Currently, is it economical to reload?

[SWO Daddy]

I just started reloading about 6 months ago and the answer 9/10 is no, it doesn't make sense.

Even if you have buckets of range brass, primer and powder prices are crazy.

 

[guzma393]

You don't save money from reloading, you just shoot more . My reloads always comes out cheaper than buying factory, but you also got to take account of your time and initial investment costs. Started out with a turret, and now i run a lee pro6000. Personally, I enjoy volume reloading target/range grade ammo to expend at the range.

I progressive reload and try to streamline brass prep processes as much as I can, i.e. lee app for swaging, bench trim unit for progressive, rotary annealers, etc.

I cast when it's economical to do so, i.e. casting lee .312" 160 grain projectiles, make my own gas checks, and powder coat them to cover .308"-.314" bore rifles - my main source of cheap 300 blk projectiles and combloc diameter projectiles (.310-.314).

Americanreloading.com is my go2 source for cheap projectiles. Powders and primers are always a scavenger hunt, but I've stocked enough to the point where I just pay attention to casting lead and projectiles.

Recently been looking into reloading 9mm subs when I eventually get my can. Cost savings for reloading subs is pretty big.

 

[Cochise]

Longer version, I started reloading in the mid 80's with a Lee Turret Press, loading 45 acp and 38/357. When I tried a better press I literally threw the Lee away (I didnt know how much it sucked until I knew what a quality press with compound leverage was like to use).
First lesson, buy quality stuff - used if you can as it is really hard to wear out a good loading press.
I now have for metallics a RCBS Rockchucker and a C&H H press for single stage, a Lyman All American Turret and a Dylan 550B. Trivia...RCBS stands for Rock Chuck Bullet Swage - Swaging bullets needs some serious compound leverage and a strong frame.
I have dies for 45, 38, 9mm, .308
I load mostly shot shells and use MEC Grabbers in 12 and 16 gauge and MEC Juniors in 10 and 16 gauge.
I can load things I cant buy like low pressure loads for damascus barreled shotguns and short 10 gauge shells which haven't been made since I think the 60's. Before I sold the gun, I also was able to load .405 Winchester which until Hornady did a run hadn't been available since the 50's
As has been mentioned buy components when you can get a deal and have money. I have around 10k 209 Primers and maybe 1/2 ton of shot that mostly cost under $25 bucks a bag - now it is around $45.00. I bought 38 lead lubed wad cutter bullets around 5000 at a gun show from someone retiring for around $100, also gunshow deal I got 1000 jacketed 9mm bullets for around $80.00.
Basically when you see a deal, buy it. I will probably die with some of my stuff squirrelled away but I wont ever have to say I cant shoot because I dont have ammo or cant afford ammo

 

[holesonpaper]

OP - lots of good opinions here. Is it economical - yes and no. Purchasing all the equipment is expensive and reloading componentry (primers/powder) is sometimes hard to find and expensive in itself. If you ignore all the upfront equipment costs and only consider the round cost afterwards - yes it's cheaper to load yourself and you control the process. Problem is the break even point and all the crap you need (press, dies, tumbler, puller, scales, trays, gauges, trimmer, and many other things). With the same $$ - reloading just allows me to shoot more.

For 9mm, I'm reloading for ~$10.50 per 50 (SPP, 3.2-4.1gr Titegroup, RMR 115-147gr RN). For 6.5 creedmoor, I'm reloading for less than half the factory match ammo cost.

Last time I tallied receipts, I had over $8k in my reloading setup and I'm still acquiring things.

 

[Biggfoot44]

For anything other than 5.56 , .308 , 9mm , .40, .45acp , Yes , it is economical, sometimes a necessity.

* .38Spl is borderline from purely $ , but for modest savings you can have ammo much superior to current Era generic .

 

[Brickman301]

Like others have said, yes money can be saved by reloading. More common calibers won’t save you as much.
in common calibers I reload for accuracy. I save money, but not much. Match grade bullets aren’t cheap!
In other calibers like 45-70, 44 mag, 45 Colt, 44-40, 30-30, 38 special and 300BO I cast my own bullets, and the savings go up BiG TIME!
I also cast bullets for 308, and 30-06, but not in huge volumes, but the savings are still there.
The biggest thing is having the time to reload. I enjoy reloading and casting and look at it as a “side hobby” to shooting.

 

[Harrys]

OP, I reload some large rounds .500 S&W mags, 45/70 and 30/30 along with 40 S&W and 9MM. For the large rounds there is savings for the smaller rounds others is small savings however, there is a catch.

The initial outlay cost of your equipment is the real cost. Typically, when you buy a press with dies, a scale, a tumbler, books for reloading, case cleaning equipment you could spend a minimum of $500.00 just to start. Then buying powders, primers, cases and heads for your rounds could be an additional a couple of hundred additional bucks. Also, you will need to shoot thousands of rounds to break even.

