How much are u saving by reloading

[19hunt92]

I reload to get the max performance out of my rifles. So cheaper ammo, means i shoot more and then buy more rifles and more reloading stuff and shoot those more. I end up spending more...no savings here lol.

But to your point, compared to premium ammo, which i compare my reloads to, i probably cut per box cost down by over 50%. Say $50 per 20 rounds for a 30-06 or 300 WM from store, i reload with top end bullets for roughly $1 or a bit less per round

 

[T28w]

I reload, but not to save money.

Time spent reloading is like a hobby, but is also part of the "cost" of reloading.

this is what i am looking at also, just something to do for fun and have less worry about finding ammo or paying out the wazzu like now.

just wondered about cost per shell and it is about like i figured. when i really looked into reloading shotshells, i had it worked out to a7-8 bucks a box, and you could find cheap dove loads for the same price in walmart but nowhere near to quality. to get on the same level you would be spending in the low teens.

 

[5MilesBack]

I originally started reloading solely because I couldn't find ammo with the bullets I wanted to shoot........175gr Nosler Partitions and Swift A-frames in my 7mag (same reason I started tying my own flies as well.....couldn't find my favorites anywhere, or the way I wanted them). But the cost savings are real if you load enough and got your equipment and components for dirt cheap. I save a bunch on my 10mm rounds as well.

 

[rayporter]

to be fair, you have spread equipment costs over many years.

and there is a lot to be said for having what you want when you want or need it. as the times we are in unfold many will not find what they like to shoot where those that prepared just make it and roll on.

 

[cooperjd]

I reload to get the max performance out of my rifles. So cheaper ammo, means i shoot more and then buy more rifles and more reloading stuff and shoot those more. I end up spending more...no savings here lol.

But to your point, compared to premium ammo, which i compare my reloads to, i probably cut per box cost down by over 50%. Say $50 per 20 rounds for a 30-06 or 300 WM from store, i reload with top end bullets for roughly $1 or a bit less per round

^^this.
I shoot more of the 'cheaper' cartridges so i don't save anything. The big savings are the expensive cartridges or hard to find ammo, like my 338RUM or my pop's 7RUM. I can load those for a fraction of factory ammo. But then I shoot them a lot more, so idk if i'm saving anything. My 7mag is about 1/3 of what I pay for premium factory ammo. I'm now playing with Hammer bullets, which you can't get in factory loaded ammo iirc. So there is that added benefit to reloading. Hell I just spent 500 bucks on powder and bullets, it's going to take me quite a while to use all that up.

 

[T28w]

^^this.
I shoot more of the 'cheaper' cartridges so i don't save anything. The big savings are the expensive cartridges or hard to find ammo, like my 338RUM or my pop's 7RUM. I can load those for a fraction of factory ammo. But then I shoot them a lot more, so idk if i'm saving anything. My 7mag is about 1/3 of what I pay for premium factory ammo. I'm now playing with Hammer bullets, which you can't get in factory loaded ammo iirc. So there is that added benefit to reloading. Hell I just spent 500 bucks on powder and bullets, it's going to take me quite a while to use all that up.

the barnes ttsx 165 grains for 300wsm r over $50 a box. $500 would prob get 8 maybe 9 boxes after taxes. also assuming you could find them in that quantity.

 

[B23]

In all honesty I'm not sure many that reload, unless you're a high volume shooter, really does it to save money.

It's all about being able to tailor fit the ammo to the gun and ensure I have the same consistency from round to round in that ammo which lends itself to accuracy. Some factory ammo is better than others but no factory ammo will give you the performance of what you can reload yourself at home, provided you're doing everything right which is a whole other topic of discussion. lol

 

[mvrk28]

What is this "saving" you speak of?

It's actually a floating number when you think about it, you have to keep track of the cost of the equipment you use and include that cost in every round loaded. If you have a hundred dollar press and you load 100 rounds, your press is an added cost of $1 per round. When you have loaded 1000 rounds, your cost is $0.10 per round and it adjusts retroactively. The same would be true for every other piece of equipment in your reloading process.

 

[ManyBullets]

Think of all the time you get to hide out from your wife and avoid honey-do projects. That's gotta be worth somethin.
Every trip you avoid to bed bath and beyond is at least $200 in savings.

 

[T28w]

What is this "saving" you speak of?

