For those of us with a limited amount of spare time, give good reloading components and some practice how long does it take to load say 100 rounds of 7.62x51? Also what are you really saving over factory ammo? Thanks.
Reloading: The Time vs Cost Saving Equation
- Thread starter limamike56
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For me, even the limited spare time is used well. The time I spend at my bench I don't consider to be spare, I enjoy this time. Its my personal quiet time, kinda like some people get 30 minutes or whatever when they first get home from work. Its my time, occasionally even scheduled!
As for cost....when I started reloading, I started shooting more so personally saw no real savings even after the initial investments.
As for cost....when I started reloading, I started shooting more so personally saw no real savings even after the initial investments.
I have not loaded to save time or money. Best accuracy is what I strive for. Sorry not an answer to your question.
Unless you're loading a big caliber like 338 lapua then the savings won't show up quickly. If you figure $1 a shot for 308 and then reloading is $.65 a round it will take a while to save the money on equipment. 338 at $5-6 a shot or $1.35 for a reload figuring brass lasts 5 times is a bigger savings.
I really ENJOY handloading my ammo. But only the precision stuff. 9mm and .223 are a drag, mass producing ammunition is tedious. But I went to the range Tuesday and now I have 20 empty 308 casings to load...carefully, precisely and safely. 
I posted this up last year to give an idea of how long it takes me to do 100 cases from start to finish.
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...118168-how-long-takes-me-load-100-rounds.html
Its a little shorter time wise now as I seat the cases while I'm dispensing powder and don't uniform primer pockets every time so cut the time by about 30 to 45 minutes.
It is a cost savings for sure but I shoot matches so I do shoot a lot, there would be no way I could afford factory ammo and go to the same amount of matches.
Reloading is a hobby in itself, Sometimes you wonder if you shoot to reload or reload to shoot. Finding the ideal load for a rifle for me is enjoyable and challenging sometimes but really is part of the fun of shooting.
See if you can find someone local to you who reloads and see if they'll let you come over and watch or help out to know if its for you or not.
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...118168-how-long-takes-me-load-100-rounds.html
Its a little shorter time wise now as I seat the cases while I'm dispensing powder and don't uniform primer pockets every time so cut the time by about 30 to 45 minutes.
It is a cost savings for sure but I shoot matches so I do shoot a lot, there would be no way I could afford factory ammo and go to the same amount of matches.
Reloading is a hobby in itself, Sometimes you wonder if you shoot to reload or reload to shoot. Finding the ideal load for a rifle for me is enjoyable and challenging sometimes but really is part of the fun of shooting.
See if you can find someone local to you who reloads and see if they'll let you come over and watch or help out to know if its for you or not.
I load for 308 and 45 as this is the only calibers I shoot, except 22lr.
To answer your questions I'll start with a brief description. It took me roughly 1100rds before I started to recover cost of my equipment. I only bought bare essentials. I did it mostly for accuracy but as well an easier way then having to buy at current prices.
I only have a t-7 turret press, frankford tumbler, hornady scale, lee trimmer and lee hand primer. Maybe a total spent of $500ish
It takes me roughly an hour to load 100rds if its at least tumbled
Size, prime, charge, seat
I spend roughly .67 cents per round using once fired brass
My rounds are specifically built to my specs to match accuracy.
Untimely it's a hobby that I enjoy
To answer your questions I'll start with a brief description. It took me roughly 1100rds before I started to recover cost of my equipment. I only bought bare essentials. I did it mostly for accuracy but as well an easier way then having to buy at current prices.
I only have a t-7 turret press, frankford tumbler, hornady scale, lee trimmer and lee hand primer. Maybe a total spent of $500ish
It takes me roughly an hour to load 100rds if its at least tumbled
Size, prime, charge, seat
I spend roughly .67 cents per round using once fired brass
My rounds are specifically built to my specs to match accuracy.
Untimely it's a hobby that I enjoy
If you have limited time, reloading probably isnt for you. Once you become proficient, the safety checks (brass inspection/prep, powder measurements, oal checks, and accurizing steps will add to your time spent. If these are replaced for speed of execution, I would just recommend to buy factory ammo. Keep in mind, you can also pay to have your brass reloaded. I think southwest ammo performs this service.
This question is quite common and I have never understood the rush to produce large amounts of ammo yourself. The major benefit of reloading itself is to tweak bullet configurations to reach your firearm's optimal performance. That by no means is a quick process.
