Cost Per Shot

6MT said:
My coyote hunting (6.5CM) round…

Brass: free (range pick-up once fired factory head stamps)
Bullet: Nosler Varmageddon 90gr $0.45
Primer: CCI BR2 LRP $0.20
Powder: 42.0gr Varget $0.30 (priced from an 8# keg purchase @$400)

Total $0.95 per round.
My time and effort; priceless.

Federal/Hornady 95gr Varmint factory offering at Cabelas.ca is listed at $2.63 per round, taxes in (in store pick-up here in Alberta, for an apples to apples comparison).

Caveat: my consumables are not current market priced. These I have a lot of stock in, so I’ve priced them according to what I paid.
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It’s cheaper and more accurate for me to buy factory Federsl Terminal Ascent 175 grain 30 cal than it is for me to reload it.

Fools want $120+ tax and shipping for 50 component bullets. Then you need the brass. Then primers and powder is through the roof.

I paid 44.99 a box and bought 50 boxes.
I then sold all my reloading gear because it’s a sham.

I’ll shoot these bullets until I die.
 
If your gun shoots factory good enough and sell the once fired brass, its probably the cheaper way to go???
 
Reloading makes sense for me. I load for 6.5CM and 243. Factory ammo is no cheaper than $50 for 20 rounds. My hands loads work out to be about $1.80 a round
 
I reload almost everything I shoot with a few exemptions, 7.62x54r, x39, 22LR, & 12G. As I have decided my presses have been paid for,(2xDillon 50s and a RCBS RC,) my time is paid for by my pension. So I only pay for materials.
 
For those that say they load "cheap" because they are using components that were purchased when the prices were much lower, that is false economy. When calculating the cost (if you want to be honest with yourself) you have to calculate at todays component prices. Why you ask??, because the VALUE of those components are your actual cost. Example, I have a brick or two of federal 215 primers that I bought when they were probably around $50 (it's been so long I don't recall exactly). Today, I know of guys paying $400 for a brick. So, if that is the got g rate for primers (as an example), HST is what it costs me to load them because I could SELL them for $400. IOW, what I paid is irrelevant, it is what they are WORTH. Here is another example that might make my point more clear. I knew a guy years ago that heated his house solely with wood. he said that he heated with wood because it was virtually free since he cut his own. I asked how much he burned and he said about 2 cords per month in the dead of winter. At the time, a cord of wood cut, split and piled was worth around $150 so it was costing him $300 to heat his house when he could be heating it with NG for about $100 per month at the time. he disagreed and claimed that it only cost him some time and a few gallons of chainsaw gas. That mat be, but he could be SELLING that 2 cords of wood per month for $150 cord ($300) and buying NG for to heat his house for $100. T put it another way, if you found a sack on $100 bills on the ground, would it be considered cheap fuel to burn them in the wood stove since you paid nothing for it??. I have >50 pounds of black powder that I paid between $10 and $15 LB for many years ago but when I use it, the cost HAS to be based on its value today. Just another way to look at it.
 
RyoTHC said:
It’s cheaper and more accurate for me to buy factory Federsl Terminal Ascent 175 grain 30 cal than it is for me to reload it.

Fools want $120+ tax and shipping for 50 component bullets. Then you need the brass. Then primers and powder is through the roof.

I paid 44.99 a box and bought 50 boxes.
I then sold all my reloading gear because it’s a sham.

I’ll shoot these bullets until I die.
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If that's enough ammo to last the rest of your life, and it shoots well in your rifle, it doesn't make sense to reload, considering initial outlay cost.

I shoot more than that amount per year, and I know lots of people shoot that much and more per month.

I also know a couple of guys who load their own ammunition because they just can't find commercial, off the shelf ammo that will shoot well in their rifles. Their rifles aren't chambered for uncommon cartridges. They only load factory fresh cases, after preparing them by trimming, then sizing and priming.

I love following these guys at the range, they leave all of their once fired cases behind. A few of them save them for me.

They don't shoot a lot, but enough to keep their skill set honed for the intended purposes. They're also avid 22rf shooters, offhand and prone.

I have a lot of excellent Lapua and Norm cases for the 6.5x55, 7x57, 6.5x57 and 8x57J because of those fellows.

Nice guys, serious about making sure their rifles are up to the intended tasks.

Handloading isn't for everyone.

One thing to consider, it's not often prices come down. It does happen, but not often.

Prices of primers, powder, etc did come down from the highs of a few years ago, but not down to what they were a few short months before.

Shooting is once again NOT CHEAP.

Many here have seen and heard all the scenarios being written here several times over the past 50 years.

That's why buy it cheap in bulk made sense to many here and by your post, you as well.

Not a thing wrong with purchasing in bulk, hopefully a lifetime supply.

One thing to keep in mind though, the components in your "lifetime supply" may not stand up to the test of time before they start breaking down.

The brass cases and bullets should be fine but modern powders are now being made with a "best before" date and are breaking down sooner, some as early as ten years, loaded or in their cannisters.
 
bearhunter said:
If that's enough ammo to last the rest of your life, and it shoots well in your rifle, it doesn't make sense to reload, considering initial outlay cost.

I shoot more than that amount per year, and I know lots of people shoot that much and more per month.

I also know a couple of guys who load their own ammunition because they just can't find commercial, off the shelf ammo that will shoot well in their rifles. Their rifles aren't chambered for uncommon cartridges. They only load factory fresh cases, after preparing them by trimming, then sizing and priming.

