Does reloading save money?
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phaedra
Well-Known Member
I reload for evrything except 22LR.
For decent quality target ammunition (under .5" at 100yds) in 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 Win it's still cheaper than factory.
For 25yd indoor like my 44's or 300BLK it's a lot cheaper.
I still have a good stock of primers and buy my bullets in bulk, I used to use W R Schiessport in Germany or HuntingSport in Luxembourg but Brexit effectively killed those options.
However there have been some good deals on Lapua Scenar and Nosler Custom Competition in the last couple of years.
For decent quality target ammunition (under .5" at 100yds) in 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 Win it's still cheaper than factory.
For 25yd indoor like my 44's or 300BLK it's a lot cheaper.
I still have a good stock of primers and buy my bullets in bulk, I used to use W R Schiessport in Germany or HuntingSport in Luxembourg but Brexit effectively killed those options.
However there have been some good deals on Lapua Scenar and Nosler Custom Competition in the last couple of years.
Costs that people are not considering:
Sunk costs (all thecrap reloading gear you bought)
Depreciation (all thecrap reloading gear you bought getting worn from use, or rusty from the lack of it)
Replacement cost (yes, you bought some cheap components at one point, but you have to consider the cost to replace them, which is only ever going to trend upwards, unless you bought more than you will ever use in your lifetime - if so, please message me as I offer a primer and powder disposal service to save your loved ones the hassle when the time comes
)
Another few things to factor in, components used in developing a load, and the additional barrel wear from this process.
This is before you have done unforgiveable and degrading things in order to obtain a LabRadar chronograph and AMP annealing machine
Sunk costs (all the
Depreciation (all the
Replacement cost (yes, you bought some cheap components at one point, but you have to consider the cost to replace them, which is only ever going to trend upwards, unless you bought more than you will ever use in your lifetime - if so, please message me as I offer a primer and powder disposal service to save your loved ones the hassle when the time comes
)Another few things to factor in, components used in developing a load, and the additional barrel wear from this process.
This is before you have done unforgiveable and degrading things in order to obtain a LabRadar chronograph and AMP annealing machine
There’s a nice reassurance knowing, when you’ve just tw@et, a fox with the .222 that there’s 600 more where that one came from. No rushing out to the shop to buy loads or anything silly.
My most recent costs Using powder (viht or RS ) and primers (Remington lr & sr) bought in 2022.
.30-06 hornady cx lead free £1.50 per shot
6.5x55 hornady cx lead free £1.38 per shot
.222 hornady v max £0.43 per shot
.222 Barnes tsx lead free £0.95 per shot
I tend to shoot around 150 6.5x55 a year, around 50 .30-06 and around 400 .222. I bought all my reloading kit 10 years ago for around £500, it’s definitely saved me money and continues to do so even more now stuff is heading lead free. I’m not a huge fan of load development but once a lid is found to be accurate I’ll settle down and knock out 150-200 rounds at a time.
My most recent costs Using powder (viht or RS ) and primers (Remington lr & sr) bought in 2022.
.30-06 hornady cx lead free £1.50 per shot
6.5x55 hornady cx lead free £1.38 per shot
.222 hornady v max £0.43 per shot
.222 Barnes tsx lead free £0.95 per shot
I tend to shoot around 150 6.5x55 a year, around 50 .30-06 and around 400 .222. I bought all my reloading kit 10 years ago for around £500, it’s definitely saved me money and continues to do so even more now stuff is heading lead free. I’m not a huge fan of load development but once a lid is found to be accurate I’ll settle down and knock out 150-200 rounds at a time.
At the moment my ammo is working out at about 70p per round to reload. Before the BS in the Ukraine kicked off it was cheaper to buy 300 round boxes at around 46p per round. I never bothered reloading .223 as the steel cased soft nosed goodness from Barnaul was only £30 per hundred. That soon went out the window so I now have to faf reloading that to. Luckily my reloading kit initially cost me nothing as its all inherited apart from the few little extras I picked up like a micrometer seating die etc etc. A lathe and knowing how to use one is a reloaders best friend
Phil fox man
Well-Known Member
yes reloading does save me lots of money,why? because I stock up every couple of years and this keeps me out of the gun shop so I don't buy things I don't need or will never use
Whatever you save financially, you'll lose in terms of time and effort spent.
You'll need to test your handloads, which will require a place to do it along with some time to fine tune the load.
The difference in results between Hornady Match/Precision Hunter and handloads of the highest possible quality will be minimal, a degree which you won't be able to appreciate outside of competition settings.
Component (powder, primer, bullets and brass) prices have increased dramtically. Availability has fallen significantly. The war in Ukraine and America's ritual preparation for an apocalypse everytime a democrat wins the presidential election are the main causes, along with the aftershocks of CV19 lockdowns and restrictions.
Reloading is now something for the enthusiast due to the amount of research and investment required to produce ammo which is either roughly equal or better to factory offerings.
You'll hear some telling you otherwise, that their setup was bought for £200 or less and they paid £25 per thousand for primers and £30 per lb of powder. They might be telling the truth, but in those days a new car was £5k and a good house cost £25k.
This ^^^.
I am one of those who probably bought a good redding setup for £400 15 years ago. But Id already spent on a lee setup 10 years previously.
I bought a lot of components cheaply, because I predicted the above. I still buy components now-but in 223 I can load rounds for under 40p at say 2016 prices.
Then the setup will need to be expanded with electronic powder measures now abandoned, or bettered by access to club kit (matchmasters). And K&M bits and bobs.... it all works but only useful if striving for consistent 1/4-1/2 moa ...
