I'm not sure reloading for common calibers is worth it right now.

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walnutred

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This summer I started buying supplies to reload 270 Winchester for the 1st time. A can of 4831SC was $52 at Cabelas, Speer 130gn bullets was $38, all +tax. Fortunately I have a few LLP but when I find some to buy they will probably cost $10.K.

I'll get about 120 loads out of the powder which makes the cost around .43 per shot. This puts my reloaded cost at around $1.00 per shot/$20 box, when you consider sales tax. I can buy factory S&B or PPU, which works OK for me, for $24 a box. Local farm store has Remington brand 270 for $27. I'm not sure it's worth reloading 270 to save $4-$7 a box.

In my opinion this is short sightedness from a manufacture/supplier standpoint. Yes, money is being made now but they are not going to build a future market at this rate. I've been reloading since the early 70s and will continue to do so for odder calibers as long as I can get components. But at some point the manufacturers/suppliers are going to have to replace me as a customer. That's not going to happen to save a couple dollars per box on ammo.

Yes, I know we're all loading ammo using components we bought in the last century. This summer loaded some 40 S&W using primers I paid $19/K, cast bullets from free wheel weights and and powder from an 8Lb jug of BE that had a price tag of <$100. Those prices are in the past.
 
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If you look strictly at the cost, it's not. Frankly, especially if I calculate in my time, for most common calibers I would be better served to just go to the store and buy what I need.

But, I have at least two rifles (a Mod. 70 featherweight '06 and my wife's Remington Mod. 7 in 260) that do not shoot factory ammo all that well.
Reloading for them has made them both "minute of angle" shooters.

That, plus the fact that calibers like 8 mm Rem magnum. 32-20, 375 win, etc. are very expensive (even if you do happen to find them on the shelf) is what justifies reloading for me.
 
when it comes to rifle rounds the cost is not what i look at, if i can load rounds the shoot bug holes and it cost more than factory so be it. I load 9mm and figure I save 2 cents over factory, however I shoot the weight my guns like and shoot a very accurate JHP bullet.
After shooting something that is accurate and makes bug holes, it just isn't fun shooting a shotgun pattern on paper.
I might not save a lot of money but I enjoy my time at the bench and make ammo that's fun to shoot..
 
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There are several ways to look at handloading and I suppose cost is a factor for some. Others see it as an offshoot hobby of shooting and/or hunting.

Looking at it only from a cost saving perspective, one misses out on the fascinating load development aspect. That person may make ammunition, but lacking creativity, it's only a big chore and the end product may not be any better or more accurate than ready-made commercial ammunition.

I expect something much better and take great satisfaction in using my own ammunition that, almost always, in about sixty years of handloading shoots more accurately than the products that come from ammunition factories.

Many seem to have little interest in accuracy these days and are quite content to remain at the mercy of big ammunition producers, but that's their choice, though a dull one it is. Yet, if the interest isn't there, buying ammo is the best alternative.

Saving money by handloading? Maybe, but there is so much more to a fascinating pasttime that many miss out on. 9mm is often mentioned as not being "worth it" to handload. That might be true if you look at the money angle only. However, your own ammo, if properly developed will generally shoot much more accurately.
 
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Either way, you are still consuming powder, primers, and bullets. Since it's a relatively small group of manufacturers they don't really lose any sales regardless of how you get your ammo.

I still contend the sales of reloading supplies is more or less an afterthought to the manufacturers. We're here to suck up their excess production. When they don't have any, we don't get any.
 
This is a good observation:

"In my opinion this is short sightedness from a manufacture/supplier standpoint. Yes, money is being made now but they are not going to build a future market at this rate."

The manufacturers and retailers are being very short-sighted right now in respect to the neglect they are showing towards handloaders. By its very nature, folks who take up handloading are shooters committed to their long term interest in firearms and shooting sports. By profiteering off of new shooters, and focusing all of their efforts towards a gluttonous appetite for 9mm and 5.56 ammo, they are alienating the long-term serious shooters who have been their steady and reliable customer base for decades. At some point, though, the current market will be saturated, or, like all fads, those newbies will move on to something else.
As others have pointed out, handloading is not just about saving a few bucks, but a rewarding pastime in its own right. It's not uncommon for a serious handloader to have multiple dedicated presses, workbenches and storage, not to mention a workroom specifically intended for their endeavors. The investment runs into the thousands of dollars. But, it's all for nothing if the components to feed this are not readily available, and for sensible prices.
In the meantime, I'm beyond fed up and tired of their greed, and ingratitude.
 
