Don't dismiss casting bullets. A LEE 2 cavity mold and a Lyman pot over a Lp burner with a bottom pour ladle will get you 300 bullets in under 2 hrs. then tumble lube for some great target shooting fun. ( i don't need to resize)

You are not going to save money doing anything we talk about on this board!

When the factory ammo is all gone you will be very happy with 20 pounds of powder, a case of primers and a wheelbarrow full of brass.

Save money? I don't know anyone who saves money reloading, but they are at the range when I get there and still there when I leave.

__________________
That's just somebody talkin.

LOL!!! 100% true. I vote this "Post of the Day"!

OK, my morning is officially made by getting to read yet another great post by my friend Engineer1911, whose logic is a laser, and whose humor is welcome.
~~

I'm on press #3 (if you count the Lee Loader) and yes indeed, you can "save money".

I'm now on a quest to get dies to load yet another caliber (.40S&W) to feed my son's new Austrian Tupperware. Funny- as we were to split the reloading costs down the middle, he seems to be scarce when it's time to replenish supplies.

I no longer do "green eye shade" analysis to costs, I focus on the most accurate load development, which has been fun. I can say this- I acquired a new Kimber .45acp, and I was a good soldier by buying factory ammo for the so-called 400 round break-in period. That bit my wallet big-time, whether is was Wal-Mart or anywhere else. (Turned out I needn't have bothered, but was a shot in the arm to my brass inventory.)

If you shoot a caliber that cost 35, 40, 50 dollars for a 20 round box and that's if you can find it (my most costly factory ammo need is 30-40 krag), then reloading is the way to go. I also have a Webly .455 that has a shaved cylinder and custom load 45 auto rim loads for it. In that case reloading is the only way to go.

I use a single stage press so my start up cost were minimal and I have fought the urge to upgrade to a progressive.

The reason I reload is NOT to save money.
I just enjoy doing it, the whole process . From turning dirty scrap lead into gleaming bullets, case prep, reloading, working up an accurate load, it gives me a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
It's my hobby.
Over 40 years ago I started with a Lee Classic Loader $9.99 , I liked it and moved to a single stage press and have preferred the single stage ever since. Not a large investment for me, I'm not into progressives....to complicated .
I also enjoy saving old vintage reloading presses from the scrap heap .
Everybody needs a relaxing hobby, this is mine.
Gary

Not everybody gets into reloading to eat up the savings in more shooting. With a job, wife, kids (who come with their own obligations. Cub Scouts, sports teams, play dates, etc), I don't shoot a whole lot more since I started reloading. I just crank out 50-100 rounds at a time on my single stage Hornady press. No desire to get into progressive. I have about 1500 cases tumbled, sized, expanded and primed. Just waiting for powder and bullet. I have at least 1000 rounds of .38 special already loaded and sitting in an ammo can. And 1000 9MM, too. At my rate of shooting, that will keep me going for 2-3 years. But I just keep cranking them out in drips and drabs. Weighing every powder charge. Making sure each round is safe. And when the mood strikes, I think nothing of grabbing a few hundred rounds and hitting the range. No longer feel guilty spending twice the money of factory target ammo.

And when (not IF) the next drought happens, I'll still be shooting. And that's the main reason why I reload.

Do you get paid to watch TV? Mow your lawn? I painted 3 bedrooms this summer. Nobody paid me. I could have paid somebody twice the cost of the supplies I bought to do it myself.

The whole "my time is worth more than I save" argument is so dumb. If I HATED being at the reloading bench, I guess MAYBE I would not do it (although I surely do not enjoy painting or mowing my lawn). But I'm not gonna pay twice the price for somebody else to do what I can do myself.

And unless you shoot a LOT, for very little money and very little time, you can make your own ammo for half the cost. I batch load, so all the dirty cases get resized and deprimed when I come back from the range. Takes MAYBE 15 minutes. Then I throw them into a bucket. When I have enough of those to warrant a tumbling session (normally 250-300 cases), I throw them in the tumbler and turn it on. Takes 3 minutes, tops. I don't stand and watch them tumble for 2 hours. I walk away. When they're done, I prime them as I watch TV. No time wasted there. I'm sitting in bed watching TV. I loaded 50 rounds this morning. Being a bit OCD, I weigh every charge. Takes me about 20 minutes to drop powder, and 10 minutes to seat and crimp. I guess I don't consider being in my garage for 30 minutes (away from wife and kids! Gotta "concentrate when Daddy is measuring gunpowder") a big waste of time.