I love following these guys at the range, they leave all of their once fired cases behind. A few of them save them for me.

They don't shoot a lot, but enough to keep their skill set honed for the intended purposes. They're also avid 22rf shooters, offhand and prone.

I have a lot of excellent Lapua and Norm cases for the 6.5x55, 7x57, 6.5x57 and 8x57J because of those fellows.

Nice guys, serious about making sure their rifles are up to the intended tasks.

Handloading isn't for everyone.

One thing to consider, it's not often prices come down. It does happen, but not often.

Prices of primers, powder, etc did come down from the highs of a few years ago, but not down to what they were a few short months before.

Shooting is once again NOT CHEAP.

Many here have seen and heard all the scenarios being written here several times over the past 50 years.

That's why buy it cheap in bulk made sense to many here and by your post, you as well.

Not a thing wrong with purchasing in bulk, hopefully a lifetime supply.

One thing to keep in mind though, the components in your "lifetime supply" may not stand up to the test of time before they start breaking down.

The brass cases and bullets should be fine but modern powders are now being made with a "best before" date and are breaking down sooner, some as early as ten years, loaded or in their cannisters.
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I hope that you are wrong about the powder breaking down fast. Gonna have to brun through my powder supply quicker lol
 
bearhunter said:
If that's enough ammo to last the rest of your life, and it shoots well in your rifle, it doesn't make sense to reload, considering initial outlay cost.

I shoot more than that amount per year, and I know lots of people shoot that much and more per month.

I also know a couple of guys who load their own ammunition because they just can't find commercial, off the shelf ammo that will shoot well in their rifles. Their rifles aren't chambered for uncommon cartridges. They only load factory fresh cases, after preparing them by trimming, then sizing and priming.

I love following these guys at the range, they leave all of their once fired cases behind. A few of them save them for me.

They don't shoot a lot, but enough to keep their skill set honed for the intended purposes. They're also avid 22rf shooters, offhand and prone.

I have a lot of excellent Lapua and Norm cases for the 6.5x55, 7x57, 6.5x57 and 8x57J because of those fellows.

Nice guys, serious about making sure their rifles are up to the intended tasks.

Handloading isn't for everyone.

One thing to consider, it's not often prices come down. It does happen, but not often.

Prices of primers, powder, etc did come down from the highs of a few years ago, but not down to what they were a few short months before.

Shooting is once again NOT CHEAP.

Many here have seen and heard all the scenarios being written here several times over the past 50 years.

That's why buy it cheap in bulk made sense to many here and by your post, you as well.

Not a thing wrong with purchasing in bulk, hopefully a lifetime supply.

One thing to keep in mind though, the components in your "lifetime supply" may not stand up to the test of time before they start breaking down.

The brass cases and bullets should be fine but modern powders are now being made with a "best before" date and are breaking down sooner, some as early as ten years, loaded or in their cannisters.
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Yea, I’m a hunter not a shooter.
That’s my only purpose for even owning guns.
Throwing money away to hole punch paper is… well, I’ll keep my opinion to myself lol
 
Spo0nFED said:
I hope that you are wrong about the powder breaking down fast. Gonna have to brun through my powder supply quicker lol
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There was an article on this in one of the magazines I read a few years ago.

It's been noticed by many that cannister grade powders have been breaking down earlier than they used to.

I don't remember many of the details, but it's going to become the norm, rather than the odd one off.

Maybe when Ganderite gets some time, he could comment on this "new'' situation.
 
RyoTHC said:
Yea, I’m a hunter not a shooter.
That’s my only purpose for even owning guns.
Throwing money away to hole punch paper is… well, I’ll keep my opinion to myself lol
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Each to their own.

I shoot a lot for all sorts of reasons, hunting being a small part of those reasons.

Presently I'm getting my "fall stable" of the firearms I'm going to use for the type of hunts I will be doing.

That includes a 22rf, 22 mag, 223 rem, 17 rem(just in case), 6.5x55, 30-06, 7x57, 8x57, 270win, 280 rem, 338-06, 12ga and 20ga.

Why so many, because I have them, and because they are all set up for hunting in different areas/conditions for everything from Coyotes to Black Bear, Deer, Moose and Elk.

I would have included the 338-08 (forerunner of the 338Fed) but my days of climbing up to tree stands are behind me.
 
bearhunter said:
Each to their own.

I shoot a lot for all sorts of reasons, hunting being a small part of those reasons.

Presently I'm getting my "fall stable" of the firearms I'm going to use for the type of hunts I will be doing.

That includes a 22rf, 22 mag, 223 rem, 17 rem(just in case), 6.5x55, 30-06, 7x57, 8x57, 270win, 280 rem, 338-06, 12ga and 20ga.

Why so many, because I have them, and because they are all set up for hunting in different areas/conditions for everything from Coyotes to Black Bear, Deer, Moose and Elk.

I would have included the 338-08 (forerunner of the 338Fed) but my days of climbing up to tree stands are behind me.
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I can appreciate that for sure.
One day I may settle into shooting as a hobby itself but when we get 8/12 months a year where I can hunt big game, that takes the little free time outside of family and work that’s allowed haha

Cheers!
 
RyoTHC said:
I can appreciate that for sure.
One day I may settle into shooting as a hobby itself but when we get 8/12 months a year where I can hunt big game, that takes the little free time outside of family and work that’s allowed haha

Cheers!
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Family always comes first, unless it's all controlled by a "controlling wife"

That's off topic and in most cases meant as a joke. ;-)
 
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