My experience & opinion as to costs of reloading now days.

['79 Magnum GT]

Ha ha, I wont even mention how much I got on the shelf now.
A couple of my close friends know exactly where to come runnin if the crap ever hits the fan.

Excellent!!! Just what I like to hear!!!

Rick

 

[cowboy94916]

I started reloading in the late 70"s on an rcbs Junior. Had to if I wanted to shoot my 357 and 44 Mag. Well as time progressed and I started shooting bullseye with 45 acp,2 kids and 3rd on the way I was not making points with the home front. Solution, told my wife i would quit baseball league and order a rcbs Green machine, in 45 acp, to open up more famiy time. She later commented it seemed like I was just shooting a bit more. Well then I started shooting service rifle again loading on the JR. So I found a dillion 550. To make this story shorter I now have 3 dillon 550's the green machine, a rcbs junior and a rock chuker.
Also got into shotshell and have 12,20 and 28 gauge progressive presses. Reloading is like gun aquisition, an addiction, it feeds the aquisition of guns in that you have more time to look for them. It feeds the I am saving money but in reality you spend more because you get to shoot more. About the only shell that is questionable on savings is 12 ga. However, when others couldn't buy shells I was still shooting of my inventory of components. All my other shells I have components inventory that will last me till I am buried. I don't think I have bought anything other then powder and shot in 10 or more years and still shoot an adequate amount. to keep me outta trouble with the wife and kids but still satisfy the urges. I highly recommend it.

 

[Dan W. Cady]

I reloaded off and on for 50 years. A couple of years ago I realized I never liked it.

I have all my gear in the basement. Its too heavy to bother with selling and shipping. My kids are shooters, but not interested in reloading. I’m pretty sure it is a dying hobby. I don’t know any younger folks who reload.

I shoot every week. Hell, I shot today. I just buy ammo.

I've said it before, Handloading is not a hobby but a Terminal Illness!

 

[Marcruger]

I will weigh in here for what it is worth. Keep in mind that there is REloading, and there is HANDloading.

Reloading is cranking out numerous rounds of a certain load. This often seems to concentrate on cost savings.

Handloading on the other hand is tailoring a load to a particular firearm for various reasons, and can save money as well.

I got into handloading as I wanted to shoot a blackpowder cartridge 1874 Sharps. If you want accuracy in BPCR you need to load your own. How about tiny groups from a bolt action rifle? Handloading is also important for, say, a Model 10 or Model 58 S&W. Those need a load that groups tightly and has point-of-aim and point-of-impact the same. Single Action Army Colts too. Off the shelf ammo rarely suits those parameters.

Cost saving these days can come from handloaded, tailored cartridges. Take 45 Colt or 44 Special. The cheapest you can find factory ammo would be Herter's at a $50.00 per box, or a dollar a round. I tried that fare once in 45 Colt, and got an extreme spread of 400 (yes four HUNDRED) feet per second. Terrifying. The next cheapest at Bass Pro Shop/Cabela's is $1.25 per round. And that does not hit to point-of-aim. Handloads for either .44 Special or .45 Colt come up at $0.29 per round once you have your brass. That is a saving of almost a dollar a shot, and the load groups well and hits to point of aim. Easy to justify handloading equipment at that savings. That would hold true for all of the true big bores.

The best I can figure 9mm would save $0.09 per round. At that rate I am not spending my time handloading. .45acp would save $0.12 per round. .38 Special is similar. Again, for that savings I'll not be reloading. Most 45 sights are set up for hardball, which is quite common. So there is a breakpoint somewhere in there. Only you know what your time is worth.

I absolutely do not trust myself or the equipment to use a progressive press. My buddy ran me through it on his Dillon 550....an amazing machine. I just don't trust that I'd get the process smooth and correct. Those Dillons are made to be set up and left on the bench. I do not have that luxury. I also want to see the powder charge in EVERY case, EVERY time. So, I single stage handload/reload.

