Reloading Just for Cost Savings

[Pat Riot, SASS #13748 9,948]

1 hour ago, Sixgun Sheridan said:

 

I used to reload. While reloading was fairly therapeutic in itself, the time spent at the range trying to police up my brass, and spending a half-hour looking for that ONE case that was still missing drove me absolutely up the wall. Every time I'd come home from the range with 49 out of 50 cases, or 99 out of 100. It triggered my OCD like there was no tomorrow so I stopped reloading, especially once cheap range ammo became nearly as cheap as the stuff I reloaded.

 

Sometimes you just have to let things go...

[Rye Miles #13621 3,036]

1 hour ago, Sixgun Sheridan said:

 

I used to reload. While reloading was fairly therapeutic in itself, the time spent at the range trying to police up my brass, and spending a half-hour looking for that ONE case that was still missing drove me absolutely up the wall. Every time I'd come home from the range with 49 out of 50 cases, or 99 out of 100. It triggered my OCD like there was no tomorrow so I stopped reloading, especially once cheap range ammo became nearly as cheap as the stuff I reloaded.

Cheap range ammo for cowboy shooting??? I'd like to know what you think is cheap and where do you get it!

 

Cheapest I've seen"Cowboy reloads in .38" was for $18.00 /50, I can load almost 4 boxes of 50 for that!!

[bgavin 253]

2 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

I live in PRK also -You are wrong when you say that reloading components can not be delivered to to home(unless a city/county regulation is in place). 

The new ammo law here, does not affect components in any way.

OLG

 

Is the emphasis really necessary?  It is really annoying, especially with phrases such as "you are wrong", because it is just plain rude.

Asking nicely... please spare me the emphasis.
Yes, it got my attention and pissed me off, too.

My FFL tells me that CA is clueless about how the July 1 law will be implemented, or what it will cover.
Here in Sacramento County, the restrictions have been in place for quite some time.
I fully expect it to get even more restrictive after July 1.

I'm paying $0.33 per round for Fiocchi 38CA loads.
For the moment, this is sufficient until we get knee-deep into the game.

Being stuck in CA is not a family issue at all.
I've had 45 non-stop years with my kids and their kids, and only 16 months with their mother.
That is going to change.

Being stuck in CA an available-housing issue in Prescott.
We are searching diligently every day for a suitable place in Prescott, AZ.
I'm not going to jump until I find exactly the right place.

Edited May 17 by bgavin

[The Original Lumpy Gritz 4,928]

41 minutes ago, bgavin said:

Is the emphasis really necessary?  It is really annoying, especially with phrases such as "you are wrong", because it is just plain rude.

Asking nicely... please spare me the emphasis.
Yes, it got my attention and pissed me off, too.

 

 

Lighten up, Francis.......

I've included this-just in case......

Stick around and you'll tuff'n up........

OLG

Edited May 17 by The Original Lumpy Gritz

[Sixgun Sheridan 2,201]

26 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

Cheap range ammo for cowboy shooting??? I'd like to know what you think is cheap and where do you get it!

 

Cheapest I've seen"Cowboy reloads in .38" was for $18.00 /50, I can load almost 4 boxes of 50 for that!!

 

I wasn't talking about cowboy shooting, as back when I reloaded I was shooting nothing but 9mm and .45ACP. Now that I'm shooting .45C and .38/.357 a lot yes I'm considering getting back into reloading once again. The price of .45 Colt ammo in particular is enough to put me in the poor house. Same goes with .30-30 and .30-'06. That and I'd love to assemble some black powder .45C loads just for fun. But I've found that 9mm ammo is so cheap from places like Wallyworld that it just isn't worth the hassle to reload it.

[Sixgun Sheridan 2,201]

BTW it looks like bgavin and OLG are going to be squaring off near the town clock at noon tomorrow. Somebody better go tell the undertaker!

[The Original Lumpy Gritz 4,928]

1 minute ago, Sixgun Sheridan said:

BTW it looks like bgavin and OLG are going to be squaring off near the town clock at noon tomorrow. Somebody better go tell the undertaker!

All's good.........

OLG

[bgavin 253]

39 minutes ago, Sixgun Sheridan said:

BTW it looks like bgavin and OLG are going to be squaring off near the town clock at noon tomorrow. Somebody better go tell the undertaker!

Nope.
I look forward to being schooled by those who know more than me.
I'd be 118 years old by the time I knew as much as the old timers know today.

Sixgun, I have a similar problem with .243 in my varmint rifle.
Hornday is well over a-buck-a-bang.. ouch... especially when enjoying a whole a
fternoon of removing prairie dogs from the surface of the Earth.

[Michigan Slim 1,866]

I used to buy a box of ammo every payday when I was a newlywed and we were poor as church mice. Sure wish I would have saved for reloading equipment back then. .270, .30-30 and .410 shells ate up some food money. 

