Reloading cost vs factory ammo cost

[ande7824]

Has anyone calculated this for their rifle? I found a cool calculator in excel. (second link down in xls format)

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=cost+per+round+in+reloading&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

I did 4 reloads for my 7mm-08 winny brass with smk's. I got around 66 cents per round reloading versus around 80 cents for the cheapest factory ammo I could find. This gives me 130 bucks savings over 600 rounds (around 25%).

I guess I was just curious what numbers other people were getting? Honestly, I was expecting more. I suppose what is not taken into account is the satisfaction of the accuracy benefits gained with reloading, and of course the fun in experimenting !! :)

[jpdown]

You won't save any money. Just shoot more, working up new loads and buy more reloading gadgets, supplies and calibers to reload. I've been keeping track of equipment and supply cost since I started reloading 18 months ago. I've reloaded a total of 1,950 rounds for 5 calibers (.204, .243. .260, .308 and .338-06). Average cost is finally down to $0.98 per round. A good hobby for those who are perfectionist by nature. LOL.

[ctrout]

I used to shoot up about $100 worth of ammo a year when I shot factory ammo. Now that I reload, I probably shoot up about $500 worth a year. So in my estimation, reloading is about 5x more expensive than shooting factory ammo.

[dcloco]

Not sure where it is posted...some time ago...about factory ammo, reloading ammo.....versus how much you shoot.

At this point, I am at the stage that I never buy factory ammo. Reload 100% of what I shoot (22 rimfire would be the exception).

But, I have actually slowed down on the volume of what I shoot. So, I am at the quality over quantity stage.

What reloading cost should ALSO relate....is the cost of good glass. This seems to be my constant struggle now. Just cannot afford $800 to $1200 glass on the rifles that I prefer to shoot.

So....my plan is....sell off everything that I planned to build with....and buy good glass. So, in a week or so, expect to see a list of firearms being parted out (they don't seem to sell as complete firearms...so...will tear them down and piece them out).

[kenbo776]

First two weeks of shooting Savage .308.... Federal Powerpoint 150 gr sp.
$11 box of 20 rounds. Shot very well for cheapest factory ammo I could find.
1 inch @ 100 yards . Started to reload after collecting fired cases. 50 to 60 rounds every range session, twice or 3 times a month. Careful reloading plus Lots of range time equals lots of practice equals better groups. And the cost is not a factor since I now can shoot more rounds with more accuracy than I ever would have with factory ammo. Saving a little $$ is nice but it was not my main goal .....

[Uncle Jack]

Other than .22 rimfire and an occasional bunch of 5.56 NATO surplus for plinking, I haven't bought a box of factory rifle ammunition in over 40 years. I think the last box of Winchester ammo I bought was 20 rounds of .264 Win 140grain back in 1966 before a mule deer hunt in Utah.

Accuracy and consistency have always been the motivating factors for me. When I first started shooting for real back in the 60's, there was so much cheap surplus military ammunition around that trying to save money by reloading was out of the question. Reloading was strictly for benchresters, target shooters, and the rest of us obsessive gun nuts.

Once you begin to reload, you start a whole new sport. Reloading becomes an activity and mental discipline that is related to, but separate from the actual shooting. I know a lot of good shooters who can't reload worth squat and vise versa.

The initial investment in necessary tools can be modest. Then comes the investment in components. Brass, primers, bullets, and powder and manuals. Once you find the "Wonder Load" for you rifle, you want to have alot of that same powder lot number. Do not expect to run down to your local WalMart and get a 1lb can of 4895 that will be the same as the one you bought 6 months ago. That's why they make 8lb cans.

Other than that and a few years of frustration and confusion, You're good to go!

uj

[Elkbane]

All true. My wife's opinion is that reloading is my main hobby and I just shoot to empty the cases......somewhat caustic, but acute observation.

Elkbane

If you really want to see the savings, do the calcs on .300 WSM. You can pay off dies in about 40 rounds.....

[EFBell]

Yep, 300WSM is very expensive in the factory offerings! After a few years you recoup the costs of your investment for any reloading equipment you buy making it more cost effective. I use a similar excell calculator and I think my cost for 300WSM premium hunting bullet ammo is down to around 15 bucks a box of 20.

