Can you save money reloading??

[fredj338]

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

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

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

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

Then pay someone to shoot for you? Your time developing your shooting skills is just wasted when you can pay someone like me to shoot for you right?
Yeah kinda ridiculous huh. Still glad you have taken up reloading. I have been at it for almost 40yrs now, & I do feel reloading in general is work anymore, not unlike cleaning my guns. I do it because I have to not because I love it. Why I use good tools to make the task easier & faster. I get to shoot for a lot less than others & that lets me shoot more or maybe travel to shoot in competitions I normally could not afford to shoot in.

 

[rwsmith]

And the best part.......

Don't forget the girl in the bikini running down the beach with her hands waving in the air saying, "My man reloads his own ammo!"

 

[Engineer1911]

^^^^^ Thread Drift ! ! ! ^^^^^

 

[rwsmith]

Well, deep inside....

^^^^^ Thread Drift ! ! ! ^^^^^

Well, deep inside isn't that why most of us reload? it's even better than knowing calculus.

 

[Krell1]

I posted before but came back to read more of the posts.

For me, what my time may be worth is a non-issue. If I pay for factory ammo in .45ACP, I compute that I can reload 4 times as much for the money. That means I'll go shooting 4 times a month instead of once. The cost of my reloading equipment has more than paid for itself and I don't go overboard buying more expensive equipment.

 

[WVSig]

Then pay someone to shoot for you? Your time developing your shooting skills is just wasted when you can pay someone like me to shoot for you right?
Yeah kinda ridiculous huh. Still glad you have taken up reloading. I have been at it for almost 40yrs now, & I do feel reloading in general is work anymore, not unlike cleaning my guns. I do it because I have to not because I love it. Why I use good tools to make the task easier & faster. I get to shoot for a lot less than others & that lets me shoot more or maybe travel to shoot in competitions I normally could not afford to shoot in.

Sorry but that is an illogical statement which is nothing but a strawman argument. If one considered shooting to be a job then one might pay someone else to do it for them. If one enjoys the act of firing a gun then the only way to get that joy is the actually shoot the gun. So you can see why your statement is a strawman. It is poorly constructed argument which does not represent my position.

What I have stated is that if you consider the act of reloading a chore or work and do not enjoy or can make more money in your spare time then reloading saves you, think Uber, then it makes sense to consider paying someone else to load your ammo for you. To take your example further if you did not like cleaning your guns and you make enough $$ it might be worth it to have someone else do it for you. Kind of like I can change the oil in my car cheaper than I can pay the shop but I choose the easier route because there is no joy in changing a cars oil for me. For others they might feel differently.

Whenever this topic comes up it does not matter what board it is on people defend the economics are reloading never consider all the economic factors that go into the process. Time and space dedicated to reloading being 2 of the biggest factors which are ignored. Most people account for their equipment to some extent.

Also reloading in your example really does not save you any money. You state "I get to shoot for a lot less than others & that lets me shoot more or maybe travel to shoot in competitions I normally could not afford to shoot in." So in reality you are not saving $$$ you are shooting more. For example buying factory ammo with a monthly budget of say $300 you might only be able to go to 2 matches but by reloading you are able to go to 4 for that same $300. So I have to ask at the end of the month did you really save any money?

For me again it is not about saving money it is about better ammo, more variety of ammo and act of reloading. With that said I know the exact round, without factoring in $$$ for time, that paid off my equipment. It took about 7 months and 4500 rounds of 9mm/45 ACP and 38Spl. YMMV

 

[fredj338]

Sorry but that is an illogical statement which is nothing but a strawman argument. If one considered shooting to be a job then one might pay someone else to do it for them. If one enjoys the act of firing a gun then the only way to get that joy is the actually shoot the gun. So you can see why your statement is a strawman. It is poorly constructed argument which does not represent my position.

Whenever this topic comes up it does not matter what board it is on people defend the economics are reloading never consider all the economic factors that go into the process. Time and space dedicated to reloading being 2 of the biggest factors which are ignored. Most people account for their equipment to some extent.

Also reloading in your example really does not save you any money. You state "I get to shoot for a lot less than others & that lets me shoot more or maybe travel to shoot in competitions I normally could not afford to shoot in." So in reality you are not saving $$$ you are shooting more. For example buying factory ammo with a monthly budget of say $300 you might only be able to go to 2 matches but by reloading you are able to go to 4 for that same $300. So I have to ask at the end of the month did you really save any money?

