Cost of factory ammo

[Jim]

THIS (http://www.midwayusa.com/product/2900387144/winchester-super-x-ammunition-375-winchester-200-grain-power-point) is why I handload cast boolits!

[GRUMPA]

Jim, I think that's why we all cast boolits, well that and not being dependent on someone else for what we want. But the price for that is a bit out of reach for alot of people.

[Blammer]

This is why I cast.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2008%20Deer/DSCN7412.jpg

and

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2008%20Deer/DSCN7394.jpg

[Revolver]

This is why I cast. :kidding:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7qpyaOv3gjM/TOroexkExzI/AAAAAAAABIU/tsV9pVG8U7U/s1600/nagging-wife-saidaonline.jpg

[40Super]

That .375 Win is an expensive one to shoot, very little choice of bullets and where to even find the loaded rounds. A guy at work has one and he tries to only shoot once or twice to check sights and then at a deer. I got him to buy a set of dies for it and he is saving all the empties, he is waiting to use up what he has boughten before reloading them.
Even the "normal" rounds though are getting rediculous, I wouldn't even bother shooting if I didn't reload and now cast my own.It would be like another mortage payment per month cost:shock:

[JeffinNZ]

If you are just a hunter then the price of factory ammo is neither here nor there. How many rounds does a big game hunter actaully burn in a year? Shouldn't be many and will most likely be more on the range sighting than in the field. Varminting is a different kettle of fish.

If I did not cast and handload I probably would not own any centerfires at all however. That said I own what I do because I like tinkering so it is a vicious circle.

[Shiloh]

I was at Gander recently and thought I'd check ammo prices.
Prices are expensive. $35 + for .30-06. Around 22+ FOR .30-30.

THis is why I shoot cast boolits.

[Dennis Eugene]

Jim that link shows a 20 rd box @ $41.39 and 200 rds @ $419.99. What if I just bought 10 boxes of 20 at $41.39 apiece wouldn't that be $413.90 for a saveings of almost $7.00 bucks? I know it's not your deal but am I missing something here? Dennis

[Rangefinder]

I'm a combination of many things. I love to tinker. I like working things out, doing things differently, whatever. So reloading and casting weren't really a choice--they were just destiny. THEN I justify it all with sticker-shock every time I walk into a sporting goods store and see a box of handgun ammo in any of the cartridges I shoot with a price of $20 to $40 for a box of 50ct. That's usually when I shake my head knowing I shoot for about $4 to $8 for the same box.

[runfiverun]

the 375 is only 2/3rds the cost of the 348,
those are $63.00 around here, i still have a 20 round box and don't have a 348.

[PhatForrest]

I just about crapped myself a few months ago when I saw winchester 38 158 lswc at the gun shop for 17.99/50.

[Reloader06]

I sure am glad those are "Discounted" prices. Oh, Mr potterfeild has to add the handleing and shipping(Rape and Pilage) fees on top of that.:holysheep

Sorry, I'm just alittle cranky the past few days. :hijack:

Matt:drinks:

[Jim]

Jim that link shows a 20 rd box @ $41.39 and 200 rds @ $419.99. What if I just bought 10 boxes of 20 at $41.39 apiece wouldn't that be $413.90 for a saveings of almost $7.00 bucks? I know it's not your deal but am I missing something here? Dennis

I noticed that too, Dennis. Seems a bit backwards, don't it?

[soldierbilly1]

I do it for the education.
Yup, my two friends find this very funny, but I wanted to learn about shooting and how it all works. As a youngster, my mom and dad were fairly anti-gun. I was not gonna be edumacated to firearms at home.
Oh, BTW, I do save money. Economics is always a strong motivator. and I can outshoot my two friends fairly regularly now. tsk tsk.
Hah
billy boy

[white eagle]

I quit buying ammo so long ago
when I recently went with my bil to get some ammo
for a elk hunt for him ,I was shocked at he prices I saw

[ku4hx]

If you are just a hunter then the price of factory ammo is neither here nor there. How many rounds does a big game hunter actaully burn in a year? Shouldn't be many and will most likely be more on the range sighting than in the field. Varminting is a different kettle of fish.

