At what point does reloading payoff?

[Sakohunter264]

IMO getting into reloading now is likely more trouble than it’s worth. Components are hard to find and expensive at that. For folks who enjoy an occasional range outing, it defeats the purpose of reloading. Weird calibers, etc are one of the main drivers of reloading.

 

[Stefan]

I have been reloading for a while (about 30 years). It becomes really beneficial when you take the time to dial in a load for a particular rifle.

 

[RS_Non-Res]

Anybody notice if the price of reloading equipment is down b/c price of components is up? Might be time to get gear and then stock up on components later?

 

[rope]

Local gun shop just got in some 458 Win Mag @$124.99 a box of 20, 375 H&H was $75, the Weatherby’s we spendy. Wildcat or lack of factory support also leads to expensive or unavailable ammo. While I do shoot quite a bit, having the ability to shoot any combination I want is worth the price of admission. If you want to compare apples then look at custom loading companies like Copper Creek and see what precision ammo cost and for fun check out the wildcat/hard to find caliber prices are. I believe before long other states are going to follow suit of copper only hunting rounds. With Barnes X’s and Hornady GMX’s about the only easy (if that’s a thing) to find copper factory rounds and components like Hammer’ and PVA’s Cuyaga’s and others. Rolling your own may be the best option for some time.

 

[dla]

My investment for reloading rifle isn't that great* and it allows me to put over 2k rounds of 45-70 downrange, countless .223 in this time of scarcity, tune .308 loads for introducing grandkids to big game hunting, etc.

I think having the independence to do what I want makes the cost of reloading worth it. E.g. making 165gr Cast 1050fps 30-30 plinkers for a daughter who was afraid of 30-30 recoil. Or 77gr TMK .223 loads for this hunting season. Or 125gr Nosler BT @3000fps, 20" barrel loads that my eldest Granddaughter used to take a fat Mule Deer buck at 250yds cleanly, and her Dad used to put a bear in the freezer this spring.

I know getting started now is a pain due to component shortages. But I don't believe the shortages will last forever.

*Lee Classic Turret, Lee Deluxe Powder Dispenser, MTM 750gr AAA battery scale, Lyman Check weights, Caliper and Lee die set per cartridge. And a place to work in:

Christian Ed and Hobby info - Reloading Bench

My Setup

sites.google.com

 

[FLATHEAD]

It's worth it when there's no ammo on the shelves.

 

[NorthernHunter]

For me the satisfaction of taking an animal with a round I built has been worth the time and money. You can also fine tune and create a perfect round for your gun. I consider it relaxation/another hobby. If I go sit in the gun room for an hour I can crank out 40 precision rifle rounds or 200 pistol rounds which is enough to hit the range some more. Don't get into it if your trying to save money. It is worth it long term in my mind though.

 

[PA Hunter]

I reload for accuracy over factory ammo not to save money. I can tailor rounds to each of my rifles which are far superior to general factory ammo. Good luck finding the components now in this time we live in though.

 

[JeffRaines]

I don't know if I'd put precision reloading up in the "fun" category - maybe type 2, and it only comes to fruition when you shoot a bomb group or kill something with your loads.

In any case, you'll never recoup the money on reloading equipment. You don't do it for the cost, you do it for the precision of doing it yourself, the variety of being able to load up whatever you want using what components you want(which plays into the precision).

For the guys who never shoot past 300 yards, and only shoot a couple shots a year to verify zero - you're better off buying factory. Even blue box Federal will kill anything at those distances - ES and bullet weight be damned(within reason of course). If you're getting into shooting distance and want to shoot heavy for caliber bullets... well, now reloading is starting to make sense... as ES starts playing a bigger role... not to mention the fact that some loads are either impossible to find or don't exist period(try finding 245 300wm factory loads.... or 245 300rum... outside of a custom manufacturer good luck).

 

[minengr]

Sometimes it feels like a never ending hole I shovel money into. But I enjoy it, and I've been stacking a packing components over the years, so I giggle when I hear about ammo shortages.

 

[tdhanses]

I personally enjoy the reloading process and developing a load, I’m not sure its cheaper then just shooting factory ammo these days but then again I have enough supplies I wont spend a dime for many years so with prices sky rocketing it may create some good savings long term.

I only shoot maybe 1000rd a year between 3 rifles, I dont reload pistols, 223 or 308.

 

[SomeJackassOnAForum]

1. Immediately
2. Never

 

[Bottom Rung]

The general consensus seems that accuracy, pride in your work, and versatility are all equal, if not greater, factors to cost for reloading.

I used to fixate on cost, but that was never enough of a driver to start reloading. Obscure calibers and accuracy issues with factory ammo on certain guns really pushed me into the hobby.

Reloading stuff makes good trading fodder too, even if you don't reload. A few stories to demonstrate what I mean.

1. I picked up a gorgeous used rack find Swedish Mauser. It had been tastefully sporterized. It didn't like any factory ammo I gave it. Like 3" groups at 50 yards bad. So I started reloading for it. 160 grain Hornady Interlocks and 4895 yielded 2" groups with iron sights at 100 yards. Yay for reloading there.
2. .32-20, .35 Rem, and .32 Rem. are all impossible to find at the moment, but I have been able to source components for all three of these obscure cartridges relatively easily throughout the insanity of the last year and a half. Most notable was scoring some primed new manufacture Federal brass for the .35 Remington. Exciting stuff.
3. A couple years ago, I bought a two used but like new Dillon Square Deal b presses and a half dozen caliber conversion sets for them. The price wasn't the greatest, but it was on the decent deal spectrum. I had intended on setting them up, but never got around to it. When prices went crazy last year on reloading stuff, I was able to sell everything I bought at a slight profit. I was then able to roll the money over into a new Dillon 550 and a few other reloading bits. Plus one for trading fodder!

Shooting, reloading and even hunting for that matter will never let you break even.

 

[Stalker69]

Only because I already had the reloading stuff did I buy a shilo sharps 45-110. You pretty much have to reload for them.

 

[Magnus777]

Payoff for me was instant...confirmed my suspicion that I'd like it, and I was hooked! Don't know that I actually save any money, especially now that I shoot more. But I can tune a load for each rifle or handgun that is MUCH more accurate than most anything from factory, and that's satisfying. For a man loading for just one rifle, it can be done quite economically...as compared to buying factory...if you can find components. No need to get fancy, or make it complicated. Start off with a Lee Loader for your caliber of choice, a pound of compatible powder, a 100 count each of primers and projectiles...you could potentially set yourself up for two or three seasons!

 

[Wrongside]

If you shoot any kind of volume, especially premium or match ammo, I think it can pay off quite quickly.

But I do agree with many of the previous posters, it's a tough time to get into the hobby. Availability is sparse, and prices are high.

 

[Gorp2007]

I’ll just offer that even though component prices are higher now, it’s still cheaper than shooting factory unless you’re buying up those $250 packs of primers on Gunbroker.

I started buying components to load 77gr TMKs about two months ago. I was patient and I’ve got all the pieces put together to load them at <60 cents a round*.

So yes, these aren’t the good old days of reloading, but they’re not exactly the good old days of factory ammo, either.

*I got the brass for free, but it’s not exactly hard to find range brass for 223