Reloading costs

Grouse Man

Grouse Man

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Well, I guess it was inevitable. Now that I have rifles in 6.5 Swede, .30 Remington, and soon a .303 Br, metallic cartridge reloading seems to be on the horizon. Of course, I would have to pick odd-ball cartridges, nothing like .223 or .308 or .30-06 for me, no I have to be special. :rolleyes: So if I want to have a range day with any one of these, I'm going to be hemorrhaging cash in a big way with commercial ammo.

I reload shotshells, so I'm comfortable with the concepts and handling procedures. I've a powder scale, digital caliper, and a buddy has the reloading press and other equipment. What can people recommend for brand of dies, and any other things I might need (I'll see what my buddy has already). I can't see myself getting into the hyper-accuracy testing aspect, just more to reload the hard-to-find .30 REM, some hunting and practise ammo for the Swede, and some non-competitive target shooting ammo for the .303.

And what would be a typical per cartridge cost for components?
 
you'll need :

a press
shellholder
dies
case lube
priming system (if not press mounted)
trimmer w/ caliber size trim pilot
case mouth deburring tool
powder scale

empty brass
primers
powder
bullets

I like RCBS, but other companies make good reloading gear

for example, reloading cost for a 6.5 Swede can be broken down to this :

45 grains powder = 19 cents
primer = 3 cents
bullet = 22 cents

44 cents a piece X 20 rounds = $8.80 / box
​
 
Ballpark is 1/2 the cost of similar factory ammo. The savings increase the more obscure the ammo.

Odds are you can't even find 30Rem ammo so reloads are priceless.

I would suggest you look at the Lee Anniversary set up for a great base. From there you can add dies and accessories as you see fit. Up front for the reloading gear is $125 plus dies ($20 to 45 per set).

I can offer you 303Brit brass for a good price. PM me. Also have some 303 150gr Hornady bullets that will work great too.

Otherwise, its exchange or gun shows to pick up the other odds and sods you need. Get yourself a few new load manuals.

Reloading is a hoot and having a ready supply of ammo that works the way you want is very rewarding.

Jerry
 
Simple math is involved:

Divide 7000 by the powder load, that will give you the number of loads per pound of powder, then divide that into the cost of a pound of powder, that will give you the cost per load for powder.

Divide the cost of 1000 primers by 1000, that will give you the cost per load for primer.

Divide the cost of bullets buy 100, that will give you the cost per load of bullet.

Add the three together...and that is your cost per round.

(I am assuming you have brass...)
 
i would like to know if reloading saves anybody money. the more i reload the more stuff i acumulate and the more i shoot hense more cost. when i started reloading i had a few boxes of bulets and a couple of pounds of powder. now its thousands of bullets and about 30 lbs of powder. no end in sight.
 
chappy said:
i would like to know if reloading saves anybody money. the more i reload the more stuff i acumulate and the more i shoot hense more cost. when i started reloading i had a few boxes of bulets and a couple of pounds of powder. now its thousands of bullets and about 30 lbs of powder. no end in sight.
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This is the same thing I tell people when asked.

You can make ammo cheaper then factory offerings, but you don't really save any money.

Making cheaper ammo means you shoot more of it, therefore the big gain is in your skill level as the more you shoot, the better you get.;)

SKBY.:D
 
reloading your own is cheaper and a lot more accurate ammo. ammo such as 8mmX57 is getting hard to find in any amount so reloading is the only way to go. i reload many thounds of rounds a year and enjoy it, a few years back i used to supply the rcmp with practice ammo. happy reloading
 
chappy said:
i would like to know if reloading saves anybody money. the more i reload the more stuff i acumulate and the more i shoot hense more cost. when i started reloading i had a few boxes of bulets and a couple of pounds of powder. now its thousands of bullets and about 30 lbs of powder. no end in sight.
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Whoa!! Maybe it's time to replenish the stock! Don't want to get caught short.(I'm serious!:redface: )
 
Well its starts out reasonable than it becomes a chronic sickness spreading into your bank account , Visa, and line of credit LOL!!!
Than you become a hermitt after work you eat quickly than run downstairs and lock your self in a little room only to be seen at bed time, before you know it you need a couple more 100, 000 thou for a new house and more room,bigger safes, more powder, more presses, taking advantage of the extra space, bigger& better you don't even know what you own and can't remember where you put the loads for this or that gun!!
Well that sums it up welcome to the reloading world, good luck!
 