Don't wait for the mid-term elections or panic buying in 3 years. Stock up your components now. When there is no panic buying fear of losing gun rights, the buying public goes back to apathy. When the prices are lower (now) it is the time to buy. If you think prices are high now, wait a year or three. Let the wailing begin. I can hear people say, "I remember when a box of primers were $80.00. Now look at them!"

 

[GypsmJim]

I will weigh in here for what it is worth. Keep in mind that there is REloading, and there is HANDloading.

Reloading is cranking out numerous rounds of a certain load. This often seems to concentrate on cost savings.

Handloading on the other hand is tailoring a load to a particular firearm for various reasons, and can save money as well.

I got into handloading as I wanted to shoot a blackpowder cartridge 1874 Sharps. If you want accuracy in BPCR you need to load your own. How about tiny groups from a bolt action rifle? Handloading is also important for, say, a Model 10 or Model 58 S&W. Those need a load that groups tightly and has point-of-aim and point-of-impact the same. Single Action Army Colts too. Off the shelf ammo rarely suits those parameters.

Cost saving these days can come from handloaded, tailored cartridges. Take 45 Colt or 44 Special. The cheapest you can find factory ammo would be Herter's at a $50.00 per box, or a dollar a round. I tried that fare once in 45 Colt, and got an extreme spread of 400 (yes four HUNDRED) feet per second. Terrifying. The next cheapest at Bass Pro Shop/Cabela's is $1.25 per round. And that does not hit to point-of-aim. Handloads for either .44 Special or .45 Colt come up at $0.29 per round once you have your brass. That is a saving of almost a dollar a shot, and the load groups well and hits to point of aim. Easy to justify handloading equipment at that savings. That would hold true for all of the true big bores.

The best I can figure 9mm would save $0.09 per round. At that rate I am not spending my time handloading. .45acp would save $0.12 per round. .38 Special is similar. Again, for that savings I'll not be reloading. Most 45 sights are set up for hardball, which is quite common. So there is a breakpoint somewhere in there. Only you know what your time is worth.

I absolutely do not trust myself or the equipment to use a progressive press. My buddy ran me through it on his Dillon 550....an amazing machine. I just don't trust that I'd get the process smooth and correct. Those Dillons are made to be set up and left on the bench. I do not have that luxury. I also want to see the powder charge in EVERY case, EVERY time. So, I single stage handload/reload.

Don't wait for the mid-term elections or panic buying in 3 years. Stock up your components now. When there is no panic buying fear of losing gun rights, the buying public goes back to apathy. When the prices are lower (now) it is the time to buy. If you think prices are high now, wait a year or three. Let the wailing begin. I can hear people say, "I remember when a box of primers were $80.00. Now look at them!"

I could not have said it better. My only disagreement is re. the 9 cent savings for 9 mm. I would STILL reload for those calibers simply because I enjoy the hobby. Now if it cost MORE, then I would have to re-think it.

BTW, I have not purchased factory centerfire ammo in 40 years. I make it for my son and father as well.

 

['79 Magnum GT]

I guess I'm a reloader/handloader. I do all mine on the RCBS Big Max (which they haven't made in years). I do them all in each step, 100 round batches. Sizing, decap/bell, prime with a Hornady hand primer so I can verify that each primer is right side up (I've screwed that up more times than I'll admit to). After priming they all go into the loading block for charging and I check each one with a flashlight for proper powder amount. Then comes seating and crimping. Don't even get me started on bullet casting!! I know nothing of progressive presses and have no interest. I started almost 50 years ago with the Lee Loader for 44 mag/spl and the powder scoops. Then came the Lee Hand Priming tool, RCBS Powder Measure and scale. To top it off was the RCBS JR Press. I only load for those 2 calibers using the same load all these years. It works for me and I save a ton of money.

Rick

 

[rogo123]

There is a bigger issue at play here.
For me, the question of reloading vs shooting factory ammo is a little like cooking.
How many people are willing to say, “I don’t need to know how to cook. It’s easier just to go through the drive-thru at the local fast food chain.”
OK, fine…would you like fries with that?

