Can you save money reloading??

[fixitfred]

Reloading Is Not for Everyone

True, but...

I guess I'm an example of a person who should not reload because I never saved one thin dime. All my reloading equipment now just sits and gathers rust & dust.

Here is why:

1) By a very wide margin, most of my shooting now is .22 LR.
2) When I shoot .223/5.56 or 7.62x39 (rarely these days), I use mostly steel case.
3) I only go through about 1.5K rounds/year (average) of reloadable centerfire pistol & revolver ammo.
4) I buy all my ammo dirt cheap. Actually, cheaper than dirt cheap.
5) Brass collection is all but impossible at the busy indoor range I now use.
6) I have no current room available in the house for a reloading station.
7) Even in semi-retirement, my time is worth a bit more than $3.50/hour.
8) At this point in time and being quite old, I probably own more ammo than I'll ever use the rest of my life.

God bless those who really do save money (not just "shoot more") via reloading after consideration of all direct and indirect and "lost opportunity" costs. It just never worked out for me.

It sounds like your shooting is tailored around your lifestyle -- great. How you value your time is your own business and anyone else willing to pay you for your time. If you're not making money your time is free as far as I'm concerned. I know I'm not making any money watching TV.

If you're doing something you enjoy then your time value is in a deficit.

I like a good deal too but to get that deal sometimes takes time and if I factored in the time it took to get that deal it's less of a deal. This may be the case with your dirt cheap savings but few factor time or travel cost in.

I'm not going to try and tell you how to live your life but I can share some of how I live mine. I will always have space for my hobbies whether it's reloading, basket weaving or wood working.

I shoot at an busy indoor range too and use a brass wizard on my way to scoop up my brass other peoples brass get in my way so I just scoop it up too.

Having more ammo than you can shoot in your lifetime is a saying I know but if it were true the value of that comes from knowing exactly how much you will be shooting and how long you will live.

 

[Clovishound]

If all I shot was 9mm, I probably wouldn't bother to get started reloading. Shooting the bullets I have settled on for 9, I only save a couple bucks a box. Takes me about a half an hour to load up that box. I take my time.

.38 and .357 magnum are a different story. I can now get them for around $18 a box. Until recently it was more like $22 a box. I can reload a box for $7 a box. I could shave a little off that by shooting cast for the .38, but the difference in price does not offset the advantages of plated for me at this time.

My daughter has really taken to the Henry I picked up this year, and the limiting factor at the range is how many .357 rounds I have loaded and brought with me, usually 100-150. In addition, we will go through another 100 .38s as well as some .22lr. I would be spending well over $80 a week on ammo, if I didn't reload. I now spend more like $30- $35 a week on ammo.

 

[isaactc]

I'm sorry, but this is like saying, "I got into shooting because it is cheaper than golf". I tell my lovely wife I handload because it saves a lot of money. She then looks at my loading bench and gives me that knowing smile. Good luck and I hope you get HALF of the fun reloading as I have.

 

[Houlton]

I can buy 9mm online for 160-170 per K. The range I use doesn't allow lead bullets. By the time I buy 1000 Rainier 125hp, powder, and primers I will still save money but considering the time involved it not that good a deal. 45Colt, 45ACP, and 38/357 an entirely different matter. 45 Colt is close to 40-45 cents each and ACP and 357 isn't much better if any. Can't afford not to load for those. It all depends what and how much you shoot. I can't imagine the cost of the 500's. 460,etc.

 

[TAROMAN]

Save money? No.
Shoot much more? Absolutely.

 

[Chuck24]

To sum up.
Can you save money? Yes
Will you save money? Probably not

 

[roscoepc]

Thanks for all the comments! In my situation I guess it's true that I'll be shooting the Beastie more than I would had I not started reloading. I like to go to the range about once a month or so and shoot about 100 rounds per session. I couldn't afford to do that with with OTC ammo as that's about $300.00!

