How much these days to reload a 12 gauge, say, #7 trap

Years ago when I stopped loading shot shells, I was paying $10 for 25 pounds of #7 shot (#7 1/2?), $40 for a 4 pound keg of Red Dot and I don't remember the plastic wad or primer costs. I was using my Texan FW press (if that dates the time period!).
The Texan is long gone but the 12 gauge fun has returned. Cost of a new or Ebay find MEC 600 Jr. aside, with todays component prices, about what can I load a round for these days please? I can buy Estate loads on special when dove season rolls around in September for less than $50 a case of 250 rounds. Just wondering. Thanks. Don.

Lots of factors come into play here.....

If you shoot a lot (I do) and buy your reloading supplies in quantity, it gets cheaper. I buy powder in 8 lb jugs, primers and wads in cases of 5,000, and scrounge the once-fired hulls at the gun club. Also, with shot currently running about $40 a bag, it's the most expensive part of the reloaded shell, so I load 1 oz for 16 yard trap and 3/4 oz for skeet (Claybuster has a 3/4 oz 12 gauge wad). Sporting clays is mostly 1 oz, with a handful of hot 1-1/8 oz loads for the long shots.

Using Claybuster wads, Fiocci primers, and Alliant "Clay Dot" powder, my 1 oz loads are just about $4 a box and the skeet loads a bit less.

What ever the cost there will be savings. When I lived in NH, Pat Trap was just down the road about 3mi. Sunday mornings my neighbor and I would go trap shooting, his nephew ran the trap house and the cost was 6.00 bucks for a box of 12ga and the clay pigeons free. (had to buy their ammo) Just tip Danny in the trap house. Great fun I miss it.

Shotshell loaders are not my thing, but there are quite a few on ebay which seem
very reasonable. Good Luck. ps

I no longer shoot shotgun games and quit reloading when off the shelf cost got down to $22/hundred.

Our cost for reloading shotshell in the recent past has been between $4.75 and $5.00 per box . . . mostly closer to the $5 mark. With no special need for specific loads and an in-season volume of 8 boxes/wk, we would not be reloading shotshell to save money. We reload because we have the equipment and the time . . . and enjoy it.

Your parameters and your decision might well vary.

Yeah, $4.50 or so a box. And you have to buy the components in bulk from the right suppliers to do that. If you shop Bass Pro and buy 1 bag of shot and a pound of powder you could get it up to $8 or so a box. The good news is that components have backed off the recent record high prices and shortages and are generally available again and the price is dropping.

Hmm. SOunds like I might be better off to just shop the sales. I'm thinking I'd shoot 300 to 600 rounds a season. I already cast my own for .44, .45 and .38 using pure lead scrap. I make .38 light loads for 6 cents a round and thought comparable savings were out there for shot shells. Thanks all. Don.

"SOunds like I might be better off to just shop the sales."

I see the cheap stuff (12 & 20) at Wallie for $21.xx regularly. Good enough for clays in the back yard but probably might not be for handicap trap.

Mobuck said:

"SOunds like I might be better off to just shop the sales."

I see the cheap stuff (12 & 20) at Wallie for $21.xx regularly. Good enough for clays in the back yard but probably might not be for handicap trap.

Click to expand...

On a similar note, there's plenty of big box stores which sell various brands of cheep "250 packs" of 7-1/2's and 8's for about $25 out the door...or less if ya catch 'em on sale while they're having their annual price wars just before bird season starts.
That's about ten cents a round...or less, depending. Not being a shot-shell reloader, I don't know how that stacks up against the cost of "loading your own", but it seems cheap enough to me.

DGW

And then there was a couple years ago when shells were scarce or $33 for a 4 pack. The stocked up reloader or the prepared off the shelf buyer wins again. :mrgreen:

But watch some sales. Winchester super speeds aren't worth the packaging they come in. Not sure if the Universals are much better. I still trust the Federal 4 packs at WM. Now we have Herters, Estates, etc. Buy a box & test before stocking up on the bargain stuff, sometimes they're not a bargain.

DGW1949 said:

Mobuck said:

"SOunds like I might be better off to just shop the sales."

I see the cheap stuff (12 & 20) at Wallie for $21.xx regularly. Good enough for clays in the back yard but probably might not be for handicap trap.

Click to expand...

