gramps, opos "made a little change" and sent me a PM 8)
Eric
Eric
Pays less and less to reload
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meshugunner
Single-Sixer
I began reloading recently so that I could afford serious practice. But without also casting the bullets it doesnt make a lot of sense economically.
I reload .38/.357 & 9mm. The .38 former I can get for about 25c a piece at Walmart, the 9mm for about 18c in the Russian stuff.
If I only reload and reuse my brass then the cost per round is about 15c. If I cast my own bullets, it's down to about 5c per round.
I probably have about $1200 in a Dillon 550, dies, accessorie and casting equipment. Adding another caliber costs about $180 unless there are crossover components.
So break even is at about 6000 rounds of .38 or about 8000 rounds of 9mm - about 6 months of shooting in my case. If load a lot of .357 mag then the figure will be lower.
This allows me to be relaxed at the range and not feel under pressure because I am shooting quarters out of the gun barrel. And of course there are other benefits: When I learn enough, I can make custom loads for my guns and also, reloading is fun
There's something very satisfying about making rounds. It's sort of like baking cookies
I reload .38/.357 & 9mm. The .38 former I can get for about 25c a piece at Walmart, the 9mm for about 18c in the Russian stuff.
If I only reload and reuse my brass then the cost per round is about 15c. If I cast my own bullets, it's down to about 5c per round.
I probably have about $1200 in a Dillon 550, dies, accessorie and casting equipment. Adding another caliber costs about $180 unless there are crossover components.
So break even is at about 6000 rounds of .38 or about 8000 rounds of 9mm - about 6 months of shooting in my case. If load a lot of .357 mag then the figure will be lower.
This allows me to be relaxed at the range and not feel under pressure because I am shooting quarters out of the gun barrel. And of course there are other benefits: When I learn enough, I can make custom loads for my guns and also, reloading is fun
There's something very satisfying about making rounds. It's sort of like baking cookies Tommy Kelly
Buckeye
I was figuring buying powder for the 38's to get to 5 cents per shot. I have a 8lb can of powder in the shelf a friend gave me several years ago that I haven't found a use for but I saw it listed for a load in 38 special. If I use it in my loads I could load 14,000 38's for only the cost of primers. That would mean around 3 cents per shot.
Oddbod
Bearcat
I loaded a fair pile of .45ACP last month & by my reckoning, it was cheap as chips:
Brass: Free, as we pick up all we shoot plus any other once fired stuff from other competitors.
Primers: $2.40/100 when bought in lots of 10,000
Bullets: $14.00/100 for 200gr LSWC
Powder: $1.00/100 using 4.5gr Red Dot
At $17.40/100 I'll spend the time rolling my own - especially as I find reloading a great way to spend time not considering life's little troubles.
Brass: Free, as we pick up all we shoot plus any other once fired stuff from other competitors.
Primers: $2.40/100 when bought in lots of 10,000
Bullets: $14.00/100 for 200gr LSWC
Powder: $1.00/100 using 4.5gr Red Dot
At $17.40/100 I'll spend the time rolling my own - especially as I find reloading a great way to spend time not considering life's little troubles.
WESHOOT2
Hunter
-I would never shoot "the cheapest ammo" I can buy through MY guns
-I don't trust the other manufacturers as much as I trust that one special manufacturer 8)
-Substantial savings exist from handloading
-Specific tailoring remains an advantage.
Time is non-renewable; you decide.
-I don't trust the other manufacturers as much as I trust that one special manufacturer 8)
-Substantial savings exist from handloading
-Specific tailoring remains an advantage.
Time is non-renewable; you decide.
FergusonTO35
Hunter
It is true that its difficult to assemble inexpensive FMJ pistol ammo for less than you can buy it at cheap-mart. The real savings comes from using cast bullets or pricey hollowpoint or soft point bullets. Of course, if you're shooting an obscure or semi-obscure cartridge reloading is always way cheaper. Indeed, it may be your only option. You can still realize a significant savings even with many common calibers simply because they have a high retail cost. Price a box of .32 anything lately? The cheapest .32 S&W Long ammo around here is $26.50/50. By using cast bullets you can get this down to around $6.00.
Cheesewhiz
Hunter
I make very high quality FMJ 9mm rounds for less than $0.13 per round, that's $13 for a hundred.
Lost Sheep
Single-Sixer
I knows I pays less and less when I reloads. :lol:
As I learned to reload, I also learned to shop wisely.
But the REALLY big payoff is knowing I can make up whatever ammunition I want (relatively) independent of what is on my dealers' shelves. Power level at whatever I want. Local bullet casters will make bullets to order.
Loading has encouraged me to understand internal ballistics more.
Operating the press has a satisfying zen-like feel to it. Some may not appreciate it, but I do. Some people get the same feel from woodworking, knitting, painting landscapes etc.
Yes, it pays more and more to reload.
Lost Sheep
As I learned to reload, I also learned to shop wisely.
But the REALLY big payoff is knowing I can make up whatever ammunition I want (relatively) independent of what is on my dealers' shelves. Power level at whatever I want. Local bullet casters will make bullets to order.
Loading has encouraged me to understand internal ballistics more.
