Reloading at Home

[4.0B2]

Who does it? I did some quick figuring on some hand loads and realized how much money you can save! I've always reloaded 30-30, 30-06, 300 win and weatherby... it's father/son time for my dad and I.

here's the figures I came up with, all prices from SportsmanWarehouse.com and will be for 30-06 loads;

Hornady A-Max 168 grains: $30 per 100 bullets (which is $.30 each)
IMR 4064 Powder: $24 per pound (7000 grains in a pound, max load is 58 grains a load, gives you 118 rounds, which is $.20 of powder per round)
Large Rifle Primers: $28 per 1000 (which is $.028 each)
30-06 Brass: $25 per 50 (which is $.02 each, not that you have to buy these each time...)

total: $.30+$.20+$.028+$.02 = $.548 cents each plus a little time (which is great time for me since I spend it with my father)

Compare that to preloaded rounds:
Hornady A-Max 168 grain 30-06: $33 per 20 rounds (which divides out to $1.65 a round)

so handloads $.548 a round compared to preloaded $1.65 a round....
think about it... that's 3:1

next comes pricing out the 45 acp's

 

[4.0B2]

anyone else priced out their hand loads?

if not....think about it; price it out, see what you come up with

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

100 .454 round ball - $9.99 - $.10/rd
100 30gr bp pellets - $19.99 - $.20/rd
100 lubed wads - $9.99 - $.01/rd
100 #10 caps - $4.99 - $.05/rd (going by memory, they are only sold by the 1000 online)

The smell of burning black powder = priceless

$.36/rd to shoot my .44 cap and ball revolver with no brass to deal with ever. If I got into melting and molding wheel weight lead it would be cheaper yet, I can get them by the 5 gallon bucket for free. Not to mention as it sits right now the only tool needed is the capper... unless you want to pick the primers out of the can as you shoot.

That is it for building my own ammo for me, my .22 and 91/30 are cheaper to buy boxed. I don't shoot my shotgun enough to reload for it.

 

[4.0B2]

yeah... its nothing for my dad and I to shoot 200 or so 30-06's in one weekend if we are out playing around on the farm... last time i went and shot my 45, I ended up shooting 70 rounds by myself in one evening.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

With .22LR 525 for $20 ($.03/rd) and Herters 7.62x54 $9.99 box of 20 ($.50/rd) it is kinda tough to justify reloading them. I don't shoot my BP a whole lot but it is a lot of fun when I do. I think dad was getting off 3 cylinders with his Vaqueros to my one with the '58 New Army the last time we had them out. All he has to do is poke them in, I gotta reload on site.

He reloads his .45LC but he can knock out something like 150/rds a day at his cowboy action shoots.

 

[4.0B2]

yeah... but if you look at my Hunting rounds, store bought is $1.65 a round... you can see, i can justify it easily! lol. i'd never reload a 22LR

heck, my Weatherby rounds (if I bought store rounds) would be about $65 for 20 rounds
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/...ductDetail/.300-Weatherby/prod73235/cat115295
which is $3.25 a round, my hand loads are $.88 (I think is what I figured up once)

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I won't argue for some things you can justify it, just for what I have I wouldn't be saving much.

 

[Hahnsb2]

I reload 10mm and .40S&W.

.40 is about $0.13 a round and 10mm is about $0.15 a round. .40 is easily $0.40 a round in stores and real 10mm is at least $0.50 a round+shipping.

 

[88_Eddie]

i dance around from hobby to hobby. right now, i'm really in to my b2, but back in january i bought a lee reloading kit to reload for my .308. i went to a gun show and got primers and powder and i buy sierra match king 168 gr and 175 gr bullets every now and then. i have every piece of brass that i've fired out of my rem 700, so i didnt have to buy that. it'll be about 57 cents a round when i finally start. i've put it on the back burner for now though. our place is too small to set up anywhere.....hopefully we're buying a house soon.

 

[Ranger Kip]

I shoot guns just about every day, so I let off about 20 or so 30-06, 400 .22 mag and maybe 100 or so .22 (good target practice).

BUT, I let off around 30 12G or better shots

 

[Ormachek]

My hand loads for my 7mm-08 run me about 42 cents(Canadian) apiece. Compared to $1.50 and up for factory ammo, its super cheap. Plus, as an added bonus my loads are tailored to my rifle so I get better accuracy than with factory. I also load/have loaded for 30-30, 6.5x55, and 270.

For everyone saying its not worth reloading .22lr.........not only would it not be worth it, you can't reload rimfires! So the argument is somewhat moot. Centrefire rifle is always worth reloading. Centrefire pistol, is usually worth it. Shotgun is worth it only if you shoot any of the less common gauges (I have a few 16ga in my safe, I'd like to get set up to reload for them next!). Rimfire, not doable.

 

[4.0B2]

For everyone saying its not worth reloading .22lr.........not only would it not be worth it, you can't reload rimfires! So the argument is somewhat moot. Centrefire rifle is always worth reloading. Centrefire pistol, is usually worth it. Shotgun is worth it only if you shoot any of the less common gauges (I have a few 16ga in my safe, I'd like to get set up to reload for them next!). Rimfire, not doable.

yeah yeah... its an expression.
they are just so cheap; there's no point in doing it... pretty sure most of us understand you can't (easily) reload rimfires.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

yeah yeah... its an expression.
they are just so cheap; there's no point in doing it... pretty sure most of us understand you can't (easily) reload rimfires.

People do handload them though, I have seen brass for sale. Not legally a reload but kinda related.

 

[4.0B2]

People do handload them though, I have seen brass for sale. Not legally a reload but kinda related.

which is why i said easily... b/c its not really that easy. i've personally seen it done.

 

[UpStandingMember]

How much for the initial cost of setting up to reload?