And your hourly rate for being a lawyer is surely higher than 8 bucks an hour. Do you not have a hobby outside of work? Do you play golf? Does the golf club pay you to be there?

Depends on how many times you tip over a bottle of powder.........

Body control is mandatory.

In short, yes - most of the time.

I have less than $600 in my loading equipment, and I'm set up with a Lee turret with dies AND extra die plates to load for 6 different calibers - 380, 9mm, 38spl, 357, 44spl, and 44 mag.

I have found Herters 9mm on sale at $10 a 50 round box PLUS tax PLUS gas to go get it at Cabelas a couple of times. I've also bought some imported stuff for $10 a 50 round box a couple of times. But those instances are rare. Around here $26 a 100 round box + tax at Wally world is about the best you're going to find.

With the supplies I have on hand (not counting the brass - 90% of which I got by shooting commercial ammo), I can load good 9mm plinking ammo for $4 to $6 a 50 round box. Same for all of my other calibers except the 44s. Those are $8 to $10 per 50 round box - due to the cost of the bigger bullets and using more powder. Of course the commercial stuff in 44 cal starts at around $30 a 50 round box for cowboy loads so it still works out pretty well.

So I will still buy commercial ammo IF it can be bought cheaply enough - like when someone stops shooting a caliber and sells their stock of ammo off cheaply, or when Cabelas has a big sale. But otherwise, reloading gets me all the ammo I want for 30%-60% the price of commercial ammo. Of course some of that savings gets shot up since I'll shoot more with my reloads than I could afford to shoot with even the cheapest commercial ammo.

I understand those who say that their time is valuable. Mine too. My employer values my time at many MANY times more per hour than I save cranking out reloads at 100 rounds an hour. BUT, as others have said, if its time I would have otherwise spent doing something like watching TV, something that doesn't give me ANY return at all, or worse yet if it is time I would have spent doing something else that COSTS me money, then any return on that time investment is better than no return at all.

I also feel much better knowing that if commercial ammo gets scarce and even more expensive again, I'll be able to reload and shoot 10,000 rounds before I even make a serious dent in my powder and primer supply.

I swear to God... I never realized how many members here still watch TV.

But you know you just lover her. She deserves a new vacuum cleaner for her birthday.

A lot of grief seems to exist over equip cost, but consider what you can save in ammo cost, even the best gear is cheap. Quality gear will out live you. So amortized over even a few years of shooting, the gear is cheap.
A fully access 650 would set you back say $1000 for one caliber. Over 10yrs of reloading, that is only $8/m!!!!???? If you are shooting more than 500rds a month, you'll pay for that setup in 2yrs or less. Hate reloading, sell everything for what you paid for it after 10yrs.
Time issues also get agonized over but if your time is important, then buy a quality progressive. Unless you make more than $200k a year, it's worth your time to reload. A 650 will get you a leisurely 600rds/hr. If you save $10/100 on 9mm, easily done, that is a net $60/hr or $80/hr gross. I don't know many that make in excess of $200k a year?? Shoot magnums or semi exotics like 10mm or 357sig, you save way more than 50%. I can reload my 404jeffery with premium bullets for about $1 each. Factory runs $5, so yes, reloading saves you a lot of money. Even 223 can be made for $170-$180/1000, quite a bit cheaper than anything but cheap Russian steel poop.

__________________
NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Yes, but you probably won't.

__________________
John

I can load 230 grain RNL bullets for .45 ACP for about $7.50 for fifty versus $18 for brass cased factory or $15 for Tula steel case. .45 is fun and simple to reload for. 9mm, on the other hand, costs me about $6 for fifty and can be bought for $9 to $11 depending on brand and type. It is less enjoyable for me because 9mm brass is all over the place, dimensionally speaking, and a lot of it has those darned crimped primer pockets that play hell with my decapping pin. I will probably save my 9mm bullets and brass for another future panic and concentrate my reloading time on .38 special, .44 magnum, and .45 ACP and probably .40 S&W when I retire from my job and can no longer get practice rounds from work...

Of course you save money reloading, that is, once you amortize the cost of your equipment. That said, your equipment, even used, retains some value. I even save money loading shotgun shells. If I compare the quality of my reloads to high end target loads I save about half. If I compare with cheap stuff, then only about a buck or two a box of 25.

I'm just amazed people still buy new reloading equipment.

Prepare to be amazed even further! Not only did I buy new reloading equipment for my Manshed, but I've also got Internet, phone, small fridge, AND a 70" Hi Def TV there also!!

