How can you reload for 3 or 4 cents a round?

[Drm50]

With powder bought for less than $10 lb. And primers at $7.50 a brick.
Living on edge of Rust Belt, lead & tin fairly easy to get free. Brass and
tools are not factored in.
When shooting is your main focus you tend to be on the lookout 24/7 for deals. Others who have other interests tend to buy components like milk and bread, when they are out.
So at 7000grs to the pound of $10 powder with .75@ primers and a free cast bullet one can shoot up a storm on the cheap. Did I mention over the years buying up brass from non loaders for pennies or sometimes free?

 

[max503]

Back about 40 some odd years ago I decided I was going to make my own ammo. That commercial stuff was just way too expensive. I've never figured the cost.
My mind is programmed to scrounge lead and cases. Lead is getting harder to find, but there is still enough out there to keep me going.

If you want to reload, do it. Forget the cost. It makes the difference between being a shooter or someone who owns a gun and shoots sometimes. Unless you are rich and you wife is clueless to your spending habits.

 

[max503]

Living on edge of Rust Belt, lead & tin fairly easy to get free.

How does living in Rust Belt make a difference?

 

[LoboGunLeather]

When I started reloading in 1972 many dealers stocked military surplus purchased in bulk, then sold in consumer quantities. Propellant powders were in barrels, dispensed by the pound, and carried home in paper bags or bring your own cans, typically about $2 per pound. Surplus primers were in wooden crates (probably 100,000 or more), sold by the thousand for about $4. Bullets shipped in barrels, then sold by the hundred.

Shotgun News carried ads from major suppliers shipping all over the country at very low prices. Powders that sold in the stores for $10 per pound could be had for $6. Primers that cost 4$9 per thousand retail could be had for $5 or $6.

I had two or three tire shops that I regularly visited to salvage used wheel weights. Spent some evenings on the police indoor range digging up the backstop areas, sifting out spent bullets, then replacing the sand for safe service. Salvaged lead plumbing from old buildings being demolished. Salvaged cast iron pot on a Coleman camp stove in the back yard, smelt, clean, pour into ingots (old muffin pan).

For .38 Spl, .45ACP, 9X19 I used to figure about $0.68 per box of 50 for primers and powder. That compared to $6 to $8 per box for new ammo.

Today, using primers and powders I stocked up on before the current crisis I figure about $2.50 to $3.00 per box of 50 (thus about 400% inflation over the past 50 years). That compares to $25 to $50 per box of new ammo (if you can find it).

When I run out of current supplies I will be back in the market for more powder and primers. My reloading costs will probably jump again, maybe triple or quadruple in cost. Even at that I'll still be shooting at half or less the cost of factory ammo.

The main point is that I am not totally dependent on ammo retailers and scalpers, and I can be pretty much assured of my supply. Throughout this crisis, and the last one, I have kept myself supplied as well as my two sons, several grandchildren, couple of brothers, and the occasional friend in desperate need.

 

[reddog81]

Primers today are $.10 a piece so that blows $.05 a round out of the water unless you already own them. If you already own primers the price you paid is almost irrelevant. Whether you bought primers for $.01 or $.03, they are worth $.10 today. You could sell them for that much and you'd be paying that much to replacing.

With all that said, $.04 would be hard even 4 years ago when retailers where running sales and manufacturers had rebates in order to move product. $.06 would have been possible but that's even 50% more than $.04.

People including supplies that they didn't pay for always seems weird. I've got wheel weights for free and powder for free and primers for free at various points over the years so I can reload for free!!!

 

[mtgianni]

I believe in the thread on 9 mm where this came up bullet cost was quoted as $0.03 not cartridge cost.

 

[Autonomous]

Five years ago, assuming you had the brass, .45 ACP was 13¢ a round with market price primers, powder and commercial coated bullets.
Ball ammo was ~ 35¢.

 

[dave1918a2]

I really don't care about cost of My reloads. I shoot a lot and I shoot what works in My guns. My hunting loads are tailored to My guns, My handgun loads are accurate and are cheap enough that I can still afford to shoot My 22's on occasion. And the 22's are the only ones I can buy 'off the shelf'.
P.S. My reloads average maybe 6-7 cents. Rifle, maybe 30 cents.

 

[Engineer1911]

4¢ reloads (9 MM, 38 Spl, 40 S&W, 45 ACP) are very easy to do. Clinton / Obama primers for $20 per thousand, powder $20 to $22 per pound, 3 to 5 grain powder charges, and Bob's cast lead bullets from the garage.

