Does loading .38 spl make sense for me?

[Jingles]

I've been reloading about 40 years. For the first 30 or so I used a single-stage Rockchucker. When I retired I bought myself a progressive loader, added a case feeder and a few other gizmos - best thing I ever did.

I reload 400 - 500 rounds a week so I disagree with those saying there is no cost savings. Probably 90% of my loading is .38 special. About every six months I switch over and do runs of .357, .44 mag and .45LC. Here in CA we have gone through several year-long ammo shortages but I always found components to roll my own.

I'm not one of those guys who find it an enjoyable hobby - more of a chore that isn't all that bad. I have convinced my wife that I am saving so much money reloading that I can buy more guns.

 

[nachogrande]

MONEY $$$$

YES app 2500$ or so into it now. IF I had paid full retail prices on all the ammo I have made in 35ish years, I could probly buy a very nice new truck, with that $.

 

[S&W Rover]

I like this thread a lot. It captures a lot of what I think about reloading. I reload more, thus I shoot more, but sometimes I can't remember if I reload to shoot, or shoot so I can reload.

Best is making ammo for specific purposes that can't be met with readily available commercial ammo. A very light .38 Special load (2.2 grains Trail Boss) under 148 grain HBWC makes long shooting sessions with an Airweight J frame enjoyable while building skill with a hard platform to master. 9.5 grains of PowerPistol under 125 grain JHPs make for a .357 round with basketball-sized blasts that are a hoot to shoot - and accurate. Etc. I'm a fan of lead bullets in particular for their accuracy across a range of loadings...

 

[walnutred]

Remember the ammo shortages that seem to happen every 4 years or so? I don't because I've been reloading since the early 70's. To me factory ammo is simply a source of brass. I reload some odd stuff, 8x56R for example, and some stuff others don't bother with, 38 Special and 9x19 for example. For me it's as much a much a matter of having the ammo available when I want it as it is about cost. Plus, I reload or cast when the weather or time does not justify going to the range. I predict that if you start reloading, within a year your shooting will go from 300 rds per year to twice that.

 

[daddy bear]

I have had reloading equipment since the seventies. I have dies for most of the calibers that I own. I only load for the ones that I have to for reasons of ammo availability or bullet choice. .218 Bee and .219 Zipper, because factory fodder is not usually available and if it is, costs run near $100 a box of fifty for the 218 and half that or more for twenty 219s. I load .243 for bullet choice. Same for .44 Special and Magnum. I have components and dies, but I have never assembled any 9.3x62 ammo. Not sure why I have that caliber, but it is there if I need it.

The rest are back ups for hard times. I don't shoot much for recreation anymore, it is just nice to have the supplies on hand if factory ammo gets scarce.

My gun room is well stocked with factory ammo for numerous other calibers for rifle and handgun as well as shot shells.

Jack

 

[joeintexas]

I actually do enjoy the reloading process. Being retired it is one of the things that I can look forward to doing and not have to hurry through. I like making different loads and experimenting a little, plus my oldest son has a .222 triple deuce which is a bear to find ammo for, reloading answered that problem. As for saving, per round yes. Overall probably not so much as you do tend to shoot a bunch more. So do your kids, neighbors, cousins you didn't know you had....

 

[kbm6893]

If you like to shoot your firearms then handload.

If you are so broke that purchasing $50.00 worth of ammo 3 or 4 times a year is a financial hardship, handloading is not for you. I don't mean to be a jerk, but as a few other posters have stated, just asking the question "if handloading would sense" means to me that it doesn't.

As far as getting pleasure out of the activity, handloading is not for everyone and there is nothing romantic about it. The common "wisdom" among shooters that reloading ammo saves a ton of money is simply not true. But if you want to enjoy handloading as a hobby the best way to ensure that you do is to gather good tools right from the start. As with everything, you get what you pay for.

I have said it many times, some will argue that I'm wrong, but to get started in this endeavor you will need at a minimum an investment of $500.00 however $1,000.00 is not out of the question.

Someone will respond to this with a detailed post giving prices at the $250.00 level or proclaim buy used but when you add up all of the things needed to put together a reloading bench even $500.00 is really not enough. It is of course true that you can buy such and such *ee kit for $150.00 but that is not everything you need, probably most of what is in the kit is not what you want and 2 months into the hobby you will have spent more money on common hardware (nuts and bolts and lighting and storage) for your bench than the cost of that kit.

For .38 special alone: $130 for 1000 rounds vs $400 factory. $270 saved for every thousand. So 4000 rounds later at $1000 spent (and I surely didn't spend that much) and you're even.

If you shoot 1000 rounds a year (light shooter) for 4 years you're even. And every year after that you're way ahead.

For 9MM: $130 per thousand of your reloads vs $190 for factory. That's now. Today. After Newtown, 9MM practice ammo nearly doubled. I remember $18 a box of 50 at Walmart. So $360 factory vs $130 for reloads. And waiting in line hoping they even had it. Then losing it because the guy in front of you had his 5 family member with him and they bought all 15.

