You most likely will find yourself shooting A LOT more.
Which will defeat any cost savings you may have expected.

I don't reload; yet.
But that is what I've been told by the instructors in my NRA reloading class, by friends who reload, and by various sources on the Internet.

HAH!

Yinz guize that don't reload, yet tell others its a good idea............is like a priest giving marriage counseling advice!

Just bustin on you..........

Once you get into it, and start casting your own boolits, the savings become magical.

I have a gazmillion pieces of brass....... so I reload for the cost of primer and powder.......somewhere around 5-7 cents per round for the ones I cast boolits for....

.223 and .308...I buy projectiles for them, I run steel core "penetrators", and I tune loads to rifles.

You can load for goofy calibers on the cheap, too.

It's prepping in a big way...

[Sparxfly72]

I don't buy 20 or 25 round pistol ammo boxes.. The last 50rnd boxes of 44mag I bought were $29.99 and $39.99. My handloads come in much less.

I'd like to know where u shop that 44mag "typically sells" for 29.99. I know Wal-Mart sold it 15mos ago for $36.99 + tax, but those days are long gone.
The good thing about buying factory brass cased 44mag is u can sell your emptys for 8 bux.

When I reload 9mm, I DO use plated and/or hard-cast lead. Its a waste of money to use fmj for plinking ammo that speeds don't surpass 1k to 1.1k fps. I clean my guns after every range trip and leading has never been an issue.