cost of reloading

[Texas Solo]

I just did the math on reloading 9mm with jacketed 115's, add primers and powder + tax for the latter two items and shipping on the bullets, and discovered I can just buy WWB 115gr FMJ for about the same $$$. I get the 100rd bulk pack for $17.50 + tax= $19

I haven't loaded in a few years, so I guessed the following:

primers at $20 per 1000 = .02 each $2.16 per 100 w/tax
powder at $20/lb. One lb. = 7000 grs/3.4 gr.per round = 2000 rounds= .01 per round (rounding off) $1.19 per 100 w/tax
bullets (115FMJ from Midway) = $134/1000 including shipping = $13.40 per100

$2.16
+$1.19
+$13.40
-----------
$16.75 per 100

I'm probably off on the price of primers & powder, so someone please correct me on that. Just use the AVERAGE price for a pound, regardless of brand. I also use Win primers. Tax was figured @ 8.25%

Now take the $500 I'll need to replace the Dillon that I stupidly sold, divided by the $2.25 I save per 100 rds., and I'm even after 22,200 rounds. (or 222 boxes/100) Good thing I still have my scale, tumbler, and all the other assorted reloading supplies.

OK, I'm bored tonight, but has anyone else ever tried to narrow their reloading costs down like this? I'm thinking it's time to buy another 1000 WWB (10 boxes/100).

 

[Dawico]

Look at Berry's, Ranier Ballistics, or LaserCast bullets for cheaper bullets that won't lead your barrel. These are available as copper plated or hard cast for the LaserCast bullets. Lead bullets are even cheaper if you don't mind cleaning some barrel leading or getting the load just right. Every little bit of savings helps.

 

[Younggun]

I figured mine a while back, i don't buy in large bulk and came up at about 25% savings on 9mm from wwb, I also reload .380 and .40 and the savings are much higher with them due to the higher cost at walmart. I may do the math again but I also see it as insurance in case ammo prices jump again. Of course my press was only $150

 

[cleric]

precision delta has 1k for 72 shipped

 

[Dawico]

This may help also.


Handloading Cost Calculator

 

[jbcalhoun]

It's also not always about the money, but being able to "Custom-Taylor" your loads in any fashion you see fit!

Load for accuracy, speed, recoil, to name a few of the things you can have control over.

Besides that, it's a way to hide from the wife and kids for a few hours.

Brad

 

[Texastransplant]

Found a few boxes of primers I used to sell when I had a small gun shop back in the 70's $4.00 a thousand, powder if I remember was around $8 a pound, and 100 jacketed bullets cost $7.00. I gues we all mad less but ammo back then was a lot cheaper. Now if I could go back and have a few things I sold. Gold cups 379, SSA 350, M79 grenade launcher $79, Python $350, etc, granted that was my cost but usually sold 10% over.

 

[michael e]

9mm run me about 5 a box to reload, the real savings is in 45 10mm 357 ect. I buy in bulk of 500 or 1k bullets, powder in 8lb jug. I can reload 40sw for close to the same price as 9mm.

 

[scap99]

I'm just about ready to but another case of Montana Gold 124gr jhp bullets (3,750/case) for $308.00 no tax, no freight.

I buy powder in 8# jugs and primers in lots of 5k at a time from Powder Valley.

I bought 1000 once fired cases from an online seller, and have reloaded them 5-6 times.

I, also scavenge brass from other shooters that don't reload.

My cost per round is very minimal.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[Texas42]

You can usually find really good deals on reloading stuff on craigslist every so often.

Just letting you know.

 

[shortround]

I just did the math on reloading 9mm with jacketed 115's, add primers and powder + tax for the latter two items and shipping on the bullets, and discovered I can just buy WWB 115gr FMJ for about the same $$$. I get the 100rd bulk pack for $17.50 + tax= $19

I haven't loaded in a few years, so I guessed the following:

primers at $20 per 1000 = .02 each $2.16 per 100 w/tax
powder at $20/lb. One lb. = 7000 grs/3.4 gr.per round = 2000 rounds= .01 per round (rounding off) $1.19 per 100 w/tax
bullets (115FMJ from Midway) = $134/1000 including shipping = $13.40 per100

$2.16
+$1.19
+$13.40
-----------
$16.75 per 100

I'm probably off on the price of primers & powder, so someone please correct me on that. Just use the AVERAGE price for a pound, regardless of brand. I also use Win primers. Tax was figured @ 8.25%

Now take the $500 I'll need to replace the Dillon that I stupidly sold, divided by the $2.25 I save per 100 rds., and I'm even after 22,200 rounds. (or 222 boxes/100) Good thing I still have my scale, tumbler, and all the other assorted reloading supplies.

OK, I'm bored tonight, but has anyone else ever tried to narrow their reloading costs down like this? I'm thinking it's time to buy another 1000 WWB (10 boxes/100).

WE think a lot alike.

I did the math, and after OBAMA, it was much more expensive to reload than it was to buy factory new ammo at Wally World.

BFO, I could reload 9mm Luger for about 18 cents a round, including virgin brass. Now, one piece of new brass costs about 21 cents.

Projectiles have doubled in cost (including lead round nose).

