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Old 01-29-2017, 10:28 PM
Mikeinkaty Mikeinkaty is offline
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If you can scrounge your lead and brass then you should be able to load pistol rounds pretty cheap. My 48 lbs of clean lead ingots cost me $23. That's about 1.1¢ for each of my 158 grain bullets. Powder coating is running about 0.375¢ per round. The CCI 500 primers were 3.3¢ each. 13 grains of H110 powder is about 5¢ per round. I got 800 357 cases for free. Also bought 500 at 15¢ each. But cases are reusable. I'm loading these for my 357 Henry Big Boy

The above totals about 10¢ per round. That's considering that my time is free but not considering the cost of all the reusable equipment to make it happen. I think the cost of the equipment I've bought so far is probably around $350.

Hope this helps someone. Oh, did I say that reloading is a FUN hobby. That's worth something!
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Old 01-29-2017, 10:46 PM
TANKLEGACY TANKLEGACY is offline
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Today's lesson is...
... Savings when reloading your own ammo.

This is to show the people the original cost of all the equipment to get started, and how much can be saved making your own ammuntion.

I am basing this off of reloading for my S&W 500 50 caliber revolver....and based off of making 1,866 rounds(which equals 8lbs of gun powder)

..reloading for something like a 40cal, the bullets(projectile), primers, and shells(casing) will cost significantly less, and use significantly less powder per round...saving even more in most circumstances.

$840 for a DILLON RL550B progressive press, 50cal die, scale, tools, tumbler, walnut media, seperator, polish, and reloading manual.

$1,043 for primers, Hornady 300gr projectiles, 8lbs of gun powder, and casings...
(remember, this is for 1,866 rounds of 50cal ammo....if you figured for 40cal projectiles, casings, etc ...its about 1/4 the price, and you can get well over 8,000 rounds of 40cal per 8lbs of powder)

So...my initial cost was $1,883.00 to make my first 1,866 rounds of S&W 500 50cal.

I used Hornady 300gr FTX bullets(projectiles)...and if you go online...you will see that the average price for a box of 20 rounds of 300gr Hornady FTX ammo is $60 with tax.

So my first run of 1,866 rounds cost me $1,883.00, because I had to buy the reloading press and all the other stuff to actually MAKE the ammo.

Now some math:

If you buy the exact same ammo in the store..
20rnds per box X 93 boxes = 1,860rnds
$60 per box X 93 boxes = $5,580.00

So the press and everything I needed to make 1,866 rounds only cost me $1,883.00

In stores...$5,580.
I make......$1,883.
Savings....$3,697.

But wait, that was the cost of the first run...in reality...after I made only 33boxes(660rnds)....everything was free after that.

So, now for my next run of ammo, I dont need to add in the price of the press, dies, scale, tumbler, media, etc...because its already paid for....all I need for the next run is primers, projectiles, and powder. I dont even need casings, because I can reload the ones I already have.

So for only those items...

It will cost $969 to make 1,866 rounds
In the store, its still $5,580 for 1,860 rounds

Store....... $5,580.
Make..........$969.
Savings....$4,611.

That means, that me making 3,732 rounds myself....I saved $8,308.00

Is it cost effective to buy eveything and make your own?.....uhhhh...dee dee dee.
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Old 01-29-2017, 10:58 PM
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I have been reloading for 32 years and own several single stage and a couple progressive Dillon presses. I also cast bullets as needed for calibers that are hard to find commercial bullets for. This is a very rewarding hobby both financially and pure enjoyment.

Over the past 15 years I have had the good fortune of buying up reloading components and equipment from guys selling off their stuff, even from estate sales.

Some of this stuff came from friends who were getting out of it, other stuff came from ads I put up on Craigslist in the WANTED section. Give it a try!!!
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Old 01-29-2017, 11:02 PM
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I've been reloading everything since 1972. Presses, dies, etc. was amortized a long time ago. Besides, my stuff is more accurate than store bought.
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Old 01-29-2017, 11:06 PM
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Yes, but how much per hour do you figure your time is worth?

I'm kidding! I'm kidding! I'm not one of "them", really! I just had to be the first to say it.

I've been loading the .44 Mag since 1979, only now, small scale at a relaxed pace. It's one of my favorite hobbies. And a pretty decent savings over store-bought ammo.
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Old 01-29-2017, 11:11 PM
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I know it is hard for a new loader to spend a lot of money when
they don't really know if they will like it and it is all strange.