NICE! My reloading room is the little "office" space the previous owner built into one corner inside my 1200 sf shop out back. I still haven't got around to setting up my wireless range extender to get my WiFi working out there yet, but I do have a little fridge I could put out there. I think I'll pass on the TV though, I don't want or need the distraction when I'm reloading

I have a problem with this cost justification / equipment amortizement calculation. My original Dillon 450 made enough ammo to shoot the rifling out of a TC barrel, a S&W 1500 barrel, and a Rem 700 SS custom barrel. How is this "saving money" ?

My guilt free solution was trade the TC barrel and Rem 700 (action and barrel worn out) to a Arab run gun shop with a poor reputation for two new guns four months apart. The S&W 1500 was rebarreled. The gun shop was shut down by the IRS and the ATF has a warrant out for the owner, but he returned to Iran a couple of days before the collapse of his 'financial empire'.

__________________
S&WHF 366

The answer is simple math.. What was the total cost of your set-up and the total cost/amount of the ammo produced during this time period. Then figure out the over the counter cost for the same amount of ammo, do the math and you'll figure it out I'm sure.......

Then again maybe I titled this thread wrong... I guess it should have been "How to make it affordable to shoot the 500 S&W Magnum".....

You must've missed my initial post where I stated that the cost for loading target rounds cost about $0.32 vs. $3.00/round......

HOW IS THIS NOT SAVING MONEY???!!!!!!!

I rest my case.........

Only way you do not save money per round reloading, is not shoot. Some guys just can't grasp the simple fact, you will save $$ per every round you shoot vs factory, regardless of what you spend for equip. Don't shoot, don't reload, put the $$ in the bank & make 1/2%, yeah, good plan.

__________________
NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I can make practice ammo for about $10/100

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Maybe that's my problem with reloading. I don't have a Manshed.

Hell, I don't even have enough free space in this tiny little house of mine to walk around.

If I'm saving money reloading ammunition, and shooting almost for free because I cast bullets made from stuff mined from the backstop at the outdoor range; how come my savings account is NOT growing from all this savings.

Wait, a 20# three month old dog walked into our front yard in May. Today he is fixed, weighs 60#, came home from the Emergency Vet Friday night with a bruised leg (not broken), and a vet bill for $642. This free dog has now cost me $1,600 for vet bills. He is in excellent health.

Over 50# of dog food per month provides all natural fertilizer in the large back yard. I can't afford to stop reloading or give up the dog.

Here he is in "puppy stage" at about 40# .

EDIT: In March 2016, Bucky was transported by Canine Rescue to New Hampshire. I had to give him up because he was so strong pulling on his leash. His new owners, a family with 3 teenagers, paid $450 in adoption fees. That makes a loveable yellow Lab mutt a $2,000 dog with an unknown pedigree. Some critters have all the luck!

Attached Images

100_0574.jpg (106.9 KB, 24 views)

__________________
S&WHF 366

A close friend of mine agrees with you. He saves so much money per round reloading that he now shoots up to 5 times as much as before just for the savings. He says it easily justifies his time, investment and component costs. And whenever he can't shoot enough to reap his desired savings, he reloads for friends, family and coworkers. I admit that I haven't taken advantage of his very kind offers yet, but I may have to in the future just for the sake of our friendship.

When I was a kid I was told that saving money was putting it in a safe place and not spending it. It had nothing to do with 2 items and one costing less than the other. The money actually had to be there to begin with. I guess the definition changed. They switched me up and threw me some curves regarding some other things also.

__________________
That's just somebody talkin.

I've read all the posts so far.

Conclusion:
Reloading is cheap.

You can shoot more for less.

It's a fun hobby.

A lot of people think their time is worth a LOT! That line of reasoning make no sense to me at all. (Read the lawn mowing, house painting in a previous post)

And, did I say you could shoot more for less?

Folks, we're in this sport to buy guns, shoot and have fun.

IT'S ALL GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, but he saves on every single round he shoots vs factory ammo. That is the point. The cute phrase that "you don't save you just shoot more" gets old & is not helpful to those trying to decide if they want to get into another hobby. Fact; you save $$ on every round you shoot vs factory & that is the only comparison being made. Shoot a little you save less, shoot a lot, you save more. ANY hobby will cost you $$. Anything you can do to reduce that cost is saving you $$ in that hobby.
Between the wife, oldest son & I, we used to shoot about 3000rds of 45colt a month, 36K rds a year. Without reloading, we would have been reduced to half that, maybe a third, 45colt is never cheap. Now it's just me shooting weekly, maybe 12K rds a year, I am still saving $$ per round & my 550B was paid for the first 3m I had it.