The biggest cost factor is the RCBS melting pot and Lee / Lyman molds bought 25+ years ago except for the new Lee 6-cavity molds bought pre-Covid. Pre-Covid, I bought all the powder and primers I saw at gun shows, gun shop sales, or internet deals. My inventory was "overstocked", now it is down to "lifetime supply" at age 74.

I discovered monthly 50 yard, 22 LR bench rest matches at the local outdoor range. That got expensive with good deals on quality 22 LR rifles. I can load 2 boxes of 45 ACP ammo for the price of 50 rounds of 22 LR rifle ammo.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

If you figure the cost of replacing today, the true value cost, of primers bought 10 years ago it is impossible to load anything for less than 10 cents, let alone 5.

Primers are my biggest expenditure mainly because I cast my own from range lead and WWs. Had about 100# of good scrap lead given to me two years ago so that helps too. On occasion I buy pure lead, now at $2/pound, for my BP guns and to add to WWs to bring the hardness down to about 12 BHN.

Buying commercial cast bullets is what for 158 gr 38 caliber? $40-50 per 500? That's 8-10 cent per. Haven't bought any in years. Jacketed are probably close to 50 cents each.

My standard target load of 3.5 gr of Bullseye will get 2000 loads per pound so even at $40/pd that's only 2 cents per load.
And new primers... well let's just call it a dime. We will figure brass as a gimmie.
So that's 8.5+2.5+10 = 21 cents per round hand loading with new components and already having brass and equipment on hand.

.21x50 = $10.50 for a box of 38 Special loads which is still a bargain.

The real pay of is when loading those hard to find calibers such as 32-20, 38-40, 45 Colt and the hard to find rifle calibers.

But I really miss the days of those 3 cent primers!

John

 

[drumminor2nd]

Here's a quick calculation that doesn't include free stuff for 9mm:

Powder and load: 3.6 gr Titegroup at $37.99 (Cabelas price two weeks ago). Thats over 1,900 shots per pound -- just under 2 cents per shot.
Bullet: Berry's plated 115gr 250 x $29.99 (Cabelas price two weeks ago), so a shade under 12 cents each. Casting will bring the price down -- 60 shots in a pound of lead, and $1-3 is the price of lead I've been seeing these days, so 1.7 to 5 cents each not counting maybe a penny or two per 100 shots for the electricity or propane.
Case: $121.50 for 3,000 once-fired from an online seller, times 3 for useful life (so 9,000 case-shots)
Primer: 8.9 cents each (price I saw on Midway this week was $89 per 1,000 and local shops that don't scam have been about the same)

Not counting tax or shipping, it comes to 24.2 cents per shot, $12.10 per box of 50. Multiply by your local sales tax rate, then 10% more for shipping for the "true" cost -- for me, about 26 cents per round if bought in person, or 28 cents shipped -- so $13-14 per box.

If using found range brass and $1 a pound cast bullets, you can drop that down to about $6.25 a box -- most of that price is the primers.

 

[Drm50]

How does living in Rust Belt make a difference?

Lead & Tin were used in heavy industry, mills and mines. Nobody bought lead or tin. Would be like selling snow balls to Eskimos. I've got several ton of lead and about half ton of tin.
* a cubic foot of lead weighs over 700lbs. Gold is over 1200lbs.
If you live where there was no industry you are going to have a hard time scraping up bullet metal. That dirty word "BUY" pokes it's head up.

 

[raljr1]

I think my average cost for primers in my stash is probably north of 12 cents each. I have a couple thousand 9 mm cases, and bullets are 11 cents so it probably costs me north of 25 cents each, still cheaper than I can buy them, at least for now. Meantime I use the primers for 357 and 38s instead. The economics are better.

 

[lrrifleman]

I started reloading in the mid-1970s. The company (Omark) that owned the company my dad worked for also owned Speer, CCI, and RCBS ... so we got our single stage press and dies (plus components) at the employee discount. In the late 1980s I discovered Dillon and bought a SQB, and upgraded to a 550B in the early 1990s. Having shot competitive Service Rifle for over 20 years, and dabbled in IHMSA and NRA 2700s for about 10 years using only handloaded ammunition, I feel that my reloading equipment has more than paid for itself ... so I don't even factor in the cost of my equipment.

In the early 2000s, I started casting my handgun bullets and laid in a generous supply of powder and primers. A fellow Kiwanian ran a junkyard, so I "purchased" a few hundred pounds of wheel weights. At the time I was shooting just 38 Special, 357 Magnum, a (light loaded) 41 Magnum, and 45 ACP. At that time, I could load a box of 38 Special for about $2.60, 357s and 41s for about $3.00, and 45s for about $3.25.