Primers cost about 3 cents each, and powder is about $26 a pound.

We thought we had it bad under Slick Willie, but we never ran out of components, and the prices remained stable at 100 bullets for six bucks, 1000 primers for twelve bucks, 100 brass cases at nine bucks, and a pound of Unique at twelve bucks.

Good luck & Be well.

 

[scap99]

This may help also.


Handloading Cost Calculator

Finally got to a real computer (vs cell phone), and ran the numbers. Less than $6.00 for a box of 50 9mm 124gr JHP, custom tailored to my spec.

 

[cleric]

9mm is also one of the most (if not the most) popular ammo, so there is a more economies of scales. When you get to the less popular ammo is when you really have a savings.

 

[medalguy]

9mm is probably the very worst round to compare prices on. Try something else like 10mm or .45 or rifle ammo. Then you will see some serious savings. Example: I load a lot of 30-06, brass I have tons of, primers .016 from PV, powder .08 for pulldown RG4895 from Pat's, bullets .08 for pulldown 150 gr M2 FMJ, that's .18 per round. To be fair, those prices were what I paid last year, so add probably .03 for today's prices, still around .21 per round compared to .75 to 80 for reloadable brass ammo.

 

[Mikewood]

Check out 44 magnum or 500S&W or premium hunting cartridges. Anything where price is over $1.00 a cartridge. But them I just don't get the boutique bullets when my Remington core lokts blow golf ball sized holes in deer.

 

[Deavis]

You are high on powder, low on primers, and high on bullets. Regardless, your calculation is fatally flawed because you put no value on your time per hour. Put a realistic number on your time per hour and reloading doesn't save you a dime for most situations. If you look at it as a hobby, then you can justify it but otherwise, it is like brewing beer or most other hobbies, it is far cheaper to buy commercially. Don't care how many times you flash numbers up on the screen, if you don't include your time as a cost in the equation, then you aren't comparing apples to apples because that WWB has labor included in the price.

Now, stepping off the soap box, if you want to lower your material cost, which is a great goal, buy in bulk. Primers and powder on a single hazmat, bulk 8# jogs, and 5k packs of primers. Bullets, looks at Zero or MGB, ~$75 for 1k of 9mm last time I checked. You can recheck your numbers and you'll lower that 9mm cost quite a bit.

 

[cleric]

You are high on powder, low on primers, and high on bullets. Regardless, your calculation is fatally flawed because you put no value on your time per hour. Put a realistic number on your time per hour and reloading doesn't save you a dime for most situations. If you look at it as a hobby, then you can justify it but otherwise, it is like brewing beer or most other hobbies, it is far cheaper to buy commercially. Don't care how many times you flash numbers up on the screen, if you don't include your time as a cost in the equation, then you aren't comparing apples to apples because that WWB has labor included in the price.

Now, stepping off the soap box, if you want to lower your material cost, which is a great goal, buy in bulk. Primers and powder on a single hazmat, bulk 8# jogs, and 5k packs of primers. Bullets, looks at Zero or MGB, ~$75 for 1k of 9mm last time I checked. You can recheck your numbers and you'll lower that 9mm cost quite a bit.

so for 1k 45 ACP bullets
30 for primers
120 for bullets
25 for for powder
Brass free from range

so that is 175 for 1k. Last time I loaded bullets it took about 4 hours on the press to make 1k. So at 25$ and hour throw in another 100.

I am wondering where you can get 1k bullets for 275 45ACP. That is also assuming had I had something else to do with my time. If I was just going to play video games or goof off then there shouldn't be any cost associated with press time

 

[shortround]

At this point in life, I no longer assign value to the time I have available.

I just hope to reload all the supplies on hand before my time runs out.

Be well.

 

[TexMex247]

The savings become obvious when you get into rifle rounds or shoot cowboy action. I got into reloading to feed my 45 colt levergun and SA sixguns. It's funny how manufacturers want to charge more for cheap lead loads with low powder charges. Everything out there for the classic colts is around $40. I reload with plated bullets for less than half that. Lead reloads start to get dirt cheap compared to new ammo. As far as rifle rounds go, not only do you save a ton, I have been able to shrink group sizes from 1.5" at 100yds down to .468" at the same distance. It's hard to put a pricetag on performance. Also, since I enjoy reloading, the cost of my time spent doing it costs me nothing.

 

[Dawico]

We can argue the merits for reloading 9mm all day. That isn't where reloading saves you money. If you are only going to reload 9mm then don't even bother. You can buy 9mm and even .223 ammo so cheap that you will never see the savings unless you are a hard core competitor.

The real savings is in the oddball rounds. Think anything with Magnum, Ackley, Short, bigger than .30 caliber, dangerous game, or the extint/ hard to find ammo that you can't buy. Generally if the factory round cost is over about $.50 and you shoot a couple hundred rounds a year, then reloading is a worthwhile venture. If not, then it is just another somewhat expensive hobby.

I enjoy reloading, and see the financial benefits as I own odd calibers and Magnums.

If you are going to figure labor in your reloading cost, then do you charge yourself when you aren't doing something productive? Unless you are missing work to reload, it is a mute point. Do you figure your labor cost when you hunt, fish, work on your car, drink beer and party, or do any other hobby?