Do you really save that much money reloading your own ammo?

[XtremeVel]

I'm still debating on getting in to reloading, but I always see so many varying costs for what you can reload a certain caliber for. Sometimes they seem like they are almost too low to be true.

Stop debating and get started now because you will always find many varying costs depending on who you ask and what/how they buy. That is one of the great things about reloading. As a reloader, you have much control on cost by your selection on components.

An example on varying cost is on the bullets. The price can range from the low end for those who casts their own all the way to the high end for those use buy the premium jacketed options. Buying in bulk and watching shipping rates makes a huge difference also.

Many have access to free range brass. Some buy their brass, whether it's once fired in bulk or new brass.

I have often times found good deals at gunshows on powder and primers. Some probably have ordered themselves in smaller quantities where the haz mat inflates the cost quickly.

 

[looney2ns]

I'm reloading 9mm and .380 for $10 per 100 approx.
My ammo is more accurate than factory I had been buying.

The key is to buy in bulk. Find someone to split supplies with.
If you only buy 100 bullets and a 1000 primers at a time, you can't save nearly as much.
My bullets come from Montana Gold, and Powder and primers from Grafs when they have a special.
Brass from off the ground.

 

[wsenefeld]

Recipes and supplies are closely guarded secrets

Those prices make it all seem a lot more financially reasonable. Where do you buy your supplies from?

Also, what recipe do you use, and what pistol are you shooting it out of?

 

[XtremeVel]

One question I ask guys who want to shoot the absolute CHEAPEST rounds possible, whether factory or handloaded, is whether or not they buy "BEER" in yellow cans or generic toilet paper. If you won't drink or wipe your a** with junk, why would you run it through your gun?

No more that I drink anymore, I only drink either Yuengling's or Michelob Amber Bock....

As for ammo, I don't understand why you think that... I'm not taking anyone here saying " cheap " as to mean " sloppy " or half-assed...

I know you work alot with the Hornady XTP line and use a great powder. I also have used the XTP line along with Speer Gold Dots with another Alliant cleaner burning powder. I will say this though... While I feel these loads would be hard to beat in terms of the performance of the bullet, I would put my so-called " cheap " loads up against them any day of the week in terms of accuracy punching paper at the range... For full disclosure, my " cheap" loads would be cast and loaded with Unique. Just about all my favorite " pet " loads are so because of the accuracy and consistency and the majority of them are cast and Unique. A few exceptions would be a little slower powder and a plated or FMJ bullet.

 

[Car Ramrod]

Recipes and supplies are closely guarded secrets

Ok....

 

[wsenefeld]

No reason to make match grade when I don't shoot competition or with a scope. It's for fun and its nice to take out friends and let em shoot a few hundred rounds. I have higher priced ammo but for explaining the cost/saving, I thought I'd share my money saver option. I honestly have no desire to reload any other caliber. I purposely chose those calibers to keep things consolidated. One of my reloading goals was to have a stockpile of ammo for SHTF. I now see 10k+ rounds in each of my chosen calibers to be within reach.

Edit: my "absolute cheapest rounds possible" shoot remarkably well. I take pride in being able to shoot a quality round while maintaining a very low cost. The ammo I produce WILL out perform factory ammo and at half the cost.

Out of curiosity, can someone tell me how my rounds are not quality? Is it simply because of the price I can reload at or that I don't do 100% of my reloading on a single stage?

One question I ask guys who want to shoot the absolute CHEAPEST rounds possible, whether factory or handloaded, is whether or not they buy "BEER" in yellow cans or generic toilet paper. If you won't drink or wipe your a** with junk, why would you run it through your gun?

Reloading is not about shooting a million rounds for $20...it's about having quality ammunition at an affordable price. Now, if all you want is to shoot thousands of rounds a month, OK; get yourself a Dillon 650 and have at 'er. You'll DEFINITELY be saving some money, if you shoot that much. However, even if you're a more casual shooter than that, why not put excellent ammo down your gun for the cost of that cheap WWB crap at Wally world?

And if you ever do something more than shoot 9, 45 or 223, you'll be all set for some serious long-range rifle or cowboy-action shooting!