Well, I like fresh ingredients and eating real food. I like knowing what I’m eating. And, if I can grow something myself, even better! I like making special dishes I can’t get at the local “styrofoam plate and paper napkin” eatery.

Same with what I shoot.
I load the cartridges I decided work best for my tastes, to shoot out of the guns I like best, (mostly stuff made during the last century). I like to cast my own bullets to fit my own guns. And, when I need more, I just melt some more lead. And, if primers and powder are an issue, there’s always a good muzzleloader.
I don’t need to be told “we have all the ammo you want, as long as it’s 5.56, 9mm, 40 this, 6.5 that” by some guy at the tactical big box store. In fact, I prefer to not even partonize any so-called gun store that doesn’t serve a reloading clientele.

I’d go so far as to say that I am very concerned about the contemporary gun industry. They don’t want knowledgeable gun owners. They’d rather have a customer base of gullible, pliant, and dependent consumers whose “information” consists of little more than easily regurgitated advertising talking points.
Here endeth my rant!

 

[Marcruger]

Rick, It sounds like you and I load the same. 100 round batches. I also do the "two loading block" method where a case gets picked up from the left block, a step done, and then the case moves to the right block. One at the time. No mistakes that way. I follow the Lyman manual process. Hey hey hey guys.......let's be safe out there.

 

[Marcruger]

One other tip for you loaders that are getting older like me. Really consider the Forster Co-Ax press. The effort to size cases (or any operation) is 1/3 that of a normal press. Greatly cuts down on wear and tear that causes carpal tunnel or anger arthritis. It is also super easy to use, and there is a very cheap trick to make it much easier to load handgun rounds on. PM me if you need that info.

 

['79 Magnum GT]

Rick, It sounds like you and I load the same. 100 round batches. I also do the "two loading block" method where a case gets picked up from the left block, a step done, and then the case moves to the right block. One at the time. No mistakes that way. I follow the Lyman manual process. Hey hey hey guys.......let's be safe out there.

Kind of. I use 2 Tupperware containers for all the case prep stuff. Just like you do with the blocks. I only use two blocks for charging and seating. I used to do the two block method for years until I thought why bother. They don't have to be nice looking. I also check the primer pockets as I pick each one up for priming. Forgot to mention that before.

Rick

 

[rogo123]

You are correct. Most shops where I am have little of interest to me. No used guns because they won’t take them in trade, afraid no one will buy them. You can find Glock, Taurus, Ruger Wrangler and not much else. Big box stores have the overpriced new Colts, the usual S and W autos, maybe a .38 snub. The cheap hunting rifles.
I can’t blame them for being careful.
Here in Illinois we are lucky we have any dealers left. They took a real beating with the assault weapon ban. I was surprised that 60 percent of their sales were AR-15s.

 

[ColoCoug]

I got into reloading in the late 1970s with an RCBS single stage, then an early Lee 1000 progressive. When I started moving in 1985 I boxed them up and didn't open the boxes until this summer. I recently got back into shooting, added an S&W Model 15 and 19. I'm shooting them a lot, especially in .38 special. I found that .38 is more expensive in stores than 9MM, probably because the volume in handgun ammo today seems to be in 9MM. I also shoot .357 but not as much as .38.

At any rate, I finally broke out my old stuff and bought a new reloading manual to get updated. A pleasant surprise was that the powder and primers are still perfectly functional after 40 years, which is nice. I also found that I had a few hundred primers and 500 lead bullets neatly boxed and ready to be used.

I did have some frustration the the press as I simply could not get the old Lee press to feed primers reliably, despite working on it repeatedly with info from Lee. Finally I ended up taking advantage of their offer to buy a new progressive 4000 at half price, which I thought was quite fair.

I'm doing fine using up existing materials and I believe that I'll still come out a few cents ahead on each round compared to the over the counter price for .38 and .357.

