Hey All,
I've reloaded for blackpowder cartridge rifles in the past but have never reloaded smokeless powder before as I've always just bought factory ammo for my bolt guns. Well given the current shortage, I spent the last few weeks teaching myself the steps of reloading for modern smokeless rifles and finally got around to loading up some ammo for my Tikka .223 today. I was curious what these reloads cost me relative to the factory ammo that I usually buy, so I ran the numbers and thought I'd share them here since I suspect there are others here that are considering getting into reloading but may be discouraged by the high cost of components. The punchline (as least for my .223) is that for me it is considerably cheaper to reload, even with the increased costs of components, as long as you view it as a hobby and don't factor in the cost of your time.
I was fortunate to score some of the mythical 77g TMK's (factory seconds with a cannelure) via Midway USA last year, which was the primary reason I wanted to get into reloading for my .223. My TIkka also really likes the Hornady Frontier 75g BTHP but at ~$18/box its pretty expensive practice ammo, so decided to make my own version of this for the range.
Obviously reloading has a lot of up-front cost to get the equipment, but I was fortunate to have most of what I needed from my blackpowder days. For those curious, I did run the numbers at current prices to see what the up front cost would be today. For a very basic set up (single stage press, hand-scale), I think you're looking at around $300 for the necessary equipment. For a nicer set-up with a turret press and an electronic combined powder measure/scale (the only way to go in my opinion), you're probably looking at more like $750 for everything. If we use that figure ($750) and assume that equipment will be used to reload 5000 rounds, that adds a cost of about $0.15 / round.
As for components, I bought everything I'm using in the past 6 months and if anything prices have slightly improved since I made some of these purchases. Here is my rough cost breakdown:
- Primers: CCI BR-4, Small Rifle Primers - $120 / 1000 = $0.12 / primer.
- Powder: TAC - $31 / pound (7000 grains), which for my loads of ~24 grains, provides about 292 loads = $0.11 / load.
- Cases: Mix of Hornady Frontier cases I shot last year and some I picked up at the range = Free
- Bullets:
* Hornady 75g BTHP - $25 / 100 = $0.25 / bullet
* 77g TMK (Factory Seconds) - $32 / 100 = $0.32 / bullet
To put that in perspective, I was paying $18/box for Hornady Frontier 75g BTHP last year, which is $0.90 / round. My 75g BTHP reloads cost me about $0.48 / round. Cost difference for 1000 rounds (my goal for this year) is $420. The 77g TMK's are where it really starts to pay off. When they are available lately, they seem to cost around $1.50-$2 / round, whereas my cost (albeit with factory seconds) is about $0.55 / round, about 1/3 the cost.
I'd always heard it was foolish to reload for the .223 because ammo is so affordable and I actually think that's true if you're buying cheap 55g and 62g surplus ammo. However, when it comes to getting ammo that actually shoots well in bolt guns to use for longer range practice or hunting, I think reloading still makes sense right now despite with the high prices of components.
I've reloaded for blackpowder cartridge rifles in the past but have never reloaded smokeless powder before as I've always just bought factory ammo for my bolt guns. Well given the current shortage, I spent the last few weeks teaching myself the steps of reloading for modern smokeless rifles and finally got around to loading up some ammo for my Tikka .223 today. I was curious what these reloads cost me relative to the factory ammo that I usually buy, so I ran the numbers and thought I'd share them here since I suspect there are others here that are considering getting into reloading but may be discouraged by the high cost of components. The punchline (as least for my .223) is that for me it is considerably cheaper to reload, even with the increased costs of components, as long as you view it as a hobby and don't factor in the cost of your time.
I was fortunate to score some of the mythical 77g TMK's (factory seconds with a cannelure) via Midway USA last year, which was the primary reason I wanted to get into reloading for my .223. My TIkka also really likes the Hornady Frontier 75g BTHP but at ~$18/box its pretty expensive practice ammo, so decided to make my own version of this for the range.
Obviously reloading has a lot of up-front cost to get the equipment, but I was fortunate to have most of what I needed from my blackpowder days. For those curious, I did run the numbers at current prices to see what the up front cost would be today. For a very basic set up (single stage press, hand-scale), I think you're looking at around $300 for the necessary equipment. For a nicer set-up with a turret press and an electronic combined powder measure/scale (the only way to go in my opinion), you're probably looking at more like $750 for everything. If we use that figure ($750) and assume that equipment will be used to reload 5000 rounds, that adds a cost of about $0.15 / round.
As for components, I bought everything I'm using in the past 6 months and if anything prices have slightly improved since I made some of these purchases. Here is my rough cost breakdown:
- Primers: CCI BR-4, Small Rifle Primers - $120 / 1000 = $0.12 / primer.
- Powder: TAC - $31 / pound (7000 grains), which for my loads of ~24 grains, provides about 292 loads = $0.11 / load.
- Cases: Mix of Hornady Frontier cases I shot last year and some I picked up at the range = Free
- Bullets:
* Hornady 75g BTHP - $25 / 100 = $0.25 / bullet
* 77g TMK (Factory Seconds) - $32 / 100 = $0.32 / bullet
To put that in perspective, I was paying $18/box for Hornady Frontier 75g BTHP last year, which is $0.90 / round. My 75g BTHP reloads cost me about $0.48 / round. Cost difference for 1000 rounds (my goal for this year) is $420. The 77g TMK's are where it really starts to pay off. When they are available lately, they seem to cost around $1.50-$2 / round, whereas my cost (albeit with factory seconds) is about $0.55 / round, about 1/3 the cost.
I'd always heard it was foolish to reload for the .223 because ammo is so affordable and I actually think that's true if you're buying cheap 55g and 62g surplus ammo. However, when it comes to getting ammo that actually shoots well in bolt guns to use for longer range practice or hunting, I think reloading still makes sense right now despite with the high prices of components.
