I am considering getting into reloading . I have a couple of .38 revolvers and don't shoot them as much as I'd like because of the cost of ammo. For those of you that do reload approx how much does it cost you to reload a box of 50 rounds of .38 Special for example assuming you already have the brass ?
While on the topic I also shoot a lot of 9mm which I can typically buy for $10.00-$12.00 per 50 round box. Any one here reload 9mm and is it worth it ?

Loaded some 38’s not too long ago ... assuming brass is free these are my costs.

Coated round nose 140gr bullets. $ .08
Primers $ .03
Powder ... about .02 per round

So... roughly $6.50 a box of 50

My 9mm reloads are slightly more since I use plated bullets ... about 2 cents more per round ... so $7.00 to 7.50 per 50.

TjB101 is pretty close to my costs. One bonus of reloading is as of late I have been gifted many components, I have been shooting reloaded ammo with free components for the last two years. I also buy those half boxes of bullets at swap meets and estate sales. I'm always on the lookout for sales and discounts on reloading supplies then stock up. If you shop around you can save big.

My chosen .38 Spl load is 2.8 gr of Bullseye under a 158-grain LSWC from Missouri Bullet Company.

The bullets cost $31.50 with my discount, with shipping that works out to $35.

By the pound, Bullseye goes for about $21. I tried to grab a 4# jar for $71 last time I ordered, but they were out.

For primers, I had to buy them at $28/1k this time around. I've done better, but it sure beats buying them locally at $40/1k.

So...
Bullet: $0.07
Powder: $0.01
Primer: $0.028

Total: $5.32/50

You can get 1k rounds of remanufactured, no-name .38 Spl for $249, or $12.45/50, before shipping.

Also note that there's a fair bit of room to get cheaper. The 158-gr MBC bullet is pretty reasonably-priced, but you could get a 105-grain bullet from Summers Enterprises, at $23/500 plus shipping. That would bring your cost down to less than $4.50 a box. Even a 158-gr from Summers would work out to $4.75.

That said, I think the MBC bullet is well worth it.

Since I cast my own bullets, my .38 loads cost me approximately $2.50 per 50 rounds. Of course that's not putting a value on my time, just components.

I keep thinking about casting, but then I try figuring out what it actually costs to do. Fuels, supplies, etc. Nobody ever tells me about that.

I don't count brass costs either. Consider them part of the gun.

Consider joining with a few others for a bulk bullet buy. Normally the larger the order the lower the price per round. Same with Primers and powder.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Everyone's cost estimates are pretty realistic. However here is what I have discovered. If it costs half as much to reload as opposed to factory ammo you will simply shoot twice as much. So at the end of the day, you didn't save a lot of money but you shot twice as much. Just as good (or better even). Here's a link to a handloading cost calculator. Handloading Cost Calculator Looks like we have a new safety feature for posted links but if you click the proceed button it will take you to the calculator.

This is all with regard to casting for handguns... casting for rifle cartridges is a little different, but many of the same rules apply. Bullet casting can easily become a hobby unto itself.

For someone merely looking to save money on bullet costs, it's probably best to buy commercial bullets. Bullet casting requires a lot of time and much experimentation if you want to do it right.

"Right" is defined as getting the alloy mixture and bullet fit perfect (or as close to it as possible) for the pressure / velocity of a particular load in a particular gun. Such a load won't lead the bore and will shoot quite accurately.

After casting for a while and doing the required experimentation, one will often find there is no advantage to using a commercial bullet, jacketed or cast, from either an accuracy or bullet performance perspective. That's an easy statement to make, and while it is true, the work required to get there is often far more than many want to put into such a project. And, if you really become interested in casting, you'll quickly outgrow a minimal casting setup.

I am about to start loading pistol rounds have loaded rifle for a while. What I am finding is that every trip to the range I come back with about twice the brass I shot. Since the major expense in loading a round comes from the brass. I make money every time I shoot! Works for me. The other advantage you are not quite as vulnerable to changes in prices and ammo scarcity etc.

Breaking even is optimistic. Without reloading, I wouldn't have ever bought a 629.

You're going to spend the same money maybe more but you're going to shoot 2-3X more and have a new hobby.

