Cost of Reloading - Pre-Covid Vs Post Covid

[Mike Matteson]

I'd rather pay $5 a round for something that shoots than a nickle for one that doesn't. At a certain level it's not about cost anymore, it's about performance. I'm well past that level, I think a lot of people here are also. I see the numbers and I read the arguments about costs, but honestly it's secondary to achieving the goals I want to. I'm happy to see it's a relatively small impact though.

For the people loading to shoot higher volume maybe cost comes in to play because it reduces how much they can shoot at the same cost level. I load 300 BLK blaster subs, but that was the shooting I dropped when components became more scarce.

If you ever do a cost analysis like this on hunting venison compared to buying beef.... the math does not work out in favor of hunting as a practical endeavor anymore. "He hunts to feed his family" is pretty much BS in Texas today. Unless you inherited a bunch of land to hunt on for free and can get management tags, the costs don't work out trying to fill five tags a year on limited public lands. Isn't even close if you're paying to be on a lease. Much cheaper to go to the sale barn and pick up a steer or two. Couple months ago I bought two, and got 1,500 lbs of meat back at an average of $3.50/lb. Filled up my chest freezers, and the guy I bought them from delivered them straight to the processor.

If you add all the time in reloading and hunting costs, Beef is cheaper by far. but it's what you want to do, do it. As a teenager is was a lot cheaper to reload than to buy over the counter ammo by far. The best part of that was developing a load to shoot. I never looked back, I hand load almost everything I shot except rimfire. Otherwise I love my bolt action rifles. I don't like autoloaders much. When I did use an autoloader it was about staying alive, so it doesn't sit with me very good.

 

[Chas1]

Yes it's going to cost a little more but reloading and shooting is what I enjoy so I'm willing to pay a little more...now if only the stuff were available

 

[SFMongo]

I don't see how quality ammunition from a retailer is less expensive as quality ammunition you reload? If you're talking quality hand loading will always be cheaper. Okay primers are ten cents each instead of 4 cents. Powder is still the same price you just have to look for it. Bullets have gone up from 20 to 35 cents to 35 to 50. So if you are paying let's say 2 dollars for a quality case you can shoot ten times that's 20 cents, primer 10 cents, 30 grain reload of 45 dollar powder a pound is 20 cents, and 50 cents for the bullet is: a dollar to hand load. So who is selling quality ammunition at a dollar a round? Answer: Nobody!!

 

[Chas1]

I don't see how quality ammunition from a retailer is less expensive as quality ammunition you reload? If you're talking quality hand loading will always be cheaper. Okay primers are ten cents each instead of 4 cents. Powder is still the same price you just have to look for it. Bullets have gone up from 20 to 35 cents to 35 to 50. So if you are paying let's say 2 dollars for a quality case you can shoot ten times that's 20 cents, primer 10 cents, 30 grain reload of 45 dollar powder a pound is 20 cents, and 50 cents for the bullet is: a dollar to hand load. So who is selling quality ammunition at a dollar a round? Answer: Nobody!!

Nobody...Exactly

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

All we gotz to do is simply stop the HOARDING by our fellow shooters...now that their tongues have hung out a little, they buy everything on the shelf as soon as anything shows up...STOP THE HOARDING!!

 

[Chas1]

All we gotz to do is simply stop the HOARDING by our fellow shooters...now that their tongues hung out a little they buy everything on the shelf as soon as anything shows up...STOL THE HOARDING!!

Exactly. With 22 lr ammo becoming readily available I still see fellow shooters at the range talking about buying enormous amounts of 22 ammo weekly, even though in a range session once a week they only go through about 50 rounds. Go figure. I've been without #34 primer for over a year but I can tell ya when their available again I'll only be purchasing one (1) brick, not 5, 10, 15 thousand. I know shooters who did and openly admit that'll they'll have enough primers for 10, 20 years. Again, go figure.

 

[Dean2]

Ammo, primers, powder and bullets do not go bad. I see no issue with someone having a large supply on hand and in storage. It is an asset like all others and when I look at what the price increases have been over the last 55 years, having supplies that were bought 30 years ago has been a great investment. Hornady bullets were $7/100 back in the 70s now they are 60/100. That is a pretty good return and far better than you would have got putting the money in the bank. It has the added benefit that all the rolling shortages over the last 50 years have made zero difference. It also means you have the opportunity to replinish when supply is good, not forced to buy at whatever price, not to mention a total inabilty to get what you want many times.

