Pistol reloading to save money.

[slickest]

Do you reload to save money or reload to have a better round for your firearm than what you can find in the store?
 
I was reloading when I was living Wyoming for my savage 112flv .223. It quickly became an obsession on making the most accurate round for my firearm to shoot prairie dogs. I went as far as only measuring bullets from ogive for the OAL. It was nice to have a firearm that shot one jagged hole at 100 yards and felt good accomplishing it. The more I thought about it I wasn't saving any money by reloading at all. I would say it was just as expensive as compared to top of the line ammo. Just the round was more suited to my rifle.
 
I have been thinking about getting into reloading again but this time it will be to save money because of the amounts of ammo I shoot. I bought a conversion barrel from my glock 23 and would like to start reloading 9mm if it saves me money. Will I be saving any more money compared to shooting cheap steel cased bulk ammo? I mean my glock will eat this stuff up all day. Granted when loaded at home it has personal defense ammo in it but i dont believe in reloading that myself. If i started reloading again It will be a progressive press for the pistols if I figure it will be saving me money in the long run
 
I sold off the .223 and the only rifle I have right now is a SKS and i see no reason to reload for that at all. Eventually I will be buying a new bolt rifle. Most likely a .308. I might start reloading for it also but I believe I will just buy a cheap lee single stage press kit then.

[SHOOTALL]

check the price of powder , bullets , primers and brass ( brass can last depending on loads) then check price of less expensive loadings in stores or gun shows . With 9mm i find I can buy ball ammo as cheap as I can load it in alot of cases.  Better bullets can often be loaded at a good cost though.

[Land_Owner]

ITEM                                 COST        SHARED         COST                                           COST                                                                               W / ITEMS     PER ITEM          TIMES USED         PER BULLET
HAZMAT FEE..................................$27.50..........4..............$6.8750....................1.................$0.0034 / EA.  2000 EA      
SHIPPING; EST..................................$25.00.........4..............$6.2500....................1..................$0.0031 / EA.  2000 EA      
380 ACP BRASS; FIRED 1X...$68.00.......2,000..........$0.0340 PER CASE.....10.................$0.0034 
380 ACP BULLETS; CAST 90 GR TCFB...$  0.00.........1..............$0.0000 / BULLET.......1..................$0.0000          
IMR 700X POWDER, 8 LBS..............$110.26.........1..............$0.0020 / GRAIN.......4.5 GR...........$0.0089    ESTIMATE   
TOTAL RELOADING CAST COMPONENTS------------------------------------------------------------------$0.0445 PER ROUND




MIDSOUTH SHOOTER'S SUPPLY 2012 CATALOG                     
STANDARD BULLETS   
ITEM                                             COST        SHARED         COST                                           COST
                                                                                     W / ITEMS     PER ITEM          TIMES USED         PER BULLET                  
380 ACP; 90 GR. FTX; HORNADY.........$17.42...........50............$0.3484......................1.............$0.3484 / FACTORY
380 ACP; 95 GR. FMJ; AMERICAN EAGLE...$17.64...........50............$0.3528......................1.............$0.3528 / FACTORY
380 ACP; 95 GR. TMJ; BLAZE.................$16.43...........50............$0.3286......................1.............$0.3286 / FACTORY
380 ACP; 95 FMJ; CCI...........................$17.64...........50............$0.3528......................1.............$0.3528 / FACTORY
380 ACP; 95 GR. FMJ; MAGTECH...........$14.44...........50............$0.2888......................1.............$0.2888 / FACTORY
380 ACP; 95 JHP; MAGTECH................$21.73...........50............$0.4346......................1.............$0.4346 / FACTORY
AVERAGE FACTORY NEW--------
----------------------------------------------------------------$0.3510 PER ROUND

Less than five cents (< $0.05) to shoot reloaded cast 380 ACP bullets and reuse the components versus greater than thirty five cents (> $0.35) each for factory rounds.  I can shoot seven (7) times more with reloads - AND I DO TOO.

Similar results for the following:

357 MAG----------$0.0477 PER CAST RELOAD
357 MAG----------$0.4571 AVERAGE FACTORY NEW
9 reloads to 1 factory new

45 COLT----------$0.0586 PER CAST RELOAD
45 COLT----------$0.7223 AVERAGE FACTORY NEW
~12 reloads to 1 factory new.   

I shoot more often for less money using reloaded components and cast bullets than the alternative.  I own the reloading equipment and components and can "tune" the load to the barrel and to suit my style (hot, medium, mild).

[necchi]

Don't forget the cost of a progressive press, dies and the assorted prep tools, vibrator,,,,,
(cause your not going to want to load 100's of 9mm on a single stage)
 
The savings will still be there, just a few years out till it's realized.
 
Just ran the numbers for a buddy at work shooting a sig 9mm, sure he could save, but the time involved wasn't worth it      

[Empty Quiver]

I'm in it for saving money.
 