It's just as illogical as your argument of time & space. If your time is soooo valuable, you have no time for hobbies like shooting. I already addressed the issue of time, buy better gear. Space, seriously? I reloaded in a 24x36 coat closet in college, it doesn't take anymore space than that to have a perm mounted progressive setup. Those are really just excuses many use for doing something that scares the poop out of them. Fact, even factoring in time, I can save quite a bit vs buying even the cheapest factory ammo, any caliber.
And no, I am saving $$ on ever single round of ammo I shoot. How I choose to spend my "savings" is my business. Whether that is shooting more or traveling to diff venues to shoot or just taking the wife out for dinner or buying a new gun. FACT, I save on ever single round I reload vs factory.
I used to shoot far more than I do now. My gear was paid of decades ago, so reloading is allowing me to shoot more if I choose as I am saving $$ by reloading. Each IDPA match I go to expends about 150rds on avg. So my 45acp cost me $19.50 at todays prices. So my ammo cost me less than $20. if I bought the ammo, forget about tuning the ammo for what I want to do, that would cost me almost $57. So if I am pinching pennies, I get to shoot 2 matches for the cost of one. This isn't hard to understand at all. Even factoring in the 15 min it would take to make the 150rds, takes longer than that to get thru the line at wally.
BTW, I don't change my oil because total cost is just about what I pay to have it done. So spending an hour to do something for the same cost as paying someone is certainly not an efficient use of time. Reloading is like a part time job to me. No I don't enjoy it like I used to but the time spent vs $$ saved is a no brainer. Bottom line, unless you make upwards of $100/hr, you are making $$ reloading. At 600rds an hour, easily done on a 650, that represents a savings of $96 vs buying equiv factory 45acp. So I would have to make $120+/hr to gross that so I could buy the same 600rds. Or if I made $40/hr, I would have to work 3 hours to buy the ammo. So work 3 hours or reload for one hour??? So who which one of us isn't factoring in time??

 

[125JHP]

I certainly don't save any money by reloading !
I spend it all on more components so I can shoot more.
I even spend money when I don't have to just because I find a deal on something I can use in the future - after I shootup the ones I already have.
Then there is the money spent on new or upgraded gear that I wouln'thave had I not reloaded. No, I don't save a dime if I can help it!

 

[rwsmith]

Yeah, I don't just use it for 9mm and .38....

Everyone above has made some good points. I would like to add another thought. The amount of money you save is dependent on what kind of ammunition your loading. if you are duplicating cheap plinking ammo the amount you save will be less than if you are loading rounds that go for 35 dollars a box.

Try to find your press and scale used you will save a bunch. Buy bulk when you can and you will load more for less!

As others have said reloading is fun and educational. You will likely find it's your new favorite hobby!

.357 mag gets pretty expensive, but I've really made out on 30-06 shells. Besides, I make very light loads that you can't find for sale anywhere. I'll have to calculate the cost/round of rifle cartridges. If you have a hard to find caliber and want to shoot it more than two practice shots and one at the elephant, reloading is the ONLY way to go.

Lessee, a 150 gr spitzer costs about .25 cents. A dime for powder and a couple extra cents for a rifle primer. That comes to .40 to reload each which means 20 shells cost about 8 bucks where you can buy a box for about $22/20. That's less than half. I make a lot of the lighter loads that are about $6/box of 20. That's saving money

 

[fredj338]

Factory 404jeffery are about $5 each. I can load full power loads with a premium hunting bullet, tuned to my rifle, for right at $1. So the dies are less than a box of factory ammo. The savings on my practice ammo paid the air fair to South Africa for my hunt. Sure I could have bought a plain Jane 458, but the ammo isn't much cheaper.
I can resize 300gr 44mags & get cost down to 50c each. Yeah, I don't save any $$ reloading.

 

[WVSig]

It's a shame people get so emotional over bullets, brass and primers. In the end I believe that if you are being honest with yourself reloading is a hobby that like most most hobbies does not save you money in absolute terms. It instead reallocates resources like $$$, time & space so that one can shoot more which in a positive. It is easy to justify doing it not doing it by cherry picking your data set often treating the extreme as if it was the rule. Not everyone shoots exotic rounds so claiming savings from that type of reloading skews the data. I am not saying it does not apply to the individual but it is far from universal. All poodles are dogs not all digs are poodles. Clearly YMMV.

 

[X Ring]

I don't understand how anyone can say reloading doesn't save money it just allows me to shoot more. If you shoot more it will cost more for the factory ammo. So shooting more is saving money, per round fired, over factory.
Ammunition that is tailor made to function at its best in your firearm, can not be purchased form any factory at any price. If you contracted a ballistics lab to do it, it would cost much more than can be easily calculated. So, if comparing apples to apples reloading save large sums of money.
"Exotic" cartridges do not skew the data for the individual loading the those cartridges. That person is saving money.
Low cost 9mm ammo that cost about $10 a box can be reloaded for about $5. Premium 44mag ammo that cost about $40 a box can be reloaded for less than $20.
There are those that will say you can make more money at work. That is not the point, the point is I am reloading ammo for much less money than I could buy it for.