This question is quite common and I have never understood the rush to produce large amounts of ammo yourself. The major benefit of reloading itself is to tweak bullet configurations to reach your firearm's optimal performance. That by no means is a quick process.
M
milo 2.0
Guest
I wouldn't advocate anyone to get into handloading if they didn't have to, be it financial, accuracy, or whatever drives us.
In my case, Atone's estimate of 2.7 hrs per 100, is closer than trophyhunter's 1hr per 100.
I probably average 5 hrs a week doing it, in the winter when I replenish blasting ammo, whole Saturdays are wasted.
If you get into it, and manage your time and process, it's no big deal. Getting up 1/2 hour early and waking up with coffee priming or sizing cases can help. If your wife is one who demands you sit on the couch with her watching tv till bedtime, it's probably not going to pan out for you.
For the calibers I shoot, I can't afford not to, I'm not paying $53.00, and 78.00 for a box of 20, no matter how many thousands I have tied up in reloading gear.
In my case, Atone's estimate of 2.7 hrs per 100, is closer than trophyhunter's 1hr per 100.
I probably average 5 hrs a week doing it, in the winter when I replenish blasting ammo, whole Saturdays are wasted.
If you get into it, and manage your time and process, it's no big deal. Getting up 1/2 hour early and waking up with coffee priming or sizing cases can help. If your wife is one who demands you sit on the couch with her watching tv till bedtime, it's probably not going to pan out for you.
For the calibers I shoot, I can't afford not to, I'm not paying $53.00, and 78.00 for a box of 20, no matter how many thousands I have tied up in reloading gear.
I reload for larger calibers and buy factory for the smaller stuff. I don't use a progressive press and like to take my time with each round so I am not interested in assembly line reloading. Like others have said, reloading the more expensive calibers will save money, however, purchasing a large amount of reloading tools and going after 9mm reloads will take years to see any difference. I know I have saved a large amount on reloading .416 Barrett, .338 Lapua, .300 RUM, and .500 smith over the years as these rounds from the factory are rather pricey. I have all of the stuff for .308 and 6.8 but I have not gotten around to it yet. I would never reload .223 or other stuff like that as the factory cost and the amount of rounds may be easier and less time consuming than reloading that stuff.
I'll second all the above. Cost savings aren't much. If I can reload .308 for $0.64/round, and southwest ammo can do it for $ 0.74, and I can pick up an extra shift at the ER at when I start in July, then, well, I'm actually paying good money to reload. But, if I'm doing it because I like working with tools and with my hands, for the serenity of mind that comes with doing something monotonous and precise, then it's time well spent. To give the example, I don't keep a reloading press on long island; friends have them if I really need it in a pinch/shtf/whatever. For the 80hrs/week I work as a resident, it's not worth it to me to spend that time, especially when I'm capped at 200yds. I just don't see a sufficient cost difference to invest in my own setup. But, when I travel back to my folks place, me and my dad find it relaxing to sit at the reloading bench with a beer, talk politics, look out the back porch windows, and load .308 and .223 en masse. If I'm doing it for speed, and not for calm, then I can manage about 90sec/round as an average. I'm not trimming case length, de-burring flash holes, etc; I'm depriming FGMM, tumbling, shaking out the media, priming/neck sizing in 1 press, loading powder, and seating bullet. I'm not checking weights or capacity. I'm not checking concentricity. I'm not doing a lot of the more time consuming practices. I am individually weighing each powder charge.
If you want the fast answer, 100 rounds of FGMM brass will take you about 150-180 minutes of actual work. Your cost savings vs. new ammo at 30$ for 20rds, vs having Southwest Ammo load for you at 74cents/rd will be 150$ new, 85$ for SWA [gotta ship them the brass and wait, er, 4 months, in my case] and 65$ for me to do it myself. If you're gainfully employed with spare income, don't mind waiting forever, and don't enjoy doing the monotonous thing, and don't feel like shelling out a few hundred bucks for a press, then just buy your ammo in bulk, shoot the hell out of it, and send SWA 500 rounds of brass at a time. I tend to keep a few orders at some stage in their process, and thus am never short.
