Reloading - Is it still really worth it?

[Sasman]

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.

For me , yes its worth it .
I figured out that this shooting season ( i only shoot 6 month due to weather here ) , i banged off approx 5,000 rounds .
I have a Kriss Vector in 9mm and an AR180 B in 5.56 that i buy the loaded rounds for.
The other 7 rifle calibers , i reload for .
I guess by reading some of the other replies , loading components may be a little less expensive up here .
Factory ammo though is pretty expensive and sometimes is extremely hard to find .
I reload mostly for accuracy as I am addicted to shooting and try and get my groups as small as possible ,and , given the amount of shooting i do , i would likely go broke if i had to buy loaded ammo .

 

[LVJ76]

I reload for accuracy, yes there are savings that come with it, but it also allows me to use whatever bullet I want. Can't do that with factory ammo.

There is also a satisfaction that comes when you take game with your own ammo.

 

[Mark37082]

There were 4 new boxes of 160s posted here this morning.

I was obviously late to the party.

 

[P7M13]

Worth it - absolutely.
Easy to get dug in deep or go off the deep end? Heck yes.
Able to tinker with loads that shine in your gun? Bonus.
Relaxing way to pass time at odd hours? Completely

I got into it because making $6/hour and having to scrape to make ends meet, yet shooting 6-10 boxes of ammo per month shooting with my buddies out in Wixom or down in Saline, reloading was the only way to make it work. .270 ammo was ~$8 - $10/box, and at the time, using the Lee Loader kit, I could reload for 1/3 that cost.
Now, four of the wildcats I shoot require that I make my own.
Considering when I bought my components and what I paid for them, 223 loads are ~15¢, 308 is 30¢ for plinking rounds, 40¢ for 168SMKs, and the premium ones like the 338 Edge or 7LRM are 80¢ to $1.10. This includes amortizing brass and equipment.
Where it really shines is when I can load 308 or 30-30 "arthritis" rounds for my brother at ~7¢ apiece, and to see the smile on his face because he can shoot again -- priceless.

Years ago I would have balked at paying $130 for a Lapua box of 100 243 Win casings, and now I don't sweat it. I will get 10 loadings out of them, where RP or Hornady might give me only four or five before the primer cups become too loose. Eight years ago, I was paying $65 - $80 for that same box.

Shooting surely can be the sport of kings, with some of the shotguns and drillings that I have seen. I suspect reloading would be laughed at by that crowd. I prefer hanging out by the paddock with the gomers and rednecks, where life is simple, pretense is negligible, and the fare coming out of the smoker tastes way better than pâté.

 

[david g ranes]

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.

I think reloading costs to much I would like to deter all of you to quit reloading and save you some money and then I might could find components. David

 

[257 STW]

I think reloading costs to much I would like to deter all of you to quit reloading and save you some money and then I might could find components. David

^^^ This^^^

 

[Dosh]

Just go through Mexico you can just walk right in. Cross I tnto Commifornia and they'll let you vote

And free housing, food, medical, some spare cash and much more "rights" than the longtime residents. if you don't work you'll not have to pay taxes either. Win win!

 

[Veteran]

I'm getting about $2.00 a round to reload my .338 Lapua Mag. That's about $40 a box where ammo was costing $120 to $140 per box.......depends on the round you are reloading for. .223, .308, and 9 mm look a lot different than this.

I assumed only 8 reloads on brass but, you might get 15 to 20 or more. I got a heck of a deal at Blue Collar Reloading.
100 count brass for $276 in last few months. Lapua Brass,

I looked at the cost of powder including hazmat and shipping, and limits of 2 to 4 lb shipments.

Primers delivered, I paid $108 for my last box of LRM primers delivered.

My bulllet costs I think are a little low, but it depends if I'm shooting Lapua Scenars or Sierra Gamekeepers.
Might be a tad over $2.00 per round.

