Is it worth starting?

Today I loaded 250 rounds of 9mm and 100 rounds of .223. in about 3 hours (most of that being case prep / trimming for the .223).

When I started it was to save money on ammo, but honestly, I enjoy it (well, maybe not the .223 case prep). Its become a new hobby with lots of challenges / learning.
 
In the winter I reload 100/days, mostly in the evenings. By the spring comes I haves 1000's of rounds available and ready to go. All done on a $125 single stage press.
 
dero338 said:
it depends how you see the time past doing it. if you could be working 2 hrs of overtime to buy the amo you make in 6 hrs. then its simple math.

reloading for high volume lowest possible cost and handloading for uptimum accuracy are two completely differents worlds and the second is just a f%#ng money pit
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Amen on the second part. I reload 9mm and .223 for plinking in semis and I also reload .223 for accuracy. The accuracy rounds takes 4x as long to reload, cost twice as much and cost me an extra 1000$ in reloading gear....but it is so worth it to hear the steel ringing forever away. :)
 
Euro said:
Hi,

I have considered reloading for some time now with all the brass I have left over (many many). My biggest problem is the time commitment vs price of a box of ready to go ammo.

I was wondering if people could share what much time and money is spent reloading. Not including start up fee or bench items. What is your best price and time for making 50 to 100 rounds? I mainly shoot 9mm, 223 (semi), and at times 308.
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I wouldn't recommend if you think of it as a chore, or just for saving money. It is another hobby to me, I enjoy doing it and gratified by the excellent product I can make at less than half the price. However, it does take time and if you resent the time commitment, don't do it.
 
I love to shoot and that requires ammo. I chose to reload to save money and I do. So now I reload, enjoy the activity and save money per round which means I shoot more. The bulk of my reloading is pistol rounds and the bulk of that is 9mm. I save money over factory.

If you like to make things then reloading is your bag! If you are Scottish and like to pinch pennies then reloading is your bag. If you like shooting as much as you want to, guilt free, then reloading is your bag!
 
Dake21 said:
Bottom line is if you don't like doing repetitive task that demand attention to details then reloading isn't for you.
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Good point.

If you have OCD, reloading might be a good application of those particilar quirks.

If you don't have OCD, reloading might be a good way to get it.
 
Euro said:
I mainly shoot 9mm, 223 (semi), and at times 308.
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These are probably the three most popular centrefire rounds. Loading them isn't as appealing because they are widely available and relatively inexpensive.

IMO, reloading makes more sense if you have a rifle with hard to find ammunition, want a bullet weight that isn't available in factory ammo or want to improve your accuracy with ammunition specifically tailored to your firearm. Then it's worth the time you spend.
 
Frugal rifle shooter here, and after decades of planning/reading Santa finally got my gear (2 Xmasses ago). I started only to save money.
As suggested already with only fiscal concerns the three rds listed aren't the most equitable to load for. It is less than factory costs, but you would have to reload a lot of them to "break even". Some of the ammo I make the "break even" mark is really low (6.5x50 Jap at $60/20rd factory IF you can find it)

For quality of ammo, it is very hard to beat ammunition you've made catering to an individual rifle. I have had huge fun loading beloved centerfires as if they are rimfire...ammo you simply can't buy.

Also, as suggested already, I have found the process of casting, and reloading to be a fantastic hobby all it's own. The process itself has become almost as rewarding as shooting.
 
Euro said:
Hi,

I have considered reloading for some time now with all the brass I have left over (many many). My biggest problem is the time commitment vs price of a box of ready to go ammo.

I was wondering if people could share what much time and money is spent reloading. Not including start up fee or bench items. What is your best price and time for making 50 to 100 rounds? I mainly shoot 9mm, 223 (semi), and at times 308.
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Do you like to tinker and work with your hands and enjoy problem solving?
Then reloading might be for you?
As to the economy of reloading it takes awhile to recoup your investment , but again it depends on how much you shoot and the type of shooting you do.
To buy $600.00 worth of reloading gear to shoot 20 rounds of hunting ammo a season doesnt add up to any savings, but it is custom ammo that one has created, well assembled themselves.
Rob
btw, RCBS is my recommendation of kit regardless of one or two who think a decaping pin should be sent overnight express.
 