In 2007 I was in an accident that left me disabled, so I didn't shoot/reload/cast for about 7 years. I've been back to reloading since about 2014, and I'm just getting back into casting. All the while I still have a nice supply of 231, 296, BE, Unique, Red Dot, Blue Dot, AA7, Silhouette, RE19 (?), 2520, 4064, and 4895 and a few years worth of primers.

I've set myself up to handle polycoating (under a $60 investment) my bullets since I've gotten into GSSF matches. As such, my handgun ammo (at current prices) will run me about $9-10 a box, still cheaper than current factory ammo, plus the nice factor is, I'm still shooting when others aren't. I'm now able to reload: 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 9mm Luger, 380s, 357 Sig, 40 S&W, 41 Magnum, 44 Special and Magnum plus 45 ACP. Rifle-wise: 223 Rem, 224 Valkyrie, 25-35 Winchester, 270 Winchester, 7 Rem Mag, 308, 30-06, 30 Carbine, 40-65 and 45-70. I can also load my own 12 guage shells. Plus I have the ability to make my own percussion caps as long as I can stockpile roll caps, which seem to have disappeared!

An added benefit of shooting and working GSSF matches is that the Range Officers get to split the brass, since these are lost brass matches!

 

[socal s&w]

So, I'm guessing that all of you casters are getting free fuel to melt the lead for the bullets that you're casting? Seems to me that either electricity or propane/natural gas all cost money the last time I checked anyway. Unless you're cooking that lead using chopped wood, there is a cost. There is also a cost to clean your brass, no matter how little you clean it. That's not counting any extra lighting that you use to get the job done or fuel to pick up components.
I'm just pointing out that there are hidden costs that are not being properly presented and find it impossible, with those added costs included, to load a round of any kind for 4¢ per.

 

[marinevet]

I'm new to reloading, been doing it only about 1 1/2 years.......started when the price and the availability of ammo went way up.

I have plenty of .45, .40, 9 mm, .223.........the only thing I reload is .308......I load it for distance and precision........I can now buy good factory .308 for less than I have in reloading it. What I don't get with the factory ammo is the accuracy, and the precision I get with the hand loads.I will continue doing what I do with my .308 loads, and hopefully will continue to get better results as I learn more about what I am doing........

 

[.38SuperMan]

A month or so ago I finished up a brick of primers marked $24. I have a little old stick Bullseye remaining so you're looking at a couple of cents for powder. If I cast bullets myself from free lead I could have loaded for 4-5 cents per round.

When I got into reloading many decades ago primers were around $8/1000. I remember my dad buying them for around $6.50/1000. I think 231 and 540 powders were around $8/lb too.

Reloading is more costly now for sure but there's more to it for me than cost. I can Taylor the loads for my guns and how I'm going to use them. Even as expensive as components are now if you use lead bullets and look for the best prices on primers and powder you can reload cheaper than factory ammo.

 

[rosewood]

So, I'm guessing that all of you casters are getting free fuel to melt the lead for the bullets that you're casting? Seems to me that either electricity or propane/natural gas all cost money the last time I checked anyway. Unless you're cooking that lead using chopped wood, there is a cost. There is also a cost to clean your brass, no matter how little you clean it. That's not counting any extra lighting that you use to get the job done or fuel to pick up components.
I'm just pointing out that there are hidden costs that are not being properly presented and find it impossible, with those added costs included, to load a round of any kind for 4¢ per.

Most of what you listed is negligible in the cost calculation and dang near impossible to even measure to add to the cost. But you are correct, those are hidden cost.

Rosewood

 

[IAM Rand]

If you are starting from zero then you will not save money unless you load a lifetime of ammo. Even if you get a reloading station for free, you are going to go crazy with everything else you need to get to make your life easier. Reloading dies, powder scales, tools to measure COL, tools to measure headspace, tools to hold the tools.

Can you reload cheaper than you can buy? If you are thrifty, I believe you can. I think most to it because it is mostly relaxing and you can customize rounds to your particular gun. Hunter want more accuracy.

If there is a Reloader's Anonymous then please direct me to their website. I am now into casting my own bullets. I hope to stop there but...............

 

[glenwolde]

The first thing you do is step into the Wayback Machine.....