 

[Broom_jm]

I see a couple of guys have misunderstood my comments, so let me reiterate:

IF "all you want to do is shoot thousands of rounds a month"...you can build ammo that is comparable to the cheapest stuff on the shelf, probably even a little better, for a substantial savings. At the same time, IF you want to build premium, SD carry-worthy ammo, for the same cost as that WWB ammo, you can do that, too.

And IF you ever load for something other than burning box-full after box-full of pistol ammo through a semi-auto, you get into the realm of advanced reloading and you can start saving more per round, instead of saving a little on each of many rounds.

My background is with high-powered, centerfire, big-game hunting rifles shooting full-length, magnum and wildcat cartridges. Some of the guns I load for you would have to pay a custom reloading shop to make for you and they would NOT be cheap. Frankly, if all I loaded was tens of thousands of 9mm, 45 and 223, I would probably find it pretty boring. Now, working up load data for a 358GNR or a 6.5JDJ, with the latest bullets or powders...THAT is cool!

To each their own, and if you want to load ammo at your bench that is strictly for plinking, I totally support that. I don't mind paying 5 or 10 cents more per round because I shoot what I load and carry what I shoot. I do NOT practice with Berry's plated or cast bullets and then carry some over-priced hollow-point with "SD" or "CD" printed on the box. I keep my pistol reloading simple by using components I would trust in all circumstances, but then again I'm not shooting 5,000 a year, either.

What it boils down to is that I am completely happy with a 50% savings on quality ammo and don't feel compelled to save even more by using components that I wouldn't trust in any situation. I load quality bullets for pistol and rifle cartridges that I can use for practice, self-defense and big-game hunting. At least half of the rounds I load in a given year are T/C or rifle cartridges meant expressly for hunting or long-range target shooting. Of the 20 different die sets I have, only about 5 of them are for pistol cartridges and two of THOSE are fired from a T/C or a lever-action rifle. Aside from the 30 Carbine I load, I don't use different bullets for "fun" and what they're really meant to do. That would be a waste of time and money, for the way I shoot and reload.

 

[ckcollins2003]

Can't believe I skipped over this thread. I used the reloading calculator to figure out how much I pay for a 50 round box of .40 that I reload. It came out to $7.44. That's $14.88 per 100 and WWB at wal-mart is ~$34.00 after tax.

As for my .308 reloads, I don't save much. They cost me $0.67 a round before the price of brass. They sure are accurate though. And it's still much cheaper than buying match grade .308 off of the shelf.

If you don't plan on shooting more than you normally do, you'll find it saves you quite a bit of money. Of course you have that initial start up cost with equipment but if you don't mind doing it all on a single stage it doesn't cost much to get started. If you plan on shooting more often because of having ammo constantly available then you won't notice much of a savings, as people have already stated, but you'll shoot twice as much ammo or more for the same amount of money.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

Saves me a ton of money on my .357 and .44 magnums. Since I'm a wheelgun nut it's easier to keep track of the brass too. Plus I reload while watching TV so I'm burning calories.

 

[sgreen3]

Here is a handy little tool to help figure your cost Handloading Cost Calculator . I know I can load my 223 for about less than half retail price. An I really dont save a whole lot loading for my 308 bench gun, but the accuracy and consistancy of the round is what your looking for there

 

[Hemingway]

I have glocks with tens of thousands of high dollar rounds through them. With those rounds going for close to a buck a piece, i see absolutely no reason to us those in a fighting pistol class requiring 1,000 rounds when $.20 rounds make the same hole in the paper and allow me to train more.

I guess i could use components and make rounds that cost $15 each if i wanted to but i dont see the point.

Its the end result im interested in. Ive got ammo to kill squirrels, deer, coyotes and paper.
And self-defense ammo.

And im not paying more than i need to for any of them.

To each his own, i guess.

I see a couple of guys have misunderstood my comments, so let me reiterate:

IF "all you want to do is shoot thousands of rounds a month"...you can build ammo that is comparable to the cheapest stuff on the shelf, probably even a little better, for a substantial savings. At the same time, IF you want to build premium, SD carry-worthy ammo, for the same cost as that WWB ammo, you can do that, too.

And IF you ever load for something other than burning box-full after box-full of pistol ammo through a semi-auto, you get into the realm of advanced reloading and you can start saving more per round, instead of saving a little on each of many rounds.

