cost of reloading compared to factory ammo

[Wolverine6G]

#1. Go talk to any of the guys at Profire(its been mantioned before)

#2. I have a hornady Lock n load in the classifieds that is for sale, its loaded about 200-300 rounds. That I put up incase someone local wants it before it goes back to the online store it came from.

 

[EricG]

You will only see a cost difference if you shoot the same amount you did before you started reloading. If you shoot 2000 rounds a month before reloading, youd have to stick to that to notice the cost savings.

Buuuut, most tend to start reloading and the cheaper initial cost causes them to shoot WAY more.

 

[wolfman]

If you really want to save some serious money, get into casting your own bullets, I can reload .45 acp for around $.06 each.

 

[shibumiseeker]

If you really want to save some serious money, get into casting your own bullets, I can reload .45 acp for around $.06 each.

On top of that, I have a bullet trap for pistol so I reclaim most of my lead (about 80%) so my cost per bullet is even cheaper. Though I usually buy jacketed pistol bullets and use the reclaimed lead to cast for my 300blk and my .458socom which makes it even cheaper for those.

 

[SameOl'Sh!z]

Wow! Tons of great info guys. I guess I can't say it will be a "hassle" because I haven't tried it. I did some hardcore youtubeing last night and this morning and I'm definitely giving it a try. And I was also looking in the wrong places for components. Found a lot of sites with way better deals. I'll only be loading 40sw to begin with so my overall cost will be fairly low. Plus getting the press for Christmas helps alot

Now I've read tons of reviews and will continue to do so on different presses -single stage, turret, progressive- I've found that most say to begin with a single or turret style press. I'm going straight to the progressive. I've been a machinist for 6 years now setting up mills, lathes, and cnc machines so I don't think that the operation of a progressive press should be an issue for me.

Now my next issue would be which press to pick?? I'm really leaning towards the Lee Pro 1000 because of cost and ease of use. But at the same time I've read quite a few bad reviews. What do you guys recommend? I'd like to stay under $400 for the whole setup if possible.

With the Pro 1000 I can get it "fully loaded" for about $300.

Thanks again!

 

[wolfman]

If you were going turret I would say Lee, but if you are going progressive, go either green or blue, in the end, you will be happier even though the initial cost is more.

 

[Bang-bang]

I have the Lee Pro 1000 and the Lee classic press, Both work very well!!

 

[shibumiseeker]

If you are going progressive, go big or don't bother. I love Lee equipment for the most part, I love their dies and I love their turret press. I love their inexpensive moulds and single stage presses and so on. But their progressive presses suck. And I tried really hard to love both the Loadmaster and the 1000. And yes, I am mechanically inclined and am quite comfortable fabricating just about anything.

I have reloaded and shot well over a hundred thousand rounds of my own and most of those have been on turret and single stage presses. The nice thing about starting that way is that if you find you just don't enjoy the process itself and just want to crank out hundreds of rounds an hour, you can always upgrade, and used single stage and turret presses retain resale value pretty well. OTOH, you may find that you really enjoy the process of reloading itself (I did) and you lose a lot of that with a progressive. So either go Hornady or Dillon if you must go progressive. Yeah, the Lee progressives can be made to work, but they aren't made to last and it is quite frankly some of crappiest product Lee has in an otherwise excellent value for the money line of product.

 

[maverick5990]

If you are going to start with just one caliber, just get a single stage press. A friend gave me mine free so that's the way I went. Load 5 calibers now and can load all I need without a big investment in machines. Not in a hurry and I get to look at every round every step of the way. I had no idea what I was doing at the start, but the 2 classes I took at Profire were a great help.

 

[Jackson]

For those of you reloading 9mm for 12-18 cents per round, is this lead or jacketed bullets? Does this price include brass? If brass is factored in, do you use 1/3 the brass cost assuming you'll use the same piece three times? Also, how do you factor in loss? Unless you shoot in a very static and/or sterile environment, it seems unlikely you retain 100% of your brass after each outing. Do these costs factor in taxes and or shipping costs on all components?

A couple years ago I could buy a case of 9mm for 20-21 cents per round, and so 18 cents per round was not appealing. This is no longer the case. Factory 9mm is 25 cents per round if you're lucky, and closer to 30 cents if you're taking what you can find. So the thought of reloading has more appeal.

Also, how much additional time do you estimate that you spend reloading? How long would it take you to put out 1000 rounds? How much extra time do you spend at the range picking up brass? Cleaning brass? Trimming cases? (Maybe not a factor for pistol bullets.)

 

[shibumiseeker]

For those of you reloading 9mm for 12-18 cents per round, is this lead or jacketed bullets? Does this price include brass? If brass is factored in, do you use 1/3 the brass cost assuming you'll use the same piece three times? Also, how do you factor in loss? Unless you shoot in a very static and/or sterile environment, it seems unlikely you retain 100% of your brass after each outing. Do these costs factor in taxes and or shipping costs on all components?