[Eric in NC]

It all depends on the cartridge, cost of your equipment, cost of the components you use and how much your time is worth.

When I was a kid and loaded 38 specials for my dad using a lee loader and bullets he cast from scrap lead, he saved a LOT.

I save a considerable amount over factory ammo when I load 375 H&H - even with premium bullets.

When I load 223 using SMKs on a Dillon press instead of mowing my grass, It costs more than buying Black Hills.

Of course you can't even begin to measure how much you "save" when you load for non-factory rounds or configurations (where are you going to find 30-30 loaded with 168 gr SMKs? The last factory box of 303 Savage I saw was PRICEY, and I have never seen a box of 375-06AI on the shelves at Wal-Mart)

[hcpyro13]

+1 to Eric, it all depends what you are loading for. I got into reloading for my big magnum... then is just kinda carried over into everything else. I always think of my supplies as a sunk cost, I buy them when I can and hopefully when everything is on sale (or in stock anymore...) and when if comes time to cook some more up I don't think of the cost since I had already purchased everything. To each their own, reloading appeases my touch of OCD and makes me enjoy shooting even more. If you factor in the time it takes and what your time is worth in conjunction with the materials cost it takes years to really break even, but it allows us to tailor to our own needs.

-HcP

[dolomite_supafly]

I think the biggest advantage to reloading is quality of the ammo your produce. I bet your .66 each rounds are better than most if not all factory ammo out there regardless of price. And even better is you can tune that load for your firearm to squeeze the most out of it. Something you can't do with factory ammo.

For me reloading wasn't a cost saving measure because I still spend the same amount on shooting. I just get to shoot better ammo as well as more of it when compared to factory ammo. I load my 223 for less than .30 each. These are with SMK's that shot .3's with regularity.


Dolomite

[azguy]

No way that I could afford to shoot as much as I do, around 300 rounds a week, without reloading. for instance, 223 hornady hpbt match 75 grain, Lake City brass, cfe 223 powder winchester or remington match primers. I buy in large amounts. Powder $11 bullets $20 primers $3 per 100 rounds plus brass if you need. =$34.20 per 100 not including brass.
Factory 75 grain match in my area are over $100.00 per 100. And I make match rounds. I guess if you charged for time I would go in the hole.
If I shot 55 grain fmj bulk you can buy for around $35 per 100. But I don't shoot these. So it all depends on what you shoot.
I also shoot 40 cal smith and wesson I pour bullets and reload these for around $8 per hundred.

[Robinhood]

:p 8 and 1/2 years to comment on this? But your right. If you shoot a lot you can almost justify the $1000 you spent attempting to make the best match ammo possible.

[DesertDug]

reloading is not for cost savings. It is addictive in the attempt to be and do the best as a marksman.

[CFJunkie]

I've been keeping track of my costs for reloading versus factory rounds since I started reloading.
I load for 8 rifle calibers and 5 pistol calibers.

As others have stated above, reloading costs depend upon caliber, bullets, brass, primers and powder.
Factory ammo also depends upon calibers and whether your buying junk ammo just to hear the bang or match ammo to get the smallest groups.

I shoot match ammo so all my factory ammo costs are for high grade ammos. But I haven't bought much factory ammo for several years so my costs reflect cheaper times.
However, my reloading costs also include powder, bullet, brass and primer costs over the same number of years so the comparison should be about even except for the last few years.

I have loaded 42,401 rifle loads over 8 1/2 years.

Here is the data:


Rifle Cost and Savings Summary




Caliber

Cost per Hand Load

Cost per Factory Round

Savings Per Round

# Rounds

Savings



7.62x39

$ 0.335

$ 0.430

$ 0.094

189

21.9%



.30-06

$ 0.528

$ 1.019

$ 0.491

1,012

48.2%



0.308

$ 0.545

$ 1.230

$ 0.685

16,458

55.7%



0.270

$ 0.478

$ 1.218

$ 0.740

745

60.8%



6.5 mm Creedmoor

$ 0.641

$ 1.257

$ 0.616

6,141

49.0%



.22-250

$ 0.342

$ 1.250

$ 0.908

5,409

72.6%



0.223

$ 0.342

$ 0.809

$ 0.466

11,852

57.7%



.30-30

$ 0.435

$ 1.017

$ 0.582

595

57.3%



Average

$ 0.472

$ 1.107

$ 0.635

42,401

57.3%




NOTE:
The majority of the calibers shot factory ammo that was high grade match or hunting ammo (.30-06 and .270) with the following exceptions.
7.62x39
The 7.62x39 factory ammo cost numbers are misleading. The factory ammo was cheap Russian ammo with steel core.
Today, there isn't a range in Northern Virginia that will allow you to shoot steel core.
7.62x39 Factory ammo that you can shoot today is about twice as much as the number shown.
.223
Factory ammo costs shown include about half of the ammo at low cost for a 'plinker AR-15'.
The other half is for high-cost match ammo for my Les Baer Super Varmint .223.
.22-250
I was never able to find cheap factory ammo for the .22-250 so its factory ammo is some of the most expensive.

[DesertDug]

Junky that's some impressive record keeping. I would not disagree with your findings. I load 2 of the higher savings you record. Per round reloading is more cost effective as well as you leave out the equipment costs. Factor in the assembly plant. Whole different story.

All my rounds are trickle charged single press set. I guess if you were knocking out hand gun rounds and blasting away you might recoupe the equipment costs faster. It would be interesting to know those numbers.

Any way way to run that on your spread sheet?

[J.Baker]

CFJunkie, how do you factor in the cost of brass for your reloads? Most economy rifle brass (Remington, Winchester, Federal) is typically only good for 8-10 reloads, maybe a few more or less depending on the cartridge and how hot you're loading them. Lapua and Norma will last much longer, but you also pay a lot more for it.

When I was keeping tabs on my reloading costs I figured 10 reloadings for economy brass or 30 for premium brass. So if 1pc of economy brass costs me say $0.50 I would then divide that by 10 loadings. I would then add that amount into the cost of each of my reloads. Pretty much I'm just applying depreciation accounting to brass life.

[Orezona]

I don't have a calculator that can figure the value of watching my daughter learn to reload. Reloading is fun and worth passing on to the next generation. Plus, I've spent enough money on stuff I don't want to figure it out!:p

[Robinhood]

Right there with you Orezona.

[CFJunkie]

J. Baker,
I basically have done the same thing for my cost of brass.
I keep track of the cost of the brass and divide it by the number of reloads per case that I have experienced.
I keep totals for each type of brass that I use for each caliber and divide the cost of that brass type by the total reloads for each type.


I keep my cost down by purchasing in large quantities.
I use Lapua brass because I get more reloads per lot (23 to 26 depending upon the caliber) than any other and it makes the real cost lower than some of the less expensive brass.
I buy bullets in the 500 per (I recently bought 2,000 Hornady ELD-Ms for my 6.5mm Creedmoor after Hornady offered the larger quantity lots.)
I always buy powder in 8 lb. lots, except for Alliant who only sells 5 lb. cans.
I buy primers in 5,000 lots as well.


There is a minor blip every time I buy another 100 brass or 500 bullets or 8lbs of powder OR 5,000 primers.
But after loading thousands of rounds in my favorite calibers, it hardly makes a difference in the totals day to day.

I keep the cost based upon purchase price for each item by every purchase and keep a running average for each item.
I have records of every bullet, powder, brass, and primer loaded for each caliber.
Yes, for 44,800+ reloads, it is an enormous spreadsheet but it lets me keep my cost records accurate.

Desert Dug,
I also have only a single press (Redding Big Boss II) with a RCBS 1500 Charge Master metering scale.
I don't think using a progressive press would change anything other than the initial cost of the more expensive press and the elimination of my expensive scale.
The powder, bullet, primer and brass used would be the same.
My costs of equipment, including 5 micrometer seating Forster dies for my most accurate rifle calibers, have grown to just over $2,200.
My cost of equipment was covered after about 3,500 rounds of the more expensive match calibers, which I started reloading with.

My totals for 44,852 reloads as of my last reloading session, show that my total savings, after subtracting the cost of equipment, is on the order of $25,196.