I figure the cost of accessories for reloading is an investment like golf clubs if you want to play golf
The actual cost of reloading 9mm ammo goes

1000 bullets 124 Gr. around $100
1000 primers around $42
1 pound of powder for close to 2000 rounds $35 (that means deduct 80% of this price on your next 1000 rounds)
Brass is relatively free at the range or you can get it for around $40 for 1000 for once fired but it's a 1 shot payment since you use them over and over

So less than $200 a case of 9mm including tax (166.35 before tax at Xrel...) on the components and they are your very own customized rounds at .19 cents a round or $9.50 for a box of 50, not winchester or blazer store bought.
 
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when ammo prices started getting too high I cast my own and have not gone back to buying store ammo. I cast for all of my guns and have some real accurate loads and have saved myself lots of money over the last 25 years. the last deer that I shot with my 303 cast at 60 yards between the eyes can tell you how accurate they are.
 
Philthy1 said:
Nobody loads for .15 a round. Y'all might need to brush up on that math ;)
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... actually I load some pistol calibers for well under $0.15 per round using my own cast bullets.

Rifle cartridges use more powder and the brass is more expensive. I load 45-70 for about $0.35 per round, including the cost of new brass.
The cheapest 45-70 factory ammo around here is about $60/20. My cost is $7/20. The 45-70 dies paid for themselves in the first 20 cartridges I loaded... :)
 
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Philthy1 said:
Nobody loads for .15 a round. Y'all might need to brush up on that math ;)
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I load for 15.7 cents with conversion to CAD.

My primers came from Canada lol... 36$ per 1k before tax federal In CAD
Bullets 3600 for 240 USD delivered
Powder 28$ USD per pound of CFE pistol (I'm borrowing my buddies 550, it's what he uses for 9mm).

Brass I can pick up as much as I want from my ranges action bays.
 
Is it worth starting...yes and no.
Part of me wants to say don't do it and request you leave you brass at the range and thereby fuel my habit.
I would also suggest if you collect your spent factory brass and sold it (assuming you have a large quantity of it) that you could recoup most of the cost difference between factory ammo vs reloading (on most popular calibers).
However, I say go for it.
-It's a great hobby and increases your understanding of firearm knowledge.
-You can get better results and can tailor you ammo to your requirements and specific firearm.
-You have options when supply's get short or when price increases rapidly.
-You can save money, especially if you shoot odd calibers (price out magnum ammo lately).
-You'll have lots more questions to post on here:)
 
For the popular caliber (223, 308,9mm etc) buying in bulk will probably save you just as more, minus the time. My 308 reloads are about 70 cents each and that's about what you pay for crates of ammo. The downside is you will never know if your rifle likes the crates of ammo until you shoot them.
 
I have thought about reloading, still a viable decision but only thing holding me back is the initial cost to start then all the reasearch I'll need plus the time into setting up a reloading press and work bench, then reload my ammo and have to order primers,specific powder, clean old brass... it is a big task to start.
If I were doing it to save money... no definitely not saving money as the enitional cost plus all maintenance and re supplying.
Then you have to put time in there to do everything. As said above working an extra hour or two a week would cover the savings I would spend on ammo vs reloading. if I went shooting twice a week or more and had my own property I could shoot at different story.
 
QUATTROISKING said:
I have thought about reloading, still a viable decision but only thing holding me back is the initial cost to start then all the reasearch I'll need plus the time into setting up a reloading press and work bench, then reload my ammo and have to order primers,specific powder, clean old brass... it is a big task to start.
If I were doing it to save money... no definitely not saving money as the enitional cost plus all maintenance and re supplying.
Then you have to put time in there to do everything. As said above working an extra hour or two a week would cover the savings I would spend on ammo vs reloading. if I went shooting twice a week or more and had my own property I could shoot at different story.
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It's actually not as big a task as it seems.

The biggest investment is getting started, and you can do that pretty well for in the $500 range if you're economically minded and don't want to start out with the best of everything. Learning to reload is basically a day's work to get a good grasp of the basics. The easiest way to learn is to buy the equipment, read a book or watch a video, and then set it up and do it, referring to your reference material when you need to.

It's much simpler than learning to drive or understanding a woman.
 
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