__________________
NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

At least back in the old days photography was WAY more expensive than shooting. With digital everything and printers it may not be that way, but accessories and attachments were murder. And you can't work it into your plans. If you need something for a photo shoot, you gotta have it NOW.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I handload because I have to. I shoot 9 Major in competition and there is no factory load for that. My load is tailored to my particular combination of gun parts (barrel, compensator, springs). I don't know if I save money because it's not available commercially. I know I can load 9 Minor (for my wife to shoot) for about 10 - 12 cents per round and can't buy it anywhere near that cheap so I make a few thousand of those every once in a while.

I
This is the most missed point concerning reloading cost. You can’t compare the cost of factory fodder to tailor loaded ammunition. I buy tailor made sports jackets, not because they cost less, but because they fit better. I also grow vegetables in my garden, not because they cost less, but because they taste better.

Hi,Steve here. The short answer. NO. Has any one considered starting a reloaders anonymous.

The price of 9mm ammo is pretty low now about 11.00 per 50
I still save on reloading not counting the initial investment, press, tumbler, dies, etc. I started reloading because of the higher cost of 45 long ammo, about 43.00 per 50 , now I also do 40's .357 mag 38 spc, Sig .357 , .223 I actually do it because I enjoy it and I can custom make my own ammo

I reload .357 magnum 158grain cast HP's going 1370 fps for 12 cents a round.
300 H&H 200 grain nosler accubond going 2950 fps for a dollar a round
.458 lott with a 500 grain cast bullet going 2050fps for 50 cents a round
.38 special+p 158 grain swaged HP's going 945 fps for 10 cents a round.
these are just a few examples of rounds that i reload that have a minimum double equity as soon as they come off my press.

Handloading could save me money except that I tend to accumulate reloading gear. I currently have five presses; one Lyman T-Mag turret, three RCBS (Rockchucker, Reloader Special, Partner-just for depriming brass) and my original Texan C-press. I had another RC but I gave it to my son to get him started, along with 505 and Uniflow.

I find handloading to be a fun part of my shooting hobby and currently load for 29 cartridges plus have dies and probably brass for several more.





handloading lets me try stuff like this for my .30 Herrett


I also have these, so far only in .38special.

If you shoot even a modest amount of handgun ammo, a progressive will save you a ton of work. With 3 steps in producing a pistol rd, that is 3000 pulls for 1000rds. On any progressive, that is just 1003 pulls, a lot less work. If I shot only 100rds a week, I would still load on a progressive.
Yes you save $$, the line that "you don't save $$ just shoot more", is sooooo tiring. You do save on every single round you make vs buying factory, regardless of how much you shoot.
My 404 Jeffery ammo is about $100/20! Before a trip across the pond to hunt, I fired about 300rds in setting the rifle up & practice. I reloaded them for right at $1/rd with premium hunting bullets. So let's see, $300 in ammo vs $1500. Nope I didn't save a dime, I saved $1200!! For plinking with that rifle I can size down 300gr 44mag bullets & shoot that rig for 50c a shot now. Yeah reloading never saved me any $$$, please.

__________________
NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I reloaded for about 12 years with a Lee Turret press and the most inexpensive equipment that would do the job. I'm just coming back to reloading after a 15 year break.

This time I had the disposable income to buy what I really wanted. So I went with a Hornady Ammo Plant and a lot of accessories and goodies I couldn't afford the last time. Right now I'm somewhere in the neighborhood of about $3,500.00 and have enough equipment to load 45ACP, 45 Colt, 308, and 223. Plus I found some of my old reloading gear that I packed away over 15 years ago. Overkill, yea big time!!!!! But I wanted to get everything now while I have the money.

For me reloading is as much a hobby and not so much about saving money. But when I have to live on my Social Security, saving money will be a BIG priority!! I just have fun working up loads that are accurate in my guns.

__________________
gunfighter48
NRA Life Member

Not even sure how to and answer this one. Trying to figure time value when you do not understand the equip or process is uniformed at best. The only way your time value could be $8/hr savings is loading 9mm on a ss press. I say this all the time; if your time is valuable, buy better gear.
Going at a very pedestrian pace, I can load 600rds on my 650, from start to finish, including loading the primer tubes, all I under 1hr. Using the 9mm as an example, cost per 100 is $10/100, right at 50% of cheap factory. So $60/hr net savings. You would need to make $90/hr + gross to buy the equiv amount of ammo. Loading larger calibers increases savings per rd. loading exotics, your savings can be as much as 75%! Most of us do not make & $90-$100 /hr to buy practice ammo. If I did gross $200k a year, I would still reload, I would just have even nicer gear, like two 1050 setup for large & small primers. Now I am loafing along at 800-900rds/hr. But seriously dude, $8/hr????