A couple years ago I could buy a case of 9mm for 20-21 cents per round, and so 18 cents per round was not appealing. This is no longer the case. Factory 9mm is 25 cents per round if you're lucky, and closer to 30 cents if you're taking what you can find. So the thought of reloading has more appeal.

Also, how much additional time do you estimate that you spend reloading? How long would it take you to put out 1000 rounds? How much extra time do you spend at the range picking up brass? Cleaning brass? Trimming cases? (Maybe not a factor for pistol bullets.)

I spent an hour at a range Sunday picking up brass and picked up about 3k pistol and rifle brass.

Anyone who can't get all the range pickup 9mm brass they want free isn't trying very hard. Regardless, pistol brass has a MUCH greater life than 3 loadings unless one is loading them very hot, and for most people pistol brass will be lost long before it reaches the end of its life. I have conducted lots of brass life tests (and posted several of them here and elsewhere) and most pistol brass will last 30-40 loadings easily. So the amortized cost for brass is much lower than most people think. Essentially it is the cheapest part of the reloading process along with powder.

 

[Jackson]

I spent an hour at a range Sunday picking up brass and picked up about 3k pistol and rifle brass.

Anyone who can't get all the range pickup 9mm brass they want free isn't trying very hard. Regardless, pistol brass has a MUCH greater life than 3 loadings unless one is loading them very hot, and for most people pistol brass will be lost long before it reaches the end of its life. I have conducted lots of brass life tests (and posted several of them here and elsewhere) and most pistol brass will last 30-40 loadings easily. So the amortized cost for brass is much lower than most people think. Essentially it is the cheapest part of the reloading process along with powder.

I was just using 3 as an example. I didn't intend for that to be a real figure used in anyones calculation. I should have been clear about that.

 

[Cynical]

For those of you reloading 9mm for 12-18 cents per round, is this lead or jacketed bullets? Does this price include brass? If brass is factored in, do you use 1/3 the brass cost assuming you'll use the same piece three times? Also, how do you factor in loss? Unless you shoot in a very static and/or sterile environment, it seems unlikely you retain 100% of your brass after each outing. Do these costs factor in taxes and or shipping costs on all components?

A couple years ago I could buy a case of 9mm for 20-21 cents per round, and so 18 cents per round was not appealing. This is no longer the case. Factory 9mm is 25 cents per round if you're lucky, and closer to 30 cents if you're taking what you can find. So the thought of reloading has more appeal.

Also, how much additional time do you estimate that you spend reloading? How long would it take you to put out 1000 rounds? How much extra time do you spend at the range picking up brass? Cleaning brass? Trimming cases? (Maybe not a factor for pistol bullets.)

I spend lots of time loading cause I love it. I spend my winter in the barn with heater and cool tunes casting,sizing, tumbling, and loading. It keeps the cabin fever away till spring when my girls and I spend the reast of the year shooting what I made. Its a vicious cycle and after I think about it maybe I don't really save money I just shoot more. As for brass I always leave with more than I came with. I tell the girls to leave the range better than we found it. I get free brass and the chance to teach about doing the right thing.

 

[chezuki]

For those of you reloading 9mm for 12-18 cents per round, is this lead or jacketed bullets? Does this price include brass? If brass is factored in, do you use 1/3 the brass cost assuming you'll use the same piece three times? Also, how do you factor in loss? Unless you shoot in a very static and/or sterile environment, it seems unlikely you retain 100% of your brass after each outing. Do these costs factor in taxes and or shipping costs on all components?

A couple years ago I could buy a case of 9mm for 20-21 cents per round, and so 18 cents per round was not appealing. This is no longer the case. Factory 9mm is 25 cents per round if you're lucky, and closer to 30 cents if you're taking what you can find. So the thought of reloading has more appeal.

Also, how much additional time do you estimate that you spend reloading? How long would it take you to put out 1000 rounds? How much extra time do you spend at the range picking up brass? Cleaning brass? Trimming cases? (Maybe not a factor for pistol bullets.)

My 9mm reloads are $0.095 each ($0.125 if you factor in the .03 sometimes spent on brass.) I don't really factor brass in after the initial investment as I reload them indefinitely. I consider lost brass to be a cost of competition as I choose not to mess with it at matches. I pick up all I can at the range, and purchase if I run low. I'll use tarps at the range when plausible, but still end up picking through gravel to find the "on the move" stuff.

I use cast lead bullets from Indiana Bullet Company as they are the least expensive I've found and they work fine. I find Mitch to be a good guy to deal with. I try to stock up on components when prices are good, so during the crazy times I never have to drop $50 on primers I could have had for $35. If my chosen powder is unavailable, I'll work up a load for whatever I can find.

