Did Someone Say That Handloading Wasn't Economical??

[COSteve]

I got a wild hair this afternoon and decided to handload some more defensive ammo for my and my son's Glock 40s. I used commercial 180grn Speer Gold Dots for a few mags when I first got my Glock to see how I liked them. Our company guards use our range and they also used 180grn Speer GDs so I was able to pick up a fair amount of nickel plated Speer Brass for free which I use with a Speer Gold Dot, CCI primer, and Power Pistol powder to duplicate commercial GD performance for my SD ammo.

Anyway, I just finished handloading another 200rds in 28 minutes start to finish because I had my Dillon set up for 40s&w already as loaded up 1,200rds of it yesterday. Since it uses all Speer components and chronos at the same velocity (1025fps) it's a direct substitute for the commercial fodder with one single exception. Looking on MidwayUSA's website this afternoon I found 40s&w 180grn Speer Gold Dots selling for $22.49 per box of 20 so I added 10 boxes to a cart, input my zip code to get the shipping cost and the total for 200rds came to $240.39 delivered to my door; or $1.202 per round.

I looked up my records for the delivered prices of the bullets, primers, and powder I used as I bought them some 4½ years ago (the brass was true 1st fired range pickup as I saw the guards fire it) and the total cost to me to handload the 200rds was $34.60; or 17.3¢ per round. That means I saved $205.79 or 85.6% of the cost of 200rds of 180grn Speer Gold Dots!! Best of all, my handloads are identical to the commercial product both in look and performance.

Did someone say that handloading wasn't economical???

[3leggedturtle]

It is, but seems like I shoot alot more so the savings just goes towards more toys and dies. Then the bullets, powder and primers. Its a vicious cycle, but well worth it.

[Hobie]

I LOVE reloading.

[madman4570]

Cool Steve!

What I really like with the little 40S&W is when you go grab a little 1lb container of lets say Power Pistol or maybe HS-6 powder for like around $20 give or take.
With that tiny little container------------------------you can load like 1000 rds

Example 6.5grs of HS-6 w/180 gr bullets.

7000grs / 6.5grs =====================1077 loads(if ya don't spill a grain)

Oh the bullets are cheap too($125 per 1000 shipped) /the cases can normally be reloaded a lot/etc.

Love it! (around $175 per 1000)loaded counting the primers!

Yup----around 17 cents a round!

Gonna start reloading the 10mm soon!

[AJMD429]

That means I saved $205.79 or 85.6% of the cost of 200rds of 180grn Speer Gold Dots!!

Maybe you could create a 'Honey This is Why I Do It' spreadsheet and post it so guys whose wives question their time/money spent reloading could be 'convinced' how much money is being saved...

Of course, some wives would still be skeptical...

But some (God bless them and glad I've got one) already understand.

[1894c]

i re-loaded 1,100 rnds of .40S&W for practice the other week, my buddy has a Dillion and we did it all in less than 3 hrs.
my load used 1 pound of Bullseye, 165gr. fmj bullets, Winchester small-pistol primers, and brass that i picked up after
our last quarterly quals...RELOADING IS LIFE... :)

[Griff]

Now Steve, you can't use 4 year old component prices to compare to today's price of store-bought ammo!

Now, I just loaded up some .223 for the AR. I had to buy everything to load, except the press; dies, shell-holder, bullets and, because I figured they wouldn't get cheaper, primers and powder.

Dies: $44/set = some unknown quantity over the life of the dies... I've never worn a set out, so I can't estimate, they slowly become free if amortized over a few hundred thousand rounds. Obviously the more you load, the less they'll cost on a per round basis.
Primers: $33/1000 per 1000 rounds = 3.3¢/ea
Powder: $26.95/lb per 269 rounds = 10.01¢/ea
Bullets: 24.95/250 per 250 rounds = 9.98¢/ea

For a total cost of 23.29¢/ea as compared to a moderately inexpensive milsurp quantity purchase at 44¢/ea (made last week) equaling a savings of 20.71¢ each!