My background is with high-powered, centerfire, big-game hunting rifles shooting full-length, magnum and wildcat cartridges. Some of the guns I load for you would have to pay a custom reloading shop to make for you and they would NOT be cheap. Frankly, if all I loaded was tens of thousands of 9mm, 45 and 223, I would probably find it pretty boring. Now, working up load data for a 358GNR or a 6.5JDJ, with the latest bullets or powders...THAT is cool!

To each their own, and if you want to load ammo at your bench that is strictly for plinking, I totally support that. I don't mind paying 5 or 10 cents more per round because I shoot what I load and carry what I shoot. I do NOT practice with Berry's plated or cast bullets and then carry some over-priced hollow-point with "SD" or "CD" printed on the box. I keep my pistol reloading simple by using components I would trust in all circumstances, but then again I'm not shooting 5,000 a year, either.

What it boils down to is that I am completely happy with a 50% savings on quality ammo and don't feel compelled to save even more by using components that I wouldn't trust in any situation. I load quality bullets for pistol and rifle cartridges that I can use for practice, self-defense and big-game hunting. At least half of the rounds I load in a given year are T/C or rifle cartridges meant expressly for hunting or long-range target shooting. Of the 20 different die sets I have, only about 5 of them are for pistol cartridges and two of THOSE are fired from a T/C or a lever-action rifle. Aside from the 30 Carbine I load, I don't use different bullets for "fun" and what they're really meant to do. That would be a waste of time and money, for the way I shoot and reload.

 

[XtremeVel]

IF "all you want to do is shoot thousands of rounds a month"...you can build ammo that is comparable to the cheapest stuff on the shelf, probably even a little better, for a substantial savings. At the same time, IF you want to build premium, SD carry-worthy ammo, for the same cost as that WWB ammo, you can do that, too.
:

That's the beauty of reloading... You can load according to what your need might be. For many, myself included, there is a time and need for both.

And IF you ever load for something other than burning box-full after box-full of pistol ammo through a semi-auto, you get into the realm of advanced reloading and you can start saving more per round, instead of saving a little on each of many rounds.
:

Now, this I don't understand. Just how does someone using the Hornady XTP or let's say a Speer Gold Dot make them anymore an advanced reloader than someone who can work up a very accurate and consistent cast or plated load ? Actually, having loaded all (3) myself, I often times think the jacketed often times, present fewer challenges...

To each their own, and if you want to load ammo at your bench that is strictly for plinking, I totally support that. I don't mind paying 5 or 10 cents more per round because I shoot what I load and carry what I shoot. I do NOT practice with Berry's plated or cast bullets and then carry some over-priced hollow-point with "SD" or "CD" printed on the box. I keep my pistol reloading simple by using components I would trust in all circumstances, but then again I'm not shooting 5,000 a year, either.
:

I hope everyone verifies and occasionally practices with the SD ammo they carry. I know I do. I also know at the additional cost, I would not feel I was getting enough trigger time in if I only shot what I carried. I know this because I used to do what you are saying. This was when I was stationed in the middle of the Mohave desert back before Al Gore invented the internet... All we had was a military exchange that carried a very small selection of only jacketed bullets and (1) gun shop out in town. He was better but still only carried a few choices in Speer, Hornady, and Sierra...

What it boils down to is that I am completely happy with a 50% savings on quality ammo and don't feel compelled to save even more by using components that I wouldn't trust in any situation. I load quality bullets for pistol and rifle cartridges that I can use for practice, self-defense and big-game hunting. At least half of the rounds I load in a given year are T/C or rifle cartridges meant expressly for hunting or long-range target shooting. Of the 20 different die sets I have, only about 5 of them are for pistol cartridges and two of THOSE are fired from a T/C or a lever-action rifle. Aside from the 30 Carbine I load, I don't use different bullets for "fun" and what they're really meant to do. That would be a waste of time and money, for the way I shoot and reload.

Quality, expensive bullets doesn't always mean a better quality load, just like cheaper/more affordable bullet doesn't neccesarily mean a inferior load... I will admit quality bullets would be what I would insist on for PD because of the obvious better performance of the bullet itself, but I don't need to make it 100% of what I practice with. Actually, if I had to guess, I would say what I carry only makes up maybe 10%, if even that, of my shooting once I have verified that load in my particular gun for both function and acceptable accuracy.