I have a couple of expensive rounds. Namely a .41 mag, and a .325 WSM. Add in a 45-70 and a .300win mag and I have a few expensive mouths to feed. The .41 was a stunner with premium rounds going for nearly $2 a pop if I could find them locally. A trip to Cabela's last weekend revealed I could shoot a .375 H&H for the same money as the .325 WSM.
 
I definitely like the ability to shoot just about anything for the same price, give or take. Couple that fact with the relative unavailability of my two babies and it is the only way I can afford to pull the trigger.
 
I have a set of dies for everything I own with the exception of 9 MM and 40 S&W. I just don't see the price difference being worth the trouble of running those through a simple Rock Chucker.

[goodconcretecolor]

Take a look at the Lee Classic Turret Press. I load 45 ACP on it in a semi-progressive manner. Not as fast as a progressive but much easier to set up and can be used single stage if desired. I have loaded 30-06 and 243 on the same press with no problems and am gearing up to load 223 in the same manner I do the 45s.

[jhalcott]

 I do very little VOLUME reloading. I have always tried for accuracy loads. In MY style of varmint hunting, a bolt or single shot is the firearm of choice. When bulk amounts of ammo are required, I use factory or military surplus. EVEN when a bolt gun is used, it's normally single fed. This is for both rifle and handgun. For self defense, I use a .45 auto,.40 S&W or 12 gauge shotgun! IF you are STILL working, you have to consider the TIME required to load your ammo. JUST a thought!

[Buckskin]

There are a lot of variables here... For what you want to do, yes, you will save money.  Pistol rounds are way out of whack in my opinion.  Dinky little piece of brass, primer,  couple grains of powder and lead for 35 cents a round??? Chasing accuracy is where the savings shrinks as you mentioned.  Buying all the gadgets like, comparitors, neck turners, concentricity gauges, specialty dies, different powders, bullets, primers, brass, etc....  Although for some rifles like my 300 RUM at $3.00 a crack, you can save a good chunk of change. It's a little catch 22, the more you shoot - the more you save, but the more you spend....
 
 
Glocks are hard on brass, so that will affect your costs...

[iiranger]

The most basic theory of reloading is that the case costs money and can be reused, ergo reload the case and save the costs of a new case. Buffalo hunters did this and saved packing many, many cases around. I have read they also retrieved the bullets from the dead buffalo and melted them.

Ha, ha!. When you "get into it" and realize all the trinkets you have to try... You don't save much unless you are a competitor shooting thousands of rounds a year or trying for the one hole group... and that is not available over the counter. For practice with a Glock in 9mm, I would study the steel cased ammo from Russia... awful cheap. Might save a bit going to lead only bullets, but then would the gun agree? .308 is awful available and cheap too. Now if you want .250 Savage that will drive tacks... Or .40/65 for your gun... Strip the vanity and reusing the case a couple times still makes sense. But actual "cost savings"... you got to shoot alot and be able to afford that. LUCK.

[GH1]

I reload  to save money and to tailor rounds for a specific purpose, mainly reduced recoil target/training loads. The big savings come from the use of cast bullets, as Landowner mentioned. I figure I save about 40% on my .357 rounds. I think my .45-70 rounds cost me about fifty cents each, as opposed $2.00 each for factory loads.
You'll definately save money. How long it takes to recoup your investment in gear depends on how much you shoot and your component choices. 
Personally, I really enjoy reloading. I find the science behind it fascinating, the process relaxing, and the results very satisfying. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
GH1

[Land_Owner]

I have been reloading for 25 years.  In that time I have purchased a plethora of necessary components AND I have shot 10's of thousands of rounds in a wide variety of calibers, most of them I reloaded myself.  If you purchase wisely, strategically when on sale, and combined with someone else's order, you share shipping and Hazmat costs (reducing your individual cost), plus you probably gain a compatriot with whom to reload and shoot.

In 25 years, I have amortized the reloading equipment cost AND the cost of the guns and their scopes many hundreds of times over such that the cost of the ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT to load and shoot the rounds is NEGLIGIBLE in the cost comparisons above.

I started with a Winchester Model 94 and a Lee Loader (look it up) for 30-30 caliber.  You make every 30-30 bullet by hand- hundreds of them, without a press, accurate rounds, and inexpensively too with factory bullets, Win 748 powder in 1-pound cans, 100-pack primers, and range pick brass plus those you shoot and save.  In a couple of years, through savvy yard sale buying, gifts at Birthdays and Christmas, you acquire a Rock Chucker press and dies.  The world of reloading expands geometrically.  The ultimate purchase of a Piggyback II "progressive" reloading machine to top off the Rock Chucker (for 223 and handgun bullets) and my reloading expanded exponentially.

Along the way I have met hundreds of like minded reloaders and shooters.  I have acquired handguns and long guns alike, both inexpensively and some desired favorites that were not as inexpensive.  I have three boys and a daughter that have been through all of this with me.  Each shoots and enjoys the benefits of Dad's reloading, sharing that benefit with their friends.

