Now you know why I reload.

[vrh]

Just sat down and figured out what it cost me to cast and load up a 30-06 bullet.
Well...it comes out to approx: 15 cents per round. Sure beats the store bought bullets at $1 a round.

[Big Dangle]

Yep, .45 cost me lost time I thought about was around 2-3 cents, 9mm even less.

[Iowa Fox]

Just sat down and figured out what it cost me to cast and load up a 30-06 bullet.
Well...it comes out to approx: 15 cents per round. Sure beats the store bought bullets at $1 a round.

The good old 30/06. Used to be lots of free brass just for picking up at the range. Nice long neck for those cast bullets.
Old timers will have that cost beat I'm guessing an average of .05 to .08 cents maybe.

Reloading is like growing your own garden, doing your own car repair. Stuff out of your own garden always tastes better than stuff you buy.

[Digital Dan]

Cost sure has an influence, particularly with cast bullets. Playing with the calculator awhile back and figured the .25-20 Win was cheaper to reload than purchasing .22 RF. Primer was most of the cost based on today's prices.

[Hick]

And then there's 32 WS-- they run about $1.50 per round in factory ammo in my area

[JeffinNZ]

Had a visitor last evening who is a farmer. I showed him what the .22 Hornet looks like. The box of Super-X ammo was given to me (deceased estate) and her near dropped dead at $88.00 (about USD58.00) for 50 rounds. Yeap, I said, that's why we handload. Can load a jacketed round for 60 cents.

[avogunner]

Yeah, saving the $$ is great but more than that, it's my hobby. I'd do it even I didn't save a penny (and if you look at all the stuff I have, it's getting harder to convince Mrs. Gunner that I do).

[Big Boomer]

In my early years my family shot mostly .22 rimfires. Hardly knew what a centerfire was except for 12 & 20 gauge shotguns. As I moved into centerfires, I moved away from rimfires entirely. Gave them to my son and grandson. Since I cast all of my boolits (still keep plenty of bullets for .223/5/56, .243 & .30-06), I really don't consider my shooting to be any sort of financial liability. My brother lives in Ohio and came to my place in Ky. recently and loaded up nearly 1,000 rounds of ammo for his daughter's .380 Sig for practice purposes. She has a concealed carry license and buys her carry ammo. Since my brother purchased the case feed plate, dies, shellplate, boolit mould and accessories for my XL-650 to load for the .380, he has already nearly paid for the cost of the paraphernalia in the ammo he took home with him. Add to that the .45 ACP, .38 Spl. and .357 Mag. ammo he loaded while here and he is money ahead in what he did not have to purchase by using my equipment and boolits I cast. I couldn't shoot like I do (nor could my brother) if I had to purchase the ammo. Too expensive these days. Big Boomer

[Mica_Hiebert]

My 7mm mag was costing me a buck a round and then the bullets I shot went up to 3 bucks a round which got me started in hand loading, then my 480 ruger which still cost a buck a round to reload jacketed bullets is what got me into casting. They run me about 13 cents a round.

[mozeppa]

so far ....i have a few 38's....a few 9mm....a few 357's...and a few .380's

$28,000 approx ....divided by approx 1300 rounds = about $21.50 per round....yup....i'm savin' money!:veryconfu

[Walter Laich]

so far ....i have a few 38's....a few 9mm....a few 357's...and a few .380's

$28,000 approx ....divided by approx 1300 rounds = about $21.50 per round....yup....i'm savin' money!:veryconfu

Yea, but you'll make it up by volume :-)

[GhostHawk]

2 plus years ago my Ruger 10/22 was my only rifle. Then I retired, had an income again, plus a windfall from my parents so I got back into shooting.

About the time .22lr got hard to find locally my father in law gave me a stash of mostly Winchester and CCI minimag's. About 4500 rounds total, and some .22mag.

So I saw the writing on the wall, put away my .22's and started to see what you could do with centerfire.

For me, bigger faster loads cost more because I end up with a 2-3 cent gas check on each one.

Primers 2-4 cents each depending on what you bought and when.
Lead for most of my loads runs another 2 cents each.
5 grains of Red Dot does just fine in a wide variety of calibers. Not super fast, but plenty accurate behind a cast boolit.

So without gas check most of my loads are going to be in the 7-8 cents each bracket.
With puts you at least at a dime, and if you are dropping 50 grains of powder that adds up.
My Red Dot costs me 0.003214 per grain. So 6 grains = 2 cents. Compare that to 50 grains of 4895 for example and your costs will go up.

Still, pretty good bang for the investment.

For me, .357 mag in a single shot handi rifle, 158 gr plain base over 4.6 grains of Red Dot, is a whole lot of WHUMP for pennys.
Your mileage may vary.

[cold1]

While dressing a deer i killed with my 45-70 using my reloads and cast 360gr RD pills, the "gang" was discussing the cost of shooting their rifles. Everything from 270 to 300 win mags, round prices from a buck a round to 2$ round. I stop and hand them one of my cartridges and tell them it cost me about $0.12 each. Well, i guess my rounds arent as good as their rounds since they are so cheap, justa chunk of lead that cant be as good as the newest fastest jacketed cartridges they shoot. I thought it was a little funny cause the deer I was dressing was just as dead as the ones they shot. Mine did have bigger holes in it too.