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Unless you shoot cast bullets or -ALOT- of jacketed, reloading can sometimes be a false economy.


What it lacks in financial return it makes up for freedom.

When you reload, you own the ammo factory.

To put that in perspective, think about what you would do if you owned the magazine factory, or the receiver factory; thats what you do when you own the factory.

Reloading: Because Uncle Sam can't seize what he doesn't know you made.
 
You can't really blame the manufacturers. They're in business to sell product. 5.56 and 9mm are selling, .257 Roberts is not. They're going to make what is selling in the largest volume. And their costs have gone up just like everything else. The days of $.01 primers are gone.

All that said, handloading for me is about getting what I want in my loads. I don't load 9mm, because it's not worth the time to me for the savings for guns that basically just shoot 'bulk' ammo. For my .38s, .357s, .44s and .45s I reload so I can get just what I want for the particular gun, and those calibers have a higher cost delta so there's some savings as well.
 
During a period of time when I was in temporary housing, all my reloading tools and components were packed in boxes. I figured that was a good time to see how much I missed the reloading part of the gun and shooting hobby. Well, I missed it bad… so bad that in my current home, I built and dedicated a room specifically for the hobby. As noted above, my rifle reloads shoot to my specifications and not what some ammo manufacturer thinks I need. Granted, I do buy 9mm and 40 cal because reloading those calibers is a wash and not worth my time. That brass goes in my brass bucket and once a year I take it to the scrap yard and get back about $2 a pound. Hot summer and cold winter days are a good time to make ammo for upcoming range sessions and fall hunting use. I also take an annual safari to prairie dog land where I shoot several varmint calibers which are wildcats and no factory ammo is available.
 
I started reloading in 1967 and never did it to save money .
I reload to custom tailor my ammo to my needs ... there was one point in time when I went into local gun shop and his shelves were bare of ammo and reloading components ... I couldn't buy ammo that day ... but I could go home , cast bullets and load all the ammo I wanted .
Not being dependent on a Government that may outlaw the manufacture of ammo with the stroke of a pen or a manufacturer dependent on the laws and subject to shortages ... is a priceless thing to posess .
I have made it a point to have bullet moulds and reloading dies and supplies to load ammo for Every Firearm I Own ... and the peace of mind that brings is priceless .

And Casting & Reloading are my hobbies and I realy enjoy doing it ... golf , tennis and pickle ball suck rocks ... Lets go shooting or hunting
Gary
 
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gwpercle said:
I started reloading in 1967 and never did it to save money .
I reload to custom tailor my ammo to my needs ... there was one point in time when I went into local gun shop and his shelves were bare of ammo and reloading components ... I couldn't buy ammo that day ... but I could go home , cast bullets and load all the ammo I wanted .
Not being dependent on a Government that may outlaw the manufacture of ammo with the stroke of a pen or a manufacturer dependent on the laws and subject to shortages ... is a priceless thing to posess .
I have made it a point to have bullet moulds and reloading dies and supplies to load ammo for Every Firearm I Own ... and the peace of mind that brings is priceless .

And Casting & Reloading are my hobbies and I realy enjoy doing it ... golf , tennis and pickle ball suck rocks ... Lets go shooting or hunting
Gary
Click to expand...

Good post.
 
Reloader's have different reasons to load. Some do it to save money, some do it for precision rifle ammo, some do it because as a hobby like wood working and some do it because factory ammo may not be available in the future. I think all of those are valid reasons, so just comparing the cost to load to what's on the shelf isn't a consideration for many reloaders. It isn't for me.

Things are changing at lightning speed in the firearms/ammo industry. Component costs are going into the stratosphere, ammo availability isn't a sure thing anymore and laws are being passed to put dealers out of business in some states, which is happening here.

In the last year I know 3 businesses locally that closed because of legislation to put FFL license holders out of business. The last legislation was bill 5078 that passed this spring. Businesses are now losing their insurance coverage because of it. All of the small businesses here are going under.
 
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In 1975 I started casting .38 Wadcutters since I was not happy with the commercial bullets available at the time. Within a few years I was making boolits for every gun in the safe. My lead handloads for .223 up to 30-06 and 8mm beat factory ammo.

After a few boxes I figure my brass is free. The half ton of lead wheel weights I got were almost free (OK, I admit it was last century), so all my boolits are free.

My reloading costs are no where near factory ammo cost. Even at current outrageous primer and powder costs. Lead ingots ARE still available, so even if I add homemade bullet cost I'm still ahead.

Regardless of cost, it's just too much fun.
 
rockquarry said:
There are several ways to look at handloading and I suppose cost is a factor for some. Others see it as an offshoot hobby of shooting and/or hunting.