 

['79 Magnum GT]

You are correct. Most shops where I am have little of interest to me. No used guns because they won’t take them in trade, afraid no one will buy them. You can find Glock, Taurus, Ruger Wrangler and not much else. Big box stores have the overpriced new Colts, the usual S and W autos, maybe a .38 snub. The cheap hunting rifles.
I can’t blame them for being careful.
Here in Illinois we are lucky we have any dealers left. They took a real beating with the assault weapon ban. I was surprised that 60 percent of their sales were AR-15s.

Same here in Western NY the 3 main gun shops I used to go to are long gone as well as are their nice selection of REVOLVERS! I did a little tour recently of the remaining places that actually do sell guns in the area. Small selection and hardly any revolvers. Also nothing used either. I've contacted several within 60 miles or so looking for one in particular and none have any used S&W revolvers. All just new semi autos that I know nothing about and don't care to know anything about. Not my thing. I've even checked with some of the big online sellers and they don't have what I'm looking for either. I guess it's going to be Gunbroker or nothing. That's life.

Rick

 

[Crazywader]

I was taught by a serious reloader how to reload back in college but a career in the military that required moving all the time put a crimp on the hobby. Once I retired and took over the back of the garage, I established my little slice of heaven. Shooting on a skeet league and occasional trap game can get expensive. I believe my shotshell bench investment paid off after a couple of seasons. I can churn out 4 boxes of rounds in an hour and that includes measuring every 7th drop to confirm something hasn't changed. However, I've never felt the need or desire to rush through reloading - it's a lot of fun and adds an extra level of enjoyment at the range.
As for handloading cartridges, I have an RCBS Rock Chucker press. A single stage keeps things simple. I've replaced my RCBS dies with Redding because I reload for precision target shooting and found them to be a little better. If it was just for hunting and basic target shooting, the RCBS brand is perfectly fine. Reloading for my .22 PPC is necessary because it's not a commercial round. And the joy of shooting 5 rounds and making a bug hole under 0.3" at 100 yards makes me smile all day long. I bought a Redding turret press for the convenience and with the intent to set it up for reloading 45 Colt and 454 Casull. Setting up dies takes time and once you've got them set up, it's nice to only have to check them before going to town.
Given the prices of .223, 9mm, and 45 ACP, I wouldn't bother reloading if that's all a shooter is going through. But anything else warrants carving out a 2' x 3' spot in the basement, garage, or other out-of-the-way place and setting up a hand-built table with a press or two. Keeping the station covered when not in use keeps it free from dust and from becoming a 'temporary' place of storage. Keep your dies wiped down with oil (like your guns) and your primers and powder inside where it's cool and dry.

 

[Crazywader]

A simple bench that can hold a shotshell single stage reloader on one side and a metallic press on the other is a weekend project. I found a used MEC reloader and I used a couple of kiln-dried 2" x 4", 3/4" plywood, bed-bolts and foot levelers (Rockler) for the bench. Some sanding and a few coats of Minwax polyshade and you've got a bench that will last you a life time. The two shelves on the bottom provides space for supplies when not being used. I donated this one for a Duck Unlimited fundraiser.

 

[SASFixer]

This is not intended to be a political statement or a conspiracy theory, but a thought provoking argument for why we should consider reloading.

Has anyone thought about why the 9mm and 223 are the popular rounds today? Consider that (for lack of a better word) "over run" ammo from Lake City is forcing competitors to keep their prices on 9mm and 223 low. Any of the other calibers/cartridges that we choose to shoot are facing sky high prices. Potentially, how many shooters that are buying into the 9mm and 223 Kool Aid will be desperate and stop shooting when Lake City stops releasing "over run" ammo to the public? In a sense, our ammunition producers are imposing an early phase of gun control by restricting the availability of reasonably priced ammo to one or two cartridges, and letting other cartridges fade away. In a sense, the government (knowingly?) and our ammunition manufacturers (unknowingly?) may be artificially modifying market demand that influences production decisions that could make our cherished firearms paperweights!

I have a theory concerning LC ammo on the open market. Lake City has skilled workers operating the facility, government contracts/orders are sporadic based on demand. To retain workers and run it at an economical rate it must operate continuously. How long do you think the workers would be retained if they were laid off several times a year?