I say that bc you have x $ to shoot with so if you are like most gun guys you're gonna spend it on gun stuff. Reloading gives you more rounds per dollar. Don't fib to yourself about your motive ie how much you'll save v how much you want to shoot more on whatever your ammo budget is. You're not going to take your savings on 2 boxes of your weekly ammo Jones and use the money to buy your honey new shoes. Nope you're gonna have a 4 to 8 box a week habit rather than a 2 box habit.

You'll also get more varied ammo. I started casting bullets bc I HAD TO HAVE A PARTICULAR BULLET that I couldn't buy. I HAD TO HAVE IT THOUGH. REALLY!!! I mean who can be happy plinking w a 240 grain lswc 44 bullet when Elmer Keith said you had to use a 250 grain lswc bullet. Actually it was a 200 grain 44 full wadcutter bullet that got me started. I have a buddy who is disabled and he scrounges wheel weights for me (free bullet metal) to cast and I load 44s for him. He can't load bc he is seriously deslyxic and that doesn't work reading a loading manual. So I get free wheel weights to process into bullet metal for loading for him. He has more time that i dont have to hit the tire stores. I have access to his 44 any time I want it so I'm really loading for a gun I have and I've worked up a load for his particular pistol. Never just load and give a friend ammo without working up the load for your friends firearm.

Seriously you won't save money but you will get to shoot a lot more. The only real reason to work the numbers is to convince your wife.

Rifle shooting is different. There you reload to tailor better performance out of your rifles. I'm also a fan of premium bullets so you do save money. I like Nosler Partitions which cost 2x as much for half as many bullets as Hornady spire points. Guess what ?My practice load for my 30-06 using the Hornady bullet shoots into the same zero as my hunting load using the more expensive Nosler bullet. Big savings. A box of factory ammo w a Nosler Partition bullet that isn't tailored to my rifle costs about the same as a 50 round box of Nosler Partition component bullets. If I shop for bargains I get about 200 Hornady bullets to load for the same money just looking at bullet cost. My powder bill goes up but I'm shooting a lot more. Since my load is identical for the practice load as the hunting load other than the bullet that lets me shoot quite a bit more for the same cost of a box of premium factory loads. BTW you won't always find a practice load that shoots into the same zero but it is wonderful when it happens. I've never shot more than 20 rounds of my hunting load in a single season at game animals. I have shot 100 rounds of practice ammo a week for months out of a deer rifle getting ready for hunting season and because i love shooting deer rifle class rifles. If you like to shoot that much you can save money.

I know that really wasn't exactly what you asked but it is what I see happen. It got bad enough that for several years I shot 500 or more rounds of 45 ACP every weekend. Not a cheap hobby. (It is cheaper than race horses or redheaded women but i digress). If I got to shoot Saturday and Sunday it was a 1000. I guess I should say it got good enough not bad enough. I kinda miss those days.

Good luck. Repeat after me MY NAME IS JIM AND IM A TRIGGER PULLING ADDICT.

I started reloading after Newtown. Ammo was impossible to find. .38 range ammo at Walmart is still nearly 50 bucks for 100 rounds. I can reload it for about 13 bucks per hundred.

Do I shoot more now than before? I guess. Certainly not 4 times or even two times as much. I actually like just continuing to dump loaded ammo into the ammo can.

Reloading saves you money. No doubt about it. And I won’t be affected by the next shortage.

This is true, but the difference to me is now the cost of ammo doesn't limit my shooting. I shoot more because I can afford it now.

I spend more time than money on my 38 Special and 45 ACP loads. I shoot into my own berm and recycle my lead and recast it over and over, so in exchange for all the work digging bullets out of my rubber mulch trap, melting ingots, casting bullets, ect., I can shoot 38 target loads for $0.04 a piece, plus a whole bunch of time and effort. My handgun shooting is more limited by my time and effort than by money with this operation.

If you don't get free or recycle lead, the estimates others have provided are as good as it gets. In any scenario you will only get your money's worth out of your equipment and setup if you reload often and shoot often. Wither you are trying to double or triple your shots per penny or shoot the same and save cash, you will only pay for your equipment if you use it. Get a turret instead of a single stage, get a progressive, you better load a lot to excuse the cost. Buying a lead casting operation can be on the cheap end to start out with, but then too you have to use it enough to justify it.

Like so many other things in a modern affluent society, easy enough to buy a setup for something on a whim and not really justify the purchase. Easy enough to pick up yet another hobby you don't have time for in a busy life. Remember, the more you do to save money the more energy and time you burn.