 

[Mike Matteson]

The long range shooter go through a lot of ammo, and need a large amount of primers and powder. I missed H1000 8lbs here a few weeks back, do to my computer was in the shop, and change out my internet site. What a mess, and just now figuring out how it all goes together.
As we all can see when the market turn south, and there nothing to purchase. A rifle or pistol is worthless without ammo. Us that reload need components to reload with. I will buy bullets if they are on sale, or ammo for my 5.56 rifle or 22's.
At the same time it require a lot amount different primers, powders, and bullet on hand to figure what's going to work in that firearm. So do you get 1 or 8 lbs of powder at a time or more at one time. Primers are dam hard to come by presently. Seen it before and now again. I normally get a brick of primers at a time. My pet primers I will start getting in 5000 lots when I can get them. When you have unknown rifle that you are setting up to use all primers, powders, and bullets come into play. Getting your pet load into play can a lot of time an ammo to do that and components.

 

[SFMongo]

I don't know what you consider hoarding. I agree with the gentleman that says go the long haul and save while buying when the opportunity is there. I'm not going to buy a 100 thousand primers nor a 100 pounds of powder but I will as time goes by stock up on 5K rifle and 5K pistol primers little by little and have about ten pounds of pistol and rifle powder on hand. Not going to be that guy but I don't plan on being short either. I have gone as far as buying cheaper ammo pulling the bullet and reloading it with good powder to get the accuracy I want because of the shortages though.

 

[QuietTexan]

Hoarding is buying components you can't use. Once you have the components for 20,000 or so loads, switch over to hoarding barrels so you can actually shoot them all. If you call Criterion they might give you a volume discount buying Remage barrels by the six-pack.

 

[SFMongo]

Hoarding is buying components you can't use. Once you have the components for 20,000 or so loads, switch over to hoarding barrels so you can actually shoot them all. If you call Criterion they might give you a volume discount buying Remage barrels by the six-pack.

So you consider stocking up little by little until you have 10 thousand primers and 50 pounds or so of powder hoarding?

 

[Chas1]

Ammo, primers, powder and bullets do not go bad. I see no issue with someone having a large supply on hand and in storage. It is an asset like all others and when I look at what the price increases have been over the last 55 years, having supplies that were bought 30 years ago has been a great investment. Hornady bullets were $7/100 back in the 70s now they are 60/100. That is a pretty good return and far better than you would have got putting the money in the bank. It has the added benefit that all the rolling shortages over the last 50 years have made zero difference. It also means you have the opportunity to replinish when supply is good, not forced to buy at whatever price, not to mention a total inabilty to get what you want many times.

What Hornady bullets are $60 per 100 ?

 

[Dean2]

What Hornady bullets are $60 per 100 ?

Canada prices. Cup and Core 154 grain .284 SP. The Eldx etc are even more. Barnes TSX are 65/50.

SFMongo - that is clearly NOT what he was saying. No point in starting useless arguments, even if that is what he was saying, everyone is entitled to their point of view. We don't have to follow them, they don't have to follow us, it is however interesting to get the perspective of other people.

 

[QuietTexan]

So you consider stocking up little by little until you have 10 thousand primers and 50 pounds or so of powder hoarding?

Not if they have enough rifles/pistols to shoot it from. If this hypothetical person only had one 204 Ruger and nothing else then yeah, they're pretty much just buying stuff to be buying it at that point because there's no possible way to shoot all that down the one barrel. He'd be better off to buy a new barrel, a new rifle, a new scope, or something that's actually useful to him, because 80% of his loading components are useless to him. Hence, this hypothetical person is a hoarder because he's buying things that are useless to him. It's a self-referential conclusion.

10k primers and 50 pounds powder isn't really very much, I have more than that just to keep testing options stocked. I also load for 10+ rifle calibers ranging from .223 to 338LM, so keeping options around for that much stuff means I have a lot around at any given time. If you buy primers by the 1k brick and get several brands in large and small, magnum and non magnum and you get to 10k right away. I have 10k sitting on a shelf right here, and no more than 1k of any given type.