The real cost of hand loading,

[Harter66]

We all know if we were to inventory the gear we would rather not think about the cost of that $20 die set and the 50¢ shell holder or the MEC Grabber we got for $35 with the adjustable steel bar and all the spare parts . Maybe you have a half dozen gift RB moulds too.
The little stash that once fit in a 20 mm can that now occupies 24ft of bench and shelves in its own little 20x24 shop that would cost $8,000 to replace just the tools .

Nope that's not where the cost is . Its not in being able to go to range and bang off 100 rd of $76 /100 45 Colts for for $12 .

Nope it's in in all of those hr spent with friends, family , kids ,other people's kids , the road trips to deer/duck/squirrel/summer camp . It's about all those frosty mornings waiting for the 1st flight with your sons, daughters and the world's finest/dumbest retriever . That kid that got so juiced on the flight of ducks he forgot to reload for the geese .

I can't even count the wasted hours of picking bullets with kids and grands ,testing the girlfriends , teaching a dog not to break at the shot , hours spent sharing lore and legend sorting brass and berm bullets . Yep that's where the real cost is .

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Ahhh... you have made some poignant observations. When I first got into reloading in 1966 it was with a LGS clerk convincing me that I could shoot more for less. I left with a .38 Special Lee Loader, a can of 5066 powder, a box of 100 primers and a box of Speer half-jacketed soft point bullets.
And I did save money, and I did shoot more, but eventually it became much more than that. I found the idea of being able to reuse something that would otherwise be discarded to be attractive, and the ability to load ammunition for obsolete firearms fascinating. Over a period of many years it has nickel and dimed me to death, always another tool to purchase, always more supplies to stockpile; but eventually it slowed down, because like you pointed out the shop is just about full to capacity. In fact, I've been awarded my Reloading Phd (piling it higher and deeper). Sharing the hobby with others is always a pleasure. Good post, Harter66!

[35remington]

Good points made. We do it for the memories and lie like mad about the actual dollar cost of our hobby.

Interesting how everyone "forgets" all the things we bought and do that add to the production cost of our ammo. In a factual sense what we "say"we make ammo for in cost isn't its actual per round cost. I expect we rationalize this way to justify something that really stands on merits having to do with more than just money.

Thanks for the reminder.

[WHITETAIL]

66 makes a lot of good points.
And when your other half is looking for
you, she knows right where to look.
In the reloading room, NOT at the bar.:cbpour:

[runfiverun]

the actual per round cost is actually that low. [except for the stupid primers]
we just forget that we spent money [we didn't want to spend] when we are at the range, or in the blind, and have just learned over the years to enjoy the moment[s]
we do so with the knowledge there might not be many more of them to come.

[rancher1913]

I got my start loading for the 357mag when I was 18, I could not legally buy ammo but I could legally buy primers, brass, powder, bullets, and the gear to put it all together. guess it was out of necessity that I got started and I still have all that gear and a little more nowadays. the only way I could buy 22lr was to tell the lady it was for a rifle then it was ok:roll:

[Harter66]

We see the light .
The cost is minimal compared to the rewards .
The rewards are so great compared what we spend .
What we spend in many cases ,264WM is $46/20 , for the cost of 40 rounds I have a NOE 260-120 FP I share with a 257 Bob and a set of dies , I'm even at 50 rounds . My son in law killed 2 hogs in Tx on a hunt with good friends of mine, my daughter ,Ms and myself with the rifle . Being all grown up now the brandy around the fire is priceless probably worth the $143 if it were store bought ammo .
I have 2 grands that size and decap , girls no less. You can't buy that at any price .

[sukivel]

66 makes a lot of good points.
And when your other half is looking for
you, she knows right where to look.
In the reloading room, NOT at the bar.:cbpour:

This is what I remind my wife of when she gets testy...after I get a mysterious package in the mail from MidwayUSA!

[robg]

Its the fun when some idiot tells you lead won't work in a rifle then he sees you shoot 4 180gr boolits into an inch group at 100 yards .the look on their face priceless.

[mdi]

Yep, it's never been about money for me. I started out of curiosity; "Hmmm. I wonder if I could reuse these?" as I ejected the brass from my .38 Special. I read in a gun magazine about Lee Loaders and bought one, a pound of Bullseye, 100 CCI primers, a handful of brass I scrounged a the local police range and a box of generic lead bullets. After the first shot of a reload (head turned, hat against face, gun held at arm's length), the pride and satisfaction almost overwhelmed me. I used that setup for about 11 months...

