Is it worth reloading?
 

I was looking into getting a press, but after looking at the brass cost on brownells (9mm), bullets, primers, it seems that there is no savings? 1000 cases were $160, bullets were about $130, primers $36. Now including powder or your time we are $326. I just saw 1000 rounds of 9mm brass case, FMJ, for $305 shipped.

I suppose the brass cost is reduces once you reuse your brass for the next 1000 rounds. So, maybe that is where the savings are?

How many rounds does one need to break eve after the cost of a single stage press?

Thanks

if you buy brass and bullets and all else .. you break about even the first time around. its on the subsequent firings of that brass that the savings come to fruitation.
That of course is almost immediately offset by the sudden rise in ammo consumption

First off, try to buy once fired brass or scrounge around the range. That will save a a little bit. Brass is not you biggest expense though, bullets and primers are. If you buy in bulk than it's less.

Now is a bad time due to all the chaos and 9mm is not a big cost saver. Maybe half the cost of factory, but like everything it will keep going up.

45 ACP, 357 Mag, 45 Colt you save a lot more.

Brownells is a great company but for stuff like this they are not the least expensive.

You would have to shoot A LOT to make it worth while IMO. The way I see it is that I would not be saving money until the "savings" paid the all the reloading equipment off then it would be cheaper, but that's just my 2 cents.

It depends on where you get your bullets and brass. I can essentially pick up off the ground all of the 9mm brass I will ever need for free at the range I use - but I already have plenty. On GunBroker, there are people that will provide brass free if you buy their bullets, plus a lot of sellers offering brass. Missouri Bullets sells cast 9mm bullets for about $50/1000 plus $11.35 shipping, and the shipping will cover 2000 bullets.

Say, lead bullets are 7 cents, primer 4 cents, powder maybe 2 cents, and brass is essentially free or close to it as it is re-useable for many loadings. Not counting amortization of your reloading tools and dies, that's about 13 cents per round, say $7.00 per box of 50. At the gun show last week, due to the current craziness, I saw NO FMJ 9mm ammo on sale for less than $20/box. Draw your own conclusions as to whether reloading is economically worthwhile.

I guess the prices quoted by Dwalt makes reloading worth while. My prices seem a bit high.

One other thing to keep in mind. Forget for the moment the cost savings of reloading. It's possible that in the near future that the days of buying ammo over the internet may cease, and there may be all sorts of onerous ammunition restrictions (such as a "Bullet Violence Tax", purchase limits, or whatever other harassment measures the current administration can think of). If you lay in a goodly supply of reloading components, you may insulate yourself somewhat. That's what is happening now, as many shooters are expecting something like this to happen.

9 mm hasn't really been worthwhile as it's so cheap,but that may be changing.

First of all you have to shop around and buy in bulk. Try PowderValley.com for buying in bulk on powder and primers. Don't buy in small quantity or you pay the most for the least. If you ever buy primers in less than a thousand a case then you are paying too much. It's the same with powder. You can start with a pound to see if you like it but once you have a chosen load you need to buy it in the eight pound jugs to really save the money. Bullets can be bought in bulk as well. FMJ is great for Glocks and full power loads. You can buy plated but don't push them at jacketed velocity. To save more money you can buy lead bullets. To save even more you can learn to cast them yourself and never worry about running out ever again. 9mm just about grows out of the ground at most ranges so get scrounging and you should be able to stock up for free during a range visit. The initial cost setup will take a while to recoup but it's pretty rare to meet a reloader that regrets getting into the hobby. In the end it stops being about the money though. It becomes the hobby itself.

My cost for .38 reloads is around $ 7.00 a box of 50. Range pick brass but it's getting harder to find in that caliber since most agencies are going to the .40. Buy bulk components on sale and stock up when I can. Having said this, there's another reason I reload. It's called an "intangible". I have a single stage press and enjoy the process. I also have a friend who sometimes reloads with me. Turn on some mellow music, a comfortable porch overlooking the garden, pour a good cup of coffee and life is good (as is going to the range to shoot with friends). So for me yes, it's worth reloading.

No, Eddie, is will NEVER be worth reloading so, let me help you out, friend.
Every time you fire a factory round, make sure it is Boxer primed and just set it back. When you get 1000 of any one caliber, let me know and I will send a self addressed stamped envelope to you, you can fill it up, and send it back!

