novalty
Member
Not withstanding any crisis, I would say you have just under a year to do so. My focus in this time will be primers and rifle bullets--since I don't cast for rifle.
Can you save money reloading??
- Thread starter roscoepc
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Not withstanding any crisis, I would say you have just under a year to do so. My focus in this time will be primers and rifle bullets--since I don't cast for rifle.
fredj338
Member
Primers, primers, primers. I can scavenge powder if needed, cast for all my pistols & some rifles, even swage my own 223 bullets. You need to have primers though, no really effective way to make your own.
In a true shtf, you could break down other calibers you have no guns for & scavenge all the components, including primers.
I've been known to be able to keep beating a horse that is clearly dead......so here goes........
Whether one "saves money" or not is dependent (as others have said) about how you value your time; including what you do and do not like to do with that time.
I tend to find the activities in my life fall into one of three categories:
a. I HATE doing the activity so much I will GLADLY pay to have it done. Changing the oil in my car is the example for me. I've never done it and I never will. I not only have no interest, I have negative interest. It sounds like a royal pain and I'd hate doing it.
b. I TOLERATE doing the activity. I don't want to pay someone so I'm willing to do it. Mowing the lawn fits this category for me. I'd feel guilty paying someone. And when it's done I feel good that I did it. But when I look outside to see if it needs mowing I fundamentally approach it from the standpoint of justifying why it can wait another day.
c. I LOVE doing the activity. Taking vacations. Loading ammo. Going to the range. All of these fit into this category.
Would I save money if I did activities in category a? Sure. But the pain is so great that savings is not worth it to me.
Would I "lose money" if I paid for items in category b? Sure. But putting up with tolerating it is better than losing the money I would to pay someone to do it.
Both reloading and shooting itself fall into category c. Reloading gives me the ability to do more of *2* things that I love to do. My time spent doing loading I don't see as a "cost"; I see it as a "joy". So I very much see reloading as "saving money" - in that I can shoot a lot more than I could otherwise as well as it entertains me.
OR
Whether one "saves money" or not is dependent (as others have said) about how you value your time; including what you do and do not like to do with that time.
I tend to find the activities in my life fall into one of three categories:
a. I HATE doing the activity so much I will GLADLY pay to have it done. Changing the oil in my car is the example for me. I've never done it and I never will. I not only have no interest, I have negative interest. It sounds like a royal pain and I'd hate doing it.
b. I TOLERATE doing the activity. I don't want to pay someone so I'm willing to do it. Mowing the lawn fits this category for me. I'd feel guilty paying someone. And when it's done I feel good that I did it. But when I look outside to see if it needs mowing I fundamentally approach it from the standpoint of justifying why it can wait another day.
c. I LOVE doing the activity. Taking vacations. Loading ammo. Going to the range. All of these fit into this category.
Would I save money if I did activities in category a? Sure. But the pain is so great that savings is not worth it to me.
Would I "lose money" if I paid for items in category b? Sure. But putting up with tolerating it is better than losing the money I would to pay someone to do it.
Both reloading and shooting itself fall into category c. Reloading gives me the ability to do more of *2* things that I love to do. My time spent doing loading I don't see as a "cost"; I see it as a "joy". So I very much see reloading as "saving money" - in that I can shoot a lot more than I could otherwise as well as it entertains me.
OR
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Reminds me.....
I got into high end Hi Fi and visited a forum of enthusiasts. After a while I started getting a funny feeling. I asked how much they spent on their systems, home theaters, etc. I was told that entry level was around $30,000. I slunk away.
I got into high end Hi Fi and visited a forum of enthusiasts. After a while I started getting a funny feeling. I asked how much they spent on their systems, home theaters, etc. I was told that entry level was around $30,000. I slunk away.
Wee Hooker
Member
Calculus??? Oh Man, here come those recurring dreams of still not being able to find my math class by the 2nd week of college again :-(
I need to go reload for therapy now.
Well, I've always had expensive hobbies......
I've alway had expensive hobbies, art (materials are outrageous) photography (back when there was film and prints. Now THAT was where you could always use an accessory, new lens for every occasion. We also pursued music which considering that we only made about $500 our whole lives plus the sacrifices for other activities was really expensive. I like reloading as a hobby where I can recoup some some of my expenditures. The more you shoot, the more you save.
I've alway had expensive hobbies, art (materials are outrageous) photography (back when there was film and prints. Now THAT was where you could always use an accessory, new lens for every occasion. We also pursued music which considering that we only made about $500 our whole lives plus the sacrifices for other activities was really expensive. I like reloading as a hobby where I can recoup some some of my expenditures. The more you shoot, the more you save.
I believe that you can save money by reloading.
With respect to the rifle cartridges that I shoot in my F class rifles, I can tailor the rounds to get the sub MOA performance that I need.
Back to handgun reality, I can save money on my every day ammo and match ammo, especially if I am casting my own bullets. Based on my old recipes and current prices, I can load a box of 38 WC for about $2. A box of 45 SWC would work out to about $2.25. My 357s and 41 (loaded comparable to a 41 special, if one existed) will cost about $2.75. If I did a box of 9mm 124 hardcast truncated cone bullets, the cost is under $2.25. I don't factor in the cost of equipment, since these purchased about 30 years ago, and I have reloaded over 200,000 rounds. Quality equipment lasts!
With respect to the rifle cartridges that I shoot in my F class rifles, I can tailor the rounds to get the sub MOA performance that I need.
Back to handgun reality, I can save money on my every day ammo and match ammo, especially if I am casting my own bullets. Based on my old recipes and current prices, I can load a box of 38 WC for about $2. A box of 45 SWC would work out to about $2.25. My 357s and 41 (loaded comparable to a 41 special, if one existed) will cost about $2.75. If I did a box of 9mm 124 hardcast truncated cone bullets, the cost is under $2.25. I don't factor in the cost of equipment, since these purchased about 30 years ago, and I have reloaded over 200,000 rounds. Quality equipment lasts!
Reloading Economics
When I started this foolishness called reloading, there $10 per week in the shooting budget. So I spent a year's worth of ammo money, bought a RockChucker, scale, ...... , ............... , and set of dies. The Lyman 45th Reloading Manual showed cast bullet data. Factory bullets were $6.50 per 100, but cast bullets could be had for free (well almost free). I'm now sliding down the slippery slope of saving by casting bullets.
This kind of logic has continued unabated for 40 years. I used to shoot 500 + rounds per week without a second thought. For about 5 years I bought 3 boxes of .224" diameter bullets every payday all winter long to have enough ammo to shoot prairie dogs in the summer (10 hour drive one way).
I conclude that you don't save money, but you shoot more within your budget, or you buy another gun with your "savings". In the end the money is all gone, you have a pile of empty brass, lots of stuff, and IF you are really lucky there are the memories and photographs.
When I started this foolishness called reloading, there $10 per week in the shooting budget. So I spent a year's worth of ammo money, bought a RockChucker, scale, ...... , ............... , and set of dies. The Lyman 45th Reloading Manual showed cast bullet data. Factory bullets were $6.50 per 100, but cast bullets could be had for free (well almost free). I'm now sliding down the slippery slope of saving by casting bullets.
This kind of logic has continued unabated for 40 years. I used to shoot 500 + rounds per week without a second thought. For about 5 years I bought 3 boxes of .224" diameter bullets every payday all winter long to have enough ammo to shoot prairie dogs in the summer (10 hour drive one way).
I conclude that you don't save money, but you shoot more within your budget, or you buy another gun with your "savings". In the end the money is all gone, you have a pile of empty brass, lots of stuff, and IF you are really lucky there are the memories and photographs.
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