If I did not cast and handload I probably would not own any centerfires at all however. That said I own what I do because I like tinkering so it is a vicious circle.

+1 ... A relative of mine wanted to start hand loading his own ammo for one gun, 7mm WSM, in order to save money. By the time he put together a list of what he wanted to buy, based on the number of rounds he wanted to load, he was looking at $6.00 per round. Of course the more he loaded the lower the cost over time. But as a hunter, he shoots maybe a dozen rounds a year if that much.

Then he wanted me to reload for him. By the time he bought the dies, the die holder plate for my Dillon press, the shell holder kit for the same Dillon, bullets, primers and a pound of powder he was down to about $3.00 per round for the empties he had. And that didn't include the trips ( 220 miles round trip) to bring me his rifle and then come back to get it. And my time and expertise were of course free.

After all this, he decided buying a couple of boxes of ammunition per season wasn't such a bad deal. He was in "sticker shock" because several Christmas's ago I gave him four boxes of 7mm WSM and he was about out of it. You know, "Commercial Christmas" ... that time of year when rational men lose it and spend money on others they'd never even spend on themselves all in the name of peace on earth of one sort or another.

[Revolver]

It's an obsession for me... and I am absolutely addicted to acquiring lead and I'm currently testing designs for a nice big bullet catch too. I justify it by telling myself that I have a lifetime of shooting ahead of me and lead will only get harder to find in the future.

With a family of 5...
1. that is a lot of ammo to supply
2. It's nice to have a quiet hobby to escape to!

[44man]

Back as far as the early 50's I would have dies and everything else before any gun ever showed up. Guns, including revolvers came in the mail.
It is still that way for me today. Some of my big bores cost a dime a shot!
I have always been, primarily, a hunter.
My big gripe about all the hunters here is they do not shoot enough. So many never even check sights or foul the bore before opening day. Then they find ammo on sale so they enter the woods with different brands and lots. SAME CALIBER---RIIIIIGGGHT! :bigsmyl2:
I have tried to educate hunters most of my life to no avail. You need to listen to the barrage around here on opening day, I never knew a bolt gun could hold so many rounds or shoot that fast! [smilie=l:

[40Super]

^^^ You can say that again about people not shooting enough before deer season. I know several people every year that wound a deer and don't find it because they couldn't hit it good. They throw a paper plate up at 50-100yrds and hit it with "most of their shots"out of four or five. Good 'nough. Then shoot at a deer 300 or 400yrds and gut shoot it or take out a rear quarter.Then can't find it :mad: :mad:


I wish there was a way to make them count that as their tag!!! They are done.
I always thought it would be good to have to take a shooting competency test just to qualify to buy a tag.

[Texantothecore]

.45-70 is now running, with ups ground shipping, 2.50 per round.

I load them for about 14 cents per round.

[rintinglen]

If'n I didn't hand load, most of my guns would never get fired! My 44 Specials have never fired a round of factory ammunition, same goes for my 32-20, my 45-70, the only guns that I have that see regular factory ammunition use are my .22's, though I don't always shoot reloads out of my 9mm. I see it for sale sometimes at 11.99 a box, and I buy a couple of boxes then.

[Springfield]

If you think hunting ammo is expensive then you should price out Blackpowder cowboy ammo. My wife and I both shoot and the kids are starting soon. Glad I have a decent amount of lead, empty shotgun hulls and primers set aside. Buying factory ammo for 4 would be real interesting(read impossible).

[mold maker]

In order to quickly start shooting a new .41 mag, I went to 4 gun/ammo shops. None at the first 3, and at the 4th, was a box of 50 for $65.95. What a price for convince. I needed brass to start reloading, but not that bad.

[adrians]

As rintinglen said,,, The only ammo i buy is 22 cal the rest eat cast.
i simply couldn't afford to shoot as much if i had to buy "ready rolled" fodder.:twisted::roll::evil:

[WaywardSon]

After having been pretty much out of the shooting sports for a decade or better, I have to say that the prices of everything to do with the sport are shocking. About half of the powder I have on hand is marked $12.95 per pound, 158 gr. LSWC were $5.99 per hundred, etc. Guns are worse in some cases. S&W comes to mind.