[El Chivo]

Maybe you could create a 'Honey This is Why I Do It' spreadsheet and post it so guys whose wives question their time/money spent reloading could be 'convinced' how much money is being saved...

Why stop there? Take a lesson from the federal government. First figure out how many rounds you fired last year. Increase that number by 20%.

Then reduce the 20% to 10%, and tell her you are cutting back this year out of love for her. It's hard, but you will shoot less. Give her the cost estimate of the 100%+10% in factory ammo, and spend that on reloading components. You dog.

[Ji in Hawaii]

I personally don't save money if I consider the time put in as I reload using a single stage press, and I weigh each powder charge so very time consuming but I love to tinker, and reloading a form of tinkering to me. I get satisfaction and enjoyment, it is a very relaxing and personally rewarding pastime. For the amount of shooting I currently do which is almost nil it works for me.

[Stan in SC]

My gunsmith said it best.He said guns are our hobby and reloading is like a hobby within a hobby.

Stan in SC

[WinM71]

It's therapy of the finest kind.

[mikld]

I gave up counting pennys to se how much money I'm "saving" years ago. I enjoy reloading. Sometimes I don't know if I reload to shoot more or shoot to reload more (read that somewhere several years ago and truely feel the same). I reload so I can make custom ammo for each of my guns and if I have the money in my pocket (or in the bank; debit card) and I see a powder I want to try or a bullet mold I want, I'll buy it, and I won't try to amortise (sp?) the cost over number of rounds assembled vs round cost for purchase. If you really want to be acccurate you would have to factor in the cost of gasoline to drive to the gun shop and/or the cost of shipping (hazmat if that applies too), utilities for the gun room/reloading shack (lights, heat, Willie Nelson CDs), materials for record keeping and cost of targers (if you do pay for them, I don't), plus how much powder did you spill out of that pound? Did you count the primers that dropped on the floor and vanished? And there's the cases you crushed, and the ones that just wore out? I don't count my time but if I did it would be $42.76 per hr. from the job I retired from.

I much prefer to relax, stuff a few cases, record the loads, and go shooting when the sun comes out and let someone else worry about how much I'm "saving"...

[Ysabel Kid]

Love the math!!!

[Marlin32]

I would like to start loading Metallic. I got into Shotgun long time ago as I shot weird gauges, and needed to, at least to get a decent load as factory wasn't getting it done.
Then came non-tox, factory expensive or anemic.
Save money? I never calculated it.

Now I am afraid My US Govt is going to go after ammo. Guns are tough, yeah, kind of hard to infringe on Constitutional rights, the anti gunners won't get what they really want, but ammo, no constitutional rights to impinge there, so I believe ammo is going to get expensive, hard to get etc.

GOing to have to start loading I think, plus just bought an odd caliber, 8x68mm and will likely behoove me to load it on my own.

I know little about it and have to start from scratch.

[Catshooter]

You're dead on Steve. Anybody that thinks you can't save money reloading must have gone to public school.

You want to save money, cast your own bullets. Yikes.


Cat

[piller]

I reload the metallic cartridges for the fun, relaxation, and for the fact that I can make up hunting and target loads that are not commercially available. If it were a chore, I might not do as much of it.

[awp101]

And loading bullets cast from wheelweights is even easier!

[Sixgun]

And loading bullets cast from wheelweights is even easier!

Yea, and huge savings over jacketed. Not counting the $400,000 on casting equitment I have , but a 50 rd box of "just about any caliber" runs me about $2 to $6.-------------Sixgun

[RIHMFIRE]

reloading is definately worth it....dollar wise, especially if you shoot the
calibers that are hard to find...like the WCF rounds. 348, etc...

and its fun too.........but

reloading 12 and 20 ga are not worth reloading...now
5.96 a box at walmart...
and we get a discount thru the skeet club...$5/box

[damienph]

It's therapy of the finest kind.

