what are the savings ?

Once set up, savings are that cost per round falls usually, but, depending on how difficult ammunition is to obtain, could be the only practical course of action. However, savings of cost often turns into more shooting, so you don't actually save money, but do get more shooting.
Not sure if that reads correctly, but you'll get the gist I hope.

e.g.
Powder 1lb = 7000 gns divide by charge e.g. 38gns = 184 loads/charges £44/184 = .24p
Bullet (Sierra) = .25 each approx
Primer = .05p each approx
Brass = £80/100 = .80 divide by number of times used, maybe 8 = .10p

Total per round using the above numbers = .64p = £12.80 per 20 rounds
All the above variable against different powder charge and more expensive bullets.
 
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Most of my rounds work out at just over half the cost of factory, with the exception of PPU and not including set up costs. Although I reload for better accuracy and effectiveness, if it cost the same or more than factory for better results, I'd still do it
 
Generally it's not about cost saving. Reloading means far superior accuracy, much greater bullet choice and is another hobby ( or obsession to some of us ) in itself.
 
Generally it's not about cost saving. Reloading means far superior accuracy, much greater bullet choice and is another hobby ( or obsession to some of us ) in itself.

Quite true.
What often starts as a cost saving exercise usually ends up as much much more as experience and knowledge/understanding is gained.
 
What are the savings on buying a factory load bullet against a home load bullet ?

Chill

Presumably what you mean is the cost of a home loaded round of ammunition against the cost of a factory round as many factory rounds use the same bullets as are available for reloading.

This subject when discussed numerous times in the past on this site can be quite divisive (try a site search).
The simple answer is that if you only shoot a couple of boxes of ammunition a year of a fairly common cartridge then it's probably not worth your while getting started. However if you shoot more than say 60 rounds of ammo a year the investment in the most simple of reloading equipment is absolutely minimal and you can soon start to make savings. If you shoot a less popular cartridge that is not readily available in the shops then reloading may be your only option.
 
What are the savings on buying a factory load bullet against a home load bullet ?

Chill

As ever, 8x57 makes excellent points above. The only thing I would add is that in some places you may not be permitted to use home loaded ammunition. I successfully shot for over 30 years using factory ammunition before starting to reload. I now mostly use reloaded ammunition, but still purchase some factory ammo from time to time.

Regards

JCS
 
The savings can be considerable but its not as straight forward as a direct saving in cost between a hand loaded round and a factory one
how to you put a price on convenience, for me a to go and buy ammunition would mean a round trip of over sixty miles and no guarantee they would have what I want, so you have the expense of travel plus you loose half a day in time.

Of course I still need to travel to buy components but a !of less often as in my area they will allow you to hold much more components
than they will loaded rounds.

When it comes to the cost of equipment my initial loading equipment was acquired in exchange for an outings stalking, also in almost thirty
years of reloading I have never bought brass, getting all mine from clients and friends who don't, reload.

So yes for me at !east reloading has been very cost effective.
 
I think you also need to consider what your "time" is worth to you, personally I seem to have a very busy life and would rather buy some ammo and use that time on other things, probably actually being out shooting however I also appreciate that for some reloading is a hobby and they enjoy spending time doing it
 
I think you also need to consider what your "time" is worth to you, personally I seem to have a very busy life and would rather buy some ammo and use that time on other things, probably actually being out shooting however I also appreciate that for some reloading is a hobby and they enjoy spending time doing it

Another excellent point and partly explains why I buy 6XC and 308 Win factory ammunition. Regards JCS
 
To me it is like driving classic cars and older sportcars .......................... the latest bland mobile my be quieter, softer and even use less fuel, but it is not just arriving at your destination it is the trip to get there and in an old sportscar or an older classic it is the journey itself that is the enjoyment.

Handloading is the same or was the same for me. Rather than watch some inane drivel on TV why ot spend that time doing some relaoding? Right now is the perect time what with all the football on :stir: .
 
If i can jump in on a similar vein,
Have got a 223, been gifted a turret press and dies,
Now what, leaning towards a light bullet for bunnies and fox and crows
Anybody in Tamar valley willing to join in on the journey?
 
