Reloading ROI

[Faulkner]

I'm wondering how many rounds you have to load to get the return on investment for reloading equipment and components when compaired to buying factory ammo. Not that it really matters, I didn't get into reloading to save money anyway.

I have about $650 tied up in my Dillion 550 setup. I only load 9mm, .40 S&W, and .30 carbine, and I get once fire brass at no cost, but I do have to buy my bullets, primers and powder. Doing rough calculations on what I save per 100 rounds and add in my equipment costs (but ignoring the cost of labor because I consider this recreational time) I figure I get the return on my investment at around 8,000 rounds.

Anyone else ever tried to figure out their ROI?

 

[john traveler]

Many people get into handloading with the idea of "saving money" on ammunition costs. What this usually works out to is not really saving money, but being able to shoot a lot more than if merely buying factory ammunition. It also affords you the luxury of being independent of factory-made ammunition sources.

Handloading offers some real benefits, but saving money is not one of them.

If you really want to reduce ammunition costs, start casting your own bullets. With homecast bullets, per shot costs can get as low as 4 or 5 cents per round when you consider your labor as hobby time.

 

[matsu]

RCBS rockchuker , C&H autochamp ,Dillion 550b muti- caliber set of dies for each etc neverending story when are you truly done where is the end, the payoff is the day you start reloading

 

[socal s&w]

It really depends on where you would purchase your factory's. I saw 41 magnum factory's going for $49.99 a box, plus tax!
If you are loading that caliber, at that cost comparison, it would not take very long to 'pay yourself back'.

 

[MarshallDodge]

What john traveler is talking about is what happened to me. I started reloading to save money but ended up shooting 2 or 3 times more.

I started reloading 45 Colt on a Lee Anniversary kit and had it paid for in no time. It was $10 for a box of 20 rounds at that time and I could load the same ammo for $1.00 per 20. I think I paid $75 for the press, $20 for dies, so let's say $100. About 250 rounds and it was paid for.

I bought a Dillon 550B a couple years after that and I have loaded tens of thousands of rounds on it so I know that it is paid for. There have been a couple big reloading weekends where I have saved $200 in ammo. The savings really start adding up when you are loading specialty or rifle ammo.

 

[Faulkner]

. . . It also affords you the luxury of being independent of factory-made ammunition sources.

I would have agree with you until about six months ago. Unless you were already stocked up on components, the recent ammo and component shortage showed reloaders were not as independent as we thought.

What john traveler is talking about is what happened to me. I started reloading to save money but ended up shooting 2 or 3 times more.

I agree reloading offers the opportunity to shoot more because you have more ammo availability. Therefore, as you noted, the more you shoot the more savings per round you should experiance. The more you save the more you can shoot, the more you can shoot the more you save . . . kind of feeds on itself.

 

[Emerson]

Current cost of .45 ACP factory ammo - $23 / 50 rds
Current cost to reload .45 ACP - $6 / 50 rds

Savings $17 / 50 rds

Savings = $340 / 1000 rds or $680 / 2000 rds

ROI = 2000 rds

 

[Hoptob]

Today I loaded 1400 9mm rounds (124 gr. bullets) and spent just under $150 worth of supplies. 1400 rounds of cheapest commercial ammo would cost me about $400. Net benefit - $250...

...and of course I loaded exactly what I wanted to shoot.

Mike

 

[flop-shank]

During the ammo shortage of the last year, I never ran out of anything. I also saved a lot of money by handloading. Some people do save money. I'm one of them and I save a lot. Today I shot 36 rounds through my 5" .44 magnum. Every shot was part of the practice that I felt I needed. Generally, I don't burn ammo just for the fun of it.

 

[pberry]

I wont attempt to calculate that. I started reloading in the 1970. I'm always adding or replacing equipment and I don't always look at cost when I buy something. Cheap is not better sometimes. Its the pleasure of doing it, and it lets me shoot a lot. Besides, it confuses the wife. She thinks its cheap and I stay out of her hair while I'm playing with this stuff. Hey, buy it and have some fun. Just be careful and follow the books.
Phil

 

[il Padrino]

This is how I started out 20 years ago, I don't reload much and the components were just recently used up:
A Lee Anniversary kit ---$100
A set of .38/.357 dies ----$20
1 lb of W231 powder ------$12
used range brass ------free
1000 primers ---------------$10
1000 Win 125gr. JHP ------$50
The satisfaction of reloading your own-- PRICELESS

$192 total investment to load my first 1000 38/357 cartridges, lets round it up to $200 for other minor incidedntals such as labels and ammo boxes etc..., it factors out to $20 per 100, which works out to only $10 per 50 rounds. I just recently finished up box of primers and 1lb can of powder, at todays prices of factory loaded ammo, I think I got my return on my investment by before I even finished up that 1K box of primers/powder.
I figure the equipment already paid for itself a long time ago, even with the price of components going up, so has factory loaded ammo so I'm still saving money.
But the real reason I continue reloading is for the satisfaction of loading my own.

 

[Skip Sackett]

Get into casting too!

I have no idea when I will ever get to ROI. I really don't care. It's a hobby with a touch of "mad scientist" experimentation thrown in for flavor for me.

I do know this, getting the biggest cost for components out of the equation really helps out. I can get a nice 200gr LSWC for nearly nothing, .001¢ each. With a purchased bullet @ $50/500 or 10¢ each, that is an enormous amount of savings.
Granted, there is an additional cost for molds and such, but as long as the neighbors have cars with wheel weights, I'll have bullets!

My cost for 50 rounds of 200gr LSWC 45ACP target rounds at about 850fps run me right at $1.43. Time involved? Sure, tons. You made the statement not to count it though, and I don't.

Because I have been doing this for awhile and had components and wheel weights stockpiled WAY before any recent scares, I have had any kind of ammo I wanted during all of the shortages. Primers are from early to middle of last year, still have some too!

By the way, I have a ton of reloading and casting supplies. I snatched up some equipment at exceptional prices and couldn't pass up the deal. Other things, I just wanted, so I bought them.

Maybe I need to have a garage sale!

 

[K.38]

I don't remember the numbers but when I was a poor Airman 20 some years ago I bought my first reloading set up. As I remember I had the set up paid for the first summer.

I only thing I would say is to buy quality equipment. I bought some Lee items when I first started and they wore out fairly quickly. Started buying RCBS, Redding, Dillon etc. I haven't had to replace any of it yet. I'm guessing someone 100 years from now will still be using my Rock Chucker press.

I keep hoping to wear out the RCBS primer tool so I can upgrade to the one with the universal shell plate but the dog gone thing just won't wear out.

 

[acl864]

I get a very quick return on investment on all of my reloading equipment/supply purchases. The only catch is that I keep making investments in equipment/supplys. It's not a money saving proposition for me personally, but it is a rewarding and enjoyable hobby.

 

[michael thornton]

i dont think i save any $ , i just get to shoot more! and i enjoy reloading, and casting bullets, its what i do on rainy days when i cant hunt,but i will say that i have more ammo on hand now than i have ever had, its nice to look at all those ammo cans full of ammo when its come so hard to come by, i buy very little factory ammo, all the 223 ammo i have is factory, i need a case trimmer, and 223 cases, before i start loading them. i only wish i had started way before i did! mike

 

[jrplourde]

No question about repaying your reload investment. I am now working up loads for the local PD. I can provide them with 40 cal ammo for $14 / 50 and make a $5 profit to boot where the cost of the ammo at the store is $20 if it can be found. Load for them or load just for me, my Dillon 550 will be payed for in not time flat.

Bob