Whaddayasay? :rolleyes:

If all you shoot is 100 rounds a month of 9mm and your firearms can eat that garbage, you are happy at 10 feet with a 12" group and all of that ammo goes to support goobermints that hate the US, hey, go for it! :D

A lot of people get into reloading thinking it will save them money, matter of fact you'llend up spending the same or more on equipment and supplies simply because youll most likely will shoot more ammo, the real gains to be had will be the much better understanding of how your firearm and ammo work together to produce the diserd results. If you dont load your own you miss half the picture and dont even know it. I will tell you right now you will have a tough time finding components.

There is not a huge amount of savings to be had (with hand loading 9mm), but a little can be saved with jacketed bullets. More $$ can be saved by loading cast lead bullets....and I do that.

For me, though, there is more to it than the $$. I enjoy the process of hand loading, as much as the savings.

I load 9mm (cast bullets) for around $6.00/ 50.....around $8.00/ 50 with jacketed bullets. 38 spl. costs me around $7- $8/ 50.

Don't know who saw this, but on the news tonight I heard that the Connecticut governor wants...... a new 50% "Violence Tax" on ammunition sold in the state (among other things).

Regarding powder, in 9mm a little goes a long way. If shooting cast 124 grain bullets, a 4.0 grain charge of Bullseye works great in all my 9mm pistols. That's about 1800 rounds of 9mm per pound of Bullseye. Not that it's a bad idea to have 8 pounds of powder (I have a lot more than that), just that a little will last a long time. And there's not much in the way of handgun calibers you can't reload to be useful using Bullseye. Its versatility and economy cannot be disputed.

I buy my Brass from a local shooting range. I just bought 250 38 special and 250 9 mm for $25. I get my bullets from berreys. By the time I'm done I shoot for 50% of what it would cost me to buy my own ammo.

I reload therefore I am. My ammo cost less than half of factory ammo cost. There are many ways to save money and have ammo that suits your specific gun and desired shooting style. Not to mention the independence of when there is a run on ammo, I can make my own without any worries.

It is a magnificent obsession. Highly addictive and fun. And it kills the liberals to know we can do it!

With the free lead I get, the surplus powder I buy in bulk, the Wolf primers I use and the brass that I have gotten for free or next to nothing, I can load a box of 200gr LRNHP 45ACP for under a dollar. That's right, 50 45ACP rounds for $.93! Not each, for all 50!

True, I spend that extra cash anyway so I save nothing BUT, I do have all of the ammo I could ever want or need! :)

So where do you get primers and powder for less than 2 cents a round (assuming your bullets are free)?. They haven't been that cheap in a very long time, maybe sometime during the Carter administration.

Nope. My powder is less than $11/lb and my primers are $13.50/1000. Not Carter but, last year of Bush II, 2007. Widners had a sale on just a few months ago, $15/1000. I got some then too.

;)

Sorry, that $.93 is for 158gr LSWC in 38Spl! OOPS!

For 45ACP it climbs a bit......... $1.03/50

Sorry for the confusion......... :D

I stocked up after the 08 shortage ended,so my powder and primers cost about twice what Skip paid.I buy my bullets from a local caster ,so I figure a box of 50 45 acp target loads cost me about $6.

At current prices - today's actual prices - Primers are about 4 cents each. Powder is close to 0.4 cents per grain. And I don't think the internet sellers, what with shipping and hazmat charges, will do much better than that. So even with "free" bullets and cases (and we know those are not really free), 6 cents a round is about the rock bottom best one can do for reloading handgun loads. And that's not likely to improve. If you have a stash of primers you bought for $15/K and powder for $10/pound, that's great (and I do myself). But for someone just starting and buying bullets and cases, $7 to $10 per box is what it will cost to reload. But at least there might not be a "Violence Tax" on reloading - yet.

After spending the money for cases the first time, what do the second reloads cost you?

You have to treat the cases like reloading tools- sort of a startup cost. The powder, bullets, and primers are expendibles, the cases not so much, as they should withstand many loadings. Plus as anyone who has done much reloading knows, your stockpile of brass seems to magically grow from pickups, gifts, garage sales, gun shows, etc. I am not exaggerating, I have in all likelihood several hundred pounds of fired brass in all calibers, most of which didn't really cost me anything - mainly range pickups and from various friends who do not reload giving their empty cases to me. Two weeks ago I got a large plastic bucket of .38 Special brass that way.