It took me a year before I finally got smart and saw the light.....
that buying a case and not just a single box of an item would
work out a lot better over time.

As we all know, prices very seldom go down .........
plus have you ever had a great powder or bullet etc and then....
it was discontinued !!
Get them while they are here.
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Old 01-30-2017, 12:11 AM
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Casting your own is a cost game changer, as the bullet is the most exp part of the pistol reload, but for the case. There is time involved, but i enjoy casting more than reloading.
Most of my lead is free, if i buy its never more than $1.25/# delivered. Hitek or powder coating adds less than a penny each. So my service pistol loads come in at less than 5c per round. Full power Magnums less than 9c each. My reloading gear has long been paid back.
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Old 01-30-2017, 12:39 AM
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I too enjoy reloading. I sit in my spare bedroom and just crank out 9mm rounds. (not really financially worth it)

I started because 7mm Rem Mag and .300Wby rounds are expensive and the selection of factory ammo is terrible. Same reason I will be reloading .44mag and .45Colt starting Tuesday when my dies and components arrive. I don't cast bullets, yet. But for the .44 and .45 I will probably get into casting soon. Bullets are expensive.

The biggest cost in reloading? Probably the extra shooting. If I had to shoot only factory rounds? I'd spend a lot less time shooting and more time with snap caps pretending to shoot.

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Old 01-30-2017, 12:53 AM
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Once you have cast your first clean bullet, size/lube it and throw it down range the it's a great feeling. Although wheel weights are drying up and the sources of FREE lead for casting are getting scarce, there's still some out there to be had. Of course you can buy material already formulated from non-ferrous metal suppliers.

I have also acquired casting pots, molds, handles, lubri-sizers, etc. from my WANTED ads and I have even been able to find incredible deals on casting alloy.

I sold off hundreds of pounds of alloy prior to moving from the Seattle area to Arizona......had way too much of the stuff, which is a good problem to have!
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Old 01-30-2017, 01:46 AM
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Started reloading back around 1980-81. Back then the formula was:
You can shoot twice as much for 1/2 the price of factory. Or 1/4 the cost of factory. Don't think this applies as much today with the higher cost of bullets, cases, primers, and powder. You save a lot loading rare calibers or magnum rifles, or specialty match ammo. Don't save much loading for instance 9MM or .223 as it can be bought in bulk and is mass produced.
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Old 01-30-2017, 01:50 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikeinkaty View Post
...Powder coating is running about 0.375¢ per round...
Wow, that sounds like a pretty high cost per bullet to powdercoat. Why so much? I get my powdercoating material for less than $20 a pound and I don't know how many thousands of rounds I can coat with it - because I've only done a couple of batches so far.

I'm using the airsoft BBs shake-n-bake method, but I only used a couple of tablespoons worth to coat 150 rounds (so far). Looking at it it looks like at least 1 tablespoon worth is still there in the bowl. Sorry to slightly derail your thread, but that just struck me as curious.

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Old 01-30-2017, 02:59 AM
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Mikeinkaty;
That figure says three eighths of a cent. Or did you mean thirty-seven point five cents ?

Larry
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Old 01-30-2017, 04:14 AM
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Not only is there a large savings when you "roll your own", but custom loads can easily be tailored to your needs. The reason I got into reloading in the first place (many years ago) is because I wanted to shoot my .45 acp Colt 1911 at my indoor Range and they did not allow the use of jacketed ammo indoors (fear of ricochets). Since I could not buy 230 grain lead .45 acp's I started to make my own. Once I saw how easy it was I got into other calibers quickly.

I really like being able to shoot my 45-70 Gov't and 38-55 Marlin's all day long with milder 300 grain and 245 grain bullets I load rather then having to be restricted to the few loadings available in the stores. 38-55 is very hard to come by around here anyway!

Even though the price of components has risen, a box (50 rounds) of 158 grain .38 Specials runs me around $7.00 / box and a box of .45 acp's about $8.00 - $8.50. This of course reflects that I already have the brass cases but they do seem to last so long I don't even bother keeping track of how many times they have been reloaded. I just toss them as they become either unsafe or unusable.

