Price question from a noob

[reloading noob]

On average what does it cost to reload 50 rounds of 357 with wadcutters. Just out of curiosity wanted to see what a reloaded box of 50 is worth compared to buying commercial loads.

[thehouseproduct]

It's very tough to say. If you buy powder, brass, primers and lead at retail, it's pretty easy to calculate. I'd wager there are a ton of guys here who barter, trade, bargain and recover materials far under retail.

For instance, I use mostly free brass from non reloading friends, lead my dad gives me free from his local tire shop, and I'm working thru 20lbs of free powder I got from my wife's boss. Reloads cost my time and the price of primers. You can probably make some headway buying in the swapping and selling section on this page.

[canyon-ghost]

$40 at the most, do it yourself, $15.

[Ickisrulz]

Are you asking about casting bullets and then reloading your own once-fired cases?

For round numbers: WW ingots $1/lb. Primers $30/1000. Powder $20/pound for 2400.

For 158 grain wadcutters you cast, 15 grains of powder (I'm guessing here) per round and then 1 primer--you will be under 10 cents per round. So for a box of 50 you may be into it for $5.00.

If you have to buy once-fired cases add about 10-15 cents per case.

[MtGun44]

More like 3 grains of powder or less per round of BE, TG or Clays. $23 per lb = 7000 grains,
so that is ~1 cent for powder. Primers 2 to 3 cents each nowdays. Brass - assume you have
it already and are re-using. Cast a 148 gr WC from $1 per pound wwts, you get 48 per lb so
call it 2 cents metal cost for the boolit. Some very small cost for lube. I put a loaded round if
YOU cast it for 5 or 6 cents per round, so $2.50 to $3.00 per box of 50 rounds.

Bill

[BD]

Currently it costs me about $1.50 per 50 if I don't count my time. That will go up when I run out of my current supply of primers and WC820.
BD

[wv109323]

The components at todays prices would be:
New Brass : .20 each (20.00 per 100)
Cast Wadcutters: 7.6 cents each (38.00 for 500)
Primers: 3.2 Cents each (32.00 per 1000)
Powder: 3 cents each (20.00 per lb.)

That comes out to 33.8 cents per round or $16.90 for 50 rounds using new brass.
If you have brass it drops down to 13.8 per round or $6.90 per box of 50.
What most people do is buy factory ammo shoot it and save the brass.
Of course this site is about casting your own bullets. That would deduct another 7.6 cents off .( assuming you can scrounge lead at tire stores,range recovery...etc. for nothing) That puts you at 6.2 cents per round or just over $3.00 per box of 50.
Also this does not include the cost of reloading and casting equipment.

[reloading noob]

Thanks for the replies guys........

[MtGun44]

I wonder how you get 3 cents for powder? Normal wadcutter loads are 2.7 gr Bullseye or
Titegroup, or about the same amount of Clays. 7000 gr divided by 2.7 is 2592 loads, so
at your price of $20.00 divided by 2592 is 0.77 cents per load for powder.

3 cents would be using about 9.5 gr, which is way too much for most powders in a .38 Spl.
Even Unique 5.0 gr is a pretty hot load.

Bill

[para45lda]

Bill

No offense but you may want to double check your math. It comes out to .0077 which is less than one cent per round. Near as I can figure about $5 a box my costs.

Wes

[EDK]

Powder is $.01; primers are $.03; boolits you cast yourself are $.04...lead at $1 per pound. Brass lasts roughly forever with lower end loads...call it $.02 at maximum. Ignore price of tooling. I calculate another $.04/.05 for 44 or 45.

A guy at work cheerfully paid me $1 a pound for FULL WADCUTTER 44 boolits to freak out the spectators at his favorite indoor range. They can't comprehend a black man shooting a 44 SUPER REDHAWK, doing under two inches at 25 yards.....not shooting "gangsta style!" and those big square edged holes in the target.

:Fire::cbpour::redneck:

[Stick_man]

Uhhh, Para45, .77 cents does equal .0077 last time I checked. Bill got it right. .77 cents is just over 3/4 of 1 cent.

Casting your own boolits and using brass you already had, you should easily be able to get below $2.50 per box of 50 rounds (unless you amortize the cost of all of your reloading and casting equipment).

Good luck and happy shooting!

[MT Gianni]

When you start saving that much money you start buying your powder in 8 lb kegs and your primers in sleeves of 5000 to save even more. You are still broke, you just shoot more.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

On average what does it cost to reload 50 rounds of 357 with wadcutters.
If you have to buy all the equipment first ?
the first box of 50 will cost you about $1200.00
Every box of 50 after that is about $2.00



Just out of curiosity wanted to see what a reloaded box of 50 is worth compared to buying commercial loads.
To me, My reloads are worth more than the commercial loads!!!


Others have given you a detailed cost analysis,
you haven't asked for that, But if that's what you really want,
that will vary by what you have to pay for components.

