You don't save any money hand loading. I do it for the precision I want that you cannot get out of factory loads. I have close to 10k in reloading equipment. Its all the best of the best and produces the best rounds you can get. But im not doing it for saving money only for the precision I get out of the rounds. If your looking to get into reloading to save money that will not happen. You gain accuracy but don't save money.
Cost per round for Reloading
- Thread starter miwoodcock
- Start date
hogpatrol
Gold $$ Contributor
It depends on the cartridge and what you consider your time is worth. 28 Nosler factory ammo ranges from $75 to $135 a box of 20. Picked up three boxes of brass, 25 each at $85 including tax or $3.40 per piece. Assuming I get five loads out of the brass, it's .68 brass cost per load. At today's prices, powder at .60, primer @.10 and bullet at .60 for a total of $1.98 each x 20 = $39.60 considerably less than factory ammo.
Alternately, one can buy a mixture of factory ammo to see what shoots best and hope the next lot is as good.
For 6gt I pay $1.30 per piece of alpha o c d brass. 10 cents a primer for cci 450s. 30 cents per round on powder. And 60 cents a bullet for Berger 105 hybrid targets. Which comes to a total of $2.30 a round. That's todays prices and that is not putting into the equation of how many reloads ill get out of one piece of brass. Also not including any of the money I spent on reloading equipment. Its an expensive hobby but its very fun and satisfying to see the results you get!
Not a fair comparison to assume only 1x loads per piece of brass. Afterall, the topic title of this thread is cost per round for RE-loading, not simply loading.
Assuming you reload that brass 10x, with your listed component costs, the cost per round is $1.13 instead of $2.30 for disposable brass.
I put in my comment that that is not putting into the equation of how many reloads ill get out of that brass. That is the starting cost of starting reloading for a certain caliber. Nobody knows how many reloads you'll get out of one piece of brass. Ive seen people load there ammo too hot the first reload and completely ruin it. It still fires and chambers (Not good in anyway) case body expanded to no return. Causing very heavy extraction and bolt lift. Something a sizing die cannot fix unless you have a sac modular sizing die which sizes the case body more then any other sizing die. And I've also seen brass go for about 20 reloads. If someone is looking at getting into reloading I like to show them the upfront costs. Ive seen many people get into it expecting it too be way cheaper then it really is. Your right I should get 10 loads out of that brass assuming I don't go to hot on my loads and keep things where they should be.
Even if you only reload your Apha brass 3x, your cost is still $1.43 per round. Nowgere near $2.30.
Specifying the cost for hand loads using 1x disposable brass is not very useful for reloading discussions, it it not a meaningful number.
Coyotefurharvester
Silver $$ Contributor
I can't afford factory ammo, but still shoot using my reloads. So it must be cheaper.
Really only one comparison:
Do you want your hamburger from McDonald’s, or do you want it hot and fresh from your backyard grill?
Do you want your hamburger from McDonald’s, or do you want it hot and fresh from your backyard grill?
If you’re loading match quality ammo it’s not cheap. There’s no way I’m saving money over factory ammo when you factor in equipment and time. However there’s no good match ammo for the calibers i shoot and even if there would I doubt it would do as well as ammo loaded specifically for your barrel after load development.
If you’re buying the cheapest plinking bullets you can buy then yeah you can save money over factory.
If you’re buying the cheapest plinking bullets you can buy then yeah you can save money over factory.
This is a good estimate . for PPC and 6BR. I figure $ .10 for brass.
jelenko
Gold $$ Contributor
Not including the value of your time gives you an idea of actual cash out of pocket.
Including the value of your time is like putting a cost on a hobby.
I get what your saying. But I never said I use my brass once then throw it away. I said that is not putting into the equation of how many reloads ill get out of the brass. I gave them the price of brass. Im sure people here know how to do math. Anyhow im not on this site to argue about math. Im here to learn and help people with what I know. Sorry guys for clustering the thread.
It depends on a lot of things , do you load on your “free” time or when you should be working or doing other things to sustain life ?
If you are the type that must include your labor . You don’t get to Decide that cost . Your labor cost is what “you” are actually worth an hour . If you work a minimum wage job reloading is much cheaper then if you are a lawyer making $400 an hour . Reason you don’t get to choose your hourly rate is because that means we all get to . Those of us that choose zero means we save more then those that insist on putting a dollar amount on there time .
How much did you pay for your components? I’m still using pimers I paid $26 per 1k and powder I paid $25 a pound as well as all my bulk bullet buys from years ago . So my per round cost is much cheaper then those just starting out .
Then there’s the tooling cost which I’ve recouped some time ago .
