Can You Save Money Reloading?

[jumpinjoe]

Usually range type ammo (mostly fmj) don't save much as target and hunting ammo will. I was able to buy 338lm w/250gr smk's (Sierra match kings) for $1.47/rd, so I bought 1k. Can't even buy brass for that price (usually 2 times as much without primers). What can do is make/produce more accurate rounds.

Got to agree with this! Back when I still hunted, Sierra Game King was my go to for my .270Win 130gr BT.

 

[jumpinjoe]

I'll rightfully admit to near total ignorance on the subject. As has been a monthly average for us, four hundred 9mm and one hundred fifty .38 special. All tolled, with equipment, material, time, etcetera, I've been lead to believe the savings would be slight.

Probably would be. The 2 calibers you shoot most are two of the most common and the cost savings being the least.

 

[jumpinjoe]

We shot 350 .45 ACP, 120 .32 Mag, 240 .38 Special, 156 .45 Colt and 120 12 ga. in a month. We missed one match or it would have been more. Don't ask me to figure out the cost, but I guarantee it would be expensive at retail prices.
I don't consider the cost of my presses or brass since they've been paid for years ago.

Do I understand correctly that you and your wife shoot Cowboy comp together? If so I can relate. I enjoyed our traveling together to the various comps far more than I would have without her along.

 

[jumpinjoe]

yeah for me, i do it to keep a stock on hand for practicing.

as i do 1 box reload, and 1 box new for nearly every range trip.

then too, since we never know what will happen in the future, having as much ammo in stock, new and reloaded ain't a bad idea.

I rarely shoot an entire box of anything factory anymore when at the range. I shoot primarily reloads and only if something doesn't feel right or shoot right will I break out a box of factory. But then too I've been doing it so long and with so many variables in components and recipes, my reloads for a particular gun shoot pretty much just like the factory stuff it likes.

 

[jumpinjoe]

I really don't think you save that much money reloading. What you do is shoot a whole lot more for the same cost.

I rarely load in lots of less than 500 rounds. Usually in 1000 round batches. Cost efficiency is better that way.
I'm retired and have plenty of time.

But to be honest, for the last few years powder and components have been hard to come by. For common calibers like 9mm or 5.56, I've just been shopping around for good deals and buying bulk factory ammo. I save my reloading supplies for the more expensive and harder to find stuff.

Logical way to go these days. Buy up what you need when the price is right.

 

[jumpinjoe]

9mm and .223 are “low profit” items to reload. You’ll save a bit, but not much. Go to a more expensive caliber (.45; .44; .38/.357; 30-06 and the savings per round add up pretty quick. I’ve got an ancient Lee Turret, with a turret set up for everything I load, so caliber changes are quick and easy. I try to buy components when I find them at a good price and refrain from buying when the’re up in price. A little planning and you can save some pretty good $$

I have an oldee but goodee Lee 3 hole turret I bought back in the early 70's. No telling how many thousands of rounds it's loaded over many years. It still loads excellent ammo, especially range fodder, but I don't use it too much anymore. Some years ago I upgraded to the newer 4 hole Classic turret for most of my loading needs, but also have a couple single stage presses for other uses like trimming, sometimes priming/de-priming, etc.

 

[jumpinjoe]

what i found "enlightening" is that according to the video, our reloading presses, are only worth half of what we paid for them..??

i'd have thought they held thier value better than that.

which the only press i paid for along with the essentials, (dies, digital scale, bullet puller) was the Lee..

as for the Dillon, i paid for a NIB 550C, (no dies), a repeat of all the accessories i got for the Lee, and the rest of his reloading room, including bullets, and brass, 2 vibrating machines, all for the price of the Dillon alone.

so even "if" all i get back is half the price of the 550C, i still am ahead.

Yeh, well you were ahead of the game with the first cartridge that fell into the bin on either of those presses. You found a once in a lifetime deal for loading equipment.

 

[jumpinjoe]

Local market prices make reloading more expensive for range ammo...meaning I'd save no money for the calibers shot en-masse (9mm, 10mm and 5.56). In my area, you might save money reloading on premium SD/HD loads...but I don't blow through those at the range. So absolutely no to the question if I would save money by reloading. I tossed the idea of doing it 2-3 years ago for this very purpose. I wanted to get in to it for hobby and maybe saving, but it does not save money (where I live). Heck, around me I haven't seen anything but off-name imported primers for 3 years.

I stopped saving my brass because I know it's not likely to change...

I still save my brass more often than not, but very rarely save any range pick-ups. When I get to the range and on line, the first thing I do is to sweep the line of any brass already there. Then after shooting that box/bag I know whatever is on the floor belongs to me. I also try to keep all my brass in groups together so that each one in a group of any number has generally been reloaded the same number of times. I usually store my reloads in boxes or bags of 50. Occasionally one will come up missing or get stepped on and ruined, etc. When this happens I just keep the remaining 49, 48, 47, 46 etc together until down to about 30 or so ... usually by then I've gotten my 5,6,7 reloads out of them anyway and I'll just discard the remainder.

 

[youngolddude]

The wife and I shoot CAS and now Wild Bunch. 9mm range ammo can be cheap and not much savings there, but some of the others offer a lot.