 

[mint466]

I got into reloading sort of accidentally. I bought a rifle in an odd caliber for several thousand less than its value. Found that rounds were $8 each, so bought a bunch of reloading stuff to make my own. This then enabled me to buy more rifles in odd calibers, eventually building my own.

I can’t tell you whether I’ve saved money, because what I’m doing can’t be done without hand loading. What I can say is that my ammo and rifles are built with much greater precision than any factory stuff out there. They are also customized to suit a specific objective, and I know exactly what they will do under certain conditions, so I’m a better shooter. The only way I could accomplish that without hand loading is to pay someone to hand load for me.

The only thing that surprised me is the amount of time required to reload, especially if you are not willing to invest in very expensive equipment that automates the process. By the time I clean, anneal, inspect, size, trim, weigh and load I may have 10 minutes invested in each round. That’s after the 1-2 year learning curve required to find your own magic process that results in accurate ammo. It’s vastly different from my buddies who bang out pistol and shotgun ammo with a lot of speed. But they are not saving money or creating anything different that what you can buy off the shelf, so I don’t see the point.

Is making your own ice cream cheaper than buying it? Nope, but if you want Oreo banana pineapple waffle flavor with exactly 3 blue sprinkles in each bite, you gotta make it yourself.

 

[Model19man]

I will weigh in here for what it is worth. Keep in mind that there is REloading, and there is HANDloading.

Reloading is cranking out numerous rounds of a certain load. This often seems to concentrate on cost savings.

Handloading on the other hand is tailoring a load to a particular firearm for various reasons, and can save money as well.

I got into handloading as I wanted to shoot a blackpowder cartridge 1874 Sharps. If you want accuracy in BPCR you need to load your own. How about tiny groups from a bolt action rifle? Handloading is also important for, say, a Model 10 or Model 58 S&W. Those need a load that groups tightly and has point-of-aim and point-of-impact the same. Single Action Army Colts too. Off the shelf ammo rarely suits those parameters.

Cost saving these days can come from handloaded, tailored cartridges. Take 45 Colt or 44 Special. The cheapest you can find factory ammo would be Herter's at a $50.00 per box, or a dollar a round. I tried that fare once in 45 Colt, and got an extreme spread of 400 (yes four HUNDRED) feet per second. Terrifying. The next cheapest at Bass Pro Shop/Cabela's is $1.25 per round. And that does not hit to point-of-aim. Handloads for either .44 Special or .45 Colt come up at $0.29 per round once you have your brass. That is a saving of almost a dollar a shot, and the load groups well and hits to point of aim. Easy to justify handloading equipment at that savings. That would hold true for all of the true big bores.

The best I can figure 9mm would save $0.09 per round. At that rate I am not spending my time handloading. .45acp would save $0.12 per round. .38 Special is similar. Again, for that savings I'll not be reloading. Most 45 sights are set up for hardball, which is quite common. So there is a breakpoint somewhere in there. Only you know what your time is worth.

I absolutely do not trust myself or the equipment to use a progressive press. My buddy ran me through it on his Dillon 550....an amazing machine. I just don't trust that I'd get the process smooth and correct. Those Dillons are made to be set up and left on the bench. I do not have that luxury. I also want to see the powder charge in EVERY case, EVERY time. So, I single stage handload/reload.

Don't wait for the mid-term elections or panic buying in 3 years. Stock up your components now. When there is no panic buying fear of losing gun rights, the buying public goes back to apathy. When the prices are lower (now) it is the time to buy. If you think prices are high now, wait a year or three. Let the wailing begin. I can hear people say, "I remember when a box of primers were $80.00. Now look at them!"

True it is easy to justify given the savings. Folks who don't are just guys and gals who don't want to enjoy that savings.

 

[Model19man]

I got into reloading sort of accidentally. I bought a rifle in an odd caliber for several thousand less than its value. Found that rounds were $8 each, so bought a bunch of reloading stuff to make my own. This then enabled me to buy more rifles in odd calibers, eventually building my own.