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What are the savings on buying a factory load bullet against a home load bullet ?

Chill

for stalking rounds absolutely nothing!

if your punching paper then yes you can save a heap of cash,

i have just stopped reloading, I can buy at my local rfd the following 130gn cartridges for my 270

federal power shock £21 per box
hornady whitetail £20 per box
RWS T mantel £24 per box
geco 140gn sp £22 per box

all shoot sub inch at 100m and cheap as chips

if you include your time you can't reload for under a pound a round.

Many situation has changed and I no longer have the time to sit and make bullets.

But I did throughly enjoy my time doing it!
 
What are the savings on buying a factory load bullet against a home load bullet ?

Chill

When your factory loaded round cost in excess of £5 each then home loading can save you quite a lot. My home loads for .338 are about £1.40 saving me at least £3.60 a round. i have paid for my initial reloading set up with 100 rounds.

Andy
 
for stalking rounds absolutely nothing!

if your punching paper then yes you can save a heap of cash,

i have just stopped reloading, I can buy at my local rfd the following 130gn cartridges for my 2

federal power shock £21 per box
hornady whitetail £20 per box
RWS T mantel £24 per box
geco 140gn sp £22 per box

all shoot sub inch at 100m and cheap as chips

if you include your time you can't reload for under a pound a round.

Many situation has changed and I no longer have the time to sit and make bullets.

But I did throughly enjoy my time doing it!


Still some savings to be made can do a 100 for £41 at the present time , that's excluding me time and brass which I don't need to buy..
 
if you include your time you can't reload for under a pound a round.

Many situation has changed and I no longer have the time to sit and make bullets.

But I did throughly enjoy my time doing it!

Yep. I'm in exactly the same boat. I thoroughly-enjoyed my reloading, but I do so little of it now that it galls me to have all that kit sitting around doing nothing for a large part of the year. My gear's all going up for sale (see classifieds shortly) and I will miss it, but I can't see that I'm making the most of the potential benefits. I reloaded my .270 down to a soft load that was a pleasure to shoot, and I did the same for the 22-250. I don't shoot paper though, so I'm not really getting through enough rounds to make it worthwhile
 
If you shoot a less common calibre then it probably is worth it. I load for my 7-08 and .20 VarTarg, the Latter is a wildcat cartridge so no factory ammo available anyway. For the 7-08 it's probably about 80p a round with premium bullets, for the vartarg it's cheap at between 40 and 50p a round. Like others have said re-loading can be a pleasurable way to spend time and is a hobby in itself. Be warned you'll need to resist the temptation to go crazy on reloading kit or all the savings will be soaked up with that. I started with a lee hand press and a lee neck die, cheap set of scales and a few minor bits and bobs. All for well under £100. Once I started necking down the 221 fireball brass to .20 I needed a more powerful press. The lee hand press is very good, especially if you are only neck sizing, it is a good way to test the waters..
 
sam as Tom above

I run 2 x 20 tacticals one for fox/ NV shooting with a heavier bullet and the other with a lighter bullet for day work and I have a 6mmbr that I load for,

so my home loading is the only way I can have my 20 tacticals and its far cheaper to load my own br cases than buy it,


plus the fact I need to have something to do to keep my mind of things like knee and neck pain and the suffering I had to go through watching the football the other night (and I am Scottish to boot ;) )

regards

bob.

ps: I love it, it gets me out the house with all these soap things on the telly and its full or women to boot.
 
I actually find reloading very relaxing and therapeutic though to some people it must obviously be a chore but we are all different. I recall an acquaintance who used to live in the same village as me who's hobby was to tie flies. I said to him that he must get a fair bit of satisfaction from catching fish on the flies that he tied. His reply was no adding that he didn't fish. Apparently he just liked tying flies that he gave away to friends and local anglers.
 
I hand load because one of the rifles I use for target shooting doesn't have much availability of factory target rounds. When I do my bit on the trigger it will put 5 shots in 1 hole at 100m. It's also nice as a secondary hobby to the actual shooting itself especially when you see the fruits of your labour in nice tight groups. Because of the investment in reloading gear I now reload .357 and it can be almost as cheap as rimfire ammo when reloading.
 
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