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Old 01-30-2017, 04:28 AM
Mikeinkaty Mikeinkaty is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lebomm View Post
Mikeinkaty;
That figure says three eighths of a cent. Or did you mean thirty-seven point five cents ?

Larry
I meant what it says. 1 lb will do 4000 rounds and the powder, with shipping, cost $15. I did 1000 rounds and used not quite 4 ounces of powder. The powder was from Eastwood Powder Company.
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Old 01-30-2017, 04:34 AM
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Quote:
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Wow, that sounds like a pretty high cost per bullet to powdercoat. Why so much? I get my powdercoating material for less than $20 a pound and I don't know how many thousands of rounds I can coat with it - because I've only done a couple of batches so far.

I'm using the airsoft BBs shake-n-bake method, but I only used a couple of tablespoons worth to coat 150 rounds (so far). Looking at it it looks like at least 1 tablespoon worth is still there in the bowl. Sorry to slightly derail your thread, but that just struck me as curious.
I said 0.375 CENTS each. That's about 3 bullets for a penny. Granted, I could have done it cheaper with the powder from Harbor Freight but I think the quality of the Eastwood powder is worth the extra cost.
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Old 01-30-2017, 04:47 AM
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I put 2 heaping tablespoons of powder on my bullets then do the watusi for a minute or so then dump the batch onto the screen and give the screen a good shake. Almost all the powder is collected below the screen and put back into the powder sack. Each batch of 100 bullets only uses about 4/10th of an ounce. I do 100 at a time cause I don't want the bullets to crowded together in the mesh basket.
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Old 01-30-2017, 08:49 AM
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Started reloading to save money.
That didn't work well.
I found that I enjoyed it.
Then I shot more.
Then needed more ammo so I bought a progressive press.
Now I shoot even more.
Is this a great country or what?
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Old 01-30-2017, 09:04 AM
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Ditto on the positives spoken of on reloading.
With regard to value of my time?
Much more valuable than wasting my time staring out the window or watching TV.
Sometimes it is time spent avoiding going out and spending money on stuff I do not really need.
Reloading also offers a unique challenge. I love that part.
Jim
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Old 01-30-2017, 09:41 AM
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Very similar story here too. I inherited my Dad's Colt 1911 in .38 super back almost 30 years ago. Shortly afterward I built my house and made sure I had a reloading area set aside in the basement. I was having one heck of a time finding ammo for the pistol. After researching what I could (with very little internet back then) I settled on a Dillon 55B, and spent a good amount of change getting everything I needed.

Once I got it rolling along, I determined that I was able to shoot a whole lot more, for a whole lot less money. A box of 38 super back then was about $16-$17 bucks if I recall correctly, and I was spending something like $4.50 to reload the empties. Everything is about double the cost now days. And I'm loading for way too many calibers to count without looking in the safes.

I'm now collecting wheel weights and have started making ingots. I bought a Lee 4-20 pot and a few molds to see how well I like casting. According to my quick math, while buying 5 gallon buckets of weights for $12 bucks, and averaging 90-100 lbs of useable lead per bucket, my 150 gr bullets will cost me about $.003 each! Why didn't I start doing this 25 years ago, when wheel weights were a lot easier to find!?

Reloading just makes sense, and it's a very enjoyable hobby. I'm pretty sure casting is going to be as well.
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Old 01-30-2017, 11:37 AM
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Default started about 5 years ago

Started loading because the price of ammo was higher then, .9mm were about 20.00 per 50. I still load when the price of a good box of .45 colt is about 43.00 and .308 over 20.00 per 20 along with the .357 Sigs that are up there . but do .40's
.223 too. Do it mostly for the sake of enjoyment.
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Old 01-30-2017, 11:41 AM
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also the .357/.38 spec too
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Old 01-30-2017, 12:17 PM
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I am cheap, I freely admit this. I started reloading in the mid 70s with my dad, in order to make our money go further. He focused on shotshells, I the metallic cartridges. What really helped was that Omark, which owned CCI, Speer, and RCBS, had purchased the company that he worked for, and he got the employee discount.

When I started shooting high power in '88, I focused on reloading for the volume needed to shoot service rifle. I would load about 2500 rounds on a single stage press in my apartment, plus a few thousand 38s and 45s a year. In the 90's, I started to develop accuracy loads for my service rifles. After I became disabled, I started loading for precision with the F class rifles that my disabilities drove me to. Reloading has become a learning experience with every step along the way. I have found that virtually every round I make is significantly more accurate in my rifles than anything I could purchase.