As for 9mm, with the kind of bulk prices you can find on the internet, its a hard sell to reload for that caliber. Its a more difficult cartridge to reload for and has the least potential return.

....you can load anything you want and not be limited to what you can find on the shelves.

.38 used to be as common as 9mm is now and it was cheap. If you load anything besides the most common rounds, there will be savings, especially for rifle bullets and somewhat specialty such as magnum pistol cartridges.

I started with the investment of a Lee Hand Loader for .38 special and a can of Bullseye powder. (They are pretty quick if you keep everything right in front of you on a good work table). Now I use a press and reload .38 Special, .357, 30-06, Garand, 7.7mm Arisaka, 7.76 Russian, 9mm, .44 Magnum, .223 and a few more.

It's easy to buy every gadget that makes the job easier, but if you keep your head, you can save money, or shoot more for the same money. I shoot a LOT now and wouldn't be able to (retired) if I didn't, but I keep it BASIC.

I'm big into experimentation and reloading is a great hobby for me.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I agree with the previous posts, you will more than likely shoot a lot more for the same money. I reload for 9mm, 38spec, 357mag, 357 Sig , 40 S&W, 45acp, .222 Rem, 308 Win. Somewhere around $7.00 a box of 50 for handgun and under $10 for rifle. I don't shoot as much as I used to but the kids can burn up a lot ammo in an afternoon. Son and daughter that live here shoot a lot. When you first start reloading be sure to take pictures of your family members in the loading room with you so you can remember who they are when you finally emerge.

The best thing about reloading? It lets me shoot .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag,.44 Special, .44 Mag, and .45 Colt without having to worry about the cost or availability of ammo ...

I agree with all of the above, but would like to add a caveat and suggestion.

Buy everything in LARGE quantities:

• Powder in 4lb to 8lb or more, at a time.
• Primers by the 1,000 box/case, and buy 2 or three or more at a time.
• Combine your powder and primers purchase into ONE order, to minimize HazMat charges.
• Brass, if you are shooting an odd caliber (me, I also shoot .222 Rem and that is impossible to "find" at the range).
• Bullets -- Wait for "sales" on your selected cal/weight bullets and THEN buy 10, 20, 30, or more Boxes of 100, at a time.
• Watch for free shipping offers when possible.

Added to that, you will need to decide on a complete reloading platform plus Die sets. I chose Lee, and others have chosen RCBS, Dillon, etc. Whatever system you choose, you can often save $$$ by buying the "complete" system instead of cherry picking components.

FWIW, I started out with a $4k "investment" before I reloaded a single round. This has continued to pay off over time. Just make the commitment if you really want to get into reloading. Good luck!

Another big plus for reloading is...it can be a fun and interesting hobby.

I started doing it in 1967, if you wanted to shoot cast lead SWC's like Elmer Keith , you had to cast the bullets and load them yourself.
No commercial cast bullets and no factory ammo available . We didn't even have computers back then . With a friend in the tire business I had free wheel weights .
After 50 years I still enjoy the hobby .
Reloading can still be uncomplicated and enjoyable . Stock up on supplies and you don't have to worry about political elections , panic buying and ammo shortages....if you know what I mean !
Gary

Even if you don’t reload often you still save money. I have maybe $600 in this hobby as far as equipment. I reload on a single stage press and don’t see that ever changing. A Hornady Lock and Load kit was like $375. Other than a better scale ( the digital one that came with it never held zero. I think I spent $75 on an RCBS beam scale), and another 80-90 bucks for a tumbler, and maybe $60 for a good digital caliper, I’m set for equipment. Equipment doesn’t go bad or break. My son will load on my stuff one day. At $37 per hundred saved for .38, and $7 saved per 100 of 9MM, my stuff was paid for after loading about 1800 rounds or so. Which I did in the first year. I also load .380 which isn’t cheap to buy factory. Spread the cost out over birthdays and Christmas. They’re gonna get you something. Might as well be something useful.

As for time saved, what time? Unless you’re shooting a lot, I consider my times spent irrelevant. I load like 100 at a time and it takes me like 40 minutes because I weigh every charge. I come back from range and dump the brass into a bin. Once I have about 300 or so I deprime and resize them. Takes maybe 15 minutes. Into the tumbler they go. I push a button and walk away. Another 15-20 minutes to expand and into another bin. I prime them in a hand primer as I watch tv so no time wasted there. The cases are prepped and primed and ready to go. Hundred here and there adds up fast. I doubt I load more than 300 rounds a month. Winter months I load more. The time spent is no more than mowing my lawn. Spacing it out it takes up very little of my time. I doubt I spend 2 hours a month at my loading bench. Sometimes I get called away after loading like 15 rounds. No big deal. I’ll get to the others later. I weigh each charge and seat a bullet immediately so no chance of a double charge or empty charge that is far more likely non a progressive.