As far as buying more reloading "toy's" for my bench, I've got everything I need except for a couple more loading blocks. And I'm not one to just go buy shiny stuff to add because it might be needed! Based on the research I did the RCBS Rockchucker Single Stage press and dies I bought should last a lifetime and if anything breaks, they've got very good customer service from what I've read. All I'll need is to replenish the consumables occasionally and I'm good to go.

The only way I can see my range time increasing is if I try some IDPA shooting but,, I don't believe the 500 is exactly the gun for that type of shooting...

But.. Who knows.... I might get some speedloaders for Christmas and try it anyway!!!

 

[bigwheelzip]

I saved money on ammo by getting my husband interested in shooting. First I got him a CCW permit class for a Christmas present. Then I gave him my Shield to carry. Then I bought him a membership at a very nice local range. Now he is always looking out for good deals on ammo and saving me a bunch.

 

[Bkreutz]

I handload for a couple of reasons.
1. Cost: I can make 9mm ammo for 10 to 12 cents per round (depending on component price variation). Since I use a minimum of 400 rounds per week, the savings is substantial. Some weeks I will shoot over 1000.
2. Availability. I shoot USPSA Open 9mm major power factor. There is not SAAMI spec for major 9 and only a couple of specialty ammo makers make a limited recipe. I have my load tailored to my gun configuration.

I do have a substantial amount of money in my loading equipment, but it's a small amount if compared to the overall cost of my shooting hobby. I spend a lot more on travel, match fees, and of course new guns. I don't particularly enjoy handloading but it's a necessary task. (I'm not good enough of a shooter to have someone give me loaded ammo, but I do get a fair about of bullets (not completed ammo) off prize tables.) I spend the least amount of time and effort in the handloading process, so consequently I buy the tools that get it done the fastest. I haven't invested in fully motorized machines (yet). The payback figures just don't work out on those.

 

[Twoboxer]

(Deleted - wrong post, wrong forum. Sorry.)

 

[otisrush]

"Save" as measured in $/round - absolutely!
"Save" as measured in total $ spent annually - probably not.

Counting only consumables (primers, bullets and powder) I load 9mm for about $.14 / rnd - $14/100. I believe WalMart sells 100 box of 9mm for what - $23?

I am pretty much saving about 40-50% per round over purchased ammo - but I'm shooting about 2x as much. Oh - and you're getting EXACTLY the load you want. The other day I was at the range with a friend consistently hitting a spinner with my AR and he said "Man - you've really got that dialed in." Well - I've got the ammo dialed in.

What hasn't been discussed too much is how the "cost" of reloading also delivers HOURS AND HOURS of fun. It would be fun to do a cost comparison ($/hr) of reloading and, say, golf.

The bottom line is I'm going to "pay off" my equipment investment faster than I planned (because I'm shooting more) but I'm ALSO able to spend time doing reloading where I might otherwise be going to a movie or going out to eat, etc. It's, essentially, entertainment. On a number of occasions when given the choice to plop down and watch on Netflix whatever movie I want.....or head downstairs to load......I choose the latter.

OR

 

[daniel lawecki]

I would rather reload and save money on some of my ammo then buy store bought ammo. I think my hobby is worth it the pleasure and satisfaction that I loaded my ammo myself. .22 hornet ammo in my area is $64.00 per 50 rounds so you do the math besides that has to be turned in .22k hornet ammo and you just can't buy that. So is all this talk about cost and reloading worth it. It just depends on your guns and calibers. This tread could go on forever you are the only one that can make the right choice for you.

 

[TTSH]

I'm not going to try and tell you how to live your life but I can share some of how I live mine. I will always have space for my hobbies whether it's reloading, basket weaving or wood working.

No one should ever tell anyone how to live their life. I just wanted to offer up my perspective as an illustration of someone for whom reloading makes no sense whatsoever, economic or otherwise. But you raise a good point: Reloading *is* a hobby unto itself. And if it's a hobby you enjoy, all power to you... and economics no longer matter a hoot.