What you are really buying with "load your own" is accurate custom ammo
and the ability to affordably shoot alot, much cheaper than those that shoot
alot of commercial ammo...not as accurately, I might add.
Jon

[firefly1957]

My first box of 50 38's loaded way back in 1975 cost me over $100 but the next box was really cheap because I did not need to buy powder, primers. bullets, press' dies, brass,....... Back then bullets were $3 / hundred jacketed. powder under $4, 100 primers 85 cents, ..... Now presses dies and everything are so much more.

[OBIII]

If you have to buy all the equipment first ?
the first box of 50 will cost you about $1200.00
Every box of 50 after that is about $2.00



To me, My reloads are worth more than the commercial loads!!!


Others have given you a detailed cost analysis,
you haven't asked for that, But if that's what you really want,
that will vary by what you have to pay for components.

What you are really buying with "load your own" is accurate custom ammo
and the ability to affordably shoot alot, much cheaper than those that shoot
alot of commercial ammo...not as accurately, I might add.
Jon

:mrgreen: But if you start with Lee, it will be less. :-D

Like most are saying, it all depends on what you have, what you can obtain for free or cheap, what will what you don't have cost you, etc. If you score 5000 primers, that's 100 boxes of loaded ammo. You have to look at the bigger picture, the deeper you get the deeper your pockets need to be. Shoot 50 rounds an outing or shoot 300 rounds per outing. The choice is yours. 8-)

[mroliver77]

I buy very little supplies or tools for full retail. I shop around. I watch for sales and stock up. I make hay when the sun shines if you will.

My current lot of primers were bought in boxes of 5000. Powder is purchased in 8 lb jugs. Lead, I have wheel weights I (grudginly ) paid $.15 lb for and lots of range scrap that was 1 to 3 cents a lb. I have a big pile of "pure" lead (dead soft) I paid nothing for. Actually some was old telephone cable and had copper wire in it. I was too lazy to cut it out until copper went to $ 3.25 lb! :) Most of my loading machines were bought second hand. If you are patient and save up the $$ you can score a good deal every now and then from somebody getting out of loading/casting or from their widow,m gunshows, craigs list etc. A lot of my loading tools are worth more than I paid for them!

Let's do the math.
Titewad powder 8lbs at $88. or $11.lb. 2.5gr per load. 7000gr / 2.5= 2800 rounds per lb of powder. comes out to .4 cents per round.

Primers were $19 per thousand. We bought enoughon sale that shipping and hazmat were included. It pays to buy big lots by doing "group buys" with friends. So I have 1.9 cents in each primer. I do have some small rifle primer that I bought from an old guy at a gun show fo $12. thou and I stocked up then too.

I don't figure the cost of .38 brass as it is cheap or free and lasts a long time.

Now, projectiles. 44 158gr boolits per lb of alloy. Lets make it easy and say I have 44 cents per lb in lead, tin and antimoney alloy smelted and cast into boolits. Probably less but the price is rising! so there is another penny per round.

So
1c for boolit
1.9c for primer
.4c for powder = 3.3 cents per round! or $1.65 per box of 50.

The .45acp rounds at 200gr and 4.1 gr of powder cost a bit more.

So a titewad like me can shave off even more by shopping. I enjoy scrounging and know the scrapyard guys well. Some of the time I come out ahead like the tele cable. I ended up with 1000 lb of soft lead and about $4-5 hundred dollars of scrap copper. I took in a load of scrap bicycles, lawn mowers, vacume cleaners etc. The scrap yard owner showed me a big box of ingots a casters widow had sold him. $.60 lb. My load of " junk" added a nice pile of ingots to my stash. ;)

Just one more way of skinning that cat.
J

[frkelly74]

I always say four to six cents a round plus labor if the brass is free, because the next question is " Can you load me up some?". I have offered to instruct but most people are too busy.

[reloading noob]

Good replies, thanks

[Wayne Smith]

If you have to buy all the equipment first ?
the first box of 50 will cost you about $1200.00
Every box of 50 after that is about $2.00



To me, My reloads are worth more than the commercial loads!!!


Others have given you a detailed cost analysis,
you haven't asked for that, But if that's what you really want,
that will vary by what you have to pay for components.

What you are really buying with "load your own" is accurate custom ammo
and the ability to affordably shoot alot, much cheaper than those that shoot
alot of commercial ammo...not as accurately, I might add.
Jon

Jon, I think you put an extra "0" in there. If you know what you are doing, or work with an experienced reloader, just from eBay and Craig's list you can put together a very good, practical reloading kit for way less than $1200. Reloading presses don't usually wear out. With the onset of electronic scales there are a lot of good, reliable scales on the market. Most of my die sets have been purchased used. Yes, you may be using 20 year old or older equipment, but the Rockchucker hasn't changed much from it's onset way before that. My most used press currently is my Hollywood Sr bought from a guy here on this site. My next most used is a Brown Bair. Both are probably older than I am, and I was born in 1953. I have die sets that are probably equally old. If you buy RCBS used and it isn't useable they will replace it. That alone makes it worthwhile to look at the used market.