If you want the fast answer, 100 rounds of FGMM brass will take you about 150-180 minutes of actual work. Your cost savings vs. new ammo at 30$ for 20rds, vs having Southwest Ammo load for you at 74cents/rd will be 150$ new, 85$ for SWA [gotta ship them the brass and wait, er, 4 months, in my case] and 65$ for me to do it myself. If you're gainfully employed with spare income, don't mind waiting forever, and don't enjoy doing the monotonous thing, and don't feel like shelling out a few hundred bucks for a press, then just buy your ammo in bulk, shoot the hell out of it, and send SWA 500 rounds of brass at a time. I tend to keep a few orders at some stage in their process, and thus am never short.
Lets hope the new baseline for ammo doesn't go up much when all this crazy buying settles down. I mainly reload 338LM and 50BMG which saves a bunch.....like over $4/rnd. Can load 100rnds of either in a little over 2hrs which includes everything except tumbling. My buddy and I share equipment, he has the progressive equipment (Dillon 6-something), the 50 stuff is at my place. The progressive equipment is impressive when you grind out 400-500 rnds of 308, 22-250, or 223 in an hour. As long as using ball powder it's very good quality. February is my primary reloading month, the schedule cuts back opening up a bunch of free time, the weather sucks, and it's dark most of the time. Varmint season is right around the corner
I reload because I cant afford shooting factory ammo in the x47 Lapua. I also enjoy reloading and fiddling around, so the time factor is not a big consideration. However with the current shortage of things, a couple friends have asked me to reload ammo for them. I told them if they find the components, I'll load a few, but in this situation my time is valuable. I told them I have enough trouble keeping enough ammo around for the next shoot, and I don't enter that many comps. I hope component supply catches up with demand, and prices moderate. I'll choose not shoot the .22 rimfire before paying 60-80 bucks for a 525 bulk pack of ammo.
Anyway, the original question, my estimate is a couple hours (2) to load 100 rds ammo, if I don't have to trim/chamfer, but I weigh each charge and don't get in a big hurry.
I told them I have enough trouble keeping enough ammo around for the next shoot, and I don't enter that many comps. I hope component supply catches up with demand, and prices moderate. I'll choose not shoot the .22 rimfire before paying 60-80 bucks for a 525 bulk pack of ammo.Anyway, the original question, my estimate is a couple hours (2) to load 100 rds ammo, if I don't have to trim/chamfer, but I weigh each charge and don't get in a big hurry.
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Realoading straight-walled pistol ammo can be done quickly, and it will save you money. I have a Dillon 550 that will crank out 4-500 rounds per hour of .40 or 9mm very easily. 9mm costs me about $.11 a bang, and .40 is about $.14 a bang.
.223 is also done on my 550, but there is MUCH more work involved with the brass. Even with all the right tools for the job, I would estimate that it takes me approximately 1 minute per round, including decap, swage, size, trim, chamfer, debur, prime, charge, seat, and gage. That is NOT counting the time the brass spends in the tumbler. That number is strictly a guess, since I process all the brass so it's ready to go, then throw it on the press to assemble. In today's market, I'm saving a bit of money with this round. However, when the market returns to "normal", I will no longer be saving any money by loading .223. What I will be doing is producing much better quality ammo at the same price. Cost is roughly $.30 a bang.
I load .308 more for precision than I do cost savings. I spend more time on brass prep for .308 than I do .223. I'd estimate it takes me perhaps a minute and a half, maybe 2 minutes, per round. That number will only increase as I begin to try to control even more of the variables (concentricity, etc). Cost is approximately $.80 a bang.
.223 is also done on my 550, but there is MUCH more work involved with the brass. Even with all the right tools for the job, I would estimate that it takes me approximately 1 minute per round, including decap, swage, size, trim, chamfer, debur, prime, charge, seat, and gage. That is NOT counting the time the brass spends in the tumbler. That number is strictly a guess, since I process all the brass so it's ready to go, then throw it on the press to assemble. In today's market, I'm saving a bit of money with this round. However, when the market returns to "normal", I will no longer be saving any money by loading .223. What I will be doing is producing much better quality ammo at the same price. Cost is roughly $.30 a bang.
I load .308 more for precision than I do cost savings. I spend more time on brass prep for .308 than I do .223. I'd estimate it takes me perhaps a minute and a half, maybe 2 minutes, per round. That number will only increase as I begin to try to control even more of the variables (concentricity, etc). Cost is approximately $.80 a bang.
I couldn't agree more. To me it's part of the hobby, I really enjoy working to find the best load for my rifles. It is a little cheaper, but that is not why I do it, It is part of the challenge.