Well after looking at empty shelves in Wally World I'd say - yea, it's worth it :D I've been saving brass for some time before I've pulled the plug, so for me there was no brass purchase, I've managed to buy powder & primers in bulk locally, so no hazmat fee. I am ok with lead bullet and bought 2000 of them for about $130 shipped, so even "least profitable" 9mm I can crank for less than $6 per box of 50. Is it worth it - it is for me :D

Sorry to correct you, but if you add in the electricity used to heat the lead for casting that has to push your costs up to at least a dollar a box. I don't think you should be so misleading in your estimates. ;)

I don't know. If you are a cheap *** like me you can do it for a lot bigger savings than buying factory. For instance 45 ACP, got brass from people who were shooting but not reloading a.k.a "FREE." Brick of CCI LP primers at Cabelas $34.99 - $34.99 Cabelas points = FREE. 1 lb of W231 powder Cabelas $24.99 - $24.99 Cabelas points = FREE

Lead ingots approximately $1.00 per lb. 1lb = 7,000 grains
7,000/ 225grain RN approximately 30 boolits.
$1.00 / 30 boolits = roughly $0.03 per boolit.

So lets total it up:
Brass: $0.00
Primers: $0.00
Powder: $0.00
Boolits: $0.03
Total cost $0.03 per round (minus labor)
Factory WWB $39.96/100 = $0.40 per round.

Okay, so no time for casting lead. So you buy 500 rounds of 230gr. RN Berry's Plated direct from Berry's. $70.88/500 or $0.14 per round. Maybe you still want to shoot lead, so you buy 500 rounds of 230gr. RN cast boolits from Missouri Bullet Co. $43 + $13 Shipping = $56 or $.011/round. Still less than half the cost of bulk ammo, if you can find it.

Is it worth reloading?
 

I think it is safe to say that reloading will not cost MORE than buying ammo, in the long run. But the best reasons to reload are that you can make better quality ammo than you can buy, and it is just plain fun and interesting to reload. This is especially true with rifle ammo and accuracy issues.

It is more than worth it if you purchase your components in bulk. By that I mean minimum 2000 bullets, primers by the flat (5000) and powder in minimum of 8 pound containers.

I go through about 8000 to 9000 rounds a year, reloading even 9mm results in savings when you shoot that much.

Buying 100 bullets, 100 pieces of brass, 100 primers and 1 LB of powder is not the way to go.

Handloading Cost Calculator

9mm is the only round I shoot that I don't load for, at least not yet anyway. Even if you've got a ton of brass saved up, you can hardly justify pulling the lever on a press to load 9mm....it's just too cheap at Wal-Mart and Cabela's, etc..

Have you tried buying ammo recently?

eddieE76, OP

The best part of reloading is you are 2 steps ahead of the fluctuations of
supply and demand. I shoot factory and also reload. I am gearing up to reload 9mm, Locally factory hardball 9mm 15.00-23.00 a box of 50.

0nce fired brass, hardball/TMJ? bullets, primers and powder
I can use the same powder for 44, 38/357 and 9mm small pistol primers for 38 and 9mm, 44 and 45acp same primers large pistol, also powders are flexible. If you have a 9mm that will shoot lead you are good to go
otherwise? whim of the market?

we obviously have some pretty well to do guys here. I can reload 9mm with Berry's plated bullets for about $6.82 for a box of 50. that's just barely over half of what walmart charges and still way below even the cheapest bulk russian or chinese ammo. So it cost me $136.40 per thousand to load and $260 per thousand at walmart. How is that not a savings. I fired about 6000+ rounds during 2012 for a total savings of about $750. That's about double what I have invested in my press and other equipment. Admittedly this is small potatoes compared to reloading for 357 mag where the savings is about $20 per box of 50 but still I was able to shoot twice as much for the same money. I stop loading my brass after about 7 or 8 times and once fired tumbled brass is about $30 per thousand online.

Saving money is a part of it, but I enjoy it.

If you want to get into reloading just to save money - fuggedaboudit!
Especially if you are of a mind to think, "Well my time is worth $X per hour and I just spent 3 hours in the basement..." Just go out and go to work at Mickey D's a few hours a week for your gun money. You'll be happier.