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You might not save money, but you'll sure get more fun out of it. Especially if you like "odd" rounds that are expensive in factory form. But eventually you buy a second press and a better scale and so on and so on, it's a bit addictive, kind of like this gun thing.
 
chappy said:
i would like to know if reloading saves anybody money. the more i reload the more stuff i acumulate and the more i shoot hense more cost. when i started reloading i had a few boxes of bulets and a couple of pounds of powder. now its thousands of bullets and about 30 lbs of powder. no end in sight.
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Depends on what you shoot as well as how much of it you shoot over time. Depends upon the cost of your reloading setup too. Calculate your cost saving per round, multiply by rounds per year fired, then multiply by 5. If this doesn't exceed the cost of your reloading gear, you're loosing out. The amount in excess of gear costs is what you're getting for your time.

That aside, its fun and interesting. Go for it!
 
My first thought was to get one of those little Lee classic handloaders, just so that I'd be able to shoot the Model 14 without fear of running out of hard to find .30REM ammo; pure deer rifle. Same thinking with the Swede; I don't shoot it a lot because of time constraints and commercial ammo. If I reloaded some plinking ammo, I would shoot it more for fun at the range. I still don't have the time yet for using it for coyotes or whatever, just another deer rifle so far, so I thought I'd just get the Lee classic for it as well. But then there is this P14 waiting for me, and I'd like to use that as a powder burner. So now I wonder if it makes sense to have 3 Lee Classic loaders, which I understand are slow but capable, or make the jump to hyperspeed and just get the proper dies right off the bat. I only have one rifle in each caliber, btw. My fear is sinking a lot of money into reloading gear which won't justify itself. Then again, I can always sell it off here, right?
 
do not let them scare you like that as i have been reloading for many years and i have not had those kinds of things happen to me. my reloading area has not gotten any bigger since i started and it is just a matter of pacing yourself in the reloading hobby and not getting too big. somtimes the wife will bet a little mad because i am reloading too much and not bothering with her. :D
 
Grouse Man said:
That's what I'm afraid of!
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And that's what is gonna happen ;) ..... no seriously, it is ..:eek: .

I started reloading for 1 rifle (.308) and at the time I also had a 303Brit and was shooting a couple of box of ammo per year in between the 2 of them.

Now ... :eek: I have added a .50cal BP, .270win, 7MMRemMag and 45-70 and shot about 1000rnds per year and have accumulated a multitude of equipment and gadgets and I can't imagine seeing the end of it, :)

Per rounds, YES, you will save money :cool: but in general ... you won't beleive how much $$$ you've put in a year or 2 from now, probably more then just a couple of box of commercial ammo per year.

-----WARNING-----
Reloading create an addiction that beleive me, is hard
to fight against but much more fun :D :D :D

Having said that.... it's a perfect hobby :cool:

Good luck... and welcome to reloading
 
once you start...you will wonder why you have not started it years ago..
even if you find you dont like it.....
theres the EE to get your money back..
but im telling you...you wont sell because of..
like who like,s to sell fun and profit?:)
 
You may as well start looking for a good range to join as you will shoot lots more and enjoy it more and meet more like minded people and no you won't save a plugged nickle. Welcome to a fine obsession.
 
Sometimes the journey is as enjoyable, if not moreso than the destination. When I get involved in assessing the technical measurements, COL, adjusting the powder bar, organizing components, rolling out several hundred rounds in a casual evening on a 550B, frigging with the press when small problems arise, cleaning areas as they pick up grit and various byproducts of the process, and time has drifted into the wee morning hours......where did the time go??? and what better way to fill in the hours we are not at the range or in the woods.
Cost? If need be, my pall bearers will probably all be bankers, wanting to confirm my passing, and to accept the fact that they will require years to recover from the loss of my interest payments. Cheers, Mule
 
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