Questions

[Shug]

I have a serious question for all of you reloaders. If the components readily available. New brass, primer, powder, bullet. At the prices that were before the relection. And you made loads to factory specs, about what would the cost be per round? Compaired to a box 50 of factory range loads what would be the saveings? Also what would be a simple entry level set up? Everything a person would need to reload. Tumbler, press, measures, ect... Do they package a complete kit?..... I've been mulling over the idea for years on reloading. Don't know if I would enjoy it or not. I do reload shotgun shells and enjoy it {Till my boys get into my stash} All help is appreciated.

[Jonnin]

Depends on the caliber, a LOT. 

 

But lets take a standard 9mm. 

1 pound of powder was $20.  That is 7000 grains, easily 1000 rounds for a fat powder or 2000 rounds for a hot powder, but let us say you picked a fat one.

1000 primers was $30.

 

Cases are tricky --- mine were all free, picked them up off the ground.   Also, each case can be used many, many times for typical handguns.   So while buying 1000 new shiny cases would be pricy, buying 200 and reloading each 5 times is a lot less, see?  Or getting free cases off the ground...  but lets go middle of the road here and say you bought 500 dirty "once fired" cases online for $30 bucks or something and reloaded each case twice.

 

FMJ bullets were about $40 for 500, or $80 for 1000. 

 

So you are looking at  160 bucks for 1000 rounds.  Or 100 rounds for 16 bucks, and a box of 50 for 8 bucks.   The bottom shelf junk ammo at that time was $10 a box, $12 for brass cased decent stuff, roughly, so a modest savings here.

 

 

However with lead bullets and free brass, the costs plummet.   I can make 50 9mm for $5 or less per box if I buy lead bullets and have free brass.  They can be made cheaper still if you cast your own and have a source of free or very cheap lead.  You can also use lighter bullets; it does not *have* to be a 120 grain bullet, the cost increases by weight.....

[Jonnin]

Now lets talk about other calibers.  380 was $15-18 a box, I can make it for $3-4 with lead or $5-6 with jacketed.   Other higher priced rounds like 44 mag, 10mm, or obscure rifle rounds save a TON.  My mauser runs me at the cheapest nearly $1 per shot if I buy it.  I can make it for a fraction of that, not sure the exact number off the top of my head but its nowhere near a buck a shot!!!

[gregintenn]

You can load for about half price or less the cost of cheap factory ammo, and get better quality ammo in the process. You can expect to spend around $200 minimum for an entry level setup. Unless you load a LOT of ammo, you will probably add items later, but likely you won't need to upgrade what you bought originally.

 

In theory, you can save money reloading, but I don't know anyone who actually has. You'll just get to shoot more.

 

The real savings in reloading comes with odd calibers.

[Lumber_Jack]

Jonnin pretty much laid it out in his post. Of course that does not account for the equipment. But I generally don't factor that in. Just like I wouldn't consider the price of a gun when I look at how much that caliber will cost to shoot.

I have RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme. Everything I have is RCBS except my lee hand primer and Franklin Arsenal calipers.

You can't go wrong with Lee, Hornady, Rcbs single stage presses. You can buy a kit, but I chose to just buy it one piece at a time. I got a few items as Christmas gifts. It takes longer to get setup that way, but it wasn't bad.

[battleop]

Depends on the caliber, a LOT. 

 

But lets take a standard 9mm. 

1 pound of powder was $20.  That is 7000 grains, easily 1000 rounds for a fat powder or 2000 rounds for a hot powder, but let us say you picked a fat one.

1000 primers was $30.

 

Cases are tricky --- mine were all free, picked them up off the ground.   Also, each case can be used many, many times for typical handguns.   So while buying 1000 new shiny cases would be pricy, buying 200 and reloading each 5 times is a lot less, see?  Or getting free cases off the ground...  but lets go middle of the road here and say you bought 500 dirty "once fired" cases online for $30 bucks or something and reloaded each case twice.

 

FMJ bullets were about $40 for 500, or $80 for 1000. 

 

So you are looking at  160 bucks for 1000 rounds.  Or 100 rounds for 16 bucks, and a box of 50 for 8 bucks.   The bottom shelf junk ammo at that time was $10 a box, $12 for brass cased decent stuff, roughly, so a modest savings here.

 

 

However with lead bullets and free brass, the costs plummet.   I can make 50 9mm for $5 or less per box if I buy lead bullets and have free brass.  They can be made cheaper still if you cast your own and have a source of free or very cheap lead.  You can also use lighter bullets; it does not *have* to be a 120 grain bullet, the cost increases by weight.....

 

There really isn't much of a reason why you can't make used brass just as pretty as new brass.  I usually sonic clean and tumble my brass and it looks just like new brass.  To me part of reloading isn't just the cost savings but something to wind down from a busy day of multi-tasking. 

 

 

You can load for about half price or less the cost of cheap factory ammo, and get better quality ammo in the process. You can expect to spend around $200 minimum for an entry level setup. Unless you load a LOT of ammo, you will probably add items later, but likely you won't need to upgrade what you bought originally.

 

In theory, you can save money reloading, but I don't know anyone who actually has. You'll just get to shoot more.

 

The real savings in reloading comes with odd calibers.

 

Better quality ammo is another reason.  I've got .223, .243, and 7mm bolt action guns that shoot horrible groups with factory ammo.  With ammo custom loaded for each gun they are tack drivers.  

[Patton]

No one saves money reloading, you just shoot more for the same amount. Obviously, after your equipment has paid for itself. As far pistol calibers .380 is a huge savings but the cases are smaller and thinner making it more difficult. I find .38 spl to be very easy and somewhat cost effective. .45' s are good to reload because you have the option of large primers which are sometimes easier to find.

The cheapest way to get into reloading is with a Lee classic loader and a hammer. Realistically expect 30 rounds a hour on average.

[BigK]

In theory, you can save money reloading, but I don't know anyone who actually has. You'll just get to shoot more.

 

I don't know anyone who didn't get into reloading to save money, only to find out they're shooting more and breaking even. That's not a bad thing, though.

 

How do you put a price on NOT having to drive to Walmart, hoping they have some ammo in stock? 

What's it worth to be able to customize loads for shooting steel vs punching holes in paper?

Who doesn't find value in being able to thumb their nose at politicians when they make new ammo laws that don't cover reloads?

 

To me the most valuable part of reloading my own ammo is the sense of independence and pride of using something I make myself.

[Jonnin]

How much you clean it aside, I was trying to answer the cost of brass question, which is the only difficult part of the question, since it can vary from brand new brass for each and every bullet to free brass picked out of the dirt.  When I gave a middle path example of dirty once fired brass (the most common stuff for sale online), the dirty was unrelated apart from the fact that a few people will clean it for you and charge you a little more for the "service".  Some will prime if for you as well, and also charge a premium. 

 

 

I can't tell any difference between loading a 9mm and a 380 as far as difficulty.  I have fairly thin & nimble fingers though.