On a similar note, there's plenty of big box stores which sell various brands of cheep "250 packs" of 7-1/2's and 8's for about $25 out the door...or less if ya catch 'em on sale while they're having their annual price wars just before bird season starts.
That's about ten cents a round...or less, depending. Not being a shot-shell reloader, I don't know how that stacks up against the cost of "loading your own", but it seems cheap enough to me.

DGW

Click to expand...

Which stores have sales of flats(10 boxes of 25) for 25.00? I have never seen any for that price. Maybe its a local thing.

woodperson said:

Yeah, $4.50 or so a box. And you have to buy the components in bulk from the right suppliers to do that. If you shop Bass Pro and buy 1 bag of shot and a pound of powder you could get it up to $8 or so a box.

Click to expand...

Hi,

I have been loading good target grade trap loads for just over $5.50/box at "good" recent prices. That's about the same price as new "promo" grade target shells.There's a big difference between a well constructed target load and those cheapie four packs from Wally's and the like, which are designed so you have to shoot a bunch of 'em to bring down whatever game you're after! But I can match their price with a better round.

Not long ago, I found myself a little short of powder and shot, but not enough to warrant a bulk purchase, so I went to Bass Pro, and bit the bullet. Shells loaded at BP prices run right at $7.50/box, or about 50 cents less than competing top grade target loads.

ETA: my prices include a penny a round for the cost of hulls. I've got 1000s of once fired hulls we used to sell at the range for a nickel apiece, and generally I can expect four to five good reloads from a hull like a Win AA or Rem STS, top grade target hulls, and maybe a sixth as a throwaway "blasting" round.

Rick C

I load for 12 ga., 20 ga., 28ga. and for 410. I buy the components from a dealer who sells components at very close to wholesale prices. I figure about $425 for 1 oz 12 ga loads and about $4 for 20 ga.loads with 7/8 oz loads.

If it were not for the patterning and the tinkering with different powders and charges, I would not bother with loading the 12 and 20 ga. ammo. BUT, on the patterning board I can get better, more evenly distributed patterns than I can with factory loads, so I handload them.

Now, the 28s and the 410s are where the money is saved because if the expense of factory ammo in those 2 gauges/calibers. 8)

I reload 12, 20 and .410. Unless you're doing special loads like spreaders or something in 12 and 20, you won't save much money, perhaps 50¢ a box.

.410 I reload for $3.00/box, and my range sells it for $7.00/box and every else for around $10.00/box so there's a bunch to be saved there.

You dont save much any more. If you are shooting under 1000 shells per year, just go buy a few cases when they on sale. you can get 12 and 20ga loads for $50-60 a case. Rio shells are imported but is decent ammo. HERTERS brand from cabelas is decent also.

Still loading a 7/8 oz load for just under $3.50/box

DGW1949 said:

Mobuck said:

"SOunds like I might be better off to just shop the sales."

I see the cheap stuff (12 & 20) at Wallie for $21.xx regularly. Good enough for clays in the back yard but probably might not be for handicap trap.

Click to expand...

On a similar note, there's plenty of big box stores which sell various brands of cheep "250 packs" of 7-1/2's and 8's for about $25 out the door...or less if ya catch 'em on sale while they're having their annual price wars just before bird season starts.
That's about ten cents a round...or less, depending. Not being a shot-shell reloader, I don't know how that stacks up against the cost of "loading your own", but it seems cheap enough to me.

DGW

Click to expand...

Sorry, but I think those are 100 count boxes you are seeing for $25, not 250 packs. At least those are the ones WalMart carries.

Loading 12 gauge shells is a total waste of time for me; gave up on it years ago. The only way to beat prices for factory shotgun ammo is to buy the components in bulk and even then, figuring in your time loading, you're way behind on money. Unless you require specialized loads nobody offers.

I'm thinking the fellows loading a box of 3/4 oz or 1 oz loads for under $4.00 are doing so with components purchased many years ago. Today, purchasing in quantity and "reclaimed shot" the price is just a hair under $5.00 a box. Shot prices will make a difference.

7p's said:

I'm thinking the fellows loading a box of 3/4 oz or 1 oz loads for under $4.00 are doing so with components purchased many years ago. Today, purchasing in quantity and "reclaimed shot" the price is just a hair under $5.00 a box. Shot prices will make a difference.

Click to expand...

Maybe not. I just ran the numbers for the components I purchased 4 weeks ago and I can do a box of 20 gauge with reclaimed shot for $3.37/25. I do .410 for $2.95/25.

I use 4 boxes of 20 gauge a week at Sporting Clays and ½ box of .410.