You need to treat it more like a sickness once you start you will never stop as there is no AA for reloaders. I have been reloading for 40 years. So, most of my equipment has long been paid off by savings. But the catch 22 is old stuff breaks down and you will need to buy new stuff to replace it.

Yes, eventually it will be cheaper to reload mainly large rounds. Treat reloading as a hobby not as a money saver in the beginning. It is no different than building your own furniture which I do too. By time you spend thousands on the equipment and woods to make the furniture it takes a long time to make your investments to pay back.

 

[Archeryrob]

I am shooting cast bullets, so for me yes. I only need to reuse molds, and bullets are about free. I buy my powders at RSP gun shop in WV and he is cheaper than Midway or powder valley before shipping and hazmat fees.

Primers I think are inflated a lot for demand. I am sitting on what I have waiting for it to go back down. Because if they were as expensive to the ammo manufacturers they would be passing that long and a primer at $.10 a round (to us) and they can still sell 9mm ammo for $.26 a round now. I'm not buying it. The manufacturers of ammo are getting them cheaper, but everyone is still hording primers and driving the retail costs up to us.

 

[linkstate]

I didn’t read every post but if you even think you might want to get into reloading now or someday in the near future, start collecting stuff now.

Start saving your brass if you haven’t already. Look up load data and read forums on what others are using. There are usually a few standard loads that a lot of people use. Get some powder, primers, dies etc. decide on a press.

Reason I bring this up is if and when the next big ammo shortage happens, reloading shortages aren’t far behind. I started reloading before Covid so I had a good supply of components and equipment. Figured I should be able to load 9mm if it came to it. It was difficult to find even 9mm dies and they were going for crazy money on the secondary market.

For 556 and 308, I’d be watching for sales/free shipping and stack it deep. Then buy some reloading gear and components as you find deals or when you feel like it.

I started with a Lee Loader in .45 colt. It’s a good way to get your feet wet without spending a ton. Buy some bullets, powder, primers, scale and a full Lee dipper set. Add some cheap Lee case prep tools and that’s about all you need. It slow going but you can use all the other stuff you bought when you get a press and dies.

 

[trickg]

It has always been interesting when these threads asking the question about whether or not to get into reloading pop up. For me it's so ingrained due to how I was raised, that there was never really a question about whether or not I was going to get into reloading. The question, in light of the fact that I didn't wind up hardly any of my Dad's stuff, was what reloading gear to get.

I'd venture to guess that outside of the military and not counting 22LR, 90%+ of everything I've ever fired has been a reload. Maybe higher. As a kid, most of that was also a hand cast lead bullet. I would LOVE to get into casting, but I just don't see it in the cards unless I can find a source of cheap lead.

Reason I bring this up is if and when the next big ammo shortage happens, reloading shortages aren’t far behind. I started reloading before Covid so I had a good supply of components and equipment. Figured I should be able to load 9mm if it came to it. It was difficult to find even 9mm dies and they were going for crazy money on the secondary market.

The biggest mistake I've made as a reloader was not foreseeing the shortages and hoarding before they came. I never thought I'd see the day where things would be THAT scarce! I was always the guy who worked out of a couple of bricks of primers - one for large pistol and one for small pistol. When I'd get down to a couple hundred left, I'd go buy more - sometimes locally, but I usually bought them at the Chantilly gun show. Bass Pro always had them at a markup, but I figured in a pinch I could at least still get them there.

I've held off buying more primers for the moment - I keep hoping that prices will recede. Sadly, I think this is probably our new normal.

But getting back to the main topic, reloading for me was never an option - I was always going to do it - it was just a matter of getting set up with the "right" equipment. I highlight the word "right" in regard to equipment because that's a rabbit hole that can be as bad as any other hobby.

 

[Rockzilla]

This question pops up a lot, people touched on a lot of things.
5.56, 9mm, not really so much, 45acp maybe, then again 5.56 / 9mm
depending on how much you shoot and for what purpose. Buy in bulk
will help you out some. Then you get into initial outlay on equipment.
Presses, dies, powder measure, powder scale, calipers, case gauges, then
the smaller stuff that adds up quickly. Of course components, Powder,
primers, bullets, which currently are crazy priced, out of stock, etc. Then
what's your "time" worth? Figure how much / what kind of shooting you
will be doing and go from there.

Presses your gonna hear buy this, that, they all work, they all need tweaks,
they all produce a finished round, some people it's about production cause
they decided to shoot comp, 3 gun, etc.

Scales..another go digital, beam, this and that

Powder measures..the same..

