invested in all of the equipment... loading up on supplies.... .223, .308, 6.5 Creed.... looking at the economics, and given the bulk pricing from some of the best match grade manufacturers, I am beginning to wonder if there is economic value in reloading... or a combination of doing it for the sheer pleasure of the hobby and not loosing the value of fired cases under the political climate potential of shortages in ammo.... what is the common thought on it?
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question for the pro's.... economic value of reloading?
- Thread starter hunter1959
- Start date
If you shoot a lot it’s absolutely economical.
If you to shoot to the best of its potential you can’t easily buy that.
If you want to shoot something you can’t buy... you can’t buy that.
If you to shoot to the best of its potential you can’t easily buy that.
If you want to shoot something you can’t buy... you can’t buy that.
What spife said. It’s easy to add up costs and compare. The cost is easy to work out, the time and inclination to actually do it is the unknown. Everyone values that differently. I’d do it regardless of cost, and I have the time. Just better quality when I do it myself.
I don’t reload because it’s cheaper or because I like it I reload because I want my rifle to shoot to its potential.
For cost saving, the real question is what is your time worth?
If your time spent reloading is a hobby/relaxation, then yes, a cost savings.
Not so much on something like bulk .223, as you point out, it is sold for close to the cost of the components. But I can crank out "specialty" ammo like 9mm subsonic for a fraction of what I would have to pay for it, and get a huge cost savings for reloading .300 WM or .50 BMG.
If your time spent reloading is a hobby/relaxation, then yes, a cost savings.
Not so much on something like bulk .223, as you point out, it is sold for close to the cost of the components. But I can crank out "specialty" ammo like 9mm subsonic for a fraction of what I would have to pay for it, and get a huge cost savings for reloading .300 WM or .50 BMG.
So you're telling me there isn't any savings, but you are shooting more????? I'm lost, if there aren't any savings then how are you shooting more?? Are you spending more money to shoot more or are you saving money on ammo so you can afford to reload more?
People say this all the time that it doesn't save you anything because you shoot more. If its because you save more, so less money goes farther then shooting factory ammo, then i would say there is economical value there right?
I tend to shoot cheap factory ammo in certain guns and if i'm just plinking with friends. I reload for my better guns and am competing with friends telling them there $5,000 POS is just that compared to my $1,000 factory plain jane rifle even know theirs are definitely better but im not telling them that.
I have very detailed spreadsheets going over the reloading cost per round of various calibers. Depending on the caliber you’re shooting I have found that I am saving anywhere between $.40-$.70 per round on match quality ammo. For example on 6.5 Creedmoor every thousand rounds of reloading (load for$.62 vs $1.20 for Prime) ammo buys $570 of reloading equipment. Or saves $2,280 over the life of the barrel.
I totally understand that my time is worth something but I actually enjoy reloading. It does not feel like a chore to me to turn on an Office re-run and hammer out a couple hundred rounds after the kid is in bed on a Wednesday night. All of my numbers are provided not taking the time value of money into account, reloading is a hobby in itself that I find worth doing.
I totally understand that my time is worth something but I actually enjoy reloading. It does not feel like a chore to me to turn on an Office re-run and hammer out a couple hundred rounds after the kid is in bed on a Wednesday night. All of my numbers are provided not taking the time value of money into account, reloading is a hobby in itself that I find worth doing.
When you factor everything you save nothing. Grandfather started me reloading in 1956, as a life skill set. The only benefit other than tailoring a load for a target gun is the ability to home roll ammo, that can not be bought.
you can save money handloading. you make ammo custom made for your rifle.
the most of us....we dont really “save” because we end up spending the same amount of money...but we get to shoot a helluva lot more for the same amount of cash.
the rabbit hole has many twists and turns. for instance.....i am constantly scrounging for handloading supplies. lead from whereever, pre-owned bullets that someone never got around to loading-which i buy as cheap as i can. i am not above picking up brass if i see someone shooting new ammo and leaving it. i cast my own bullets, too.
it’s like anything else....how far do you want to take it? your answer depends largely on that.
the most of us....we dont really “save” because we end up spending the same amount of money...but we get to shoot a helluva lot more for the same amount of cash.
the rabbit hole has many twists and turns. for instance.....i am constantly scrounging for handloading supplies. lead from whereever, pre-owned bullets that someone never got around to loading-which i buy as cheap as i can. i am not above picking up brass if i see someone shooting new ammo and leaving it. i cast my own bullets, too.
it’s like anything else....how far do you want to take it? your answer depends largely on that.
Everything said above. Savings depends on the cartridge and how well you shop for components. Some cartridges are very cheap right now, like 9mm and 223. Not so with many others. But they have not always been cheap, or plentiful. We will see inflated prices again. And components, do you buy a pound of powder at retail at your license gun dealer when you need one or do you buy 48# at a time from Powder Valley? Same thing with primers.
Assuming you're buying components in bulk for good prices, the economics largely depend on how you value your time, and whether or not you consider the cost of equipment.