You might be able to save a little money if that is your ultimate goal. If your time is limited then I don't think you will enjoy it. As others have already said, it's an integral part of the shooting hobby. I personally do not want to shoot factory ammo. I enjoy the satisfaction of achieving great accuracy from my own work.
I know I will probably never see the return but I like being able to load more accurate rounds for my guns although it's not working well because I can't find h4350 for my 260. I enjoy loading but I have a fair amount of spare time.
For me my ammo costs have tripled, but i shoot 10 times as much as i did before. Well worth it in my opinion.
Reload bcuz u want to, not to save money. "Saving money" is the excuse you give the wife to justify buying more cool gear.
Your shooting hobby will always burn up whatever $$$ you have available.
Your shooting hobby will always burn up whatever $$$ you have available.
The whole process is kinda zen. Just get into the flow of it, get your sequence and rhythm down and time flies. It's like a good range session in the comfort of my garage. The fact that I get better quality ammo, learn something new, and potentially save a few buck is icing on the cake.
I just reload to get the best ammo I can for my individual gun. I load 1000 rounds at a time, and it does take along time especially when I load for everything except shotgun
I reload for accuracy, and my time is limited, so I have spent big bucks on a tooling to speed up the reloading process without compromising accuracy, Giraud Trimmer is the first thing I always recommend, being able to trim and chamfer in/out a case every 3-5 seconds makes it a gotta have, then I got a Gen2 Prometheus powder dispenser, it's about 3 times faster than my Chargemaster was, and every bit as accurate as a Gd-503 scale, now I'm saving up for a Dillon 550, the Prometheus is going on top of it, I fully expect to be able to crank a round of precision rifle ammo out every 15-20 seconds(not counting trimming). Money I saved by reloading my own rifle ammo, none.
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I reload 338LM. What I shoot costs $5 a round for factory and I can reload it for $1.32, which is a huge savings and allows me to shoot enough to get better. But if I could afford to shoot 1,000 rounds a year of factory and not reload, I probably would, because I'd rather be shooting than reloading.
Dude, everything's a choice. You can ask yourself every time you make a purchase, "do I want to work x hours to afford this?"
I reload because:
¤ I save money (chump change on the .223, to > $4/round on the 338LM)
¤ it's very relaxing - another form of meditation and a helluva lot more enjoyable than watching TV
¤ I gain a greater understanding of shooting
¤ I improve my accuracy
I shoot because it gets me outdoors, it is a cathartic release, and when I'm in the zone, time stops.
If I worried about the cost / value ratio of reloading with an eye towards dollars, I would not ever have taken up shooting in the first place.
I reload because:
¤ I save money (chump change on the .223, to > $4/round on the 338LM)
¤ it's very relaxing - another form of meditation and a helluva lot more enjoyable than watching TV
¤ I gain a greater understanding of shooting
¤ I improve my accuracy
I shoot because it gets me outdoors, it is a cathartic release, and when I'm in the zone, time stops.
If I worried about the cost / value ratio of reloading with an eye towards dollars, I would not ever have taken up shooting in the first place.
Mike there is no such formula. The time to load any quanity of anything varies by the type of equipment you use, how anal you are, how well set up/organized the process you follow is, how slow/fumbly you are and we don't know the answers to any of that. Savings depends on what you're paying for factory ammo vs. the costs of the tools you buy, how much your loading bench/room, etc., will be and how much you'll pay for the the specific components you use; we don't know about any of that stuff either.
I've been reloading since '65 and encourage almost every shooter to do it ... except those who only wish to same money! It isn't free and it takes a long to amoritize the equipment, bench, a place to put the bench, etc. for the savings to equal the costs and you finally start turning a "profit", never mind the time. Most guys who start out to save money either change their goals or quit before breaking even.
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Reloading = time. If I am almost out of something, I got to reload some rounds. Time = money. Time is priceless.
The cost of peoples faces in Walmart or their favorite gun shop when there is nothing on the shelves. That is priceless too.
I don't know if the situation is going to get better or not. if I can find some powder I'll buy some. If I can find some rounds I will buy some. In the future which no one can predict, we don't know. What we do know is a social situation can change the course of our hobby, if one is not prepared. My mom and dad used to reload with one of those little kits and a wooden hammer. It took them some time, but as a kid, I remember the tap, tap, tap of that little knocker while I was supposed to be sleeping. It didn't cost all that much because we didn't have all that much. I bought a rock crusher in a garage sale for $65.00 years ago and still have it. Sure there was a time when 5.56 was cheap - Now there isn't much to be found at more than $1.00 a round.