For hunting only, id buy a straightforward setup, buy a large amount of components and stick to a load per barrel, for its life.
It doesnt save you money either nominally or in time. But it gives some peace of mind they are shooting the best ammo available.
At deer ranges with deer anmo you wont notice the difference. For those of us who shoot thousands a year, you should.
And crucially, it allows you to actually HAVE ammunition if your RFD doesnt.
Whether its worth it for you depends on time vs money. Some people are time poor, some people are financially poor. Handloading allows the latter to shoot world class ammunition at affordable prices.
Phil fox man
Well-Known Member
I'm the same as @308 tikka, bought my set up 30 years ago so it owes me nothing.once you find a load that suits,use it and don't feck about changing.
financially home loading is a long term investment but what it does do is give you control over your ammunition regardless of external circumstances.
the other advantage is it keeps you out of the gun shop,but you do get a shock when you do go in at the new prices
.
I knew a chap " Ricky no fox's" who has more kit,part used boxes of bullet's, powder, primer's,brass,and target card's and spends more time on the range than out shooting hence the name.
financially home loading is a long term investment but what it does do is give you control over your ammunition regardless of external circumstances.
the other advantage is it keeps you out of the gun shop,but you do get a shock when you do go in at the new prices
.I knew a chap " Ricky no fox's" who has more kit,part used boxes of bullet's, powder, primer's,brass,and target card's and spends more time on the range than out shooting hence the name.
ChesterP
Well-Known Member
Depends entirely on your circumstances whether it saves money. As others have pointed out, starting from scratch, developing loads and shooting say no more than a few hundred a year, then no, it's not worth it.
I've worked out that my reloading kit has almost paid for itself since investing in it having loaded thousands of rounds now. For each cart loaded these days, the proportion offset against reloading kit investment is 2 to 3p. I have a large stock of primers bought at between £3.50 per 100 and £5 per 100 so lets say that accounts for about 4.25 per round. Powder for the 6.5 works out at about 28p/shot and I'm currently up to 6 reloads on my brass which cost initially about 60p per case but now is more like 10p on average per case given a few more reloads. Bullets work out at 44p each. That's a total currently of about 89p per shot, so half the price of equivalent factory so for me, it's worth it. My loads are already developed and even if I buy new brass at £95/100 I know it'll still work out at 10p or less given the number of reloads I know I can get from it.
The problem is, it's all very well until you can't buy any more components due to the effort shifting to Ukraine but then I'll be no worse off than anyone else buying factory.
Answer is then if you need to start loading from scratch I'd say forget it in the current circumstances. If you already have all the kit and plentiful components it's a no brainer to continue.
I've worked out that my reloading kit has almost paid for itself since investing in it having loaded thousands of rounds now. For each cart loaded these days, the proportion offset against reloading kit investment is 2 to 3p. I have a large stock of primers bought at between £3.50 per 100 and £5 per 100 so lets say that accounts for about 4.25 per round. Powder for the 6.5 works out at about 28p/shot and I'm currently up to 6 reloads on my brass which cost initially about 60p per case but now is more like 10p on average per case given a few more reloads. Bullets work out at 44p each. That's a total currently of about 89p per shot, so half the price of equivalent factory so for me, it's worth it. My loads are already developed and even if I buy new brass at £95/100 I know it'll still work out at 10p or less given the number of reloads I know I can get from it.
The problem is, it's all very well until you can't buy any more components due to the effort shifting to Ukraine but then I'll be no worse off than anyone else buying factory.
Answer is then if you need to start loading from scratch I'd say forget it in the current circumstances. If you already have all the kit and plentiful components it's a no brainer to continue.
At present costs for .303 British 174grain FMJ bullet reloading is less than half the price of factory bought. Ditto .243. Unfortunately .308 TR ammunition has gone through the roof and what was around £18 for twenty is unobtainable so reloading in my part of the country is the only option.
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
My good pal has just bought a 5.6x57 and new RWS ammo for it is 116 Euros for 20x (the only load that is available), so as he asked me to, I bought for him Hornady dies & a shellholder 125 Euros, RWS cases new 100x 195.60 Euros, RWS cone point bullets as per the factories load 126.50 Euros so he is out 470.70 Euros that is just over 80 rounds if he had bought new. I have just loaded up using these new dies for my neighbour who also has the same rifle make & calibre with his once fired cases, I did 5x rounds with PPU 55 grainers & 37 grains of IMR 4320 the total cost must have been around 0.60 cents per round x80 = 47 Euros so it is around a tenth of the cost of the factory fodder the RWS cases are so thick they will last 20x reloads I am sure. The Americans reform down .270 Win cases to work this calibre. The Hornady dies had two buttons in the box for the sizing die to suit either for RWS or reformed .270 cases.
the prowler
Well-Known Member
I reload, and occasionally buy factory when its cheap ie second hand unused. But I still enjoy reloading and getting the satisfaction when my bullet hits its target.
Reloader708
Well-Known Member
All the carefull calculations into the cost of a single round, don't forget the cost of actually firing it.
Ive just forked out over a grand on a barrel which seems to be the going rate; each caliber to its own but it you said a couple of thousand rounds worth of life that's another .50p .60p per shot on top! Just a thought.
I started reloading purely for availability, every time I went ammo shopping I came back with something different that needed rezeroing.
Ive just forked out over a grand on a barrel which seems to be the going rate; each caliber to its own but it you said a couple of thousand rounds worth of life that's another .50p .60p per shot on top! Just a thought.
I started reloading purely for availability, every time I went ammo shopping I came back with something different that needed rezeroing.
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