Re: Is reloading worth it?

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Buck13 wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2019 5:40 pm
Deep13 wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2019 3:34 am I think I meant a turret press when I said progressive. I'm wondering about the cost per round savings, if that is worth it. I mean .357 Fed. Eagle 158 gr. SJSP is like $28 per box.
I'll assume you're not casting your own bullets. For revolver ammo, you can probably reload a case 20 times, so even if you bought brass for $0.20, that would be 1 cent per round, amortized. Several times that for auto pistol, or at least with my 10 mm I always lost 20-25% of the brass each time (although for 9 mm you can no doubt cheat and pick up more than you lost from someone else's lane). What are primers now, 3 cents (I paid more because I bought all of mine 3 to 4 years ago)? Powder for a 9 mm or .38 is 2 or 3 cents if I'm calculating correctly. Plated bullets are 8-10 cents. JHP (Nosler) are 20 cents for .357. I kinda believe I get better accuracy with real JHPs, so they may be worth it.

So, 9 mm you're going to save very little. If you get free brass, they're still close to 15 cents per round with plated bullets, and factory is 20 cents.

Plated .38/.357 14-17 cents per round. JHP more like 25 cents. Factory starts at around 35 cents for .38? The margin has become a bit more favorable, at least for plated. The price of .357 seems to go up a lot more than the small increase in the cost of powder would warrant, so that's even better. Your .357 price is 56 cents, so that's pretty good.

The real savings is in "bear loads" for any of the magnum revolver cartridges. Those are pricey but you can build them yourself for not too much more than the light stuff. A big charge of slow powder in a .44 still only sets you back 8 to 10 cents. Some casters (I like Western Bullet despite sometimes very slow shipping) have heavy-for-caliber bullets at a fairly reasonable price. I've driven some big lead gas-checked bullets VERY hard out of my Redhawk and gotten good accuracy, for a total price of 50 cents per round. Factory price for those would be more like $1.20 a pop, at least. Of course, you probably won't shoot huge numbers of those babies unless you have some adamantine wrists!

If you saved 10 cents per round and spent $300 on equipment, how long would it take you to shoot the 3000 rounds needed to make up the cost? If you only wanted to shoot .357 JHPs and you saved 25 cents per round, you only need 1200 rounds to break even.

But you can't shoot MORE than you do now and ever catch up! :see_stars: My equipment budget was pretty modest but I'm sure I haven't paid it off. But I have LEFT the range after three hours with more ammo still in my bag than most people arrive with, so for me the benefit is having more ammo than I can shoot (even during the drought) and being able to tailor the loads to exactly what I want, instead of whatever they sell at Sportsman's Warehouse. In a revolver, that can be pretty fun. In an auto, too, but you may need different springs.
I'm thinking to use brass I save from factory loads and reloading .38 with plain lead and .357 with SJSP or else plain lead.
Yet she persisted.

Re: Is reloading worth it?

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Ran the numbers and Buck13's estimate is spot on for me for practice rounds, if I buy used brass cases and coated bullets it averages to 14 cents a round for 9mm. I have to load 20,000 rounds to break even with my reloading set up. That sounds a lot but I shoot a little bit more than that on an average year.

Re: Is reloading worth it?

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spara wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2019 2:34 pm Ran the numbers and Buck13's estimate is spot on for me for practice rounds, if I buy used brass cases and coated bullets it averages to 14 cents a round for 9mm. I have to load 20,000 rounds to break even with my reloading set up. That sounds a lot but I shoot a little bit more than that on an average year.
I wouldn't reload 9mm. Just .357 mag. which are like half a buck each for 158 gr. SJSP.
Yet she persisted.

Re: Is reloading worth it?

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On the reloading forum we have a sticky posted by simmerdown a few years ago with a cost calculator from handloads.com, unfortunately that site is down. I'm sure there are other sites that offer one and you should look for one and use it. It can be very eye opening.

I don't buy bullets because I was lucky enough to be able to accumulate a large supply of lead for free. So I cast size and lube my own bullets. I can reload 38sec target ammo for just over 2 bucks per 50.

I can reload extremely hot 45colt ammo safe only in a 5 shot SA that would cost at least 80 bucks from Buffalo Bore for just a shade over 6 bucks. The savings can be considerable making your own.

Re: Is reloading worth it?

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I see this is kind of an old post but thought I'd respond to "Is it worth it".
Monetarily?
Maybe can be if done right.
Me?
As the friend started me out well over 20 years ago said:
It's a hobby.
Definition of a hobby:
Spend money
Waste time.
or:
Waste money
Spend time.
I've always remembered those words.