 

[BE Mike]

Also reloading in your example really does not save you any money. You state "I get to shoot for a lot less than others & that lets me shoot more or maybe travel to shoot in competitions I normally could not afford to shoot in." So in reality you are not saving $$$ you are shooting more. For example buying factory ammo with a monthly budget of say $300 you might only be able to go to 2 matches but by reloading you are able to go to 4 for that same $300. So I have to ask at the end of the month did you really save any money?

For an example to counter your argument. A typical bullseye pistol shooter will shoot 180 rounds of .45 ACP match ammo in a match. Federal factory match ammo would cost $151.20 @ $42.00/ box, for the match. My reloads (being very conservative) would cost $18.00 @ $5.00/box for the match. As I said, unless someone is exceedingly wealthy, they wouldn't be able to afford to train or shoot matches to attain any high level of skill. Reloading really is a no brainer for those who compete and want to advance. In this case, it isn't whether or not you can save money reloading, but whether or not you can participate in competitive shooting. Having ammo that meets or exceeds factory ammo is a big plus and being able to tailor specific rounds for specific needs (i.e. hunting, self-defense, target shooting) is also a big plus. Searching for the right factory loading at gun shops or even on the internet can be time consuming and sometimes frustrating. So my answer is, "Yes, you will save money reloading!" The time factor is really a non-argument, as I could have reloaded a hundred rounds in the time I took typing this. If you spend time going to live entertainment/ sports, tv, drinking beer, on the computer/ smart phone, etc., you can re-budget you time and find time to reload. I also find it satisfying to shoot my own hand loaded ammo.

 

[Krell1]

Also reloading in your example really does not save you any money. You state "I get to shoot for a lot less than others & that lets me shoot more or maybe travel to shoot in competitions I normally could not afford to shoot in." So in reality you are not saving $$$ you are shooting more. For example buying factory ammo with a monthly budget of say $300 you might only be able to go to 2 matches but by reloading you are able to go to 4 for that same $300. So I have to ask at the end of the month did you really save any money?
YMMV

Huh???? Does he really save any money???? Sure he does!!! The point here is that, by reloading, he is able to go to 4 matches a month at a cost of $300 right? If he bought the ammo he could only go to 2 matches a month for the same money. If he buys factory ammo it would then cost him $600 to do the 4 matches. I may not be a math wizard but that seems to save him $300. AND, he gets to shoot twice as much.

Simple logic and simple math work for me.

 

[novalty]

116 Posts ...

 

[littleriver1]

A couple a years ago when I got in to reloading, 38 spc was $38.00 plus for a box of 50 and 9 MM was $28.00 plus, depending where you looked. All my equipment and the cases, primers, powder and bullets to make a1000 rounds of ammo cost me the price of buying a 1000 found of manufactured ammo. Besides, I like doing it. It's more fun than HGTV.

 

[fredj338]

It's a shame people get so emotional over bullets, brass and primers. In the end I believe that if you are being honest with yourself reloading is a hobby that like most most hobbies does not save you money in absolute terms. It instead reallocates resources like $$$, time & space so that one can shoot more which in a positive. It is easy to justify doing it not doing it by cherry picking your data set often treating the extreme as if it was the rule. Not everyone shoots exotic rounds so claiming savings from that type of reloading skews the data. I am not saying it does not apply to the individual but it is far from universal. All poodles are dogs not all digs are poodles. Clearly YMMV.

Its' not being emotional, that is reserved for weak kneed liberals, it's about facts & truth. Loading exotic or semi exotic rds certainly "saves" you more $$, but you can reload ANY caliber for a min of 50% of factory. Anytime I can save 50% for very little work, I am all over that.

 

[fredj338]

Huh???? Does he really save any money???? Sure he does!!! The point here is that, by reloading, he is able to go to 4 matches a month at a cost of $300 right? If he bought the ammo he could only go to 2 matches a month for the same money. If he buys factory ammo it would then cost him $600 to do the 4 matches. I may not be a math wizard but that seems to save him $300. AND, he gets to shoot twice as much.

Simple logic and simple math work for me.

OR, I can shoot just one match & guess what, my ammo is still 50% less. So I didn't shoot more, just paid less for what I did shoot. I don't know why this is so hard for some to follow.

 

[Rule3]

Don't forget the girl in the bikini running down the beach with her hands waving in the air saying, "My man reloads his own ammo!"

Where do I find one of these?

My Wife is "displeased I took over one of the "spare bedrooms" But heck she has the other one!

 

[rwsmith]

That's where my money has been going...

I certainly don't save any money by reloading !
I spend it all on more components so I can shoot more.
I even spend money when I don't have to just because I find a deal on something I can use in the future - after I shootup the ones I already have.
Then there is the money spent on new or upgraded gear that I wouln'thave had I not reloaded. No, I don't save a dime if I can help it!

I'm stockpiling components to last several years.