So, in total, reloading is an ACQUIRED hobby for most, that is so ingrained in me that the "time" I spend reloading is far more satisfying than watching the nightly news or the inane TV advertisement that is nightly poured down the throats of the mindless masses. Besides, when I am "finished" reloading (and one is never really finished), I go to the range and practice, practice, practice.  Am I a great shot?  In some calibers.  Am I having fun?  You bet!

[hillbill]

i have a pretty basic set of reloading tools. nothing fancy and i dont think ive spent more than maybe 3 or 400 buks on them over the years.but then i got into it years ago when used stuff was cheap.if you are really serious about cheap pistol rounds you will have to get into casting your own bullets.and you will have to have a cheap source of wheelwhieghts to cast them from.with my own cast bullets and shotgun powder i can reload about any pistol catridge i care to for pennies a round.

[SHOOTALL]

If you load hunting bullets or top line bullets you may save some but with a 9mm you can often find really cheap ammo . One thing not mentioned is replacement brass it won't last for ever and shooting in a Glock if the bbl is not supported that can mean only a few reloadings.If you clean or prep with tools that require elec. that is a cost often over looked and as volume of shooting goes up so does elec. use. Ones time is also a factor. I just loaded 500 9mm with FMJ bullets that I had from IDPA days I had them because it was less expensive and time consuming to buy loaded when I was shooting .  I like to reload myself but when high vol. is concerned often its better to buy loaded. IMHO but I value my time .

[cybin]

I have been reloading since the early 70"s---so here goes my opinion,
 
I reload 9mm for $5.50 a box of 50--I use cast 125 gr bullets---$34.00 for 500 now days
have paid as little as $28.00--shop around.
                                                 4 gr accutare #2 powder---$30,00 a pound
                                                  Win. small pistol primer-----$30.00 a thousand
 
There are 7000 grains of powder in a pound of powder--so I get 1750 9mm rounds out of a pound of pwder
 
Reloading really isn't any cheaper--becouse you end up shooting a lot more, BUT--isn't that what we want to do anyway?
 
When you get into rifle calibers or even magnum pistol calibers--I feel there is a real substancial savings--every deer I have killed in the last 20 years has been with reloads.
 
cybin
 
 

[Savage]

If one shoots 5000rds of 9mm a year, and pays $10 for a box of 50 (Best Price Here) he'll spend about $1000 on ammo.  For less than $1000 he could buy a decent turret press and enough components to load 5k rds. The following year he could load and shoot twice as much for less money.  Don't have the time? With the Lee Turret, 200rds an hour is easy enough. More than enough to feed a 5000rd per year habit at 1/2 hr per week. I have one of the turrets to load my low volume calibers. It works great. If you get serious about shooting, you can easily save enough to get a progressive or two with your ammo savings.
Yep, it pays to reload. If reloading is not for you, buy good brass case ammo and leave the brass for guys like me.
Savage

[gypsyman]

I'm in LandOwner's corner on this one. Started reloading in 1974, for a Model 27 my dad bought for me to carry in our carryout.(I was 17 in 1972 when he bought it) So after this many years, have accumulated quite abit. In some calibers, reload to save money. .357-.44sp and mag-6mm-.270-.308. Some calibers just because they don't make them. .219Donaldson Wasp-.375sm and .445sm.  It's a hobby, and you will have to determine just how far you want to get into it. Play golf with a set of clubs you bought at a flea market for $50, or spend hundreds on one custom club, and pay $100 or more for green fees. Your call. gypsyman

[thxmrgarand]

A variable that is missing from the discussion so far as how I reload is garage sales.  Garage sales reduce the out-of-pocket costs to about zero for me.  Tools and components can be just a fraction of retail when purchased at garage sales.  I was almost out of pistol primers until about a month ago when I happened upon a huge garage sale that had thousands upon thousands of rifle and pistol primers.  I bought them all of course.  I buy powder so long as it is unopened.  I buy dies for any caliber I don't have provided they are in good condition and the price is $5 or less.  I have accumulated far, far too many presses, scales, and powder measures.  I buy bullets so long as it is something I reload.  I buy lead when I find it but it is less common than any of the above.  I buy shot when I find it but it is almost always 4, 5, or 6 instead of 7 1/2 or 8 like I prefer.  Larger shot still breaks targets but my MEC Grabbers (both bought at GSs) don't like it.


Last year on waterfowl opening day the ejector broke on my 870 as I was swinging on what would have been the duck that limited me out.  We have no gunsmith so while parts were on order I used a Mossberg 500 I assembled from GS parts.  I think that gun represents at least 5 different sales and the total cost of all parts was about $20.  It would be a good enough gun if the trigger was just a little better and if the safety button wasn't plastic.

[SHOOTALL]

If you compare reloaded lead to home loaded lead the cost difference is less.