Reloading - Is it still really worth it?

[Rosebud]

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.

Good thing I bought all my loading equipment 30 years ago when it didn't cost a house payment.

 

[jagter8]

At 6.25 for most 338 lapua rounds reloading for about 2 sounds good to me.

 

[Roughrice]

Well, If you don't already have the bench full of reloading equipment already rolling... NO, Not worth it after buying everything at inflated prices...your cost per round will be very expensive!
But, If you have had the bench up and running for years, have stacked up on supplies throughout the years and are a high volume shooter (like most of us who set up for that reason)...YES, it is much cheaper to reload and can tweak and tune for best performance per rifle!

My 2 cents

 

[nbacguy69]

You can still find bullets and powder at a reasonable rate I bought a bunch of primers a long time ago ,still have a bunch, and I'm old so I don't use the Big Magnum stuff, I can load a round for my 308 for my 6.5 creedmoor for my 300 blackout for about 48 cents around, shop around you can still find good deals

 

[bdcoon]

No, it is definitely not worth it! Therefore, I would encourage everyone to stop doing it, or certainly don't start doing it.

Well, everyone except for me! I'm absolutely going to keep doing it... ;-)

 

[Clem Bronkoski]

I've been reloading for over 55 years now and back then you could save a lot more if you shot a lot. (the more you shot the more you saved over factory stuff). Today, not as much but still a savings. Is it worth it depends on how much you plan to shoot. If you only shoot a couple boxes of ammo a year can you justify the cost of equipment and components? I reload more for a "get away". Its relaxing for me. I'm not in a hurry nor do I need to produce vast amounts of ammo. I like the increased accuracy I get (most of the time) over factory ammo and the satisfaction of shooting tiny groups or harvesting an animal with my handloads. Heck for some of my rifles I even cast and powder coat my own bullets for hunting.

 

[Chas1]

Once fired 308 range brass-Free, 5 cents per primer, 32 cents per bullet & 19 cents per round power = total cost 56 cents per round X 20 =$11.20 per box versus cheapest box of Federal @ $22.00 +tax/shipping. But, mainly I reload cause I love it !!!!

 

[rem.xp100]

Reloading cheap 308 rounds has never been economical.

But.... Reloading specific loads in combinations specific for your rifle is still very economical vs "premium factory" or custom ammo makers. It also produces much better results.

THIS ^^^^

You can't buy what my rifle likes so reloading is absolutely still the best way to go. I never reloaded to save money - I did it for custom loads and knowing I did the work - like a fly fisherman who ties his own flies. There is a little bit of gratification that goes along with knowing you did it yourself.

 

[epags]

I haven't seen any poster that got into reloading the same way I did. I started out reloading for handguns. 45ACP semi-wadcutters and 38SPL flat nosed wadcutters of which I was shooting a 100 or more each at a time at least weekly. So cost was the driver for reloading. I amortized the cost of equipment easily over the next year.
Now you cannot even find (California restrictions) target ammo in those configurations.
Lately, I paid $75 for 50 rounds of Winchester 38 SPL 110 gr silvertip HP and that is the ONLY 38 SPL ammo I could find...and it took a passport (or a 'real' California driver's license) and three pieces of paper (and no, I am not making that up). That was my last purchase of factory ammo.
When I started to experiment with rifles it was an easy and inexpensive transition to reloading for rifle.
Then I found this site and started to experiment with precision reloading and the cost of my reloads went way up LOL. (Thanks Butter Bean and a few others)
Other posters used the term "addictive" OH YES!

 

[justinp61]

I'm 60 and have been reloading since I was in my teens. Started with shotgun shells then my 36-06 with a Lee loader. I haven't loaded a shotshell in close to 20 years as I don't shoot them much anymore and I believe it's cheaper to buy them now.

I load for my old Colt 38 target pistol and my .40's to plink. I also load for 22-250 and 260 Remington, having had the components before the madness hit sure helps. I did buy some powder that I was low on from Hodgdon and traded some 6.5 bullets that I wasn't going to use for some I would.

If I was part of the spray and pray crowd I wouldn't even consider reloading if I had to buy components now. If I didn't have anything to load with for my bolt rifles I'd have to think about it pretty hard, I probably would start though. By loading I can shoot anytime I want and not have to worry if my LGS is going to have any ammo or how far they are going to bend me over for it.

So yes, it's worth it to me.

 

[Swamplord]

some of my brass (new) costs $12 a piece, try buying 100 pcs of that ... in multiple cartridges !!

so you can safely say that I don't stress out on having to pay $

but reloading is still worth it, or else be stuck with some goofy, hypey Creed/PRC swill

 

[greenejc]

I bet you're happy you don't live in Australia.
A box of ammo here runs $115-$150 per 20 rounds for the 300RUM, $115 or so for the 300WM and it just goes up from there.
Brass costs are $75-$125 per 50 just on Remington alone. Norma brass is $200 per 50. Lapua runs $365 per 100.
Bullets are $110 per 50 on average, have paid more and less.
I do not add up my costs on reloading, I just know it is cheaper than $115 per 20.

Cheers.

That helps to put it in perspective. Since I have been getting brass at the range, and at a couple of pawn shops, and have stockpiled for most of the cartridges I shoot, I'm still reloading at pre-Biden prices. I did buy about 3,000 primers for Large Pistol and Small Pistol at the new prices, but I already have rifle bullets stored up and I mostly cast my own pistol bullets in the various calibers. I started buying extra powders of various types back under Obama and have accumulated enough to load to my satisfaction for some time. Since I don't use a lot of the really expensive projectiles, and have found the cup and core bullets to be more than adequate in all my rifles, I have bought bullets at less than $0.35 per projectile in bulk and stored them for future use. I've based my calibers off of established cartridges so that components would be readily available wherever I could find a public range that allowed me to scavenge brass for years, now. This fall, I bought 650 30-06 once fired greek brass from a pawn shop for about $200.00 and made about 100 of them into 35 Whelen. I make my 25-06 from .270 brass. I figure my reloads cost me around $0.70 to $0.80 per shot with the Whelen going up to about $1. Also, I shot some factory .308 Win recently from Winchester, just to see what it would do. The 180 grain was all over the target, with a group size from my varmint rifle of about 4.5". My handloads tend to be around 0.6" at 100 yards, without a lot of work. I can get close to that out of my sporter rifles, and nearly everything goes inside 1" at 100 yards. I handload for accuracy, but I planned for these idiots to do this to prices. As to powders in job lots, you might check out Pat's Reloading. They have surplus powders like W872 and W860 which will work in magnum and long action cartridges such as the .280AI.

 

[central iowa couple]

Fomo = fear of missing out

 

[Rob L.]

I started reloading over 30 years ago for four Weatherby rifles. I wanted to find the best accuracy and velocity. Trying several different bullets, I finally settled on Barnes TSX and TTSX. Considering I already had brass and purchased the reloading equipment in 1990, the cost for each cartridge was about 2 bucks. I have not had to buy components for nearly 10 years, so I don't know what it would cost having to buy them today. I can tell you though, making super deluxe ammo for the 340 and 378 Weatherby Mags alone has more than paid for itself over and over again. I saw some factory ammo for around $180 a box of 378Wby! Even back then they were $79 to $89 a box, so making a bitchen round for about 2 bucks was a no-brainer for me.