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Thread: Figuring costs of reloading

  1. #1
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    Figuring costs of reloading

    Loading .223 for casual shooting.

    Bullet: 7 cents
    Powder: 10 cents
    Primer: 3 cents.

    It costs me 20 cents to load a round. Monarch .223 steelcase is 27 cents in the 20 round boxes on the shelf at Academy sporting goods stores. Probably get it down a couple cents buying in quantity.

    I'm prepping and loading brass to save 7 cents a shot, $7 per hundred?

    I never ran the numbers before.

    By contrast , that $25 box of .357 mag costs me about $5.50.

    For just plinking or casual shooting, it hardly seems worth it.

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    I reload purely out of the enjoyment I get from it. I rarely, if ever, calculate the cost per round. When I do it’s only from a curiosity perspective and then it’s typically with more expensive loads like 300 Weatherby, 10mm, 300BLK, etc.
    Quote Originally Posted by JSantoro View Post
    Stop dicking the dog, please. It's gross.

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    You can make higher quality ammunition for cheaper than you can buy it. You can bump size once fired brass to your particular rifle, and tune the load to be the most accurate. Per round component cost isn't the biggest expense.

    That would be time. It's time you have, or its time you don't.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Uni-Vibe View Post
    Loading .223 for casual shooting.

    Bullet: 7 cents
    Powder: 10 cents
    Primer: 3 cents.

    It costs me 20 cents to load a round. Monarch .223 steel case is 27 cents in the 20 round boxes on the shelf at Academy sporting goods stores. Probably get it down a couple of cents buying in quantity.

    I'm prepping and loading brass to save 7 cents a shot, $7 per hundred?

    I never ran the numbers before.

    By contrast, that $25 box of .357 mag costs me about $5.50.

    For just plinking or casual shooting, it hardly seems worth it.
    I agree and think about it all the time myself! I think the BIG thing to think about is the initial outlay/cost of buying Factory/Loaded ammo. If you buy bulk, say 1k or even 500 rds at a time can you afford or do you want to spend the cash? I always look at it as I could spend $250/$300 bucks for 1K 556/223 ammo or I can use MY Free time and load it at my leisure! Times are GOOD if you don't reload and pretty dam good even if you do! With Steel case 9mm @ $150ish delivered its pretty good time to buy some "stash" ammo for sure and I probably will buy a couple K in the near future just because! But with that said,I'll still reload unless "components" take a crazy turn for the worst,but don't see that happening at the moment,but ya never know it only takes One stupid act for things to go South! Also it really boils down to time !!!

  5. #5
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    Don’t reload to save money.

    Learn to reload so it is a skill you have as needed.

    Don’t reload thinking it is going to be some big money saver.
    Especially for 9mm or other common, inexpensive rounds.

    If you have enough money to invest in the equipment and shoot round counts where you make back your investment, you have enough money to just buy the ammo.

    I have been reloading over twenty years.

    You can tailor your reloading because you want 40 Lite, younlike neck siz8ng and super accruing some loads, etc.

    When all is said and done,
    Once you buy bullets, powder, primers, presses, dies, etc. and pay shipping,
    Count your time,
    It is not a big financial savings these days.
    “Where weapons may not be carried, it is well to carry weapons.”

  6. #6
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    The savings isn’t in common plinking rounds imo. How much is a case of ammo loaded with 69gr or 77gr SMK’s? Then add in you can fine tune your load to your gun. For me reloading is a no brainer. And that’s before I get to reloads for my bolt guns.

  7. #7
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    If you take care in producing consistent ammo then your 20 cent rounds will be of MUCH higher quality than the lowest cost factory ammo. Not really a fair comparison unless you’re loading non-uniform brass that you picked up at the range, didn’t trim to length, and you load on a wobbly bench.

    No reloader I know saves money. But we shoot more for the same cost. And time is indeed your biggest expense, but that expense can be minimized once you invest in tools like progressive presses, power trimmers, etc.

    As for monetary cost, you see more savings with more powerful calibers and/or premium rounds. For example, I just made a page on my reloading spreadsheet detailing the per round cost of my loads. 19 cents for a 62 gr FMJ (lead core, not m855), 26.8 cents for 75 gr Hornady BTHP match, 33 cents for Nosler 77 gr Match, and 40 cents for Sierra 77 gr OTM. Compare those costs to TAP, Black Hills, or even 77 gr when it goes on sale and you’re saving about 50%.
    Last edited by MWAG19919; 04-16-19 at 05:33.

  8. #8
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    I reload precision rifle, that's it. Roughly 50% cost so it saves plus I have tuned loads for that rifle. You just have to ask yourself what you want out of the gun, cost, time, etc.

    For the heck of it, I picked up a Mini 14 for fun, was going to load for it, not going to waste my time and will just run Wolf in it. One example of it's not worth it.

    On the other hand, save your brass and do learn to reload for those times when loaded 5.56 is $1 a round for ball and spent brass is $275 for a large flat rate USPS box.
    GET IN YOUR BUBBLE!

  9. #9
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    Reloading is less about cost savings than precision ammo, unavailable ammo for me.

    While I load all centerfire rifle ammo, I also load pistol/revolver ammo; hunting loads for revolver with cast lead, 9mm loads with 124 gr. JHP's at 1,000+ FPS that are tack driving wimp loads.
    The only commercial ammo I buy is 5.56 range ammo and handgun/carry gun ammo.

  10. #10
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    My 20 cent rounds are indeed more consistent than steelcase, or even military or commercial FMJ stuff. I probably can't tell shooting offhand, but I can off the bench.

    Big $ savings are, as I observed, revolver loads. Also 10mm.

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