How much money will i save reloading the 7mm rem mag?

[Mr. Joe]

I just got one and want to shoot some good volume out of it but ammo is fairly pricey.  Aside from inital investment how much will the big 7 cost me to load per say box of 20?

[davem270win]

A primer runs around 2 - 3 cents.  Powder is 15 - 18 cents. Standard bullet around 20-25 cents. Premium bullet could run up to 60 cents or more.

So with standard bullets, each round will cost you somewhere around 40 cents, or 8.00 for a box of 20.
With premium bullets, you're talking around $16 per box.

You'll shoot a lot more, which is a good thing, but that will probably reduce any savings on reloading.

Your initial investment will depend on what equipment you buy, but figure anywhere from $200 to $400.

[Mr. Joe]

Ill certinly be going cheep as i will only be loading one caliber. I was thinking the Lee hand press as i live in a small apartment and space savings is of the utmost importance.  Does the lee handpress work fairly well. I was going to get the expensive die set for full case sizing.

[Hairtrigger]

you will not save any money.
By the time you figure in the cost of the tools and the extra shooting you will do you will be lucky to break even.
You can however make some very high quality ammo and get a warm fuzzy feeling every time you shoot a small group or make a clean kill.
Also it is hard to figure in your time and the space used up in youe gun room

[379 Peterbilt]

Have been running some numbers here myself. Here is what I came up with

7mm Rem mag 1000 count

Brass................ $260
Core lokts..........$100
Primers (1000) ..$25
Powder, 1 lb.....$25

Total................$410

Add a cheap reloader, tax, and maybe shipping and you are flirting with the $500 figgure for 1000 rounds. 50 cents per.

Factory ammo would be $1 per round
___________________________________

Run the above numbers with premium ammo like say Barnes TSX at roughly $500, for 1000 ct. Now we're looking at 90 cents per round

Same 1000 TSX's in federal factory loads = $1.75 per round.

Just some numbers to kick around and play with.. It's all subjective though 

My math says you save money. But like others say, you'll shoot more, then perhaps upgrade equipment, manuals yada yada...It's all up to you..

[huntswithdogs]

Another cost to consider is...How much does hair cost? I've been pulling mine out since I started reloading. If one load works "pretty good" then you try to make it that little bit better,which'll get ya down to an inch group. If that works, then ya try a little harder...See where I'm going with this? It's a continueing cycle that has no end.

But this stuff sure is fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buy yaself a Lee Classic loader and bolt it to a small table in your gunroom and don't look back. It makes ya feel good when your "homerolled" shells are shooting well.

ENJOY!!

HWD

[huntswithdogs]

I called the Lee kit a"classic" and the real name is "Anniversary". Look at Midway USA. $82.99 on sale!

HWD

[millwright]

The price is about right.  I have loaded the 7mm rem mag for almost 30 years.  I did not have good luck with the lee hand press and the 7mm.  First of all if you full length re-size the case life will be short.  If you only neck size you will put the headspace on the shoulder and not the belt.  This will extend case life tremendously.  Spend the extra money and go with the lee classic cast, less than $75.00.  If you do not have the space I would reccomend the lyman 310 hand tool I have one but you are limited to neck sizing only.  I still have the lee hand too also but I have not tried just neck sizing on it.  I use my rcbs or my lyman bench press because I am no longer limited for space for reloading, I hope this helps.  The lee hand press is a good buy and if it works for you that is great.

[NONYA]

With the barnes triple shock im runnin about $1 per round,with the nosler accubonds(good for practice shooting)around .75 cents.

[Tom W.]

Mount your press to one of those portable tables that Midway sells if space is a problem. They're pretty sturdy.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=155024

[PaulS]

Don't buy the midway stand. For less money and an hour and a half work you can build mine and it will fit in any corner you have. It is 30" x 37" with a built in seat. Rock solid and will last for years. Great for apartments or folks who don't have the room for a dedicated reloading room.

[Don Fischer]

Don't buy the midway stand. For less money and an hour and a half work you can build mine and it will fit in any corner you have. It is 30" x 37" with a built in seat. Rock solid and will last for years. Great for apartments or folks who don't have the room for a dedicated reloading room.

Don't suppose you have a photo of it? Trying to think of a way to build one in my 5th wheel short of throwing out the kitchen table.

[NONYA]

Don,replace the table with a couple pieces of 3/4 ply laminated together and mount your press on it,just use the table as a template,drill your holes and crankem out.

[Castaway]

Mr. Joe, just curious, what rifle are you loading?

[Mr. Joe]

Ruger 77 MKII.  It has a timiney trigger, glass beded action and floated barrel.  It really shoots well, but i bet handloads can really dial it in!  Plus i need the practice with the extra shooting!

[teddy12b]

I share the same sad tale as many reloaders.  Yes, I can make ammo for about half the price it would have taken me to just buy it.  Does that mean I save money?  No, I just shoot twice as much.  I have loaded for 300RUM, 30-06, 6.8mm spc, 223, 44 mag, and 45 ACP.  That being said I've probably spent over $1000.00 on equipment throughout the years, but I track my costs reasonably well and I have come out money ahead.  Basically If you reload the regular nothing special ammo, you'll do it for half price.  If you reload the premium ammo you'll be loading up for a little more than the cost of regular ammo.  Reloading is addicting, and my wife isn't a big fan of the space that gets used up in the garage, but at the same time, once you have all the reloading items you need you can always sell that stuff on ebay and get most of your money back.  You can also buy used kits on ebay that may make it more affordable to get started.  Good luck with whatever direction you go.

[goodconcretecolor]

The Lee Handpress was my only press for 12 years. I loaded 30-06, 308 and 243. I would couple the handpress with the Lee collet die for most loading and full legth size only as needed for easy chambering.

[Hook686]

I use the Lee Hand Press, for .357 magnum and .44 magnum. These are straight walled pistol cartridges. I works really fine, and is ideal in my low space apartment type setting (easy to store all the reloading stuff in one plastic storage box). I use the Lee Carbide dies, Lee Factory Crimp die, Lee powder measure and RCBS powder scale. The whole setup cost me less than $100, and is quite portable.

So I figure I save about 35 cents per round. Thus, 300 rounds was about my break even point. Do I now save money ? Of course not. As others have said, I just shoot more than before ... perhaps 200 rounds per week. Though, as others have also said, it is an enjoyable hobby, for me.