Shooting what you actually carry is very important. I understand that. I also fully believe in the importance of enough practice to keep your skill up to a acceptable level. It's a juggling act and I find it even more complicated because I load for (3) shooters... I have no choice but to load with cheaper, cast bullets, but I am happy with the quality results I get. Cast and plated, while cheaper, can still produce very good, if not better, accuracy than the more expensive jacketed HP's. All I feel I give up is the performance of the bullet, but the paper doesn't know that. Actually, a .45 cast SWC cuts such a larger, cleaner hole in that target than any Gold Dot or XTP I have ever loaded...

 

[dukeboy_318]

Okay, I'm going to come out ans say the same thing I told my wife.

I got started simply to save what pennies I can but mainly because I'd rather start and get adapted to loading now as opposed to if, if the gun grabbers actually manage to get ammo restrictions put in place. I do not save a lot, but what I do save is put back into more components.

 

[paintman]

IVE TALKED WITH MY WIFE ABOUT RELOADING. I HAVE GLOCK 23 .40 CAL, 223 AND AN M1 GARAND IN 30-06 I WOULD LIKE TO RELOAD. COULD ANYONE MAYBE POINT ME IN A GOOD DIRECTION TO START. I AM PRETTY MUCH LOST ON ALL OF THIS.

 

[dukeboy_318]

IVE TALKED WITH MY WIFE ABOUT RELOADING. I HAVE GLOCK 23 .40 CAL, 223 AND AN M1 GARAND IN 30-06 I WOULD LIKE TO RELOAD. COULD ANYONE MAYBE POINT ME IN A GOOD DIRECTION TO START. I AM PRETTY MUCH LOST ON ALL OF THIS.

You must like CAPS.

There is a thread about how to get started at the top of this sub section. Youtube videos work great but nothing works like having an experienced person teach you.

***edit**

heres the url

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...reload_but_you_don_t_know_where_to_begin.html

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I shot this group yesterday with handloads. This is 100 rounds at 21 feet, most shot by me a few shot by a young lady that was with another member. I had a few of the flyers but that is my fault. For the price of this hundred I have maybe $ 20 dollars invested, if you can find .40 in that range let me know where it is please. Something else to remember is if things go real bad at least you can load your own ammo.

Thanks again for letting her shoot your pistol, and it was nice meeting you! I think I'm eventually going to have to take the reloading plunge, especially given my penchant for old military weapons.

 

[blamecharles]

Thanks again for letting her shoot your pistol, and it was nice meeting you! I think I'm eventually going to have to take the reloading plunge, especially given my penchant for old military weapons.

You are welcome it was nice meeting you also. I am on the south side as well, if you want to stop by some day I will show you my set up and let you run through a few batches.

Thanks for letting me shoot the CZ82. I have some of your brass if you do get into reloading.

 

[45fan]

I save considerably reloading my .308 target loads, somewhere around $12 a box of 20 savings. Loading .223 is not as good of a return, but still well worth the effort.

45 ACP & LC are my 2 most reloaded pistol calibers, and savings is still very worth while to me. I load 44 mag and special, more for the improvement in accuracy, but I do pretty good loading them as well. The only two calibers that I currently shoot that I donot reload for are 25 ACP and 9mm. I have the dies for 9mm, but when I can pick up 9mm bulk for a few dollars more per 50 rounds than I reload for, its usually worth it to me to just buy factory and save the time. 25 ACP on the other hand, would only be an exercise in aggravation trying to load it, and I figure its worth the price for factory ammo, considering the small amount I actually shoot, to preserve my sanity.

 

[avboiler11]

Nope, but I shoot a TON more because of it.

I used to reload for nearly a half dozen calibers, but after consolidating my collection and realizing I don't shoot nearly enough handgun to justify reloading now I just reload 223 and 260.

 

[Hookeye]

Only stuff I load anymore is .44 mag and .243 (and soon .35 Rem).
Pops loads my .45 acp (dealer with a dillon- can't get any cheaper!).
Other stuff I don't shoot enough to justify it.