Fortunately, when my time comes, my children will get my complete reloading set up and know how to use it.
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Old 01-30-2017, 02:26 PM
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The economic fact of life is that if you would not otherwise be paid for the time you spend reloading, then that time is worth $0.00 in monetary terms.

But as the old saying goes (and as I've had reconfirmed since I retired) there's more to life than money. If you'd rather watch football or surf the net than reload, then reloading has at least a psychic cost which you have to consider (but probably can't quantify) and balance against the economies you can gain from reloading. Most of us who reload, though, find that the reloading itself is a positive experience - I for one would rather reload than watch football - so the time spent is a benefit, that's in addition to the economic savings it produces.
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Old 01-30-2017, 02:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikeinkaty View Post
I said 0.375 CENTS each. That's about 3 bullets for a penny. Granted, I could have done it cheaper with the powder from Harbor Freight but I think the quality of the Eastwood powder is worth the extra cost.
Gotcha. I misread it as 3.75 cents per bullet. 3/8 of a cent makes much more sense.

I have avoided the HF powder too. Its really cheap - around $7 a pound IIRC, but it is too coarse to give a smooth coating.
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Old 01-30-2017, 02:32 PM
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The economic fact of life is that if you would not otherwise be paid for the time you spend reloading, then that time is worth $0.00 in monetary terms.

But as the old saying goes (and as I've had reconfirmed since I retired) there's more to life than money. If you'd rather watch football or surf the net than reload, then reloading has at least a psychic cost which you have to consider (but probably can't quantify) and balance against the economies you can gain from reloading. Most of us who reload, though, find that the reloading itself is a positive experience - I for one would rather reload than watch football - so the time spent is a benefit, that's in addition to the economic savings it produces.
Even if you want to factor in time, just buy better gear. I can easily do 700rds an hour from start to finish on my 650. I box them watching the news at night. So even with lowly 9mm, I save $5/box or $70 for my 1 hour time, deadtime. To make that same $70 NET, I have to make more than $100/hr gross, which I do not & most do not. So even with a time value, it pays for most of us ot reload instead of work & buy ammo. Especially since I like reloading more than my job.
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Old 01-30-2017, 02:35 PM
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But honey , think of all the money I'm saving by reloading my own ammo !
Learn to say this with a straight face every time you write a check to Midway, Midsouth, Lyman, Lee , NOE .....or whomever , the wife will never catch on !
Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth....or something like that.
Gary
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Old 01-30-2017, 03:23 PM
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But honey , think of all the money I'm saving by reloading my own ammo !
Learn to say this with a straight face every time you write a check to Midway, Midsouth, Lyman, Lee , NOE .....or whomever , the wife will never catch on !
Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth....or something like that.
Gary
Or better yet. Go buy some of the fancier factory rounds. Like those high dollar home defense rounds. Then show her the receipt and when she complains about the cost of ammo just tell her you could save money reloading your own.


Or do like I did. Pick a SO that shoots also. My gf likes to hunt, fish, shoot for fun...so I just asked if I should buy a .44mag or .45 Colt. Her words, "go for both"

Note, we're NOT married. So life is great lmao
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Old 01-30-2017, 04:52 PM
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Just completed some casual shooting on saturday with my son. Between us here is what we ended up shooting---(just finished cleaning and counting the brass).

38----95 rounds at store price of .30 = 28.50 vs my loads at .09 = 8.55

357---45 rounds at store price of .40 = 18.00 vs my loads at .10 = 4.50

9mm--170 rounds at store price of .20 = 34.00 vs my loads at .07 = 11.90

44mag-120 rounds at store price of .90 = 108.00 vs my loads at .14 = 16.80

223---90 rounds at store price of .35 = 31.50 vs my loads at .18 = 16.20

So if we were to have been shooting store bought stuff the day would have cost me a total of $220.00.

By me loading all this ammo it cost me $57.95.

Pretty darn fun day of shooting for $60 bucks.

The only way I can load this cheap is because I stock piled lots of components back in the 80's. Most of my primers are marked .99 with the highest at 1.19. Most of my powder is marked at $10.00 with some being 8.99 and the highest at 11.99. I have a wide range of bullets (cast and jacketed) that are priced between 4 and 12 dollars per hundred. I don't count the cost of brass because I have plenty and always seem to find or scrounge more.