[dikman]

Umm, let's see, 2 lead melters (ProMelt and Lee), 3 PID's, about 15 assorted molds, all the other paraphernalia that goes with casting, a rather large amount of powder (black and smokeless), percussion caps, lots of primers (big and small), 3 presses (with another one in the post), oven and Hi-Tek coatings - I've only been doing this for just over 3 years, so guys, am I saving money yet? :lol::lol::lol:

Personally, I don't want to know 'cos I'm having fun!

[white eagle]

never actually figured out the cost
I do it more for a better more accurate end product
[smilie=w:

[kungfustyle]

Save money bwahahaha.... No, every time you squeeze the trigger it costs less. But save $$ there is always something else to get. Molds, gas checks, gas check makers, etc. It is very satisfying knowing that it only costs me $8 for a box of 50 whatever. What a cool hobby.

[vrh]

I have to agree with Kungfustyle. What I am saving on bullet cost is being set back for a Super Dooper reloading bench. Mine is so crowded with stuff that I just had to have.
Wife says that she can always find where I'm at. She knows that I have my hangout place in the garage. My coffee pot, ash tray and small portable TV are out there too.

[stubbicatt]

Some cartridges are so expensive that I definitely save money hand loading. Others can be purchased pretty inexpensively factory new. As I look over my progress thru the years, I used to like loading for performance, and could sometimes eke a few fps more out of a cartridge by carefully selecting components. Now days I like that I can download cartridges to minimize recoil and still get good accuracy. Casting bullets and making my own ammunition is a nice way of doing things.

I do it because it makes me feel good.

I change my own oil. I do most of my motorcycle mechanical work myself. It is good to be more self sufficient. Plus there is the factor of keeping my mind agile, or maybe more agile, by having to troubleshoot things.

[Petro58]

I have to agree with Kungfustyle. What I am saving on bullet cost is being set back for a Super Dooper reloading bench. Mine is so crowded with stuff that I just had to have.
Wife says that she can always find where I'm at. She knows that I have my hangout place in the garage. My coffee pot, ash tray and small portable TV are out there too.
Darn you got a Coffee Pot out there!! I knew I was missing something. All this time I been wasting going through the Door into the kitchen, I could be loading more rounds. Have to go to Goodwill now.

[Mica_Hiebert]

Any one who shoots 45/70 can recoup their entire casting/ reloading set up in a couple boxes of ammo.

[dverna]

For many people it is a hobby that interests them. For me it is basically a cost saving endeavor most of the time. If I could buy factory ammo for 10% more than reloads, I would reload a lot less.

There are applications, like gamer loads for CAS where you have to make your own ammo to get what you want.

One important aspect of this hobby is that it allows us to be self sufficient. Hard to put a dollar value on that - some day it could be priceless. One example is the .22RF shortages and/or over pricing we have gone through. But it could get a lot worse.

[Walter Laich]

speaking of 45/70...
I've loaded up some ammo using my 45 Colt rifle ammo data. I love how it takes forever to get to 200 yards. Half the fun is watching folks' faces when the hear the clink a good 1 1/2 to 2 seconds later; 'course I have to aim half again over the target to hit it but fun is where you find it

[dudel]

I'm saving enough to buy a few boxes of premium SD rounds. I'm sure I'm saving something; but when you factor in all the equipment..... I'm way past the Lee whack-a-mole stage! To me, it's more important to have access to ammo when the shelves are bare. Of course to do that, you need to keep enough components on hand.

Knowing how to reload, and having 100 primers on hand isn't going to do much good during the next shortage. I'm not urging anyone to go out and strip the shelves bare; but a 1000 primer here, a pound of powder there, and you can build up a good stockpile and still leave something for the next guy.

[Knarley]

Try finding "Factory" 38-55 BP loads! Or for a 45-70!
APP loads for CAS, or loads for the "Dirty Harry Gun".........that the wife likes to shoot.
After a day of missing ducks, driving 20 miles either way and HOPING they have what you want? Heck NO, head down to the basement and pull the handle a few times!
Spend over $2.00 per 10 ga. shell? I don't think so.
Down the basement, cup of coffee, stayin' out of mischief........Priceless!!
Knarley

[Harter66]

The last loaded round of 32 Remington rolled into a box in 1964.
45 Colts is back down to $38/50.
357 is hovering around $20/50
38s are still $12-15/50
38 S&W is near $35/50

The pistols ACP, Colts ,40 ,9, 38/357 or any of pistol cartridges cost $7/100 including the tools I've bought prorated out to the 1st 1000.
Rifles are more difficult to get a fix on with charges from 18-65 gr of 5 different powders but can say the when you have 1 that hy-shock federal blue box is $48/20, let's see $254/100 . $30 for dies ,$100 for a mould, $38/50 new brass ,surplus powder $10/lb (65 gr per) , $3.24 for primers that comes out $181.20 for the 1st 100. The 2nd 100 will cost just $14 for full tilt loads . At 200 rounds for that rifle w/the new mould and dies I'm still not up to the purchase price of the 1st 100 factory loads in fact at 400 rounds even if I toss the original 50 new cases and replace them with new cases I'll only be at just barely the cost of the 100 factory rounds .
Add to that 45 Colts at 38/50 vs 6/100 ....... I guess I never looked at that written down that way before ....... that's 4 to 1 for 1 of the 3 most expensive and 12 to 1 for another . Even the cheap pistol ammo is 3-6 to 1 for hand loads to factory.