If the OP needs to load lots of ammo to shoot lots of rounds often, then I guess he’d spend a lot of time on it. But at a casual rate the initial $600 bucks laid out will pay for itself once he’s loaded 2000 .38 rounds. At 300 loaded rounds a month it’s paid off in less than 7 months. Again, maybe I’m the odd one but my shooting hasn’t drastically increased since I started reloading. Where is it written that you HAVE to shoot 2 or 3 times more if you reload?

As for difficulty in loading 9MM, I don’t see that at all. Other than measuring the OAL on every 5th completed round, which take about 3 seconds, the process is the same. I actually like the fact that you can’t double charge a 9MM case without it being grossly obvious, over the huge amount of empty space left in a .38 after dumping powder. And while 9MM is cheap NOW, it surely wasn’t during the last drought. I recall $18 for a box of 50. That’s double the price that it is now. So nearly $40 for a hundred after tax versus the $13 I pay to reload is a big difference.

And for ME, the true benefit is in the immunity from shortages. A one pound bottle of powder loaded me over 2000 .38 rounds. Buy a bottle here and there, same with primers. I don’t buy that stuff through the mail so I don’t worry about Haz Mat fees or buying in bulk to save in shipping. I get emails from Xtreme Bullets all the time offering free shipping, so I buy 1000 bullets every now and then. I remember after Newtown setting my alarm to be at Walmart at 6:30 to wait in line and guys already being there. We’d wait and see what was available. More times than not, nothing came in. I’m not buying ammo in the mail. Don’t want or need the mailman or nosy neighbors seeing I have guns. 1000 bullets in a small non-conspicuous box from Xtreme Bullets is way less noticeable than a case of loaded ammo. And don’t they have to stamp a warning on the case of ammo that let’s the post office know it’s live ammunition? No worries there with just bare bullets. A case of loaded ammo on my doorstep for a few hours before I get home? I’ll pass.

With reloading, I crank out ammo here and then and store it. When I feel like shooting, I fill a ziplock bag with a couple hundred rounds and off I go. I haven’t shot in over a month. I might go next week. I might not. Truth be told, the biggest reason I shoot more with reloading is to check a load with all my guns or if I get a new one. Once I settle on a recipe I don’t change it. After Newtown, powder was scarce too, so I changed a few times. Now I’ve settled on HP38 for all calibers. Makes stocking up easier and no worries about mixing powders.

Is that you can tailor a particular load for a particular pistol. My Tanfoglio pre Witness P19 CZ clone needs a slightly shorter than standard OAL due to insufficient rifling leade. I have to handload for this pistol even if it is running factory rounds through the seating and crimp dies to get many standard 124 gn loads to chamber correctly.

Then there is the “loading for a particular purpose” reason. I have three different .45 APC loads. Full power (175-178 PF) 200gn PFP loads for IPSC, 155 PF 230 gn LRN for Wild Bunch and 130 gn PF 230 gn LRN for our Service/Classic Match. (Wild Bunch loads must be lead and Service/Classic in Australia also requires lead ammo. Also it is much easier to shoot a 130 gn PF load accurately one handed than a 200 or 230 gn full power load in the time limits for Service/Classic).

Finally, what is loaded in factory or remanufactured rounds is not always the best choice. I can buy 1000 rounds of 9mm local reman for under NZ $400, about $280 US. But this ammo does not shoot anywhere near as accurately in either of my 9mm pistols than my preferred hand load for each gun (currently full power loads using Tightgroup powder, which I have found superb for accuracy). With my load I can get 80% + A zone accuracy, with the reman that falls to about 50%.

Here's yet another Reloading Cost calculator. Can also factor in the cost of your equipment and determine when you will recover that expense.

Attached Files

Handload Costs Zip.zip (56.2 KB, 6 views)

This is a great point, and also those calibers really become much more to the shooter when you reload. I reload light 44 MAG that is significantly hotter than 44 SPL but much lighter than factory 44 MAG. They are hot enough to be loud and fun, but tame enough that I can shoot a hundred during a range session without beating my self up too bad.