Brass		0.345​		8 reloads	$276/100
Powder		0.724​		$55/76 rounds
Primer		0.108​		Largmag primers $108 delivered
Bullet		0.780​		$39​	for 50 bullets delivered
		1.957​

 

[Reelamin]

I just ran some numbers and I can buy good factory 9mm (even using coated hard cast) and 223 55fmj cheaper than I can reload it even buying bulk surplus brass. Using my own brass it is still slightly cheaper to buy it. My shotgun shells for plinking it was cheaper a few years ago because the lead costs were getting so high. Now it is even cheaper to buy good hunting loads than reload them.

 

[GrayCreed]

I figured that everytime I pull the trigger on my magnums it's around $2.00. Bullet is $1, primer is .05$, powder is $.50 brass wear is $.50. Pretty good when good factory ammo for a 28 nosler is $4.00-$5.00 a shot.

How much $$ do you figure for barrel wear per shot on the 28nos?

Not to be an *** cuz I'd love to have a big barrel burner myself but most folks forget about that one. Talking to some guys at my local Precision Rifle shop and they were talking about shooting ELR with .375 (cal)- up to 408chy. Said they were getting 1200 +/- depending on what caliber they were shooting. Fun part is the rebarrel is $1200-$2000 depending on the pipe chosen. That's $1.00 or more per shot of barrel wear.

 

[StanleyActual]

100% worth it. I ran the numbers the other day and it costs me about .75 per round reloading 6.5CM.

Factory ammo runs anywhere from $35-50 for a box (20rds). That's $1.75-$2.50 per round and my reloads shoot better / faster.

 

[ATH]

I just ran some numbers and I can buy good factory 9mm (even using coated hard cast) and 223 55fmj cheaper than I can reload it even buying bulk surplus brass. Using my own brass it is still slightly cheaper to buy it. My shotgun shells for plinking it was cheaper a few years ago because the lead costs were getting so high. Now it is even cheaper to buy good hunting loads than reload them.

I'm not saying your math is wrong but for 9mm...
powder .05 (Unique, 5.1gr) - assume HAZMAT is amortized across a larger order and you're patient for stock at reasonably priced places
primer .10 (I've never paid $100 for a brick of primers but I'll splurge here)
bullet .082 (Missouri bullet coated, with shipping, 2000 bulk pack)
brass .01 (one-fired, amortized across 5 firings)
$0.242 per round. Add a couple cents for tax which I didn't figure into components.

I'm curious what good store bought ammo is that cheap, picked up or to your door, right now.

Now...if you are buying powder and primers off Gunbroker, things go sideways quickly.

I am very happy that several panics ago I started throwing a few bricks of primers on every order and buying powder by the 8lb or two. When the panic started I started to panic until I realized I had 50K of primers. I really feel for people starting to get into reloading today. Do I think it's worth it? YES, but you need to be patient and not pay these crazy prices unless you are making a few precision loads. When I travel I look for brick and mortar shops and stop in, I've lucked into some powder and primers this way, for non-gouging prices, much moreso than fighting every reloader in the USA on powdervalley and every other reliable online vendor.

Given my legacy components I'm running more like 18-20 cents a round...

 

[Reelamin]

Sure I dont run prices off what I paid for things and have on the shelf. What will it cost me today to replace what I use up. Run a lb of any powder....around 1000 rounds...maybe 1100 $45. No stores where I live and the closest one that has any pistol powder is hour drive away Fuel $25 . 1000 primers no one has any so have to order with shipping and hazmat $110, bulk once fired brass $60/1000, 1000 Badman Poly 124gr $104/1000 for right at $320-345/1000 for poly hard cast. 1000 brass/jacketed 9mm 370/1000 to my door. You are correct it is cheaper to still reload, and I should have been more specific.

 

[Triple BB]

I was in a local sporting goods store the other day and saw these babies sitting on the shelf. Can guarantee I'm reloading my RUM for a lot cheaper than that...