It' a very gratifying hobby for me that you can get as deeply involved in as you choose.
You can make some great ammo tailored to your firearm and always have a supply on hand.
(as long you can find components in these times)

Re: Is reloading worth it?

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I love zombie threads. This one, though, I can add a bit to, more than what little shit I've put here.

I shoot recurve bows because doing so puts me more in touch with my shot than if I were to shoot compounds alone. I do own and shoot compounds. They have some very good features, so it's good to know how to use them and to practice with them--which I do. But I also shoot my recurve, and I love it more because I'm more in touch with the shot. With compounds, the shooter uses a mechanical release such that the arrow is not touched after it's nocked. With the recurve I use my fingers, so I control every single thing about the shot until the arrow no longer touches my bow. This increases my enjoyment.

Reloading is like that.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: Is reloading worth it?

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A few years ago I went together with some shooting/reloading buddies and we purchased a few hundred $ worth of premium (read as *expensive*) and highly touted Self Defense ammunition. 9mm stuff at like $1.00+ a round but definitely worth it according to friends because, well, it's all that and a bag of chips. We were testing various brands and stuff on test media and checking expansion and penetration and reliability and I snuck (sneaked?) in 25 rounds of my hand loads and everyone was surprised that they did as well (and in some cases better) than the super duper primo SD ammo.

Some of the guys simply could not get over it. So we bought some more and disassembled it weighing all the components and checking OAL, muzzle velocity, standard deviation, blah, blah, blah and I was gratified to see that the tolerances on my hand built ammunition makes the fancy stuff basically look like schlock.

My point of this diatribe is that the main reason I hand load is that I can (and do) build super premium ammunition tuned to the chambers of the guns I shoot it in for a fraction of the price of primo factory. That's why I do it - because then when I train I am training with the very best. I do get some satisfaction out of rolling my own but the main reason is that I can build ammunition to the very highest tolerances and precision. It's cool in handgun ammunition but it precision 6.5 creedmoor at 1000 yards it is essential. I could never shoot sub MOA at 1000 yards with factory fodder but I do it consistently with hand loads.

And like CD says, it really enhances the enjoyment of the discipline t get immersed all the way. And it does save a lot of money...I could not afford to shoot 50 - 100 rounds of precision 6.5 CM a week buying factory. I'd have to get a second job.

Add to this that I am presently loading 5.56X45 and 9mm like a bandit when everyone else is buying whatever they can find due to the panic/hoarding and I'm rolling my own without compromise.

VooDoo
Tyrants disarm the people they intend to oppress.

I am sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Re: Is reloading worth it?

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Add to this that I am presently loading 5.56X45 and 9mm like a bandit when everyone else is buying whatever they can find due to the panic/hoarding and I'm rolling my own without compromise.
Yep. And yep to the better ammo. Just loaded up 150 223 on the progressive a day or two back, have components to keep doing that for quite awhile.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: Is reloading worth it?

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Yup...the only reason I would not recommend reloading for a serious shooter is if they are the type that just cannot concentrate or is always having little accidents or cannot be precise and deal with it. I am amazed at the number of people who have problems with precision scales losing their accuracy or breaking on them or folks that load primers backwards or whatever. Some folks just are not good candidates for reloading/hand loading and they should not do it then...as Shinzen has said before, we are setting off controlled explosions literally inches from our eyes and bodies.

There is a very small margin for F'ing up and the consequences can be unpleasant.

VooDoo
Tyrants disarm the people they intend to oppress.

I am sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Re: Is reloading worth it?

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I have to roll my own. I have a unhealthy obsession with large single shot pistols. XP100 in 7 mm BR is not going to be found at the LGS.

I recently added a 460 Rowland to the safe.

Rick


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Fortuna Peratus Renumerat

Liberal Condescension or Conservative Paranoia; A hell of a way to run a democracy.

Re: Is reloading worth it?

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NegativeApproach wrote: Fri Aug 21, 2020 9:59 am It definitely is right now.
Well said...I disagree with the comment that in order to save money on ammunition you have to buy components in huge quantities. I'm rolling 6.5 Creedmoor and 5.56 for right around half of what it costs for even bargain bin ammunition...which is not available right now... using components I bought before the extreme shutdown we have now. I have never bought more than a few pounds of powder at a time nor more than 500 bullets at a time. And the ammunition I'm building is more inline with premium match grade ammunition. Not basic range fodder.

I can't buy ammunition right now but I'm still shooting every Thursday thru the Summer in precision rifle and will move to handguns this Winter. The truth is that unless one has hoarded an awful lot of ammunition yer not going to the range right now as there is no ammunition to be had. The LGS/Range will not even sell ammunition unless you are using the range and then you get 1 box.

VooDoo
Tyrants disarm the people they intend to oppress.

I am sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

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