Going back to the point of the thread, it is also much cheaper to reload these than to buy factory loads.

If you want to reload only to save $$$,better get some experience quick and get yourself a progressive.
But if like most if not all of us here it becomes a hobby,you'll spend many hours at it and enjoy it.
Since I both reload and cast my own(another enjoyable hobby),it enables me to not think at the expense when I go shooting and concentrate better on what I am doing...and I need all the concentration I can get!

I appreciate all the replies ... there were certainly more than I anticipated . It looks like reloading is in the near future for me.

You won’t regret it. In the meantime, watch a bunch of YouTube videos. That’s how I got a base for it. Guys on this forum helped me a lot. Read some books. I use Lee dies because you can get them with a separate crimp die. I also use the Hornady lock and load bushings so it’s just a twist to change them out.

If you shoot more than 1000rds a year, you will be ahead reloading your own. If I buy bullets instead if make them, I am loading 9mm for 12c, 38sp about the same.
If your time is valuable, buy better gear. I can load start to finish, filling primer tubs & checking my powder measure, 600rds/hr plus. At that rate, I am making $$ reloading vs working & buying fa tory ammo.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Reloading can dramatically lower your cost per round. But if I tell you that I shoot 115gr FMJRN 9mm for $6.14 per box of 50, I'd only be telling you part of the story.

To get that price on components you need to order:

- 8lbs of HP38 and 12,000 S&B small pistol primers from Powder Valley. Since every shipment costs ~$44 (#16 shipping and $28 Hazmat Fee), you want to avoid ordering smaller quantities (powder costs more that way) and incurring multiple Hazmat Fees.

- 2,000 115gr FMJRN bullets from Precision Delta. Cheaper than plated, more expensive than lead or powder coated. Ordering only 1,000 raises the unit cost by 25%, and may or may not have an impact on shipping costs. Larger orders don't lower costs enough to worry about.

The total cost of the above order is $642.95. That's for 2,000 rounds complete, and enough powder and primers to do 10,000 more.

It's perfectly reasonable to expect you will also spend $500 to $1,000 on equipment . . . if not all up front, certainly over time. You also need the space to set up what amounts to a small production facility, and the free time to do the actual reloading.

Soooo, assuming your average cost for 9mm is $11.00/box, reloading 9mm will reduce that to $6.14 saving $4.86. That savings will recover your equipment costs (eg $750) after you shoot 154 boxes. From then on your "savings" can be spent in any way you choose, often in more shooting.

Note that the ammo your produce will likely outshoot the stuff you can buy for $11.00/box. This fact is often overlooked when comparing price, but it may not make any difference to you personally.

Note also that 115gr 9mm cost savings are probably the smallest . . . other bullet weights and calibers almost always produce greater savings.

Coated bullets shoot fine and are eight cents each. You can buy them in 100, 250, 500, 1000 and even higher count boxes. Lube in groove lead bullets are cheap.

You can order powder online for good prices, IF you buy enough to offset the hazmat fee they charge for shipping.

You can charge cases with Lee scoops ($15) if you have a Lee safety scale ($25) to check the loads. You can spend hundreds on a digital scale but I got a Frankford Arsenal digital for about 30 bucks that works just fine.

Yes, the initial investment is high. But if you need to have economy in mind (like me) you don't have to break the bank.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

The oft quoted equip cost concerns gets ridiculous at times. Oh yes, a 650 all in with good scale & decent calipers, one caliber, will set you back about $1100. Keep in mind though, reload say 2000rds for say 5y, hate reloading, sell the gear for $800 & move on. So you effectively rented it for $60 a year. You will never wear out good equip & it will always be worth something if not more than you paid after 10y.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Back in 1985 I started reloading, 1st calibers I reloaded for were the 38spl/357's. The biggest cost of reloading those calibers back then was the bullet & still is to this day.

I started reloading from humble beginnings.

Did tons of horse trading to get the $$$ to buy things. Found a source for lead and then bought a cast iron dutch oven & muffin tins at garage sales for $5. I'd smelt lead down into ingots on a wood fire back then, free lead/free wood. Sold lead to buy 38spl/357 cases & bought a lee #10 pot next ($20?). Finely bought a mold, paid what I thought was big $$$ but it was a good mold. A H&G #50 6-cavity mold with handles for $35. That mold cast piles of .358" 148gr wc's, I tumble lubed them back then and shot them un-sized.