About the only factory ammo I have bought in the last 30+ years is 9mm or 45 ACP hardball. Hunting or self-defense ammo is stupidly expensive. Of course, the older you are the worse this seems:-) Fact is...as long as the market is there prices will remain high.

There might also be some political factors involved...not going there tonight.

[Wayne Smith]

When I get a new caliber the first thing I do is stock up on brass. Then I start surfing eBay for a set of dies and shell holders. I don't think I've bought a new set dies in the past 10 years except for those not commonly available - 405 Win and 25 Krag AI.

[Goldstar225]

I hear what you're saying, sticker shock hit me recently. I've never bought a round of factory ammo for my Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt. As soon as I purchased it I bought some Starline brass, dies, and placed an order for molds. I did buy a box of 500 cast to see me through until I could start casting.

Recently I went into our local Gander Mountain. On the shelf were boxes of Remington 255 grain RNL (not cowboy loads) priced at $59.00 each for 50 rounds! Yikes!

[oldfart1956]

Even some of the common calibers are too high for me. I recently used an "ammo search engine" to get some prices on .45 colt and the best price was .92 cents a round. Holy Carp! That'd cost me about $6 a cylinder full for the Ruger. I dump 50/100rds. at a time when taking it to the range. Off the top of my head 8gr. of Unique is about 2 cents, a primer about the same. I cast boolits from whatever lead I can scrounge or buy cheap. Wheel weights mostly. Add some 50/50 beeswax-olive oil lube or Recluses 45/45/10 and it's still gotta be under 15 cents a shot. The .38 special is even cheaper. Yeah ya gotta buys dies. My last ones I got at a gun show for $10. (Lee carbide) I just snagged 2 .45cal molds, a roundball& a .45 Maxiball mold..with handles for $5.!! I don't even shoot a rifled muzzleloader!! Just couldn't see them sittin' there. I like to shoot too much NOT to reload. Audie...the Oldfart..

[Harter66]

When I picked up the 1st Colts gun 45 Colts PMCs were the same $18 as most of the 357s about 6 yr ago it was $38 for the same. Over a buck a round in the cheap seats for everything CF rifle out here ,$2 if it has a fancy sounding bullet in it. I choked when my Dad called to tell me he got a really good deal on 2 boxes of 257 Roberts at $27 ea .

For me after 100rd of rifle or 1000 rd of pistol are loaded I figure the tools are paid for. 2 Rock Chuckers ,a Partner,and the Ohause M5 paid for themselves about 15000 rd ago. I only have 3 die sets that haven't paid for themselves, mostly because I don't have a gun to go w/them yet.

[gray wolf]

Me to--
If I had to purchase ammo I would have to take up flying kites or ping pong.

[melter68]

i cast for 2 reasons.

i. to save money and enjoy making my own

2.to get away from the wife

[TJF1]

Go buy fedral 416 rigby over 250.00 for abox of 20.
That is one reason why i cast and reload.
Terry

[MGySgt]

i just outfitted my son in law for reloading - New everything - about $450 - Sent him a 1000 .38 boolits too so he can start loading.

Not cheap to get started but that kit will last his life time!

[adrians]

On a side note about cost ect,,,,
i went to Gander mtn to get some .308 brass and their REM brass (all they carry ) was $39.99 for 50 pcs :shock: , so i went to another place and all they had was FED .308 brass but it was $29.99 for 50 ,,,, guess what i bought :-P.

[MGySgt]

Around here I have at least 3 places to buy components, Gander is one and Brass Pro is number 2 and a local place called Green Top.

I buy at Green Top - their prices are much lower.

Just lucky that I have choices - I know some don't have a choice.

[smkummer]

I have to agree that I look at Walmart, Dick's Sporting and Brass Pro for a laugh. And I thought gas was high. 13 years ago I bought my first machine gun. I would have shot the price of several of those machine guns up if I had to buy commercial ammo.