So I posted on another section here responding to someones request and mentioned some prices for how much you can save reloading. A couple of people sorta implied I had no idea what I was talking about with cost so I figured I would post a complete breakdown of the exact math for reloading and its savings. For this example I will be getting all prices off midway USA and they are current as of this posting (10JUN2012) I am also going to use 168gr Federal Gold Metal Match as the basis for this comparison as it is considered a gold standard. I am also going to use 100 rounds as the basis for all the costs in the initial breakdown until noted otherwise:
168gr FGMM $29.99 per 20 = $149.95 per 100
Reloading Supplies:
FGMM #210M Primers $36.95 per 1000 = $3.70 per 100
168gr Sierra Matcking bullets $30.99 per 100
H4895 Powder using a 42.5gr charge which gives me a 2695fps velocity pushing a 168 SMK out of my 24" barreled Savage 10fp
so we will say 4250gr per 100 rounds or .61 lbs at $23.99 per lb total cost for 100 rounds is $14.63
Brass (this assumes you dont have any already available) Lapua brass $74.99 per 100.
That gives us a total of $124.31 for the first 100 rounds now thats only a $25.64 savings for the first 100 but after that or if you didnt have to buy brass you are looking at $49.32 per 100 rounds which is just over $100 saved on 100 rounds.
Now some people say the initial investment makes the savings moot so I will break that down as well.
RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Master Single Stage Press Kit $319.99
RCBS Competition 2-Die Set 308 Winchester $94.99
RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 Powder Scale and Dispenser Combo 110 Volt (This isnt necessary at all but a great add on) $334.99
RCBS Trim Pro-2 Manual Case Trimmer Kit $92.99
Hornady Lock-N-Load Sonic Cleaner 2L Ultrasonic Case Cleaner 110 Volt $109.99
The total for all of that is $952.95 and quite a few of the items are much nicer then what you ultimately need and all but the dies are usable on any caliber you reload other then .50BMG I believe
So assuming we get 5 reloads out of our Lapua brass we are looking at a total cost of $321.59 to reload that 500 rounds and $749.75 to just buy 500 pre-made rounds for a total savings of $428.16
With that savings your entire reloading setup has paid for itself after reloading 1200 rounds 1200 rounds may seem like a lot but you have to consider that the savings on just 100 rounds would pay for another set of dies and now you are reloading for two calibers.
I just figured a nice quantitative summary of the costs of reloading could be nice. Another thing to keep in mind I used the retail prices listed on midway usa. You could save plenty of money buying some components used or buying a tumbler with media rather then the ultrasonic cleaner. You could also buy just a digital scale rather then the powder dispenser or use the scale that comes with the kit which eliminates $200~ if you get a digital scale and $330 if you just use the balance beam in your kit. I know reloading isnt for everyone but if your willing to learn it can save you quite a bit of money especially if you shoot as often as I know a lot of members here shoot.
168gr FGMM $29.99 per 20 = $149.95 per 100
Reloading Supplies:
FGMM #210M Primers $36.95 per 1000 = $3.70 per 100
168gr Sierra Matcking bullets $30.99 per 100
H4895 Powder using a 42.5gr charge which gives me a 2695fps velocity pushing a 168 SMK out of my 24" barreled Savage 10fp
so we will say 4250gr per 100 rounds or .61 lbs at $23.99 per lb total cost for 100 rounds is $14.63
Brass (this assumes you dont have any already available) Lapua brass $74.99 per 100.
That gives us a total of $124.31 for the first 100 rounds now thats only a $25.64 savings for the first 100 but after that or if you didnt have to buy brass you are looking at $49.32 per 100 rounds which is just over $100 saved on 100 rounds.
Now some people say the initial investment makes the savings moot so I will break that down as well.
RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Master Single Stage Press Kit $319.99
RCBS Competition 2-Die Set 308 Winchester $94.99
RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 Powder Scale and Dispenser Combo 110 Volt (This isnt necessary at all but a great add on) $334.99
RCBS Trim Pro-2 Manual Case Trimmer Kit $92.99
Hornady Lock-N-Load Sonic Cleaner 2L Ultrasonic Case Cleaner 110 Volt $109.99
The total for all of that is $952.95 and quite a few of the items are much nicer then what you ultimately need and all but the dies are usable on any caliber you reload other then .50BMG I believe
So assuming we get 5 reloads out of our Lapua brass we are looking at a total cost of $321.59 to reload that 500 rounds and $749.75 to just buy 500 pre-made rounds for a total savings of $428.16
With that savings your entire reloading setup has paid for itself after reloading 1200 rounds 1200 rounds may seem like a lot but you have to consider that the savings on just 100 rounds would pay for another set of dies and now you are reloading for two calibers.
I just figured a nice quantitative summary of the costs of reloading could be nice. Another thing to keep in mind I used the retail prices listed on midway usa. You could save plenty of money buying some components used or buying a tumbler with media rather then the ultrasonic cleaner. You could also buy just a digital scale rather then the powder dispenser or use the scale that comes with the kit which eliminates $200~ if you get a digital scale and $330 if you just use the balance beam in your kit. I know reloading isnt for everyone but if your willing to learn it can save you quite a bit of money especially if you shoot as often as I know a lot of members here shoot.
