Reloading - Is it still really worth it?

baldhunter said:
I bought all my reloading stuff for years.So if you look at what those thing cost today,I have a gold mine.I'm still shooting my premium ammo reloads for around $10-$12 a box.Much cheaper than shelf ammo.
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I know that when a person starts anything new there is a start up cost hang in there it will become cheaper. I still have thousands of primers that have a $11.95 sticker on them.
 
OK! Let's talk costs! My base equipment (press, scales, trimmers, tumblers..etc) was paid off by 1990. I was shooting 500-1000 round of 9mm a week and saved $0.04/round back then.
Every set of dies since then has been paid off by the second trip to the range for that caliber.
So for me now, I only have to account for consumables...
And still get the best Accuracy i can from each rifle...I am repeating my self...but PRICELESS!
 
Mark37082 said:
First of all I am not trying induce depression or deter people from starting to jump into the world of hand loading. I just am trying or shed some light on the real costs of this wonderful hobby I finally picked up a couple of years ago. For the competition shooter or the individual looking for consistent top notch accuracy out of their rifle, it will always make sense regardless of the costs. However, with the current cost of components, it is shocking to add up the cost of a hand loaded cartridge.
I just ran a quick component estimate for a round of 7RM using the cost of recent component purchases. I am approaching $3.00 per round in raw materials without factoring in the equipment/tool expense or time commitment. I realize that the cost of premium factory ammo is often times more expensive, but the wow factor of current reloading cost has me looking at the amount of times I visit the range and how many rounds of what rifle I will be firing.
In the end it reinforces the buy cheap and stack deep approach to reloading. Panic buying due to the FOMO syndrome is not a smart move.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.
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When you have 10 Arab's comming after you with machete's while sitting on your front porch one evening,what ya gonna do yell, Hey Honey can you drive to the store for a box of ammo or just go in to your reloading table and grab a few rounds and then just take care of business! Just saying:
 
7stw, Nosler brass, Fed 215M, ~81gr RL25, and Hammers

price per load with previously purchased components $1.95
price per load with current powder valley powder, primers from gunbroker $2.25
 
I'm knocking on the wooden end table...I've had all brands and grades of commercial ammo "go click" or pop a squib-load at one time or another. I've not had one of my rounds fail to fire or pop a substandard loading. Handloading is of course a personal choice. But it deepens and broadens the over-all shooting experience for me. Another dimension added to a multifaceted pursuit.
 
I change my mind...It is NOT worth it...
All of you who are on the fence...send me all your powder, primers, components, tools
Don't go buy any components...
Just leave everything to us who don't mind the time and cost...and the satisfaction when we succeed!!
🤣
 
lancetkenyon said:
You think getting started in reloading is going to save money in the first year? First 2 years? First 5 years? Depends on how much you shoot, how many different cartridges you shoot, and WHAT you shoot.
Don't forget to add the price of all the tools, your set up, and your time to reload. Lots of overhead there. Too many people don't think about or add those costs into the reloading price.
Press, dies, shell holders, case lube and pad, bushings, expanding mandrels, calipers, headspace gauges, bullet comparators, trimmers/pilots and collets, tumblers and media, funnels, scales, electronic chargers, trickler, bullet pullers, tools, case prep tools, annealing tools/machine, reloading bench, electricity, TIME, trips to the range to do load development (gas, range fees, vehicle wear and tear, targets, TIME again).

Then you have components.
Most serious people don't reload with the cheap components. I don't know a single person who loads their own Rem or Win PSP type bullets. Sure, once you buy your brass, it will last if you are not running them hot. But look at Nosler brass prices, ADG, Peterson, Lapua, Alpha. All are $1-3+ per piece of brass. That is $20-60+ per 20 right off the bat. Add primers nowadays ($.07-.13/ea), powder at $40-60/lb, premium bullets at $.40-1.00+/ea, and those add up. Add the cost of an ammo box.

Let's figure two scenarios. 6.5CM and 7RM. Both using middle of the road components.
6.5CM= $1 (brass), $.08 (primer), $.27 (powder @ 42.0gr @ $45/lb=167 rounds per lb), $.45 (bullet). $1.80/round or $36/box of 20. Not bad at all. But don't forget to add all the overhead costs. And don't forget to add all the component costs to get you the final load.
7RM (let's go on the higher end for this) = $2.50 (Nosler brass), $.10 (primer), $.55 (powder @ 70.0gr @ $55/lb=100 rounds per 1lb), $1.10 (bullet for something like a 169 Hammer). $4.25/round or $85/box of 20. Price drops to $1.75/round on your second reload, as you save on the brass costs. Again, add the components used in load development. And all your above mentioned "overhead" in getting set up.

Running to the local gun store and buying whatever is on the shelf seems to make more sense financially if you don't shoot more that 100 rounds a year in a rifle. But, you are at the mercy of how well and how consistent factory ammo shoots. For 500 yards and in, most factory ammo should suffice. Shooting 1000, and you need a lot more consistency than most factory ammo can deliver.
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I have a hard time "charging" myself or counting my time as overhead for participating in a hobby. Should I charge myself for the times I feel lazy and plop my butt on the couch to watch TV too? Counting going shooting and practicing and getting better as overhead too? I've never understood this argument. If that's the way someone feels about loading and shooting their reloads then yeah, it's probably not worth it for them. For me it's part of my shooting/hunting hobby it's practice and it's fun. I can't charge myself for enjoying something. I guess I should charge myself for the days I spend hunting too, all those cold nights under the stars are awful, at that point the meat's definitely not worth it, I could order a full butchered steer for that price. Might as well sell all my guns and hunting stuff. 🙄
 
greenejc said:
Do you wonder how much is on purpose? I do.
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Oh, I know the costs here on firearm stuff being expensive is on purpose.
They even allow a 12% price increase every 12 months on firearms, regardless of what the Reserve Bank says in regards to interest rates.
When I worked in a GS, they would buy in containers of guns at a reduced price on a quantity order, just to bypass the importer and hike the prices up to RRP and everyone would blindly pay it. I got a staff discount, it wasn't on the price THEY paid for it. SMH.

Cheers.
 
chav0_12 said:
I have a hard time "charging" myself or counting my time as overhead for participating in a hobby. Should I charge myself for the times I feel lazy and plop my butt on the couch to watch TV too? Counting going shooting and practicing and getting better as overhead too? I've never understood this argument. If that's the way someone feels about loading and shooting their reloads then yeah, it's probably not worth it for them. For me it's part of my shooting/hunting hobby it's practice and it's fun. I can't charge myself for enjoying something. I guess I should charge myself for the days I spend hunting too, all those cold nights under the stars are awful, at that point the meat's definitely not worth it, I could order a full butchered steer for that price. Might as well sell all my guns and hunting stuff. 🙄
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Just saying, Time is money. Time away from family is costly.
I don't know you, or your shooting habits. But I know loading and shooting 5000+ rounds in 2021 sure takes a lot of time. Just because you enjoy doing it does not mean the overhead "cost" is not there.
 
asd9055 said:
It all depends on what you shoot, how much you shoot and what your objective is.
When comparing cost, make sure your "store bought" ammo is the premium cost.
For anything 30 caliber or smaller, my cost is less than $2.00 a round. Equipment was paid off from savings more than a decade ago. Try and buy premium ammo now for $2.00.
Finally, in crazy times, most people could not find ANY ammo. I could load for all the classic calibers from 223 to 375 H&H
So, again, it dpends....
But I got into reloading to optimizie each rifle I shoot! Thas it priceless!!!!!!!
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I think that covered my thoughts. Thanks asd9055.
 

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