I shoot at an busy indoor range too and use a brass wizard on my way to scoop up my brass other peoples brass get in my way so I just scoop it up too.

That's great. I'd get thrown out and banned for sure if I brought a brass wizard to my indoor range and tried to use it... that is, assuming I survived the visit.

I should have also pointed out that my indoor range does not allow reloads in its range-owned guns (which I use a lot)... so that's another factor working against reloading in my personal circumstances.

Also, if I wanted to chase brass and use reloads (in my own guns, of course), I could do so without the "hobby" part by simply buying my reloads from one of 3 or 4 local sources. But I am buying my fresh new American-made 9mm ammo so cheaply right now that it just wouldn't made sense.

 

[jtcarm]

I'm sorry, but this is like saying, "I got into shooting because it is cheaper than golf". I tell my lovely wife I handload because it saves a lot of money. She then looks at my loading bench and gives me that knowing smile. Good luck and I hope you get HALF of the fun reloading as I have.

Well if she's like my wife, remind her of how much money she "saves" buying stuff on sale we don't need..

 

[epj]

No one should ever tell anyone how to live their life. I just wanted to offer up my perspective as an illustration of someone for whom reloading makes no sense whatsoever, economic or otherwise. But you raise a good point: Reloading *is* a hobby unto itself. And if it's a hobby you enjoy, all power to you... and economics no longer matter a hoot.


That's great. I'd get thrown out and banned for sure if I brought a brass wizard to my indoor range and tried to use it... that is, assuming I survived the visit.

I should have also pointed out that my indoor range does not allow reloads in its range-owned guns (which I use a lot)... so that's another factor working against reloading in my personal circumstances.

Also, if I wanted to chase brass and use reloads (in my own guns, of course), I could do so without the "hobby" part by simply buying my reloads from one of 3 or 4 local sources. But I am buying my fresh new American-made 9mm ammo so cheaply right now that it just wouldn't made sense.

9mm has "always" been so cheap that it's hard to save money reloading it. This is particularly true if one is buying jacketed bullets in modest quantity. Now if you use cast bullets, that makes a substantial difference. If you cast your own bullets, the deal becomes a whole lot sweeter. This, of course, requires time. Do you have more time or more money? Or, like me, have neither.
The other advantage to reloading is during the periodic ammo shortages. Last time, when the baloon went up, I had about 10K primers and lots of lead on hand. There was no shortage.

 

[oldman10mm]

The answers to the significant others questions of;

why do you need more than one gun
to be answered with
why do you need more than one pot

why do you reload
to be answered with
why do you make a cake from 'scratch'

 

[bigggbbruce]

To sum up.
Can you save money? Yes
Will you save money? Probably not

One big problem (for me) being a reloader. I have no problem buying a gun in a caliber I don't already load for.

So I buy a gun..$$

I buy dies..$$

I buy bullets..$$

Depending on caliber I buy brass...$$

the latest craving has been 10mm...

 

[SLT223]

The answer is no IF:
1) You like to tinker with stuff
2) You see experimenting as a positive hobby attribute

If this describes you then it will blow the top off your budget.

 

[Krell1]

I posted on this before but, after giving it some thought I came up with this.

If you want to do a lot of shooting and save money, reload.

If you value your time more and don't care about the financial part of it, buy commercial.

If you want to shoot and have a nice hobby, especially if you're retired like me, then it doesn't really matter what spin someone puts on it.

 

[TTSH]

If you cast your own bullets, the deal becomes a whole lot sweeter. This, of course, requires time. Do you have more time or more money? Or, like me, have neither.

That makes two of us. I am both very old and very poor. As one forum member (who shall remain nameless) keeps reminding me, I probably have no more than 5 good shooting years left... so time becomes a very valuable commodity to people like me.

The other advantage to reloading is during the periodic ammo shortages. Last time, when the balloon went up, I had about 10K primers and lots of lead on hand. There was no shortage.

No question that there are definite advantages to reloading for lots of folks. I just happen not to be one of them.