Had a pile of bullets and ingots laying around by the time I bought my 1st press. It was a used lee single stage o-press along with a used set of dies/shell holder for $20. Picked up a set of lee dippers, 1000 primers and a # of powder and that was it. Started reloading.

As I got $$$ I added a case tumbler and a powder scale & then a luber-sizer. Then finely a powder throw.

My advise:
Before you even look into reloading, look at bullet casting. Take the cost of the bullets out of the picture and you left with $30/1000 for primers and $150 for #8 of powder. Using 5.0gr of powder per round (38spl or 9mm) + 1 primer per round ='s less than $.05 a round/$2.50 per 50 rounds (box)/$50 a 1000 rounds.

Go on and go for it. It's fun. You've got some good answers to your questions above so I won't even try to elaborate on them. I got started in reloading about 5 yrs ago. It can sometimes be exasperating but it is also fun to see a box of ammo that you personally reloaded. I'll never make my money back on all the reloading equipment I've bought. But, I really don't care. It's a new adventure and one I think you'll enjoy. And, believe me, you've got some highly experienced people on this forum, as well as others, that will give you the benefit of their knowledge. Good luck.

Lee handloaders, a stout table and a hammer will save $$$ instead of “modern reloading gear”.

Buy components in bulk with friends/range officials.
Casting after you get a working knowledge of reloading might be prudent.
Buy quality loading gear!!!

The Bill of Rights.
2nd Amendment.
“Well Regulated” has many components....
welcome aboard!!!

The Lee Classic Loaders are a great place to start; I wished I had started with them. I started with a Lee Anniversry kit about ten years ago so I loaded my first 1000 rounds with probably a $375 investment.

I bought everything to cast about a year ago and spent right at $100, but I could have not bought an electric pot and done it over a fire with basically only a $25 Lee Double Cavity Mold.

I do believe .38 Special and 9mm are worth getting into reloading. 9mm prices did calm down after 2013 but if there's another panic at least you'll be ahead of the demand.

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Authorized AMSOIL Dealer

If you don't mind trying to find your 9mm cases that go every where.....

while a revolver is 100% recovery........

reloading can be great for standard or "Custom Loads" that you can design.
The $$ on equipment and supplies is what stops some.

Good luck.

Find someone with the reloading equipment you have chosen!!!!!

Beg them to let you watch.
Beg them to watch you while you try a few.

This alone can save you months of frustration and lots of cash.
It will tell you if you are a handloader.

Watching youtube and reading voraciously will help, but there is nothing like the real thing !!!

Some of us learn by reading, some of us learn by watching, but most of us learn by pissing on that electric fence.
This is not the hobby to find out by mistakes.

Prescut

Reloading need not be a big challenge. It need not be so very expensive to get into. I got started in the 1950s with so little money it wasn't funny. And there was not all the info available that we have today. I keep seeing the recurring "it's so expensive to get into" theme. Not true. Look around and you will see used gear at incredibly cheap prices. I have done it for years in many parts of the country. If purchasing new more expensive stuff. Just remember to buy quality gear and try hard yo keep it in good condition. You will not lose a whole lot of money on the items you need if you decide reloading is not for you. If you are not a person that pays attention to detail it may not be the hobby for you. Heck I stated loading without a press...a Lyman tong tool worked fine for a year...and a Lee shotshell loader did ok too. To be honest I have bought, used and sold so much reloading gear over the years it is unbelievable. Have I lost money?..occassionally sure. But I have made money on much also. Enough that my stuff is paid for with the profits. I have shot and loaded more ammo than I even want to count. My perception on reloading and shooting is how can anyone afford to shoot all factory ammo. Reloading can be an awful lot of work and more than some have the time for. In fact at this point of my life I don't even like to reload but still consider it necessary. Want to try reloading? ..buy used..but buy smart. And get some good reloading manuals and books. Read them! Even if it turns out reloading is not for you.. you will have learned a lot

Reloading for me is a hobby, I get to shoot more often. being retired is gives me something to do. I reload .380, 9 mm, 38Spl, 357 mag, 40 SW, 45 ACP, 45 Colt, 44 Spl, 44 Mag. I reload rifle also. Not a hunter just a plinker, I get to shot all my guns, and it does not cost an arm and a leg. My cost for shooting some of my rifles was high due to having to purchase cases, but if you don't over work the necks and trim them you can get quite a bit of life from the them.
You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on equipment, I use a Lee Classic turret press, for pistols you can buy the 4 die set and save a few bucks, each caliber I load for is set in it's own turret; so I can change out the caliber in a few seconds. Lee equipment cost less the the other brands but it is quality equipment.