There are lots of great reasons to reload, and it can be a satisfying and rewarding hobby unto itself.
My .223Rem match ammo costs me $23.50 per hundred because I bought components in bulk and on sale. Looking around, "match" .223 ammo markets for about $100/hundred for a difference of $76.50 a hundred. Yearly, I shoot ~2000 rounds in the local comps and more just having fun in the mountains, so that's about $1500 savings a year in ammo in that single cartridge, there are other, bigger, more costly cartridges including wildcats where I have no other option but to handload for. Sure, I'm out my time but guns/reloading is a hobby; an excuse to do something that's not my day job. I could work another 40 hours/year at the day job to earn the difference, but work sucks. Fuck that. I'd rather work a week in my shop pursuing my hobby instead.
For transparency, I don't have a wife or kids demanding my time and attention, so there's no competition for my interests and acitvities.
Also, ammo is taxed, components/tools are not. I prefer to pay less money into a broken system that persistently paints me as a racist, uneducated redneck with an evil gun.
For transparency, I don't have a wife or kids demanding my time and attention, so there's no competition for my interests and acitvities.
Also, ammo is taxed, components/tools are not. I prefer to pay less money into a broken system that persistently paints me as a racist, uneducated redneck with an evil gun.
This is always a silly conversation. Match grade ammo is better than a buck a round.
50 Lapua cases is about 57 bucks, say 60 after tax. If you discard after ten firings, it cost you $0.12 per case.
8lbs of powder, call it $230 shipped. 7000gn per pound multiplied by 8 = 56,000gn divided by your powder charge. For 223 I'm loading 23.7gn. 2362 rounds. Rounding it's about $0.10 in powder.
$175 shipped for 5k primers works out to $0.04 per round.
Bullet is your biggest expense, for 223 I buy 88 ELDs, $0.19 per round.
I can load 223 for around $0.45/rd.
That's materials. Doesn't factor in equipment costs, press, etc. Those are one time costs, though.
I have the equipment, I load my own because it's cheaper and it's tuned to my gun, not because I'm trying to recoup equipment costs.
A quick Google search, 69gr Gold Medal Match is $212 per 200rd case at Midway. I'm shooting 400rds a month in practice 223 ammo.
I save about $122 per case of GMM every two weeks. $244 in savings a month.
How long does it take to recoup the cost of a progressive press with all the bells and whistles? $1600? $1800? Divided by $244.
7 months and change and you've even recouped the equipment.
It's cheaper, the end. More time involved, less money. On the subject of time?
I loaded 200rds a week ago in 15 minutes. Match ammo is slower but for practice it takes less than ten minutes to get a hundred rounds ready for a practice session.
Let me know if a math Nazi finds any issues with my numbers and I'll edit the post.
50 Lapua cases is about 57 bucks, say 60 after tax. If you discard after ten firings, it cost you $0.12 per case.
8lbs of powder, call it $230 shipped. 7000gn per pound multiplied by 8 = 56,000gn divided by your powder charge. For 223 I'm loading 23.7gn. 2362 rounds. Rounding it's about $0.10 in powder.
$175 shipped for 5k primers works out to $0.04 per round.
Bullet is your biggest expense, for 223 I buy 88 ELDs, $0.19 per round.
I can load 223 for around $0.45/rd.
That's materials. Doesn't factor in equipment costs, press, etc. Those are one time costs, though.
I have the equipment, I load my own because it's cheaper and it's tuned to my gun, not because I'm trying to recoup equipment costs.
A quick Google search, 69gr Gold Medal Match is $212 per 200rd case at Midway. I'm shooting 400rds a month in practice 223 ammo.
I save about $122 per case of GMM every two weeks. $244 in savings a month.
How long does it take to recoup the cost of a progressive press with all the bells and whistles? $1600? $1800? Divided by $244.
7 months and change and you've even recouped the equipment.
It's cheaper, the end. More time involved, less money. On the subject of time?
I loaded 200rds a week ago in 15 minutes. Match ammo is slower but for practice it takes less than ten minutes to get a hundred rounds ready for a practice session.
Let me know if a math Nazi finds any issues with my numbers and I'll edit the post.
You indicated loading 200 rounds in 15 minutes. I would assume that doesn’t count brass prep time which to me is most time consuming and least fun of the process.
No doubt the component cost is cheaper than good factory Ammo. I find the time to prep then loading is hard to find these days.
Reloading is a new one for me, but I place it right in the same realm as two other hobby/passions of mine, brewing and cooking.
While viewed from a very narrow lens, yes, both brewing and cooking can save you money over buying retail and dining out. But the more you learn and experience, the more discerning you can become and the less compromise you are willing to accept. Then there is equipment cost which goes hand in hand with knowledge, you can save or be willing to spend more with and without it.