I keep trying to convince my son that he should buy a brick of primers and a pound of powder every other month and 5 boxes or a 500ct bag of bullets on the months between primer and powder purchases.

Keep this in mind if you are a young guy-----Component prices will NEVER be cheaper that today. Buy what you can afford to now, so you will have it when you want it/need it.

I consider my lead to be about as good as an investment as gold. Besides having to store it and move it being a hassle, keep in mind that it does not go bad, and most thieves will never touch it. Plus there seems to be an active market all the time if you should ever need to sell it.
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Old 01-30-2017, 05:10 PM
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No one has ever saved anything by reloading. You spend more money. You also end up shooting a bunch more. I only find fault with the above cost estimates because we never shoot up all the components. Visit any reloader and you'll find box after box of bullets and brass by the ammo can full. He'll tell you he'll get around to it some day. Just for fun, ask to see his oldest reloads. The new guys will be ahead and find some a few years old. Ask us old coots and we'll take hours digging. Then find some with 1970s or even 1960s dates. Eh. Its only 50 years and they look and shoot like they were loaded up yesterday.

Similarly women go to sales and save you a bundle on things you didn't want or don't need. But they were on sale.
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Old 01-30-2017, 05:23 PM
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Well you do shoot for less per round, just simple fact. I've been reloading for 40yrs now, still have some of the gear I started with. While I have bought more, all of it gets paid for in less than 18m of shooting. Just 9mm alone, my cost to load is about $50/1000 using range brass & bullets I make. I shoot 8-10k rds a year of mixed calibers, but the 9mm being the cheapest. If just 9mm, my ammo cost would be $1760-$2200 instead of the $400-$500. So tell me again how I don't save any money?????
The amount of shooting I do is determined more by time than money. So reloading isn't the deciding factor it just allows me to shoot for less money on ammo. Then I can spend the "savings" doing something else.
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Old 01-30-2017, 05:55 PM
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Since I'm flotsam in the business and industrial world, my time is cheap and my wallet is thin. I'm glad I do a lot of reloading as a fun and productive hobby. I am making some equipment upgrades that are going to cost me some money soon, but if I believe they will be worth it. Shooting mostly semi auto for fun and practicing for defense burns a lot of ammo. And that 33 round 9mm carbine, well.......
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Old 01-30-2017, 06:05 PM
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I'll chime in yes there is a saving based on components. But will you shoot more yes and if you load mild loads your savings will end on a larger note. Big guns with mag loads still a saving but your powder will take a dive. I shoot a lot of .44 mag and such which eats powder so I buy 8lbers. And Mag primers are a bit more per thousand. The joy comes from casting and loading your ammo. So with this said you can't put a price on a good time.
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Old 01-30-2017, 06:15 PM
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I have gotten some hot deals on components at flea markets once & awhile. The last $30 box I bought was worth around $300. Another batch of cheap bullets let me load .38 specials at $3.48 a box of 50. I WILL never buy opened powder. Bob
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Old 01-30-2017, 06:29 PM
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One of the cartridges I load is the .45-70 carbine load. That's 55 grains of black powder with a 405 grain hollow base lead bullet. Try buying that in a store.

Another is the .44-40 cartridge. Sure, you can buy that in a store, but not all stores carry it and it ain't cheap.

I started handloading when I was a teenager. I'm pretty sure the equipment I bought paid for itself before I started shaving regularly.
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Old 01-30-2017, 10:31 PM
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I got started reloading because .30 Carbine was classified as a pistol round and you had to be 21 to buy it, but you didn't have to be 21 to buy the components to make it.

I continued reloading because in the 1970's you could amortize the equipment over the first year and still make ammunition for less than it cost to buy.

As time has progressed, the economics - particularly for popular cartridges like 9mm and .223 - has changed and the cost savings in reloading is tiny. As the economics changed so did my reason for reloading. Nowadays, I reload to have something to take my mind off work, family issues and my disability so that I can be sane enough to deal with work, family and disability.
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Old 01-30-2017, 10:55 PM
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Here is my twist on why I reload.
#1 I enjoy messing around with this kind of stuff
#2 I Probably save money but really don't track how much because I
enjoy reloading.
#3 And most importantly, pretty soon (2018) in California ammo buyers will have to do background check to purchase ammunition of any kind. It is my understanding that each year buyers will have to do the background check at an, as of now, undetermined cost.
#4 I can buy the ingredients to make the bullets and not have to worry about the #3. Go figure how the politicians let that slide by....

