Is reloading even worth it now?

handofzeus

handofzeus

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I just spent a pleasant afternoon finally reloading some 44 mag after many years of not shooting too much and not reloading at all. I looked at the new prices of powder and nearly threw up. Luckily I had more than a few pounds of 4227 and a whole brick of large rifle primers but I looked at the prices on my old supplies compared to today and it was disgusting. My cans of 4227 were $19.99/lb before tax and the primers were $29.99/1000 before tax. Comparing those prices to $100 more or less for a pound of powder and nearly $100 for a thousand primers at today's prices. With the purchase of 500 cheap cam pro plated bullets and some new starline brass it cost me $1.31 to reload 44 Magnum per cartridge. Searching online the cheapest new factory ammo I could find was $29.95 for 25 rounds making it $1.35 per round for factory new. The only way I can see saving a little bit is to buy the factory ammo and shoot it and then reload the brass like I used to. This would give a break at $061.6/rnd. I remember 15 or 20 years ago doing a similar calculation and as I recall reloading was a quarter of the cost of factory new ammo in general. Sad times!
 
tacoman said:
Hard to find a factory load at just the power level you want and even if you could , they may not shoot well in your gun. Reloading allows me to taylor the load to what I and my gun likes. Besides, if I wasn't reloading I would be in the house pestering my wife.
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All very good points! Certainly makes a lot of sense when you get into the big rifle cartridges but for smaller handgun rounds it really doesn't make sense until you start talking large bulk numbers and even then I couldn't imagine ever reloading 9 mm by hand unless using a progressive press or one of those fully motorized dealios.
 
I think if you shoot lots, if you have odd chambering, if you like it, if you can’t find what you want in factory ammo, it does make sense. But if you have to get all the gear and components for one cartridge hmmm might not be so good.
 
Of course it is if you enjoy it not all things are about the money. Good enjoyable hobby if you like to tinker and play around with things. Lots of rewards to be had with home built ammo. Hand loading is a education in itself for me anyways. Most of the matches i have won and almost all of the big and small game i have harvested in my life time has been with hand loaded ammo.
 
One must also factor in time. I shoot alot of skeet and for regular skeet loads i can buy it for about what I can reload it for so I just buy it. I still load for my 2.5" chambered guns and save alot of cash there and I load my own slugs or really light loads
For 9mm I just buy it by the thousand at a time. No hassle picking up and sorting brass and no time spent reloading it even if it did save some money.
 
For some of the old obsolete cartridges you have to reload in order to be able to shoot
44 mag and 357 is still worth loading for, 9mm and .223 not so much but I still do because I enjoy it
You can make ammo whenever you want as long as you have the components to do so plus you can make specific rounds that may not be available to purchase
 
It is still worth it. The trick is to buy when stuff is on sale, especially primers which seem to be (a small) feast or famine. And yeah, brass is the killer cost along with bullets. 44 mag brass is a unicorn to find in the brass bucket but I was lucky enough to stumble on 50 rounds a while back. Score!

I never factor in my labour cost....reloading pistol ammo is medicinal for me. Reloading rifle for accuracy, not so much sometimes! :D
 
Depends what you're looking for. Cost savings - not any more as all parts of the components have gone up to much. Primers the most. Powder second. Bullets haven't changed much. You can still get cheap lead.

Reloading is more for accuracy (rifle reloads specifically) and love for doing it. The odd calibers for sure you save. $160 for 20 rounds of rifle..... I'll keep reloading.
 
I reload for several reasons.

1. One of my hunting loads are not available on the market. I load a 290 gr copper tipped bullet for 450 BM. This is only available as a .50 muzzle loading bullet, and not available in loads. I have taken moose and elk with it now.

2. I shoot a tonne of rounds, and now getting my youngest daughter into shooting. My 6 dasher, and her 6GT is still cheaper to reload for at the amount we shoot that trying to buy new.

3. I have to keep reloading as I just purchased the autotrickler 4 set up, so have to justify its use somehow, if even to myself!

4. Plus the fact that I can keep busy and sane tinkering with reloads, and just getting things right, makes it all worth it for me.

If you shop around smartly you can still reload cheaper than most available loads on the market.
 
It's worth it for most calibers.

Buy components when you can, they don't go bad.

I just bought 303 bullets used. They were same price I would have paid for them 10 years ago. 600 bullets under $300. Sierra match kings. All unopened boxes.

I have started loading 45-70 with Tightgroup. Cheap and accurate for what I want. Campro bullets are a great bargain. Store had them on sale, 30% off. I have another 1000 to shoot.

All of my equipment is paid for. Factory ammo isn't cheap.
 
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