Operating the press has a satisfying zen-like feel to it. Some may not appreciate it, but I do. Some people get the same feel from woodworking, knitting, painting landscapes etc.
Yes, it pays more and more to reload.
Lost Sheep
I'll be getting back into shooting 45acp again for the first time in 25 years when I sold my Series 70 1911 for textbooks....sigh (no student loans though when I graduated) I have saved a 5 gallon bucket of 45acp brass from just a few range sessions scrounging (er um...cleaning up) our outdoor range.
I have 1/2 case of cheap 230 grain for $17/box (50 rounds) ready to take to the range when I pick up my Colt Series 80 tomorrow (Sorry guys, the Ruger 1911 isn't on the Commifornia DOJ approved list) As long as ammo is that cheap, I'll just continue to accumulate brass and just wait for some cold/dark/dank/dreary winter day to pour some Lee tumble lube 230 grain LRN with some of the 1000# of free lead I got from the flashing of my friends old home I helped him demolish, break into my 8# can of Unique and load that whole 5 gal bucket full of cleaned cartridges for just pennies per bullet.
For 45 and 9mm, it really comes down to just how much time do you have to kill as to whether or not re-loading pans out financially.
You KNOW you are addicted to reloading when you collect brass for calibers you don't even shoot.....then buy a gun in that caliber..."because it would be silly to reload all that brass and not be able to rapidly did-assemble it."
I have 1/2 case of cheap 230 grain for $17/box (50 rounds) ready to take to the range when I pick up my Colt Series 80 tomorrow (Sorry guys, the Ruger 1911 isn't on the Commifornia DOJ approved list) As long as ammo is that cheap, I'll just continue to accumulate brass and just wait for some cold/dark/dank/dreary winter day to pour some Lee tumble lube 230 grain LRN with some of the 1000# of free lead I got from the flashing of my friends old home I helped him demolish, break into my 8# can of Unique and load that whole 5 gal bucket full of cleaned cartridges for just pennies per bullet.
For 45 and 9mm, it really comes down to just how much time do you have to kill as to whether or not re-loading pans out financially.
You KNOW you are addicted to reloading when you collect brass for calibers you don't even shoot.....then buy a gun in that caliber..."because it would be silly to reload all that brass and not be able to rapidly did-assemble it."
meshugunner
Single-Sixer
On 9mm & 38Sp I figure my cost per round as follows:
Primer 3c
Powder 1c
Brass 0.6c (I buy once fired for 6c apiece and figure 10 firings )
Bullet 0.6c ( 1lb of wheel weights @ 30c/lb = 47 x 150gr )
Adds up to a little over a nickel per round. You can't even buy good quality .22lr for that price.
The .357mag once fired brass costs me about 10c/round so that bumps it up to 6c per round. I got several hundred lbs of ww for free but that doesn't mean it has no value.
If I were involved in serious competition I would probably buy some premium new brass just for the matches themselves.
To be complete one should really factor in the wear and tear of the machinery but I doubt this amounts to 1c a round. Certainly far cheaper than driving to Walmart or paying mail order shipping.
For this I can get high quality ammo tuned to my gun and the kind of shooting I have in mind. I can load soft rounds to practice with a snubbie. As mentioned before, I am never out of ammo. And it is very satisfying to turn out rounds of ammo - it's a bit like baking cookies
Sure you can do it for 20c per round if you want to but even then you are saving big time when you compare it with similar quality factory ammo.
IMO serious practice means many many thousands of rounds. The only way to afford that is either to reload or to marry a rich widow. I am still open to the latter option if anyone has a phone number for me
Primer 3c
Powder 1c
Brass 0.6c (I buy once fired for 6c apiece and figure 10 firings )
Bullet 0.6c ( 1lb of wheel weights @ 30c/lb = 47 x 150gr )
Adds up to a little over a nickel per round. You can't even buy good quality .22lr for that price.
The .357mag once fired brass costs me about 10c/round so that bumps it up to 6c per round. I got several hundred lbs of ww for free but that doesn't mean it has no value.
If I were involved in serious competition I would probably buy some premium new brass just for the matches themselves.
To be complete one should really factor in the wear and tear of the machinery but I doubt this amounts to 1c a round. Certainly far cheaper than driving to Walmart or paying mail order shipping.
For this I can get high quality ammo tuned to my gun and the kind of shooting I have in mind. I can load soft rounds to practice with a snubbie. As mentioned before, I am never out of ammo. And it is very satisfying to turn out rounds of ammo - it's a bit like baking cookies
Sure you can do it for 20c per round if you want to but even then you are saving big time when you compare it with similar quality factory ammo.
IMO serious practice means many many thousands of rounds. The only way to afford that is either to reload or to marry a rich widow. I am still open to the latter option if anyone has a phone number for me
CraigC
Hawkeye
You're doing something wrong. For one, you're paying way too much for bullets. Unless you're shooting a factory-barreled Glock, you should be using cast bullets. I load big bore revolver rounds for $7/50rds. Factory ammo is several times that. Brass gets used so many times, the cost is really insignificant. Even if you buy it new.ra said:
Only reason I buy .45ACP is because I shoot on my own property and don't want to spend all day finding my brass in the grass and cow pies.
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