I can’t tell you whether I’ve saved money, because what I’m doing can’t be done without hand loading. What I can say is that my ammo and rifles are built with much greater precision than any factory stuff out there. They are also customized to suit a specific objective, and I know exactly what they will do under certain conditions, so I’m a better shooter. The only way I could accomplish that without hand loading is to pay someone to hand load for me.

The only thing that surprised me is the amount of time required to reload, especially if you are not willing to invest in very expensive equipment that automates the process. By the time I clean, anneal, inspect, size, trim, weigh and load I may have 10 minutes invested in each round. That’s after the 1-2 year learning curve required to find your own magic process that results in accurate ammo. It’s vastly different from my buddies who bang out pistol and shotgun ammo with a lot of speed. But they are not saving money or creating anything different that what you can buy off the shelf, so I don’t see the point.

Is making your own ice cream cheaper than buying it? Nope, but if you want Oreo banana pineapple waffle flavor with exactly 3 blue sprinkles in each bite, you gotta make it yourself.

Also great points.

 

[redbanks]

I will weigh in here for what it is worth. Keep in mind that there is REloading, and there is HANDloading.

Reloading is cranking out numerous rounds of a certain load. This often seems to concentrate on cost savings.

Handloading on the other hand is tailoring a load to a particular firearm for various reasons, and can save money as well.

I got into handloading as I wanted to shoot a blackpowder cartridge 1874 Sharps. If you want accuracy in BPCR you need to load your own. How about tiny groups from a bolt action rifle? Handloading is also important for, say, a Model 10 or Model 58 S&W. Those need a load that groups tightly and has point-of-aim and point-of-impact the same. Single Action Army Colts too. Off the shelf ammo rarely suits those parameters.

Cost saving these days can come from handloaded, tailored cartridges. Take 45 Colt or 44 Special. The cheapest you can find factory ammo would be Herter's at a $50.00 per box, or a dollar a round. I tried that fare once in 45 Colt, and got an extreme spread of 400 (yes four HUNDRED) feet per second. Terrifying. The next cheapest at Bass Pro Shop/Cabela's is $1.25 per round. And that does not hit to point-of-aim. Handloads for either .44 Special or .45 Colt come up at $0.29 per round once you have your brass. That is a saving of almost a dollar a shot, and the load groups well and hits to point of aim. Easy to justify handloading equipment at that savings. That would hold true for all of the true big bores.

The best I can figure 9mm would save $0.09 per round. At that rate I am not spending my time handloading. .45acp would save $0.12 per round. .38 Special is similar. Again, for that savings I'll not be reloading. Most 45 sights are set up for hardball, which is quite common. So there is a breakpoint somewhere in there. Only you know what your time is worth.

I absolutely do not trust myself or the equipment to use a progressive press. My buddy ran me through it on his Dillon 550....an amazing machine. I just don't trust that I'd get the process smooth and correct. Those Dillons are made to be set up and left on the bench. I do not have that luxury. I also want to see the powder charge in EVERY case, EVERY time. So, I single stage handload/reload.

Don't wait for the mid-term elections or panic buying in 3 years. Stock up your components now. When there is no panic buying fear of losing gun rights, the buying public goes back to apathy. When the prices are lower (now) it is the time to buy. If you think prices are high now, wait a year or three. Let the wailing begin. I can hear people say, "I remember when a box of primers were $80.00. Now look at them!"

I started reloading in the early eighties when I started shooting my Colt series 70 45.acp that I went full custom on. Then the other obvious caliber’s including .45 LC and down to .32 acp.
I probably bought one of the first Dillon 450’s to give my Pacific single stage a break. Then I changed it out to a Dillon 550 frame but kept the manual staging mechanisms. I can still look at each case to see if there’s no powder or too much powder. Even added a LED light to help see things. Now I mainly shoot 9mm or 22lr and can afford to buy at current prices and keep my limited stash of powder and primers on standby. I still can’t leave any brass behind…old habits are hard to break.