Now with that said when you get into the other cartridges, wildcats, the
"big boys" the Return on Investment is greater. I currently load for
"everything" I have from 17 Rem / 22 Hornet out to 458WM, 460 Weatherby,
50 BMG. Wildcats thanks to the TC Contender. Even take 22LR cases and make
22 cal bullets Been doing the reloading thing since the 70's, don't care what
color / who makes, blue, green, red, black, pink, rust colored, old as in Stars,
Texan, Hollywood, they all work and do what I want them to do. Started on
Rock Chuckers long ago, but have the Ideal 310 (nutcracker) tool. Personally
I reload for the Relaxing part of it, my own little world, plus being able to tailor
a given powder / bullet combo for each rifle / handgun. don't care if I reload
20 rounds or 2k rounds, numbers are subjective.

Start a list...start buying what you need to "get started", look for sales, deals,
kit deals, etc. It will grow, you will buy more equipment, dies, etc.. It's never ending
which is a good thing sorta, equipment / tools. the bench will just keep growing..

-Rock


-Rock

 

[DaemonAssassin]

Hello, I have no clue how to reload. I have just thought about doing it in the past, but never committed to it. Regarding today’s high prices in ammo, I’m wondering if it is more economical to reload calibers like 5.56 and 308. Assuming, I have the brass already, I would need powder, primers, and bullets. What are these components going for? Are they easy to find? For those of you who reload, how much does it cost you for, roughly, each of these calibers? I would be reusing my own brass, as I have a good amount of surplus quality ammo. Any help would be appreciated, thank you.

There is a sticky thread that actually answers your question and cost of components back then is broken down.

So... You Want To Reload? Questions to answer before taking the plunge.

So... You Want To Reload? Reloading can be a rewarding and exciting hobby for many reasons, but only you can decide what the ultimate reason(s) is/are for you to start down the path to become a reloader. Below are some questions that only you can answer. Nobody can answer them for you because...

www.mdshooters.com

 

[thedutchtouch]

Hoping people still think it's too expensive or too time consuming in the near future, that's how newbies like me get used gear on sale...

 

[FN509Fan]

I only go to the range so I can unload some brass to reload it. When I started in the early 90's, there was a huge savings on 9/38/45 pistol loads. At this point, the biggest savings I personally see are on .45 Colt, but I enjoy the reloading/handloading hobby.

 

[lazarus]

Time is relative when it's something you enjoy doing.

A month or so ago I wanted to bump up my stock of both 9mm and 223. I bought 500 bullets each, and I loaded 1000 rounds in just a couple of hours in two nights.

With my Dillon 550 I'm rolling about 100 rounds every 12-14 minutes, so it didn't take long. It usually takes me longer to set the press for the caliber I'm loading when I do a caliber change than it takes me to load the first 100 rounds.

I know that would be more time than someone wants to burn, but I bet I spend less time reloading that some guys do hunting around online for the best ammo deals.

I’ve just traded out the time I spent hunting for ammo deals with time spent hunting component deals. Though I’ll admit I don’t do that much anymore. Mostly because I’ve reached “stupid amounts of components” levels. It’s have to be something unique or a really scorching deal to get me interested the next couple of years.

 

[lazarus]

You don't save money from reloading, you just shoot more . My reloads always comes out cheaper than buying factory, but you also got to take account of your time and initial investment costs. Started out with a turret, and now i run a lee pro6000. Personally, I enjoy volume reloading target/range grade ammo to expend at the range.

I progressive reload and try to streamline brass prep processes as much as I can, i.e. lee app for swaging, bench trim unit for progressive, rotary annealers, etc.

I cast when it's economical to do so, i.e. casting lee .312" 160 grain projectiles, make my own gas checks, and powder coat them to cover .308"-.314" bore rifles - my main source of cheap 300 blk projectiles and combloc diameter projectiles (.310-.314).

Americanreloading.com is my go2 source for cheap projectiles. Powders and primers are always a scavenger hunt, but I've stocked enough to the point where I just pay attention to casting lead and projectiles.

Recently been looking into reloading 9mm subs when I eventually get my can. Cost savings for reloading subs is pretty big.

Shhh. Don’t mention them too loudly. Don’t want to give away the secret :-)

I picked up 6000 (7000?) 100gr FPRN FMJ .312 bullets for an average price of 5.1 cents a bullet shipped a few months ago. I have a load that runs great in my Cz50 and Yugo 70. 1.7gr of BE. Clocks just shy of 700fps. Very accurate. Safe enough in a steel framed 32.

Also my Yugo M57 is .312 bore. It shoots .308 bullets horribly. Not super accurate with .312 either, but okay. And 71s are too light really to load up. 100s are on the heavy side, but work fine. So I basically have bullets to load for 32acp and 7.62x25 for probably a decade or more.

 

[colesteele]

Quick and simple answer is no, it is not more economical.