+1 I find it very relaxing and a great stress reliever. I never figure my time into the cost of something that I enjoy. Chores, maybe; hobbies, never. For me it is more than just a way to shoot my guns more often for less money, it has become another hobby just accumulating the various components, dies, presses and associated equipment.
A lot of pleasure for me shooting ammo in a 100+ year old rifle or pistol using vintage brass and bullets loaded with a 50 year old Texan C press using Texan or Lachmiller or Pacific dies.

Of course it's also fun shooting ammo in a brand new rifle or pistol using new components assembled with one of my RCBS or Lyman T-Mags using RCBS, Lyman or Hornady dies.

[COSteve]

It's therapy of the finest kind.

+1 I find it very relaxing and a great stress reliever. I never figure my time into the cost of something that I enjoy. Chores, maybe; hobbies, never. For me it is more than just a way to shoot my guns more often for less money, it has become another hobby just accumulating the various components, dies, presses and associated equipment.
A lot of pleasure for me shooting ammo in a 100+ year old rifle or pistol using vintage brass and bullets loaded with a 50 year old Texan C press using Texan or Lachmiller or Pacific dies.

Of course it's also fun shooting ammo in a brand new rifle or pistol using new components assembled with one of my RCBS or Lyman T-Mags using RCBS, Lyman or Hornady dies.

It's true, I think I've moved to the 'Shoot to Reload' camp recently as I find it a great hobby, both relaxing and enjoyable. And, to all those people who say, "Yes, but you have to add in the value of your time." totally miss the point. Do you keep track of the cost of your time when you're reading or posting on this site? No! Do you keep track of the cost of your time when you're shooting? No! How about when you're watching TV? In bed with your wife??? I doubt it (however, she might )

So the cost of your time argument is nonsense. It's a hobby that you enjoy or you shouldn't bother doing it. The fact is that I enjoy shooting and have gotten to do what I enjoy because of reloading. I have only so much money to devote to the hobby and reloading allows me to enjoy it and stay within my budget. For example, recently I've seen that Winchester White Box .223 ammo (55grn FMJ) has now jumped up to $680.00/1,000 locally or 68.0¢ per round. I can still load almost 9,000rds of 55grn FMJ ammo for $81.00/1,000 or 8.1¢ per round with the supplies I have on hand. That means my son and I can shoot that over the next X years and avoid paying $5,400.00 in excess ammo cost for that caliber alone!

Further, someone mentioned the less popular calibers such as 10mm or match grade .223. I handload a lot of hot 10mm and my costs are less than 1¢ higher per round than the cost of my 40s&w due to the cost of the shell case. Go look at the price of premium 10mm ammo and compare 200rds of that to the $36.48 it cost me to handload 200rds of hot 180grn Speer Gold Dot 10mm myself. MidwayUSA sells Hornady's Match 68grn .223 for $18.49/box of 20 or 92.5¢ per round. I load a lot of 68grn Hornady Match ammo for both my son's Savage and my A4 AR and I recently bought 2,000rds of components that cost me a total of $479.85 or 24.0¢ per round; only 25.9% of the cost of Hornady's ammo using the same bullet, Remington BR primers, and TAC powder.

Finally, I recently bought some components to restock my supplies for 30 Carbine, 357mag, 45acp, .308, and 30-06. I got those components for right at 25% of what commercial ammo would cost me for those calibers. Those savings are not a trivial difference and they long ago paid for the cost of all my reloading equipment, even though I have a high end setup worth over $4,000 currently. The fact is, my components are like a savings account where I'm getting a huge return on investment. My reloading press is becoming more like a printing press, printing money every time I pull the handle. All that and a hobby I really enjoy!!

[Catshooter]

You nailed exactly Steve.

These guys that 'count their time' are confused about life. I can see them out camping and wanting to hurry because their time is so valuable.


Cat

[El Chivo]

These guys that 'count their time' are confused about life. I can see them out camping and wanting to hurry because their time is so valuable.


Cat

That happens to me every time I go hunting with somebody else. About 11 am they start want to head back. If they don't get instant gratification it's on to something else.