Depends on what you're loading. 9mm? Not real cost effective. Stuff like .357 Mag or .44 Mag pays for itself in fairly short order if you shoot regularly. For oddballs like my .41 Mags, I can load for a 10th of the cost of factory ammo. Also lets me shoot stuff that is otherwise unobtainium, like .357 Maximum.
Haven't loaded any rifle ammo, though I have components & dies on hand for a few, so I can't really speak to economies of scale in that realm. At the prices I paid in '13 or so, for both ammo & components for 6.8SPC, I can load that for around $0.40/rd vs. the $1.00-$1.20 quality factory ammo cost at the time & factors in reloading the 1x fired brass.
No idea what everything costs these days & not sure I want to know, but I found that I don't really save money by reloading, but I do get to shoot a lot more for every dollar spent. For the same $35 a 20 rd box of commercial .41 Mag cost at the time (when you could even find it), I could thunder 200 rds downrange of the finest .41 Mag ammo I could assemble. Also allows you to experiment to find the right load for your needs.
Loved that one, I’ll take the words to heart and when I consider the equipment haha. And the warning 😂.I have many hobbies and had many hobbies. Each one required me to spend money and time. I like to know how things work and I like to piddle.
Everyone wants to focus on time and money for some reason. This is a good thing to some extent. It is hard to put a price on something you enjoy doing. If it doesn’t make you happy it’s costing more than money. If it does make you happy then it’s money we’ll spent.
Reloading is a great hobby starting out. You go one of two ways.
One way is buying a few things, reading, asking questions, loading a few rounds, and then other things push it to the side. You sell all your reloading stuff and just buy ammo again.
The second way is to do the same as the first way, but it doesn’t get pushed to the side. You start buying more equipment, search forums for deals, buy components, work loads up for optimum accuracy, watch utube videos, start locating tire shops for lead, start casting. The hobby can take on a life of its own.
Then you wake up one day and realize you’re whore. That’s right a whore. You will be at the range watching other people while you shoot. Wondering, hoping they won’t pick up their brass. You will even stoop so low as to rummage through trash/brass cans at the range. You will be the dreaded brass whore! Everyone talks bad about them at the range. Deep down they are brass whores too. They are a bit more discreet with their tactics. They pick up a little more brass than they brought.
Ok you get the picture. I need to drink more coffee.
Ammo shortages. We've all been seeing it now for a couple of YEARS. but a handloader,, and especially if you are a bullet caster,, you experience a much less expense to shoot. ESPECIALLY if you are the type to keep a good stock of components.
Man, I really need to put a lot of my notes "in the cloud". It'd suck to lose my notebook in a fire! (Of course it'd suck even more to lose all my reloading components!)Do you love record keeping? Do you love statistics? Do you love taking meticulous notes? Then you'll probably love reloading.
Do you love record keeping? Do you love statistics? Do you love taking meticulous notes? Then you'll probably love reloading.
Man, I really need to put a lot of my notes "in the cloud". It'd suck to lose my notebook in a fire! (Of course it'd suck even more to lose all my reloading components!)
I've inquired about it but haven't gotten one yet. Even so, the components I have built up simply can't be replaced right now. You can't find them anywhere, or are damn rare.I have an insurance rider for ammo and reloading stuff.
Eastern Insurance for one year costs as much as a box or two of primers.I've inquired about it but haven't gotten one yet. Even so, the components I have built up simply can't be replaced right now. You can't find them anywhere, or are damn rare.
Eastern Insurance for one year costs as much as a box or two of primers.
I've inquired about it but haven't gotten one yet. Even so, the components I have built up simply can't be replaced right now. You can't find them anywhere, or are damn rare.
With the cost of reloading components these days, things may be a little different. Thankfully, I haven't had to go searching for primers, powder, or bullets since the crazy started.
That said, my advice is potentially a little out of date, but I found the most cost effective round to load for me was 44 mag. Factory 44 mag typically runs 0.75 to $1.00 per round, and I can reload it for under half that cost. Loading 357 mag also saves a lot of money, but not as much as 44.
I also load 308 and 30-30. The cost savings are lower for these two, and really comes down to what bullet you're using. With premium bullets, you're really focused on accuracy more than savings. Using winchester soft points or similar bullets will net you a small savings.
I never bothered loading 9mm or 223 because the savings are non-existent, and loading is time consuming. Why spend my time loading 9mm, when I could spend that same time loading 357.
I've never dived into the records keeping and statistical side of things either. I try a few different loads until I find something I like, and then I stick with that one. I don't go experimenting after I find the one that works.
I'm right there with you on a lot of these. Magnum handgun and 308 is what got me into reloading. I can load 460 S&W for 35 a round. That's back when it cost 1.25 a round for factory ammo, I have no idea what it costs now. Probably more than 2 bucks. I believe I had 357 down to 8 a round buying zero bulk bullets and using hp38 powder for "average" loads. Obviously full bore H110 with an XTP bullet cost more. No idea what it'd cost now.With the cost of reloading components these days, things may be a little different. Thankfully, I haven't had to go searching for primers, powder, or bullets since the crazy started.
That said, my advice is potentially a little out of date, but I found the most cost effective round to load for me was 44 mag. Factory 44 mag typically runs 0.75 to $1.00 per round, and I can reload it for under half that cost. Loading 357 mag also saves a lot of money, but not as much as 44.
I also load 308 and 30-30. The cost savings are lower for these two, and really comes down to what bullet you're using. With premium bullets, you're really focused on accuracy more than savings. Using winchester soft points or similar bullets will net you a small savings.
I never bothered loading 9mm or 223 because the savings are non-existent, and loading is time consuming. Why spend my time loading 9mm, when I could spend that same time loading 357.
I've never dived into the records keeping and statistical side of things either. I try a few different loads until I find something I like, and then I stick with that one. I don't go experimenting after I find the one that works.
sounds like the 357/44 B&D, 9mm Win Mag, 45 Win Mag all thanks to the Contender PistolOne caliber I reload is 429 DE. Factory ammo was over $2.00 per round, before the crazy stuff happened. I can reload it for $0.35 per round. But, the fact is, I may never shoot that cartridge enough to realize any savings. HOWEVER, I would not be surprised if that cartridge will no longer be chambered in a gun (only one right now, that I know of) so it may become an orphan that no one makes ammo for anymore. I will be able to continue shooting it until the gun wears out, if I want.