 

[jcelect]

Reloading to save money

Most of the posts talk about the popular calibers that today's shooters buy/shoot! There is an aspect too reloading that makes it possible for me to shoot. I shoot a lot of unusual calibers that many people never even heard of. 22 Jet, .256 Win Mag, .224 Harvey K-Chucker, 7mm TCU, and a couple more older calibers that are very difficult and expensive in today's LGS.
22 Jet ammo is about $100/50 and .256Win Mag is $150/50 when you can find it. The .224 K Chucker and 7mm TCU are wildcats so there is no price on the ammo. The brass for the K-Chucker and the 7mm TCU must be formed from other brass. I also form my .256 Win Mag brass from 22Jet brass, which is expensive, if you can find it! On my reloading bench I have a Dilllon 550B, 2 Herter's single stage and a Herter's Turret press (all of which would make good boat anchors), and a C-H 3 stage press. The Dillon handles all the modern pistol calibers, and the others handle all the pistol and rifle ammo. So, the cost of one round is not a factor I consider for my reloading!
jcelect

 

[lppd4]

Easy do it with components that were given to you. That's about the only way to get it done now. If you buy bullets you are looking at .08-.10 each primers used to be cheap so cheap I just factored high at .01 each. not the case anymore.

 

[GypsmJim]

If you are starting from zero then you will not save money unless you load a lifetime of ammo. Even if you get a reloading station for free, you are going to go crazy with everything else you need to get to make your life easier. Reloading dies, powder scales, tools to measure COL, tools to measure headspace, tools to hold the tools.

Can you reload cheaper than you can buy? If you are thrifty, I believe you can. I think most to it because it is mostly relaxing and you can customize rounds to your particular gun. Hunter want more accuracy.

If there is a Reloader's Anonymous then please direct me to their website. I am now into casting my own bullets. I hope to stop there but...............

Yeah, add it all up and you're spending a lot of money. Probably not worth it. But, then again, how can you put a price on personal satisfaction and enjoying a lifetime hobby? Buying cheap rounds over the counter at Wally just ain't real fun.

On the other hand a lot of my shooting is with a .357. I bought a Security Six brand new in 1972 for 85 bucks. Do why don't I simply shoot that thing over and over? I mean, what was I thinking spending $1200.00 for a pre-27? That was certainly not a cost-effective purchase.

 

[1sailor]

If you're reloading with supplies you bought years ago I can see where you may think it's only costing 3 or 4 cents per round. But really, that's only if you're not going to reload any more. Otherwise you need to consider that every time you fire off one of those 3 cent rounds you need to replace it with one that's going to cost considerably more. Fire off a hundred rounds that cost you $3 and you're going to spend $22 replacing them.

 

[jcelect]

Primers??????????????????

I just talked to a friend, and he said a LGS, 5mi from my house, is getting $12.95/100 for Fed Match Primers! That is $.1295/round before you even start to load your first round! How is it possible for a person just starting out in reloading to load his first 100 rounds and save money over factory ammo?
jcelect

 

[Protocall_Design]

Starting out, you don't save over factory. As time goes on, and the cost of equipment gets amortized over more and more rounds of ammo, you start saving. That's not the only thing to think about, though. If you reload, you can have ammo when many others don't have any. If you reload, you can make ammo to fit your wants and needs that you can't buy anywhere at any price.

 

[ajgunner]

I use bullets primers and powder I bought 15 years ago lol

Brass is pretty much free from friends, estates, and scrounged.
Bullets bought over the past 40 years (lots come from estates).
Primers bought new (stockpiled/hoarded) in the early 80's.
Powders bought new in the 80's and plenty of estate stuff going clear back to the 60's.

Don't think I can load anything for 3-4-5 cents, but I can get really close.

The best part is piece of mind, knowing I have what I need if/when I need it.

The next best part is knowing that none of this stuff will rot and go bad as long as I take care of it.

Every once in a while I open a new brick of primers and find the receipt inside---always puts a smile on my face.
Some of the powders are still sealed just waiting for me to get to them.

 

[reddog81]

Visited the local Scheels 2 days a go and primers were $69 a box of CCI small rifle. The BR-4 small rifles were still $120 or more but the plain small rifles were $25 less than I have seen in years.

 

[Tu_S]

..reload for about 3 or 4 cents per round...

I would guess that in 2020 I was around that for cost going through the old inventory, but those days are gone.

I look at it like the old stories about walking to school up hill both ways in the snow, although I guess I'm getting old since I mentioned to one of my friends kids asking for the TV remote how I used to trek through 10 feet of shag carpet to change the channel when I was his age

 

[rosewood]

I would guess that in 2020 I was around that for cost going through the old inventory, but those days are gone.

I look at it like the old stories about walking to school up hill both ways in the snow, although I guess I'm getting old since I mentioned to one of my friends kids asking for the TV remote how I used to trek through 10 feet of shag carpet to change the channel when I was his age

On a 13" black and white tv...