Yes I would like to pack up and get out of this state but to many anchors (family members) to be considered.
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Old 01-30-2017, 11:30 PM
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Here is my twist on why I reload.
#1 I enjoy messing around with this kind of stuff
#2 I Probably save money but really don't track how much because I
enjoy reloading.
#3 And most importantly, pretty soon (2018) in California ammo buyers will have to do background check to purchase ammunition of any kind. It is my understanding that each year buyers will have to do the background check at an, as of now, undetermined cost.
#4 I can buy the ingredients to make the bullets and not have to worry about the #3. Go figure how the politicians let that slide by....

Yes I would like to pack up and get out of this state but to many anchors (family members) to be considered.
I'm so happy my grandpa had mind enough to leave that state in 1976. I have a lot of family still there. But I only go there to visit.
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Old 01-31-2017, 12:03 AM
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I first started reloading back in the early 70s as I was shooting competition (1911 and M14s) in the US Navy. I used the military grade ammo for competitions but also added other firearms to my collection and in no time I was shooting six different calibers.

I had added 9mm, 357Mag/38 Special,44Mag & 30-30 Winchester to the 45ACP and 7.62 (.308 as we called it back then). I quickly saw an advantage in loading my own for cost and also customizing loads.

I started with an RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press, RCBS Scale and Powder Dump and my first set of dies was for the .45ACP as I shot it the most often. As time went on I would buy another set of dies until I had them all.

I've since added a Lee Progressive Press, Lee Powder Dumps and an Electronic Powder Scale. I can only guesstimate the number of rounds I have reloaded over the last 40 years but just in this past year my count was over 12,000 as I go to the local indoor range each week and shoot between 200-300 rounds.

For a beginner I would recommend you buy a turret or progressive press from the start if you are going to be anywhere near the 300+ rounds a month or have multiple calibers to reload. The initial outlay can be a bit much BUT the cost will be made up for in less than a year. The more you shoot, the more savings can be realized.

I find it also very relaxing and it's nice to customize loads to a particular firearm. My Glock 21 likes one load but my Colt Gold Cup another. Same goes for my M&P9 and Ruger American so I can customize loads or make a load that either firearm will like.

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Old 01-31-2017, 02:28 AM
Mikeinkaty Mikeinkaty is offline
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A single stage will be it for me. I generally shoot 200-300 rounds when I go to the range. I spend about 2 weeks every 2 month at my place in the country. While there I will shoot 300-400 rounds, depending on weather.

Anyway, when I get home I usually deprime, clean, and flare all the brass within a couple of days and keep it in a 3 gallon can. Today I loaded 100 rounds using this brass in about an hour and a half. By the time I'm ready to shoot again I'll generally have it all loaded. Given that type of use and that I'm retired, a single stage does what I need.

BTW, I have the hots for a Pedersoli pump in 357 Mag. That may force me to get a progressive press!

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Old 01-31-2017, 04:03 AM
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Started reloading back around 1980-81. Back then the formula was:
You can shoot twice as much for 1/2 the price of factory. Or 1/4 the cost of factory. Don't think this applies as much today with the higher cost of bullets, cases, primers, and powder. You save a lot loading rare calibers or magnum rifles, or specialty match ammo. Don't save much loading for instance 9MM or .223 as it can be bought in bulk and is mass produced.
I can reload any caliber but 7.62x39 for 1/2 of factory, minimum. Some for much, much lower than that. That includes 9mm & 223 buying bullets. If i make my own, ridiculously cheap. The only thing i dont reload is 12ga & 22lr.
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Old 01-31-2017, 12:41 PM
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I can reload any caliber but 7.62x39 for 1/2 of factory, minimum. Some for much, much lower than that. That includes 9mm & 223 buying bullets. If i make my own, ridiculously cheap. The only thing i dont reload is 12ga & 22lr.
Yep, for my magnum rifles I can save a couple dollars per round. So 100 rounds or so and my equipment is paid for. Plus the added bonus of getting bullet choices that are hard to find/impossible in stores. I started loading 9mm just because the cheap fmjs were never on the shelf at the time. It has improved some, but the price is a good bit higher than it was 5yrs ago.