__________________
NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Gf48 brought up a great point. Over the years I have known folks to stop shooting because of job down sizing or retirement, as the cost of factory ammo rises. Buy your gear now, it won't be cheaper. Over say 10-15 yrs, even the most expensive setup is cheap compared to the future cost of ammo. A 650 with everything for one caliber is less than $1200. Over 10rs, $10/month. Where are you going to buy ammo in 10yrs for $10/m?

__________________
NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I haven't read every post so did someone mention the value of your time? If you spend two hours saving $15 is it worth it?

I think component prices have risen faster in recent years than have prices on ammo. I feel like I am not saving as much money loading my own as I once did.

But I still do it. I like to tailor my loads and I have several guns (a couple obsolete calibers and one wildcat) that requiring reloading if I want to shoot them as factory ammo is unavailable.

__________________
No life story has happy end.

Hand loading is a hobby for me, I enjoy doing it. I don't put a price on my time for that. Maybe if I thought of it as a chore, I might feel differently.

As you said, handloading is the most economical way to shoot guns chambered for obsolete or wildcat ammunition.

I still can't figure out how you guys can only manage $7-$8/hr savings. The cheapest thing I reload is 9mm. With plated bullets, I am right around $100/1000, about 50% of the cheapest 9mm factory I can find. I already did the math, but again, just buy better gear if your time is that valuable. It is a hobby, but few hobbies actually save you some $$ pursuing another hobby. Not unlike tying flys for fly fishing.
I'm shooting every weekend anyway. Reloading just lets me do cheaper.

__________________
NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Why I reload:

In no particular order...

1. I get to shoot a lot more for the same amount of money that I'd spend on factory ammo. What's factory .44 magnum ammo going for these days? I haven't checked for a while, but I'm sure it's not cheap.

2. It gives me a vast array of ammo to choose from, some not available at any store. Try finding 130 gr. HP ammo for a .30-30 T/C Contender!

3. I enjoy it. Both the technical and experimental aspects of it. The whole time/money thing is a moot point for me. I don't make any money watching a movie, and I don't gripe about that!

I know that there are non-reloaders reading threads like this, and I hope they're able to decide if they want to jump in.

I just can't figure out why anti-reloaders post on threads like this!

I guess I don't get the, "I'm worth so much money per hour that I can't waste time reloading, argument." I know physicians who make a lot of money and reload. Some of them are surgeons, so they make quite a lot when "on the job". For aspiring competitive shooters, it is nearly a necessity to reload to get a high volume of quality ammo at a reasonable cost. Of course, if someone wants to pay top dollar for match ammo because their time is so valuable, then great; that's why the manufacturers produce it. Most of us working stiffs can find time to reload, volunteer time and money for chosen causes and do chores around the house, while providing for the family. For me, if I had never started reloading, I'd never have reached some of my competitive shooting goals, because I wouldn't have been able to afford to buy a sufficient quantity of factory ammo to train and shoot matches over the years.

If I didn't reload, I wouldn't be able to afford ammo to constantly remind me how bad a shooter I am.

Reloading and casting aren't entirely about the money savings. It is an extension of the shooting hobby in the winter months, when I can't get out to the range. Although an indoor range is opening up very soon about 45 minutes from where I live. So hopefully I will be able to get in some range time in the winter months.

This!!!! You only "save money" if you do not account for or assign any $$ value to your time. It is not just the time you spend reloading the ammo but the time you spend learning to reload properly. The time spent searching for powder. Don't forget the room you allocate for reloading.

There are tons of hidden variable costs which go into calculating the "savings" from reloading.

All that said I started last year and enjoy it. It is a seperate hobby for me now. It is enjoyable to develop loads try different bullet types, weights etc...

It would not be worth it if I considered it work.

I probably wouldn't, either. I'd have the set-up, I'd just be a lot more reluctant to use it.

I can compare it to fishing, clamming, and crabbing. I fish for entertainment, and catching is great, but not everything. Clamming and crabbing are nothing more than food harvesting, and I'd just as soon go to the store to get either one!

I could increase production and lower the unit cost by saving labor cost, but that doesn't occur to me at all. I make ammo fast enough to keep me satisfied regardless of the time involved. If it gets to be work, I'll find another hobby.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"