The cost of peoples faces in Walmart or their favorite gun shop when there is nothing on the shelves. That is priceless too.
I don't know if the situation is going to get better or not. if I can find some powder I'll buy some. If I can find some rounds I will buy some. In the future which no one can predict, we don't know. What we do know is a social situation can change the course of our hobby, if one is not prepared. My mom and dad used to reload with one of those little kits and a wooden hammer. It took them some time, but as a kid, I remember the tap, tap, tap of that little knocker while I was supposed to be sleeping. It didn't cost all that much because we didn't have all that much. I bought a rock crusher in a garage sale for $65.00 years ago and still have it. Sure there was a time when 5.56 was cheap - Now there isn't much to be found at more than $1.00 a round.
It's a matter of perspective, especailly right now. If you can go to your bench and roll your own with only the investment of your time, because you thought ahead and stocked up for times like this, I'd have to say that is damn near priceless. Personally if I want to go shoot and I don't have enough rounds to start a small conflict, you can bet I'll make the time to roll them up.
On the other hand if you are standing there without a supply of either ammo or components and a reloading setup, you'll buy either or both if you can even find them. Pay inflated market prices for off the shelf stuff, or find/make the time to reload. Each of us gets to choose if we want to keep shooting.
To answer your question, I reload cause I enjoy the hobby and the fruits of my efforts. Money savings............... now that's funny! Per round, sure I'm saving money, I fucked myself when I convinced myself I needed to maintain primers, powder, bullets, and ammo cans full of prepped brass in addition to an ample supply of loaded ammo. Looking back, maybe that wasn't so stupid? Barry will be out of office before I start to run low.
On the other hand if you are standing there without a supply of either ammo or components and a reloading setup, you'll buy either or both if you can even find them. Pay inflated market prices for off the shelf stuff, or find/make the time to reload. Each of us gets to choose if we want to keep shooting.
To answer your question, I reload cause I enjoy the hobby and the fruits of my efforts. Money savings............... now that's funny! Per round, sure I'm saving money, I fucked myself when I convinced myself I needed to maintain primers, powder, bullets, and ammo cans full of prepped brass in addition to an ample supply of loaded ammo. Looking back, maybe that wasn't so stupid? Barry will be out of office before I start to run low.
I started do it because of the savings on 338LM. I then figured if I was going to do any, I might as well be able to do all that I shoot. I know the savings per round are miniscule on the small stuff, but I can still make some now when I can't find it in the stores.
I like to do it also. I go down to my basement cubby-hole, and turn on some music and start crafting my rounds. It does get a little old doing the handgun stuff on a Rock-Chucker, but I've learned to cope, because I would rather spend the money on more brass, powder, and bullets right now than on a progressive press. I also know a lot more now----in comparison to when I started, but very little in comparison to what I still have to learn----and can choose a progressive that will better fit my needs when I can afford to. Until then, I can do about 100 9mm, 45ACP, 40S&W in an hour. About 80 or so of .357, .38 special, .44 Mag in an hour. About 75-100 5.56x45, or about 35-40 30.06 or 338LM is all I can do in an hour if I'm lucky. But then, you can't put a price tag on sanity, and if I am home for several days, I tend to go crazy without something profitable to do, so this fits the bill quite nicely.
I like to do it also. I go down to my basement cubby-hole, and turn on some music and start crafting my rounds. It does get a little old doing the handgun stuff on a Rock-Chucker, but I've learned to cope, because I would rather spend the money on more brass, powder, and bullets right now than on a progressive press. I also know a lot more now----in comparison to when I started, but very little in comparison to what I still have to learn----and can choose a progressive that will better fit my needs when I can afford to. Until then, I can do about 100 9mm, 45ACP, 40S&W in an hour. About 80 or so of .357, .38 special, .44 Mag in an hour. About 75-100 5.56x45, or about 35-40 30.06 or 338LM is all I can do in an hour if I'm lucky. But then, you can't put a price tag on sanity, and if I am home for several days, I tend to go crazy without something profitable to do, so this fits the bill quite nicely.
You end up shooting 3x as much while spending the same amount of money and a small amount of time. You can ALWAYS see who reloads because they are usually the ones that can really shoot.
