A quick question for you reloading experts

TheManInBlack

TheManInBlack

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I've been reading about reloading but no one takes about the actual savings. They say they save money but not how much.

What is the savings? So lets say a factory .45acp round like this

45ACP Ammo-230 Gr 50rd Box is 43 bucks = 86 cents a round

how much is this going to cost me if I start reloading??
 
Reloading = Shooting more

So you will probably end up spending more in the long run.....but you will shoot about twice as much for the same price as buying factory.

Also look at http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

Get your component costs, input the data into the calculator and it will tell you how much each round will cost.

You have to take into consideration that every time you reload your brass it cuts the brass cost in half.

Lets say it's $0.50 each for new cases, first reload will be $0.50 cost, second reload will be $0.25 cost, 3rd reload $0.125, etc...

For Example:
Powder (lbs) 1 $30
Powder Charge (gr) 5
Primer 1000 $30
Case 100 $50
Bullet 1000 $75
Cost / round $0.626
Cost / 50 $31.32
Cost / 1000 $626.43
 
TheManInBlack said:
I've been reading about reloading but no one takes about the actual savings. They say they save money but not how much.

What is the savings? So lets say a factory .45acp round like this

45ACP Ammo-230 Gr 50rd Box is 43 bucks = 86 cents a round

how much is this going to cost me if I start reloading??
Click to expand...

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

1 lb 231 = $32
4.3 grain charge
1000 Primers , Winchester = $44
Cases = free . Pick up your brass.
1000 Aim 230 grain = $138
Equals:
20 cents a round
 
For a light target load with 231 powder, cast bullets, ballpark, 5 cent primer, 5 cents powder, 7 cent cast bullet. Probably all gone up some since I last reloaded for handgun but I used to buy 1000 cast 45 bullets for around $50-60. Maybe that's a lot higher now.
 
+1 on Canuck 223's comments

yep - you spend just as much, but you shoot 4 times as much.

for .45ACP 230 grain bullets $135/1000 ( marstar)

primers $35/1000

powder $30/pound, assume 5 grains gives 1400 rounds so say $22/1000

45 ACP used brass runs around $105/1000 at Marstar. and seems to last forever ( but you wind up losing them to the weeds_. assume 10 times use before loss so your brass cost works out to $10/1000 use.

add up $135, $35, $22, $10 you get $202. throw in taxes, shipping and call it $250/1000 or 25 cents a round. . you then factor in your time and the cost of your reloading equipment, which in most cases lasts forever.

Depending on how you value your time you can cast and save $$
 
I have only just started reloading, and I do it with a very minimum amount of reloading gear.
What I have realized is that saving money is Not why I reload. Accuracy is why I am sold on reloading. I primarily hunt with my rifles, and in over 20yrs of hunting I have never found ammo that is as accurate in my rifles as the ammo I am making myself.
 
Gotta think of the positives....reloading is cheaper per round...you can shoot more...you can visit the sports store more often and look at all the things you want but cannot afford....you have a great excuse to spent time by yourself (away from the kids and Momma)....many things you can converse about with your reloading buddies. A tailored load that performs great in your particular rifle and by reloading them yourself, they will all perform the same.

Reloading may not save you a lot of money as you still shoot more often, but the self satisfaction that you get is worth every stroke of the press. I reload 13 different calibers and cannot fathom the costs associated with purchasing store bought ammo for them. And I shoot various calibers at least twice a week.
 
TheManInBlack said:
45ACP Ammo-230 Gr 50rd Box is 43 bucks = 86 cents a round
Click to expand...


Nope. $0.30 to $0.27 per round depending on if you keep your brass and ship it back to the commercial reloader.

http://www.wolfbullets.com/Spec.htm

You've got to compare apples to apples as your teacher said. Comparing reloaded ammo to new is a common comparison mistake. Use the prices in the link.

No, you won't save $ reloading 45 or 9.
 
I reload 10mm for about $7 a box, compared to $27+tax in stores. I spent a few times my monthly budget getting setup. I also spend more now buying components than I did buying factory ammunition. I get to shoot about 5X as much though.
 
Look for sales too... Carra Outdoors in Belleville, ON is going out of business so everything reloading & ammo is 20% off. I bought out all of his 231 which was regular $27.99 per pound, and then 20% off of that. He has lots of Hodgson & IMR's left for a pretty good price once you factor in the 20% off.
 
Here is a calc to see what you pay, but compare apples to apples - either include or exclude tax for both scenarios:

http://handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

Brass can aways be free if you pick it up yourself at a range. So, you'd pay for reloading equipment, powder, primers and bullets. I don't reload .45ACP but 9mm and .40 S&W. 9mm 50rds cost me $7-8 and .40 is $7-9.

I paid for my press in 6 months and am enjoying savings as per round shot as well as more practice than I could afford before getting into reloading.

Cheers...
 
Well, I checked the price of 44 mag ammo a few weeks back. $48.00/50 plus tax comes out to $54.24 which equals $108.48/100

Now, I've got a ton of 44 mag brass...like well over 1000, and the stuff just sees to last forever. Lets just say it works out to 5 cents per shot for brass. I bought a ton of primers for $31.00/1000 taxes in, so 3.1 cents each. Powder...that's probably around 4 cents. I cast my own bullets and have enought lead to last me the next 20 years, so I'm not going to count that.

So, 5 cents, plus 3.1 cents, plus 4 cents. so.............
$12.10/100 vs. $108.48/100 or 12.1 cents a shot vs $1.08 per shot


Not quite a 90 percent savings, but close enough.

I cast my own rifle bullets too and shoot reduced loads using 16 grains of Unique powder. I don't feel like doing the math right now, but it sure as heck isn't $1.50 a shot like factory 300 win mag ammo and it's a heck of a lot more accurate.

Yes, the initial costs can get pretty high, but once you've got the stuff, you're set. And the one thing that nobody has said yet which is a big plus for me is......the ammo store is never closed or out of stock :D
 
TheManInBlack said:
I'm hoping I can pick up some used stuff but who knows. Reloading just seems like something I'd like to do to relax
Click to expand...

Meh. It's not all it's cracked up to be. I used to get a kick out of reloading, but after the first few months, the novelty really wears off.

It just becomes a chore like anything else.

I cast almost all my pistol bullets and shotgun slugs and buckshot, buying my lead from the junkyard for 50 cents per pound, and I get dozens and dozens of tiny tiny little burns from the lead spatter, and I've gotten nitroglycerin headaches, and blisters on my fingers from the lee hand primer, but I can't say I've gotten some type of spiritual "sense of satisfaction" in awhile.

On the up side, I used that calculator to figure out what I pay for my ammo, and I'm glad to know I only pay 63 bucks per thousand .45 ACP, about 3 bucks and change per box of 50 and about 152 bucks per thousand of shotgun slugs(not that I've bothered actually boxing them in a long time. I use plastic tubs for pistol, and shopping bags for shotgun).

That might sound great that I get to shoot thousands and thousands of rounds for cheap, but I spend a helluva lot of time casting and reloading in any given week. I used to do alot of black and white photography, but not since I took up shooting.
 
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