If however you like a challenge, if you like science, if you are a detail-oriented person, if you like the thought of tailoring your ammunition to your guns (and yes, you will be tuning ammunition to fit your particular firearms) and you relish the thought of being able to shoot 2 or 3 or more times as often for the same money you are spending now - then welcome to your next obsession!

It ain't about the money, Honey...
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...1/Reloader.gif
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...reloader-1.gif

However if you want to do a dollar-for-dollar breakdown:

Cases - you buy a press/powder/primers and bullets and send me evidence that you have and the first 500 9mm cases are on me.

Bullets - I highly recommend Berry's plated bullets. 9MM in 124 grain, plated hollow points are $89.86 per thousand and delivery is free.

You found primers at $36 for a thousand ? Excellent.

Powder is a personal preference but a good one is Unique at less than $20 a pound. At 5.5 grains per round, this pound (7000 grains) will make over a thousand rounds, easy. ( 1272 to be precise).

So you are into your first thousand rounds (you will reuse the free brass, right?) for less than $150. That works out to $7.50 a box of 50.

Consider that you would have paid $17.50 for a box retail. You "saved" $10 per box and you just made 20 boxes! You're $200 to the good.

Now go get a press and get started!!!

If you start with Lee Hand loaders
 

I started with Lee loaders and started seeing savings right away because the loaders are pretty cheap, and it's all there, except for the components. It takes investment of time but I find that there is great conservation of movement using the hand loaders compared to a single stage press. If you have everything in front of you making each round takes about 45 seconds from start to finish. Since I saved money by doing this, I was able to get set up with a press over time as I shot more ammunition. And I agree with the other's comments that you will learn a LOT, it's a fun, satisfying part of the hobby and you can tailor your rounds for what you want. I load .38 special wadcutter target rounds to full .357 magnum and everything in between depending on what I want. I also load for a 30-06 and with the right powder I can load what is little more than a .22 in recoil (my family appreciates those) to big-game rounds. If I shoot enough, I may go to a progressive press one day.

I just calculated .45 acp rnds that I load, buying all components it goes as follows:

Primer .03
Powder .01
Brass .02 Using new brass eight times
Bullet .08

Total .14 cents per round, Walmart W.W.B. .33 per round

I found that I enjoy the hobby of reloading as much as I do shooting.

Thanks for all the comments. Obviously it is cost effective to reload. Not only is it a $ thing, you obviously get enjoyment out of it. I will be looking into getting a set up for myself. The idea of being independent is appealing to me.

I will be asking questions I'm sure. Tomorrow I will be visiting a friend to see his set up. I will be learning from him.

I can reload .38 Specials and .45ACP with cast LSWC for 12 cents each or $6.00 per box. It works out to around 1/3 the cost of comparable factory ammo. Total cash outlay for a Lee Challenger reloading kit, dies, incidentals and a Lyman tumbler was $225. Using an estimated .25 savings per round the break even point for the equipment would be 900 rounds, after that the real savings kick in.

You could save a bunch by sourcing components differently, a quick Google search turned up once fired 9mm for $39 per 1000 and plated cast 9mm bullets for $89 per thousand. With a little patience you can turn out decent ammo that's perfectly acceptable for range use and plinking...

I never found it cost effective, but then again, I never did cast my own bullets. Thus, I sold my Dillon 15 or more years ago.

That said, it is a fun hobby. There is a certain pride in loading your own and it beats the [four hundred] "fifty-seven channels and nothing on" if you will pardon the Bruce Springsteen reference which I have thoughtfully brought up-to-date by adding four hundred channels to the original fifty-seven. :)

Perhaps I am just an old fuddy-duddy, but I would rather read a book these days. Current read, courtesy of friend Tim Mullin, who reads more than I do: "American Agent" by Melvin Purvis. Yes, that Melvin Purvis. It is a really good book by a well educated man who certainly knows how to write. And, unlike many "journalists" today, who interview and then twist to suit for sales or commercial reasons so that the "factual account" becomes barely recognizable as such, Purvis was actually there on that dark and really cold night at Little Bohemia or that really hot, muggy night at the Biograph. Check it out. Beats reloading or TV. :)

9mm is probably the toughest versus a normal price compairison to justify to yourself getting in to reloading. At this time who knows what normal will become though. While I dont reload 9mm either, I could easily add it.

Where you see big cost savings is in handgun rounds like the 44 Mag, or in 45 ACP, or even in 38 and in 38 wadcutters. They are up to about $40 for a box of 38 wadcutters that you can make for $6 to $8. The factory wadcutters are hard to find regularly too.