Your start up cost is going to run you close to $1000.00 (Progressive press). That price is excluding reloading components (brass, primers, bullets, powder).

Price the following equipment.
-Reloading press
- case tumbler
- case trimmer
- primer picket reamer
- calipers/vernier
- scale
- swager (for military brass)
- primer plates
- reloading data books

You would have to reload thousands of rounds before you begin to see a return on investment. As a new reloaded you will want to load small batches to make sure you get it right.

You will find that you are doing this more for enjoyment than for costs savings.

Good luck.

 

[trickg]

Quick and simple answer is no, it is not more economical.

Your start up cost is going to run you close to $1000.00 (Progressive press). That price is excluding reloading components (brass, primers, bullets, powder).

Price the following equipment.
-Reloading press
- case tumbler
- case trimmer
- primer picket reamer
- calipers/vernier
- scale
- swager (for military brass)
- primer plates
- reloading data books

You would have to reload thousands of rounds before you begin to see a return on investment. As a new reloaded you will want to load small batches to make sure you get it right.

You will find that you are doing this more for enjoyment than for costs savings.

Good luck.

Just about eve thing you mentioned is a one-time expense, and if you load for something like 44 mag, provided that you shoot it a fair bit, it’s interesting how quickly your investment will pay for itself.

When I first started loading 44 Mag I was doing it for about $6/box. Even then that was considerably less expensive than what it was selling for.

 

[lazarus]

Quick and simple answer is no, it is not more economical.

Your start up cost is going to run you close to $1000.00 (Progressive press). That price is excluding reloading components (brass, primers, bullets, powder).

Price the following equipment.
-Reloading press
- case tumbler
- case trimmer
- primer picket reamer
- calipers/vernier
- scale
- swager (for military brass)
- primer plates
- reloading data books

You would have to reload thousands of rounds before you begin to see a return on investment. As a new reloaded you will want to load small batches to make sure you get it right.

You will find that you are doing this more for enjoyment than for costs savings.

Good luck.

You can do it for both. I've been reloading 3 years now, and I don't reload a ton. 1500-2000 rounds a year. I've probably saved about the cost of my reloading equipment, and it isn't a small amount of reloading equipment either. Not nearly as extensive as many people's.

The pay back is not fast unless you get the most basic of kits, at which point you are spending a lot more time reloading per round. By my lee classic can churn out around 100 rounds an hour of rifle or about 150 or so rounds an hour of pistol including ALL my time invested, including collecting brass at the range, sorting brass, cleaning brass, checking OAL and trimming for rifle, etc. (can't just figure your time on the actual loading, which is why a progressive, one you factor in your time for everything, isn't really all that much faster, unless you can do almost all of the prep on the press itself). Ignoring all of the other stuff, about 200 rounds an hour of rifle and 220-250 of pistol.

Anyway, I load for 14 different calibers. Some have a lot of $ savings attached. I've only loaded about 200 rounds of 44 mag so far. But that's still around $60 saved right there. It is less for me at first, because I had to buy mostly range brass to reload. If I was reloading brass I had already shot, then my savings would be more like $100 for 200 rounds. Heck, I've reloaded enough 6.5 Grendel the last 3 years, I've probably saved $500 just there.

So, 3 years or so to break even, but not much in the way of equipment I get anymore, unless its a new turret and die set for a new caliber. I had to do that for .357 recently since I added one. Or, well I didn't HAVE to, because I can use my 38spc setup, but I don't want to have to switch the dies between calibers, so I picked up a new turret, shell holder, and dies to the tune of about $50. That was the first reloading equipment I got since I got a nice trickler and hornady digital scale (more accurate and faster readout than the Frankford scale I was using). That was $80 between the two, and that was back in, I think October? I certainly reloaded more than enough in those few months to add up to $80 in savings.

Heck, comparing like, since I got my Howa mini 1500 in .223 and been really hitting up match .223 loads rather than mostly blasting ammo that I'd been doing for my ARs, I've probably loaded and shot $200-250 of savings just since November when I got the Howa. About 400 rounds, and I can load match for about 35 cents a round, versus about $1.

If you shoot many thousands of rounds a year, reloading can payback pretty quick. Especially if it is odd calibers. Heck, my 32acp loads cost me around 13 cents a round and I shoot a fair amount. 40 cents a round for commercial ammo right now.

 

[Wiseguy59]

I started reloading back in 1981 when I bought My RCBS single stage and everything else from Nicoll's on Loch raven Blvd. I'm still using the RCBS, but I'm going to get a progressive soon.
For me, I don't count my time because I enjoy it and I'm not an accountant.
There's a good possibility of buying some or most of it used, which will help in saving money.
It's the enjoyment and knowledge that you gain that makes it fun for me.