I too have had many good hours of time spent in my "shop"; intense concentration and study, mellow reflection, and I can't remember any anger, fear, or sadness there...

[The4thaggie]

When I started reloading in March-April, the justification was "oh boy I'll save money". I have, but I still need to produce a couple thousand more rounds to break even. I'm lucky that the Lee Loadmaster was a birthday gift... I still have $6-700 in reloading and casting gear that needs to be paid for by savings...

I'm getting into casting because it'll be an expansion on my hobby mostly. I have 2k 9mm factory ammo and 1.5k 9mm cases that need boolits XD. So I don't have an immediate need for them. I do need a good amount of 45 and 357, so that was my justification.

[Bzcraig]

It's all true!!

[RP]

I had a program at one time that you entered the cost of the primers powder and bullets and it gave you the cost per round. You own the press and will get some of that money back if you sell it along with the dies and other do das.
So everything you can sell forget counting it as a cost in your per round figures heck you may even sell it for more then you paid. And forget your time just figure it would be time watching TV or something useless lol

primers
powder
lead
that is your cost for the most part anyone feel better now ? Back when I had that program I could reload 1000 rounds of pistol rounds most came out to around 35 bucks out of pocket for consumables.

What I have gotten out of it has and still is my sons and other family at the house tinkering on guns shooting targets and hours and hours of time getting ready to go hunting shooting or blasting out in the woods, Since we all hunt all the game comes here and is cleaned processed and stored.
Draw backs on this is when one of those boys shows up with a truck with those cool loud modified exhaust and they let it idle while they are loading the boat to go duck hunting and just because there is 5 or 6 very happy about going hunting they are talking loud and thinking everyone must be up its duck season lol. I have open the back door and yelled at them but when I laid back down in bed I have a smile on my face.
Now that they are older and are teaching the younger ones the art of hunting setting traps and decoys I think maybe I did something right I even got a invite for a out of state duck hunt and I dont duck hunt. I was told they needed someone to cook and film I just may go.

[Harter66]

That's awesome!

[Dennis Eugene]

My grandson Kyle is 12, got his first deer rifle last Christmas, on Dec 26 I sat down with him while he handloaded 40 rounds of 243's for it. His handloads where the first rounds through that rifle, he has taken two bucks with it so far this season, with his handloads. Priceless! Dennis Eugene

[tazman]

I recently gave my grand daughter her first experience shooting a firearm. It was great watching her get so revved up about hitting the target. It reminded me of when I taught her mother when she was that age.
Another generation with the traditions of shooting.

[retread]

It is still a lot cheaper than golf!! Clubs, ball, golf cart, green fees or club membership dues etc. are much more costly. Not only that but you can't bring home anything to eat.
Plus who would want to hang out with a bunch of people wearing clothes taken from a clown.

[robg]

Golf a good walk spoilt.

[Blackwater]

What a great post and comments, all! And so very true. As a "business" proposition, it really doesn't take all that long, if you aspire to shoot much, which is necessary to become a good and effective shooter, the equipment is fairly rapidly compensated for by the volume we shoot. In the final analysis, it probably doesn't save a lot of money, but it surely DOES let us shoot a lot MORE for the same amount of money, but once we discover the sheer joy of making our own ammo and shooting it, we tend to shoot even more than we once envisioned we would, so ..... baiscally, it's just the age old story of a man and his toys, and how anything pleasurable and effective and functional for us just tends to naturally expand and grow as time and money allows us to grow it. That's a GOOD thing! We were once called, and with good reason, "A nation of riflemen," and this was a powerful deterrent in the world that protected us very significantly against attempted invasion. Yamamoto, I believe it was, ruled out any consideration of invasion here as Pearl Harbor was being planned. He said, "There'd be a sniper behind every blade of grass!" And that may have been an exaggeration even then, but it was close enough to the truth that no invasion of our homeland was even considered, other than for the briefest moment.