Short answer IMHO , it depends if you insist on including a cost of your free time and how much that time is actually worth. I mean how many things do we all do that cost us money because of time spent and we don’t include our labor cost . Any of us go food shopping? Why , wouldn’t it be cheaper to pay someone $15hr to do your shopping if you make $30hr . If we insist our time must be calculated into the cost of reloading then we should include it in everything we do . Hell wouldn’t it be cheaper if you’re a lawyer to have someone read you the morning paper rather then read it your self ? How about go to the movies for you and just tell you how it was ? These are all things we do on our “free” time because we enjoy doing so and never include our labor to do so .
There are thousands of examples of us all not calculating or labor cost into the cost of things . Is it ok for me not to include my labor cost if I don’t watch the big game and reload instead ? I’ve never understood why reloading MUST include your labor while just about everything else in life we do on our free time does not .
If you are the type that must include your labor . You don’t get to Decide that cost . Your labor cost is what “you” are actually worth an hour . If you work a minimum wage job reloading is much cheaper then if you are a lawyer making $400 an hour . Reason you don’t get to choose your hourly rate is because that means we all get to . Those of us that choose zero means we save more then those that insist on putting a dollar amount on there time .
How much did you pay for your components? I’m still using pimers I paid $26 per 1k and powder I paid $25 a pound as well as all my bulk bullet buys from years ago . So my per round cost is much cheaper then those just starting out .
Then there’s the tooling cost which I’ve recouped some time ago .
Short answer IMHO , it depends if you insist on including a cost of your free time and how much that time is actually worth. I mean how many things do we all do that cost us money because of time spent and we don’t include our labor cost . Any of us go food shopping? Why , wouldn’t it be cheaper to pay someone $15hr to do your shopping if you make $30hr . If we insist our time must be calculated into the cost of reloading then we should include it in everything we do . Hell wouldn’t it be cheaper if you’re a lawyer to have someone read you the morning paper rather then read it your self ? How about go to the movies for you and just tell you how it was ? These are all things we do on our “free” time because we enjoy doing so and never include our labor to do so .
There are thousands of examples of us all not calculating or labor cost into the cost of things . Is it ok for me not to include my labor cost if I don’t watch the big game and reload instead ? I’ve never understood why reloading MUST include your labor while just about everything else in life we do on our free time does not .
Last edited:
At present, for my 30R blaser, factory ammo went from about 65.00/20 to 99.00/20--This's Cdn bucks
At that price I'm saving loot reloading it, even with bullets from Germany at 125.00/50.
6.5cm factory I bought this yr, at 27.00/20, brass is 120.00/c, so the advantage is gained by reloading because of the brass being reused 10+ times, with the bullet I want in it. Avg price on other factory ammo is 60.00/20
At that price I'm saving loot reloading it, even with bullets from Germany at 125.00/50.
6.5cm factory I bought this yr, at 27.00/20, brass is 120.00/c, so the advantage is gained by reloading because of the brass being reused 10+ times, with the bullet I want in it. Avg price on other factory ammo is 60.00/20
Bullets $0.13 55 Grains
Case $0.11 Once Fired Cleaned and Polished Primer in
Power $0.14
Primer $0.07
Total $0.45 per round. Range cases $0.34. Factory <>$0.55/1000 w/shipping
Savings: $0.10 to $0.19 depended on source of brass.
Not scientific, just searching around the web. If I can't improve on these prices it will take 50,000 to 100,000 rounds to pay for my press, again, depended on source of brass. But as someone said, it's not all about the savings. (that's NOT what I told my wife)
On the little guys cost savings is not great. Step up to the bigger niche cartridges or God forbid a big magnum the savings goes up like a rocket. When you have a hunt coming up its nice to know the ammo just needs to be put together. It might not be available in quantity once you step away from cannon fodder blasting stuff. I've never had a factory load outshoot my handloads on a consistent basis.
My presses were paid for 30 years ago when I was shooting 25,000 rounds/year. Of course things were cheaper then but cost over time is relative.
Greg
My presses were paid for 30 years ago when I was shooting 25,000 rounds/year. Of course things were cheaper then but cost over time is relative.
Greg
TTE
Gold $$ Contributor
I agree.
Another thing to add, ..... my 450-3 1/4 pretty much is only available with terrible bullets (too soft) Whether terrible bullets or not, it is difficult to come by even at $15- $18 each. Without ammo, my WR double rifle is useless.
I reloaded with better components and sometimes those components were a one time use (and that one time made them worth way more than $18 each).
Everyone's reason or use to reload is, or could be different.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.