[reloading noob]

I was just real curious about the savings. I ended up with around 3k cases and 5k misc. bullets when i traded for my reloading equipment. Thats a real good start for my reloading experience. Its all 38 and 357 brass and bullets. Problem is I dont own a revolver. So after reading these answers on the prices and value I have convinced my wife to buy me one for Christmas. Thanks Guys. I get a new pistol because of yall!!!!!!!!!!!!

[QUON]

FYI! IN THE FUTURE IF YOU NEED A COST CALULATOR. TRY THIS http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp. INPUT THE NUMBERS AND YOU HAVE THE PRICES UP TO DATE.

[MtGun44]

Paraslide,

Check again. You did it in dollars, not cents. .0077 dollars = 0.77 cents, same answer
once you correct for the different units.
And yes, it is about 3/4 of a cent.

As to the equpment cost - you'd have to work at it to spend $1200. Most of us started with
a simple hand system and once we were sure we liked it, upgraded to a single state bench
press, and then for some of us that need large quantities - the final upgrade is to some sort
of progressive. So - sure, buy a progressive and all the bells and whistles and you could spend
$800 or even more.

Start simple and you can buy a used Rock Chucker or a new Lee Turret and some dies, scale
and misc and get really going for $150-$250, less if you really work the used equipment sales.

Bill

[mroliver77]

noob,
Thats great, you saved enough allready to buy a revolver! We are always glad to help a fellow get a new gun. The next one won't be as easy to convince her and the one after that.........

I recomend an older S&W k frame in .357 or if you like the really warm .357 an N frame or a Ruger. My K frame is a sweet shooter and handles well. The N frame can handle "real" 1930's .357 loads and the Rugers just toy with 180 grain boolits and case fulls of H110!
Jay

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Jon, I think you put an extra "0" in there. If you know what you are doing, or work with an experienced reloader, just from eBay and Craig's list you can put together a very good, practical reloading kit for way less than $1200.

Well, I have spent well over $2000 in reloading equipment.
I came up with $1200 by using the aproximate retail prices for the items
I consider "The Way to go" (or maybe I should say, the way I went) for loading several hundred pistol rounds per month.
(which is very subjective)

Lee Classic Turret Press $90
Lee Pro disc powder measure $30
Lee Riser for the powder measure $10
Lee primer kit for the turret press $20
a few carbide die sets $100
Lyman "M" die with a few inserts $50
a good electronic scale (for speed) $80
a good beam scale (for double checking the e-scale) $50
case prep tools $50
tumbler $40
a good verner caliper $50
Lee bottom pour lead melting Pot (20 lb cap.)$60
a few molds $100
Lyman boolit lube/sizer with a few boolit lube/sizer dies and top punches $200
a good Mic $100
smelting equipment $50
misc hand tools (wrenches,hex keys,hammer, punches, ect...)$50
a supply of stock: powder, primers, brass cases, Lube, Wheel weights.$100

PS. I didn't take the time to add up my numbers,
I was just guessing...a ballpark guess if you will.

[captaint]

With my own crude methods of figgering costs, each box of 45ACP ammo costs me about 3 bucks. I don't include the cost of the reloading equipment and molds, etc, because had I not spent that money on that stuff, I would have spent it on something else. Disposable cash is just that. Maybe I would have bought more guns?? However, if we can't afford to shoot them, what's the point?? I know this. I'm having a great time. enjoy Mike

[Blacksmith]

No one has mentioned that if he starts casting his own Boolits he will catch the "Illness" most of us have. Then he will start spending real money on moulds, stashes of wheel weights waxes and other ingrediants for loob, casting equipment, turkey fryers, etc. Then it's I got this mould in a deal but don't have a gun or reloading dies to fit. And I can't hold a job because I spend all my time on the Cast Boolits Forum.

Oh well its fun.

Blacksmith

[EDK]

When you start saving that much money you start buying your powder in 8 lb kegs and your primers in sleeves of 5000 to save even more. You are still broke, you just shoot more.

Two other things...if you can't shoot lead in it, FORGET IT! My M1A is about to debut with cast boolits....it didn't get much use when it required J-words.

If it is a revolver/semi auto pistol caliber that you can't get carbide dies for, FORGET IT TOO!

:Fire::cbpour::redneck:

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Then it's I got this mould in a deal but don't have a gun or reloading dies to fit.
This type of thing happens to me all the time :)


And I can't hold a job because I spend all my time on the Cast Boolits Forum.
Ain't that the truth :)

[thehouseproduct]

No one has mentioned that if he starts casting his own Boolits he will catch the "Illness" most of us have. Then he will start spending real money on moulds, stashes of wheel weights waxes and other ingrediants for loob, casting equipment, turkey fryers, etc. Then it's I got this mould in a deal but don't have a gun or reloading dies to fit. And I can't hold a job because I spend all my time on the Cast Boolits Forum.

Oh well its fun.

Blacksmith

I currently own 44 mag dies, m die, mold, brass, primers, etc. I don't own a 44 mag.