In everything, there are "unintended consequences," and this is no different. As noted, it is a gateway into some grand and VERY needed events within the family that few other things can and do provide in quite the same way. It teaches the young responsibility, that they're not 10 ft. tall, bulletproof and immortal, and the value of research BEFORE doing things, the value of finding out vs. "assuming," and so very much more. Kids who are taught to hunt, fish, shoot and reload have a much greater tendency to learn more and better, and apply good judgment, than kids who just grow up in the world we have now, left significantly on their own, and away from the parents. Oh yeah! It also teaches them that the ol' man ain't quite as dumb as they may have thought, or quite as boring too! So many offshoots, from such a good and practical, yet somewhat costly, human pursuit. Reloaders and casters HAVE to learn a lot that the casual shooter just has no motivation, really, to learn. I feel sorry for folks who don't reload. Also, these days, one can't count on going to the store for another box of ammo that's the same brand and type as what we're sighted in with, so part of that new box has to be spent in checking the zero of the rifle(s) involved, so it's got costs and savings both, depending on what angle you look at it from. But mostly, it's just plain rewarding in many and varied ways. Period.

[gwpercle]

That $9.99 Lee loader was just to get you hooked . After that , you was on a downhill slide into full blown reloading addiction.

I remember telling my kind Daddy about the $9.99 Loader and how I could reload all the ammo we would ever need. He slipped me a $20.00 and said " don't tell your mamma " , and you can use the rest for powder, primers and boolits. He was a great Dad.
Gary

[passgas55]

Just like deer hunting.The cost per pound is more than a good steak but being in the woods on a cold crisp day can't be measure in dollars.

[GhostHawk]

I consider most tools an investment in one of my favorite hobby's.

Good tools taken care of last a long long time. Someday I hope one of my grandchildren or one of their children will treasure my tools. And if not them someone somewhere will find use for them.

But while I am alive and able to shoot they pay their share of the rent.

Typical Lee 2 cavity mold costs around 20$ and in many calibers you can not buy 100 boolits for that.
That same mold with a little care, consideration, some maintainance may turn out thousands of usable boolits. That is to me the very definition of a good investment.

Look at the cost of entertainment nowdays, 60-80$ a month for fast internet, same again or more for cable tv. Cost of Movies has gone sky high, even matinee's.

Look what a couple hundred will do for you entertainment wise in casting and reloading!

I won't say I have actually saved any money. What I can do is pretty much shoot whatever I want as much as I want whenever I feel like it. From 9mm up to 12 gauge, low speed to high, small bore to big.
The whole gamut lays there at my feet. All I have to do is feed it, little powder, primers, some lead.

I don't need to make lots in a hurry. I can take my time and put plenty of love and attention to detail into each one.

Last week I had a night where neither my wife or I could sleep. At 2 she went back to bed. I went down and loaded a box of 12 gauge #1 buckshot loads. Within 5 rounds my mind was quieting down. I was thinking about the job at hand. One step at a time. Take a new primed hull, drop 20 grains of Red Dot, add wad, pick up buckshot out of a dish 3 at a time, drop them in where they nest perfectly by themselves. Add a scoup of cornmeal for buffer, an overshot card to keep the cornmeal in and because it makes the crimps come out perfect. Start and finish each crimp then place it in the block and grab the next. By 2:45 I had finished that 25 rounds and slipped into bed and was sawing logs. Secure in the knowledge that my stash of "varmint killers" had just grown by a box. Slept like a baby not a care in the world.

And what is THAT worth? As I see it that peace is worth every penny I've spent in the last 3 years when I decided to get back into shooting. YMMV

[JohnH]

Don't count. Keep your head down, cast boolits, load ammo, go schutzen.

[WRideout]

[QUOTE=gwpercle;3800642]That $9.99 Lee loader was just to get you hooked . After that , you was on a downhill slide into full blown reloading addiction.

Hey, I don't have a problem, and I can quit any time!
Wayne

[Wayne Smith]

That $9.99 Lee loader was just to get you hooked . After that , you was on a downhill slide into full blown reloading addiction.


In 1968/69 that $9.99 was worth a lot more than it is now, too. It was an investment.

[Shiloh]

You get the satisfaction of being independent from factory ammunition. You can tweak a load to your own preference.
You get a LOT more shooting for your dollars spent.

If you cast, you can create ammo that you cannot buy. Try finding factory rifle ammo with cast lead bullets. You can size boolits to fit a specific firearm.
Most of all it is pure satisfaction and relaxation to load your own ammo.

SHiloh