Growing up in Europe and having a chef for a mother has absolutely destroyed me when it comes to dining out and cooking. However brewing has cost me a stupid amount more than if I had never learned 99% of what I have. When you plan vacations around visiting breweries, or drive hours down dirt tracks to wait in line, to then wait in line for beer you know there's a diminishing return on your investment.
I built my first rifle last year after really learning to shoot the year prior. I had no plans on learning to reload but after putting just over 400 rounds down range in 4 months my brain wanted more; and just like brewing latched on to the science mixed with physical.
I ran my first ladder test last week, also shot over a chronograph for the first time and got much better results then I was expecting. Now I just need time off to get back out there.
Honestly in my opinion looking at reloading from a purely economic perspective is just far too corporate america and takes the human knowledge and understanding out of the equations and ignores the extra benefit of matched-to-the-rifle ammo
While viewed from a very narrow lens, yes, both brewing and cooking can save you money over buying retail and dining out. But the more you learn and experience, the more discerning you can become and the less compromise you are willing to accept. Then there is equipment cost which goes hand in hand with knowledge, you can save or be willing to spend more with and without it.
Growing up in Europe and having a chef for a mother has absolutely destroyed me when it comes to dining out and cooking. However brewing has cost me a stupid amount more than if I had never learned 99% of what I have. When you plan vacations around visiting breweries, or drive hours down dirt tracks to wait in line, to then wait in line for beer you know there's a diminishing return on your investment.
I built my first rifle last year after really learning to shoot the year prior. I had no plans on learning to reload but after putting just over 400 rounds down range in 4 months my brain wanted more; and just like brewing latched on to the science mixed with physical.
I ran my first ladder test last week, also shot over a chronograph for the first time and got much better results then I was expecting. Now I just need time off to get back out there.
Honestly in my opinion looking at reloading from a purely economic perspective is just far too corporate america and takes the human knowledge and understanding out of the equations and ignores the extra benefit of matched-to-the-rifle ammo
No prep. I dump spent cases in the wet tumbler before sizing, that's it. Trimmed it once when it was new and haven't had to since.
The press does the rest
"Start reloading to save money..." 
?
You'll have to do your own cost/benefit analysis, but if I look at how much I can earn working an hour vs. how many rounds an hour I can crank out on my single stage press... it's way cheaper to buy 9mm, 45acp, 5.56. Yes, a progressive press is in my future, because I love the hobby and the sport. But that's another $500-700 worth of gear.
When I look at top quality match ammo for my rifles, that's when I see a greater return and the get the best performance - which makes it ALL worth it. This is my personal reason for reloading.
But... having the skill set, knowledge, and supplies to make my own is the greatest satisfaction for me. YMMV.
Even if you're not saving money, it's definitely worth it in my opinion. If it turns out you don't like the hobby, you can always sell most, if not all of your stuff.
?You'll have to do your own cost/benefit analysis, but if I look at how much I can earn working an hour vs. how many rounds an hour I can crank out on my single stage press... it's way cheaper to buy 9mm, 45acp, 5.56. Yes, a progressive press is in my future, because I love the hobby and the sport. But that's another $500-700 worth of gear.
When I look at top quality match ammo for my rifles, that's when I see a greater return and the get the best performance - which makes it ALL worth it. This is my personal reason for reloading.
But... having the skill set, knowledge, and supplies to make my own is the greatest satisfaction for me. YMMV.
Even if you're not saving money, it's definitely worth it in my opinion. If it turns out you don't like the hobby, you can always sell most, if not all of your stuff.
Not to mention, in these uncertain times, the ability to produce your own ammo may be invaluable if the progressives keep getting their way.
It's like anybody who drives should know how to drive a manual transmission. Anybody who shoots should know how to make their own ammo.
It's like anybody who drives should know how to drive a manual transmission. Anybody who shoots should know how to make their own ammo.
As everyone has stated, it may or may not save you money. Will depend on how much you shoot in a year, your desire to tailor loads directly for your rifle, and how much you value your time spent
I’m with you in that I don’t buy much factory ammo, however you should spend some time looking into the Pittman-Robertson tax on ammo and it’s mandated uses. There are specific ways that money can be doled out. It funds wildlife conservation and (if I recall correctly) BLM/federal public shooting ranges.
The simple answer:
In the long run, if you don’t have anything else you could be doing to be more productive/profitable, yes, you can save money.
But, could you make more money than you save by opening a small business, working part time, or obtaining an online degree? Probably.
But if doing something else like that doesn’t interest you, then it wouldn’t matter anyway.
Will you have enough free time to load enough ammo to make it worth it?
Ultimately is 100% different from person to person if it is +EV for you to add loading to your lifestyle.
In the long run, if you don’t have anything else you could be doing to be more productive/profitable, yes, you can save money.
But, could you make more money than you save by opening a small business, working part time, or obtaining an online degree? Probably.
But if doing something else like that doesn’t interest you, then it wouldn’t matter anyway.
Will you have enough free time to load enough ammo to make it worth it?
Ultimately is 100% different from person to person if it is +EV for you to add loading to your lifestyle.