The real question is why wouldn't you reload ?

[robg]

Saving money is nothing compared to the satisfaction of your own boolit and load shooting into nice little groups

[RogerDat]

Well I saw in the signature of a senior member that one only counts components not equipment so..... borrow the 1 and carry the 3 take what is left and divided by ..... dang I'm saving bunches of money just using his formula!

I like making my own, I like learning new things, I like having a supply of components in the "pantry", I like being able to help out family or friends with a box of 50 or 100, I like being able to download so the daughter in law and grandkids can shoot the "big" guns without discomfort. Doing stuff I like to do has value. Not watching sitcoms on TV has value. Twofer!

[bedbugbilly]

We talk about a car "nickel and dining us to death" . . . . when I started reloading, I found another hobby that did the same thing! LOL I went through my powder shelf not too long ago and was amazed at what I had accumulated over time . . and how much I had in it! But hey, it's a hobby and it sure beats spending the $$$ at a bar or similar "hole" where you have nothing to show for it. And then there are those of us who find a good buy on a set of dies for a caliber we don't reload 'cause we don't have a gun for it. But in the end, I have had a lot of cheap shooting by casting and reloading as well as a lot of fun . . . which justifies what I spent on a 8 lb jug of Red Dot that I picked up not long ago . . . a lot of fun loading and shooting as compared to what the same amount of $ would have purchased in store bought ammo.

And look at the "hobby" this way . . . many of us are "older". I figure if I am called to the great beyond, my wife should be able to sell all of my reloading stuff and have enough to buy a nice piece of bling for her finger . . . just to renumber me by! LOL

[Mica_Hiebert]

I dont look at reloading/casting as a hobby. I enjoy casting as a means to an end and I get satisfaction making something for my self at a fraction of the cost at the store but I will never have a progressive press or a gas check maker or a swaging set up for the simple fact that I will never shoot enough to recoup the money invested in those components... I did however buy a rcbs charge master because powder dumper/trickler/ balance scales are tedious to use it will take me a while to recoup the cost of it but it has made reloading alot more efficient. at $10 bucks a box I will never reload 9mm but at $20 a box it becomes rational to reload 38s etc.

[Lagamor]

38/357's are over $30 for 50 rounds here. 9mm is $16, but that's for "factory" reloads. I'll prolly never go back to factory ammo, but I'd like to see the prices drop.

[GunsAndHarley]

Just sat down and figured out what it cost me to cast and load up a 30-06 bullet.
Well...it comes out to approx: 15 cents per round. Sure beats the store bought bullets at $1 a round.

2,40$ per round in 45-70. I could not afford this caliber if not reloading. On top off that, it's just lot's off fun!!!

[shoot-n-lead]

Yep, .45 cost me lost time I thought about was around 2-3 cents, 9mm even less.

You must be using some incredibly cheap primers. Cheapest primers that I can find, now, cost 3 cents each.

[TXGunNut]

In my fourth decade of reloading and haven't saved a dime yet! Better question is why did I ever buy a box of factory rounds? Yes, I can load for rifles & handguns that I'd never buy ammo for due to price or availability. This ability has caused me to buy rifles and revolvers in chamberings that most folks will never have the pleasure of firing. Add the price of all these old guns and all those shiny bits in my loading room and you may discover that I load the world's most expensive ammo. To be quite honest I couldn't care less. I'm having fun, I'm putting critters in the freezer and nobody's getting hurt.

[woodbutcher]

:wink: Many years ago.a friend who has a IIRC a Wesley-Richards double rifle went to purchase some ammo.He like to have had a heart attack.Knyoch(sp?)wanted something like $25.00 per cartridge.Soooooooooo,he started reloading them.Cost him a small fortune for the custom dies and the custom mold.But now he is very pleased with his"Big Boomer".By the way,its a .600 Nitro Express.When it speaks,you listen.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[Doggonekid]

My .500 mag was $3 per boolit. After casting I load it for around $0.30 per boolit. I know that I am NOT saving money. I now shoot 100 rounds instead of 12. I go shooting with my friends and they are shooting .22 LR at targets. I do the same for a few minutes then I get out my .44 Mag and say I can't afford to shoot these 22's any more. I can shoot my .44 Mag cheeper than I can buy .22 LR. Most of my guns have never shot a factory boolit.

[shoot-n-lead]

Add the price of all these old guns and all those shiny bits in my loading room and you may discover that I load the world's most expensive ammo.

Now, deduct the residual value of these same guns and tools...and you HAVE saved money over buying all of the ammo that you mentioned.

[toallmy]

In the early 80s I bought a Winchester model 70 and one box of bullets . It lasted about 10 minutes when I went back to the store I bought a reloading press ,