Looking at it only from a cost saving perspective, one misses out on the fascinating load development aspect. That person may make ammunition, but lacking creativity, it's only a big chore and the end product may not be any better or more accurate than ready-made commercial ammunition.

I expect something much better and take great satisfaction in using my own ammunition that, almost always, in about sixty years of handloading shoots more accurately than the products that come from ammunition factories.

Many seem to have little interest in accuracy these days and are quite content to remain at the mercy of big ammunition producers, but that's their choice, though a dull one it is. Yet, if the interest isn't there, buying ammo is the best alternative.

Saving money by handloading? Maybe, but there is so much more to a fascinating pasttime that many miss out on. 9mm is often mentioned as not being "worth it" to handload. That might be true if you look at the money angle only. However, your own ammo, if properly developed will generally shoot much more accurately.
Click to expand...

It took me a lot of years to realize that extreme accuracy is not a requirement for most hunting and general shooting unless you are trying to hit prairie dogs at 250+ yards. Some of the guys I have hunted with over the years that have always gotten the most animals of all types would have trouble hitting a gallon jug at 150 yards most of the time unless shooting from a rest; and even then still had some trouble.
I have read that the famed African hunter W. D. M. Bell fell into this category. He had trouble shooting 100 yard groups less than 5 or 6 inches, but he could do it with regularity, day in-day out under nearly any circumstences.
A gun/load/shooter combination (centerfire) that will keep most shots inside 2 1/2” at 100 yards will kill lots of big game out to almost 300 yards with regularity if the shooter does his part.
I like really nice accuracy as much as most people, but I am no longer willing to invest much time or money in squeezing the utmost out of my guns.
Same goes for handguns.
I have cut my shooting back so much that I am considering selling my Dillon progressive press and going back to my old Rock Chucker single stage because with the single stage I can load enough ammo in a couple of hours to last me for months.
 
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Reloading has always been more of a labor of love. Yes, in the early 70's, it was a cost saving venture, since I was operating on a shoestring budget. However, that evolved into an ability to tailor loads to a particular rifle, where otherwise you might have to be lucky enough to find a particular lot of factory ammo that shoots well and run around buying up every round you can find of that lot number. Finally, now I want to be independent, I can no longer depend on finding what I want, when I want, at anything close to the price I want, particularly in California. Fortunately, I believe that I saw what was coming and bought enough to reload until my grandchildren are old, at twentieth century prices.
 
If all I used were common calibers and my usage was limited to a hunting season with maybe a range trip per year I would probably not bother with reloading.

However, I use over a dozen calibers (rifle and handgun) including several that were discontinued decades ago, and others for which production is so limited that prices are ridiculously high. For many years my uses included CMP service rifle competition, PPC competition, hunting (multiple small and large game), plus recreational shooting.

I own several firearms purchased new over 40 years ago that have never been fired with factory ammo. Other firearms were manufactured from 150 years ago to the 1930s.

I have reloaded just about everything over the past 50 years, purchasing very little factory ammo. I cast bullets in common and obscure calibers. I have come to enjoy reloading every bit as much as the shooting sports, and I can no longer imagine being involved in one without the other.

Economy, necessity, independence from commercial sources, pursuing personal interests, all of these factor into the decision for me.
 
gwpercle said:
I started reloading in 1967 and never did it to save money .
I reload to custom tailor my ammo to my needs ... there was one point in time when I went into local gun shop and his shelves were bare of ammo and reloading components ... I couldn't buy ammo that day ... but I could go home , cast bullets and load all the ammo I wanted .
Not being dependent on a Government that may outlaw the manufacture of ammo with the stroke of a pen or a manufacturer dependent on the laws and subject to shortages ... is a priceless thing to posess .
I have made it a point to have bullet moulds and reloading dies and supplies to load ammo for Every Firearm I Own ... and the peace of mind that brings is priceless .

And Casting & Reloading are my hobbies and I realy enjoy doing it ... golf , tennis and pickle ball suck rocks ... Lets go shooting or hunting
Gary
Click to expand...

Exactly. Am still reloading for 9mm, as long as Win 115 gn hbfmj bullets are available for less than the loaded version (If they even make the Q4172 with this bullet anymore). The time/effort/expense are worth it for a load that is very accurate in every 9mm owned.
 
It is, and it isn't.
If you're talking about 115 grain FMJ 9MM or similar weeds of the ammo field ... then no. At least not much past load development.
Now if you're talking about some flavor of high performance special collection HP load ... completely different story
 
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