It's actually a floating number when you think about it, you have to keep track of the cost of the equipment you use and include that cost in every round loaded. If you have a hundred dollar press and you load 100 rounds, your press is an added cost of $1 per round. When you have loaded 1000 rounds, your cost is $0.10 per round and it adjusts retroactively. The same would be true for every other piece of equipment in your reloading process.

i specifically said to disreguard the equipment for the very reason you speak of and the fact you can spend 300, 500, 1500 on equipment. equipment cost will vary. cost per load should be much simpler to narrow down when components only are considered. also thats why i ask for a comparable load. dont compare a barnes ttsx or hornady eldx reloads with the cheapest factory target loads.

 

[amassi]

It cost me a lot of money and time
Theres a spreadsheet somewhere where it tells you how many rounds you need to reload to break even and it's a ton.
Granted during these now seasonal shortages and hordeages it's nice to have some ammo and components to keep shooting.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[mvrk28]

i specifically said to disreguard the equipment for the very reason you speak of and the fact you can spend 300, 500, 1500 on equipment. equipment cost will vary. cost per load should be much simpler to narrow down when components only are considered. also thats why i ask for a comparable load. dont compare a barnes ttsx or hornady eldx reloads with the cheapest factory target loads.

Well it seems foolish to say I'm spending this much money on reloads and only consider materials, that is not an accurate representation of cost.

 

[Harvey_NW]

The way I figure it the investment into quality equipment isn't a solid factor because you can easily sell it and get anywhere from 70-90% of your investment back, depending on how well you take care of your stuff and how long you're willing to sit on it.

Components wise here are my 7mm rem mag figures I came up with:
100 pieces of Norma brass - $130
100 Berger Hunting VLD - $43
1lb H1000 - $32
100 Win LR Magnum primers - 3$
Figuring 8 reloads (this can obviously vary, but I even got more than 8 on my first lot of Norma) average cost for 100 Precision loads - $94.25

Cheap stuff @ $30/box - $130/100
Mid range @ $40-$50/box - $200-$250/100
High end at @ $60+/box - $300/100

The 2 reasons that instantly made sense to invest were usually the $60 ammo didn't shoot much better than the $30 stuff, and when you break it down it's almost always cheaper to reload.

 

[.270]

I reload to get the best performance out of my rifles, not sure if I am saving too much money but I am definitely producing higher quality ammo then commercial ammo. I match the bullet I want to shoot with a cartridge and try to find an accurate load for it. Plus it is fun trying to find that perfect load for a certain rifle.

 

[Gorp2007]

I really only reload for my 45-70 and my 30-06 because it's a lot cheaper than factory and I get what I want. It also lets me practice with my hunting loads without crying over the cost. I've got everything I need to reload 9mm but I historically didn't because it's not worth the time, but with current ammo availability it's nice to be able to churn out a couple hundred rounds during time I'd normally spend watching TV or scrolling through Rokslide.

 

[theleo91386]

You can save a ton (per round) or very little. My biggest saving is on 45-90, $3.00/round down to around 75 cents.

 

[Myronman3]

it’s a rabbit hole. you can spend a lot, or you can be a miser and do it fairly cheap.

pick a popular caliber, and hang out at the range. watch guys open their factory ammo, shoot, and leave the brass. 30-06, 270, 3030, and such are really easy to come by. i have found short mag brass as well. the easiest one is to save your factory ammo brass.

cruise gun show tables for bullets. i’ve found PLENTY of bullets for cheap. be ready to buy when you find them. depending on caliber, you can cast your own, but that’s another rabbit hole.

these days, you have inflated prices for components and that’s going to make things tougher. learn the lesson and keep that in mind should things go back to “normal”.

 

[307]

This is definitely worth a read:

The Cost of Reloading vs. Match Ammo

I regularly get asked by friends, family, and readers for rifle and cartridge recommendations. The a...

precisionrifleblog.com

 

[307]

Don't forget to figure in some $ for your time.

 

[CAD73]

With the debacle that is 2020 now when it comes to ammo, isn't reloading more about ready access than cost? The guys I shoot skeet with tell me they can reload 100 rounds in about a half hour. I have to drive longer than that to go buy ammo, if I can find any. Then again, from what I'm hearing, reloading supplies are also getting very hard to come by.