If only powder would come down.
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Old 01-31-2017, 03:45 PM
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I'll chime in yes there is a saving based on components. But will you shoot more yes and if you load mild loads your savings will end on a larger note. Big guns with mag loads still a saving but your powder will take a dive. I shoot a lot of .44 mag and such which eats powder so I buy 8lbers. And Mag primers are a bit more per thousand. The joy comes from casting and loading your ammo. So with this said you can't put a price on a good time.
Powder is still the cheap part of any pistol load, even for full house mags, only 5-6c each. Bullets are the expensive part of reloading after the cases, but the cases get amortized over a min of 10x reloaded, making them cheaper than a primer.
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Old 01-31-2017, 03:46 PM
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Yep, for my magnum rifles I can save a couple dollars per round. So 100 rounds or so and my equipment is paid for. Plus the added bonus of getting bullet choices that are hard to find/impossible in stores. I started loading 9mm just because the cheap fmjs were never on the shelf at the time. It has improved some, but the price is a good bit higher than it was 5yrs ago.

If only powder would come down.
Well IMO, prices aren't coming down. Things are more available, but prices aren't moving much. Why buying now will seem like a bargain in say 5yrs.
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Old 01-31-2017, 03:55 PM
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Well IMO, prices aren't coming down. Things are more available, but prices aren't moving much. Why buying now will seem like a bargain in say 5yrs.
I agree...it's sad too. My rifles take 70-80 grns per round. So it gets to be expensive. But still cheaper than some factory rounds.
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Old 01-31-2017, 07:10 PM
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Yes, but how much per hour do you figure your time is worth?.
Well, judging from my paycheck, not very much. Ha.
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Old 02-01-2017, 12:43 PM
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I meant what it says. 1 lb will do 4000 rounds and the powder, with shipping, cost $15. I did 1000 rounds and used not quite 4 ounces of powder. The powder was from Eastwood Powder Company.
You must be spraying, huge amounts of waste, but they do look pretty. I shake & bake, Use a tsp of powder to do about 200 bullets, so maybe 9500-10000 per 1#, very little if any wasted powder. So even with high quality powder, 1c each, a bit less with HT coating or HF red.
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Old 02-01-2017, 01:00 PM
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I think the keys are - how much time do you have and what caliber do you shoot the most of ?
I work about 10-12 hours a day about 6 months out of the year. The rest of the time is usually an 8, maybe 9 hour day so I don't have a lot of spare time.
I mostly shoot .22 and 9mm, either non-reloadable or pretty cheap.
I did the math and it didn't make sense for me to get into reloading at this time. Maybe when I retire, which is going to be very soon.
For those of you that are retired and shoot the large calibers, heck yes, reloading makes plenty of sense.
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Old 02-01-2017, 01:53 PM
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I think the keys are - how much time do you have and what caliber do you shoot the most of ?
I work about 10-12 hours a day about 6 months out of the year. The rest of the time is usually an 8, maybe 9 hour day so I don't have a lot of spare time.
I mostly shoot .22 and 9mm, either non-reloadable or pretty cheap.
I did the math and it didn't make sense for me to get into reloading at this time. Maybe when I retire, which is going to be very soon.
For those of you that are retired and shoot the large calibers, heck yes, reloading makes plenty of sense.
If you enjoy reloading, it can be relaxing. I am couped up in a city apt. I don't have internet or TV. So I reload or watch movies. If I didn't reload, I'd probably be buying more movies, internet, or tv.
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Old 02-01-2017, 02:50 PM
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You must be spraying, huge amounts of waste, but they do look pretty. I shake & bake, Use a tsp of powder to do about 200 bullets, so maybe 9500-10000 per 1#, very little if any wasted powder. So even with high quality powder, 1c each, a bit less with HT coating or HF red.
I don't spray. I shake them for about 30 seconds.
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Old 02-02-2017, 12:53 AM
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I don't spray. I shake them for about 30 seconds.
Then you may be using too much if you go thru it that fast. Are you coating twice? I'm getting litterally twice as many bullets per #??
I reread your original post & see you moved a decimal point a few places. Yes, it is generally less than 1c each.
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