Reloading does save you. No law saying you HAVE to shoot more. Some do. I shoot more. But not twice the amount more.

Buy 8 pounds of your powder and you can load 16,000 .38 special. Pick up a brick of primers here and there and bullets too. You're immune from whatever comes next. And that's the biggest reason to reload.

 

[BE Mike]

Quality reloading equipment retains most of its value, although used. It isn't like a car where the value keeps dropping each year.

 

[dogdoc]

When the dems take back over , ammo will dry up. Have plenty of components and will not be caught with my pants down again .reload!!

 

[mi2600]

If I remember correctly, the OP already reloads shotgun so he is familiar with reloading in many respects and may have some of the basic tools.
Reloading for one or two calibers may or not save money. It's when you reload for several diverse calibers or for some of the "obsolete" calibers that it becomes financially beneficial.

 

[Protocall_Design]

It also saves money if you shoot a lot of ammo.

 

[TAROMAN]

If you want anything more than the ubiquitous 125 grain plinking loads, it does.

 

[BC38]

I probably don't shoot more than 300-400 rounds a month average right now, but I still reload. 380, 9mm, 38 special, 357 magnum, 44 special, 44 magnum, 45acp, & 45 Colt.

I like being able to spend a day a the range shooting 300 or 400 rounds and knowing that the ammo only cost me $50-$60 instead of $150-$200.

I've got what I need to load almost 30k rounds but I'm still buying components when I find a good deal on them.

Eventually I'll be fully retired and I'll have more time to shoot and to reload. By the time I get there I want make sure I have enough components to be able to load and shoot to my heart's content for the rest of my days.

It's also really cool to be able to load things like 38 special +P power in a 357 magnum case. Makes shooting 357 snubbies a lot more fun.

 

[jcelect]

Cost?

Here is a picture of my reloading bench! Please do not ask "How much money is in that picture"! First of all, I don't know! Second, the cost was spread over 40 years of use/buying on that bench! In the back ground you will see die heads for the Dillon press for all the revolver calibers and a few auto calibers(shot in revolvers). I have the ability to produce ANY bullet/powder combination I want and also have produced bottle neck rounds for revolvers in 22 caliber by manufacturing the brass which can not be purchased in any store! A store bought round is nothing but brass to me. In the past, me and my wife shot in competition and we were shooting about 10,000 rounds a year in practice and competition. Reloading will become a PITA or a life long hobby for you!
jcelect

 

[kbm6893]

The cost of getting started was negated by the fact that nearly every piece of my equipment was a birthday, Christmas, or anniversary present. Gotta have something to open, might as well make it something that I'm still gonna have 20 years from now. I have a box full of outdated tablets and computer equipment in my garage. My reloading stuff will never go bad.

 

[RGVshooter]

A buddy of mine handed me a box of 500 170gr Elmer Keith SWC's.....FREE!

I have plenty of supplies accumulated in my workshop, Primers, powder, free range brass. Loading up 500 rounds of these bad boys will probably cost me penny's per round.

How much would 500 rounds of 38 special at the store will cost ya? Don't forget, bullets don't grow on trees and you're going to always go back to the store to buy more. Investing in a press will pay off if you shop around for the best prices on reloading supplies and build up a friend base to share/trade with helps a lot as well.
Besides, with reloading you can load ammo that will best fit your needs/purpose much better and cheaper than any commercially available ammo over the counter.

 

[Gryff]

If you only shoot 300-500 rounds a year, then the cost of getting into reloading is probably far more than you'll spend on factory ammo. You don't start really saving through reloading until you are willing to buy your components in bulk (4 or 8lbs of powder at a time, 1000 to 3000 bullets at a time, etc.). It makes a lot more financial sense if you shoot at least a case of ammo a year.

I reload .38 Special for competition using HP38 and Bayou bullets. Per round cost is $0.13, but the real benefit is that I get to design my loads to achieve the ballistics that I desire.

 

[BC38]

A buddy of mine handed me a box of 500 170gr Elmer Keith SWC's.....FREE!

Hope you at least bought him a beer in return - that's a nice thing to give someone. A box of even the cheapest cast lead 357 pills is $40 or more (including things like shipping and/or tax).

 

[BE Mike]

The cost of getting started was negated by the fact that nearly every piece of my equipment was a birthday, Christmas, or anniversary present. Gotta have something to open, might as well make it something that I'm still gonna have 20 years from now. I have a box full of outdated tablets and computer equipment in my garage. My reloading stuff will never go bad.

Many people won't think twice about buying the latest iPhone for $950.00 that will be replaced next year, but won't spend the same money for a first class reloading setup.

 

[Al W.]

Reloading saves once the investment has been made.
Its nice to know that you are in control and can produce what you need at a more reasonable cost.
Its also a kind of fun and if your inclined to taking pleasure in precision you may find that you enjoy the process.
Perhaps almost as much as the shooting it self.