If the primary reason you want to reload is cost savings, it's a good idea to be flexible about components. Example: I'll always choose $30 S&B primers over $45 Winchesters even if Winchester is what I've "always used". When I found RedDot powder for $20lb I had my loads down to $0.08, though they were humorously smokey.

The time spent will depend a lot on your setup. I use a Lee Pro 1000 progressive press and can load 200+ per hour fairly leisurely. This could easily be tripled with something higher end with a bullet feed (though many bullet feeders won't do cast lead).

 

[Jackson]

If the primary reason you want to reload is cost savings

Cost savings is the only reason. I have no other interest in reloading at this point. I travel frequently for work and I don't know when I would find the time to put in to it. But if I could save $100 per case of ammo, I could probably find the time.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Cost savings is the only reason. I have no other interest in reloading at this point. I travel frequently for work and I don't know when I would find the time to put in to it. But if I could save $100 per case of ammo, I could probably find the time.

Nope, it's fine, it's people like you who leave brass on the ground for people like me 8-) I have no problem if you don't want to reload. Just please start shooting 10mm.

 

[Broom_jm]

For those of you reloading 9mm for 12-18 cents per round, is this lead or jacketed bullets? Does this price include brass? If brass is factored in, do you use 1/3 the brass cost assuming you'll use the same piece three times? Also, how do you factor in loss? Unless you shoot in a very static and/or sterile environment, it seems unlikely you retain 100% of your brass after each outing. Do these costs factor in taxes and or shipping costs on all components?

A couple years ago I could buy a case of 9mm for 20-21 cents per round, and so 18 cents per round was not appealing. This is no longer the case. Factory 9mm is 25 cents per round if you're lucky, and closer to 30 cents if you're taking what you can find. So the thought of reloading has more appeal.

Also, how much additional time do you estimate that you spend reloading? How long would it take you to put out 1000 rounds? How much extra time do you spend at the range picking up brass? Cleaning brass? Trimming cases? (Maybe not a factor for pistol bullets.)

I was loading 9mm (124gr jacketed) for about 18 cents each, before components became difficult to find. I honestly don't even factor in the cost of brass, since it's so little. You can load a single piece of 9mm brass WAY more than 3 times...closer to 30 times, AAMOF. You'll likely lose brass from a semi-auto long before it wears out.

Keep in mind that the factory 9mm you were buying for 20-21 cents a round, a couple of years ago, is not comparable to the quality of ammunition you can load yourself. This is especially true when you start talking about the uber-expensive "self-defense" ammo. That stuff is ridiculous! I can load with XTP bullets for little more than my practice ammo and have "carry" rounds that are very good for self-defense, and do it for probably 1/3 of the crazy expensive factory stuff.

Time spent reloading is like time spent fishing or golfing...it's a hobby or a pass-time. If you find you don't enjoy it, don't do it. When you start trying to factor in the "value" of your time, you might as well work all the overtime you can and forget having a life. That works for some, but definitely not for me!

 

[VERT]

I sort of disagree with my buddy Shibum. Brass is indeed cheap or rather free if you can pick it up. I have a very hard time finding brass at the range anymore. Around here even the non-reloaders pick it up and resell it. The only time I can get range pickup brass is after a USPSA match, where a lot of other people are picking it up as well, and if I am lucky enough to be out there after the local PDs have some training sessions. Finding brass is a very big deal for me! Brass used to be cheap and plentiful at gun shows and such but those days have since passed as well.

 

[Jackson]

I sort of disagree with my buddy Shibum. Brass is indeed cheap or rather free if you can pick it up. I have a very hard time finding brass at the range anymore. Around here even the non-reloaders pick it up and resell it. The only time I can get range pickup brass is after a USPSA match, where a lot of other people are picking it up as well, and if I am lucky enough to be out there after the local PDs have some training sessions. Finding brass is a very big deal for me! Brass used to be cheap and plentiful at gun shows and such but those days have since passed as well.

I sometimes, but not always, collect my own brass and I do not reload. I have sold some. Mostly I just put it in a box in my garage just in case I decide to start reloading. Somewhere I have couple gallons of .45 brass, and random other containers of 9mm brass.

 

[VERT]

I sometimes, but not always, collect my own brass and I do not reload. I have sold some. Mostly I just put it in a box in my garage just in case I decide to start reloading. Somewhere I have couple gallons of .45 brass, and random other containers of 9mm brass.

I used to pickup brass at the range, both mine and the stuff others left behind. I used to give buckets of the stuff away to guys who I knew reloaded. I even threw away bags of 9mm brass back in 2008 when I moved back to Indiana. At that time nobody reloaded 9mm because you could buy the 100 round WWB packs at WalMart for about $10. Man do I wish I had that brass back! From now on I will keep all of the brass I find. Also I do not plan on ever selling brass, I would rather trade it to other people who reload.