When the cost of 500 Winchester 223 was $80 I did not load. Bit now the cost is approaching $500 for 1000. So there are savings there. For normal high quality hunting rounds the cost is approaching $40 for a 20 round box. And can be much more.
You can load a lot of those for $10 a box. And when you get in rifles like a 416 then you are talking about $7 or $8 a shot. If I use premium bullets I can do it for $1.

But a big part of loading is that you can load what your guns shoot well. And you can adjust loads. You can make 44 rounds that small women can easily fire if you want to.

Also as has been pointed out, you dont have to rely solely on ammo that might or might not be on the shelves. Today, and going forward, that might be a good thing.

I went back to reloading my .357 mags because they are unobtainable now. IF you can find them' they will cost nearly $1/round!! I like the SJHP in 158gr.

I use a powder that fills the case without being too hot. It is just a theory that if powder lays differently in the case that it will burn differently and thus groupings will bigger.

I don't use magnum brass more than 3 times as I've experienced some cracked cases after that. No problems with .38 spcl.

When I first started thinking about getting into reloading, I started saving my brass. By the time I got my equipment, (Lee 4 hole turret), I had a bunch of 9mm and 38 special. After figuring in the cost of everything, bullets, powder, primers, 2 sets of dies, after my first reloads, 500 each of 9mm and 38 special, compared to Wal Mart prices, (and this was nearly two years ago), I had saved enough to almost pay for the equipment. My neighbor just bought an AR, went shooting with him a week ago, I have 300 empty 5.56 cases, time to buy some more dies. Of course now I need a tumbler and case trimmer, does the fun EVER end?

Is it worth reloading?
 

The price of having ammo when I want it, in the configuration I want, in the amount I want, that my firearms are all tuned for and sighted in with.......
PRICELESS!

I can remember not too awful long ago when the last panic hit, ammo was pretty scarce, as were primers. There weren't a lot of people shooting at my local range as the result. Those of us who were shooting we all shooting our own reloads.

As far as primer prices, the lesson to be learned is buy in bulk when you can and if possible get a group buy with other shooters to split the HAZMAT and shipping charges. If you do that, you can easily get primer prices down to less than $25/thousand, depending on the brand. Same goes for powder, too.

I think coming changes are going to make 9mm and 5.56mm reloading very attractive for those of you who shoot those calibers.

I am not a reloader but as was explained to me like any initial investment it takes start up money.
After buying your press, dies, powder, primer, bullets and casings you have spent cash but if you use this stuff and buy responsibly (As in bulk and availability deals like described in previous posts) you will make your money's worth and then some.
Then again I am as green as an AUG in this scenario, just my two cents.

It is worth it
 

First let me ask, "What is the price of your labor?"

You will save lots of cash on big bore pistol calibers and any rifle caliber. Here is a quick cost analysis on .44 magnum;

Reloads

Brass= FREE (reclaimed brass was paid for once)
Primers: Box of 1000 Large psitol primers @ 26.99= 2.7 cents per round.
Bullets: Box of 500 Lead Semi Wadcutters @ 62.99= 12.5 cents
Powder: 1lb of Alliant 2400 20.99 that loads around 386 bullets with 19 grains of powder per round (7000 grains/368)=5.7 cents

Total cost per round= 20.9 cents per round
Cost per box= $10.45

Factory Ammo Current MidwayUSA prices

Winchester 240 grn Soft Points @ $44.99 per box of 50
Sellier & Bellot Ammunition 44 Remington Magnum 240 Grain Soft Point Box of 50 @ $32.99
Remington UMC Ammunition 44 Remington Magnum 180 Grain Jacketed Soft Point Box of 50 @ $37.99
Federal American Eagle Ammunition 44 Remington Magnum 240 Grain Soft Point Box of 50 @ $45.99


That is average cost per box of $40.49 or 81 cents per round!!!
I then see a cost savings of $40.49 - $10.45= $30.04 PER BOX! That is a 74% savings.


Here are some other benefits to Reloading

1) You make what you want
2) You make rounds tailored to you
3) AS long as you have components you have ammo
4) Saves gas and shipping/Hazmat fees

5) and most importantly its fun!

The value of my labor is calculated at free. I enjoy reloading so I charge no cost at it. I have a hobby for life and there is no dollar amount to put on that!