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Carpriver.

I got into reloading after buying my first 44 mag. I wanted to shoot 44 special but that stuff was obscure and required me a day long drive back/forth to Cabelas and still pay >$40/50.

Today reloading enabled me to shoot even more expensive or obscure calibers, or some that do not even exist. E.g I shoot 41 specials in my 41 magnums.

Other factors:
-accuracy: I can develop extremely accurate loads custom to a particular gun. Factory ammo would shoot like a shotgun pattern in comparison. This takes reading and lots of experimenting. My wife would tell you it's a colossal waste of time and better take a second job instead...off course she is right.
Once you shoot your first self loaded 9mm, you'll never go back, accuracy will be way improved if you go by some proven loads which you will find here

- Convenience: I have 2 Dillon presses set up (small primer, and large primer) in my most common calibers: 9mm/38 and 44/41/45. When I like to shoot, I crank out some 100 rounds 15 minutes between coffee and leaving. This enables me to shoot more and any time I like.

-Cost: 1/2 the cost of factory for 9mm, 1/5 or less of the cost in 41 mag or 44 special. In addition saving on gas/time looking for factory ammo in some far flung places in PA.

The best part of reloading is you can shoot what you want, rather than what you can find.

In my .38 I shoot primarily wadcutters. It has been many years since I've seen any factory ammo on the shelf.

I like shooting light target loads in my .357. There are no factory loads in .357 brass.

Or paper puncher wadcutter loads for my .45, and so on...

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Common sense isn't so common.

I wouldn't reload unless I enjoyed the act of reloading.

That said, I've been reloading for almost 40 years.
I like being able to make darn near any ammo, in any configuration I please.
Ever try to buy lead bullet 30-06 or 223? How about 175 grain 38 Special? Round ball 44 Mag for popping small game?
You get the picture.

Keep in mind that there is more to the cost of reloads that just what you pay for the components. There is also the cost of acquiring needed equipment (which can range from under $100 to many 100s, depending on what level of reloading you aspire to), and your time is worth something, too (although reloading can be a relaxing pass-time).

If you plan on shooting 1000's of rounds a year, reloading can definitely save you money. If a few hundred rounds a year sounds more in line with your plans, buying your ammo, even if it's pricey, makes more sense.

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Pisgah

As i have often stated, if your time is worth more, spend more on gear. I can get an honest 700rds an hour on my 650, start to finish with preloaded primer tubes, 600rds an hour including loading the tubes. So if I save just $5/100, that is $30/hr net. Meaning I have to make $45/hr to buy the sme ammo.
Now $5/100 is a pretty min savings, like bulk 9mm savings, but when talking any revo rd, 45acp, 357sig, 10mm, the savings is double that. Not many of us net $60/hr, $90/hr gross, so yes there is a gear cost, but it can amortize quickly. Even then, the gear has value. Good gear retains more value than poor gear. Reload for 10y, hate it, you can probably recover all your gear cost. There is little downside in rolling your own but for your time, which is easily mitigated by a good progressive press.
Another way to look at it; shoot 5k rds a year, you just have a pile of brass. Spend the same on gear, you have something worth at least 80% of the cost.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I have reloaded since '71. I actually like the process, but it also lets me shoot some cartridges that would be cost prohibitive otherwise. Like 25-20WCF, .30 Mauser, 6.5x55, 30-40 Krag, .357AMP, .44AMP, and 45-70. I shoot enough of the first round to justify a Hornady LNL AP. The AMP ammo is almost unobtainium as store bought, and the 25-20 is priced like it's hand made out of sterling silver.

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The triple smoker

After initial investment, you can eventually bring your cost per round down a lot. But....

Then you shoot more and more again. Then you find different calibers that you “Need” to try.

So for me, it’s more costly in the long run. Now I think I shoot just so I can load more.

If you're enjoying it and the bills are paid, I say have fun.

I buy good components at cheap prices. Have loaded .38 Special as cheap as $3.48 a box of 50. Handloads.com has a formula for figuring out loading costs. Great tool! Bob