Now..... lets make more! I saved all my brass!! LOL

[Pat Riot, SASS #13748 9,948]

I recently paid $32.95 per box of 50 for Black Hills Cowboy ammo in .38 Special & .357 Magnum (both loaded at 800 FPS. 

 

 

Yep, I had the same reaction when she rang up 6 boxes for me. Over $200 with tax, $216 I believe. 

[Rye Miles #13621 3,036]

4 hours ago, Sixgun Sheridan said:

 

I wasn't talking about cowboy shooting, as back when I reloaded I was shooting nothing but 9mm and .45ACP. Now that I'm shooting .45C and .38/.357 a lot yes I'm considering getting back into reloading once again. The price of .45 Colt ammo in particular is enough to put me in the poor house. Same goes with .30-30 and .30-'06. That and I'd love to assemble some black powder .45C loads just for fun. But I've found that 9mm ammo is so cheap from places like Wallyworld that it just isn't worth the hassle to reload it.

Well since this is the SASS forum and the OP mentioned .38/.357 and Trail Boss I assumed we were talking about cowboy shooting!

 

I agree with you about the other loads. I reload .45 acp but I hardly ever shoot it so I'm good for now. I don't own a 9mm and I very rarely shoot my little Colt .380. I have several .22's that I shoot also. .223/5.56 ammo is fairly cheap too!

 

I also load 12 gauge for CAS! $4.50 a box of 25 and they're better than anyhting I can buy!

Edited May 18 by Rye Miles #13621

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life 426]

Hard to amortize the cost of my reloading tools....bought my RCBS Rockchucker 50 years ago, MEC 600JR 45 years ago and most of my dies 30 years ago or longer. My Lyman case cleaner is over 30 years old. The only thing I have bought recently is an electronic powder measure to replace my 50 year old Lyman balance scale.

 

I buy my components when they are on sale and buy lots at that time. I found a real good price on primers a few year back and bought 100,000 of them. (probably won't be buying any more for a long time). Remember when the rage was buying your own shotmaker and using wheel weights to make shot at home. A local fireman bought one and I bought a ton of shot at $5.00 for a 15# bag. I buy my powder for cowboy shooting (APP bp sub) directly from the MFg (about 150 miles from my homeplace) in case lots when they go on sale and pick it up from the factory.

 

I reload for everything I shoot except rimfire.

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 3,449]

On ‎5‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 8:19 PM, Sedalia Dave said:

As for mouse fart loads. I would be surprised if any of the shooters in the overall top 10 percent of any match shooting them.

I only know about Badlands Bud, as he was from my area. He tried my pistol rounds once and didn't like them. Not enough feedback, AKA recoil.

[Too Tall Bob 786]

Ok,  here’s a thought starter:

What does it take to recover the cost of a new Dillon SDB for loading .38’s?

 

New SDB = $437.00

 

Consumables:

1,000 - 125 gn bullets = $50 / $.05 ea

1 lb Titegroup powder(7,000 gns) = $35/$.0092 per 3.2 gn load

1,000 primers = $35/.035 ea

Brass = free (range brass)

 

Commercial ammo =  $300/1,000 = $.30 ea

 

cost to reload:

bullet = $.05

powder = $.0092. (3.2 gn load)

primer = $.035

brass = -0- free range brass

total: $.0942 ea

 

Savings:

scenario #1:  $.30(commercial ammo) - $.0942(reload) = $.1458 savings

or :

scenario #2:  HSM cowboy ammo from Cabelas- $23/50 rnds = $.46 ea. Reloading saves $.3658/round

 

Break even:  

scenario #1:  $437(SDB cost) / $.1458(savings) = 2,998 rounds to break even. 

 

Scenario #2:  $437/ $.3658 savings = 1,195 rounds (about the same as  .45 colt) to break even. 

 

2,998 / 120 rounds per monthly match = 25 matches for scenario #1

 

1,195 / 120 rounds per monthly match = 10 match payback for scenario #2. 

 

The investment recovery will be faster if you buy more expensive ammunition. 

 

yes - reloading makes sense. (at least to me)

just my $.02.....

 

Edited May 19 by Too Tall Bob

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 2,094]

Reload .45's.  You'll save MUCH faster.  

 

(See my summarized numbers on the preceding page )

[Too Tall Bob 786]

Sooooo - curious minds are wondering if you resolved your problem and how you did so.?.?.

[Smoky Pistols 446]

On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 6:45 PM, Too Tall Bob said:

just my $.02.....

 

I see what you did there!  LOL

[Captain Bill Burt 1,256]

On 5/16/2019 at 11:40 PM, bgavin said:

Please demonstrate.

Federal Primers are $0.03 each in boxes of 5,000.
Missouri 125 gr coated bullets are $0.07 each in boxes of 2,000.
Trail Boss powder is $0.012 for 3 grains from a 2lb bottle.

I'm all ears:  please tell me how you reload for 5 to 6 cents.


 

$400 for 10000 bullets = .04 per

$290 for 10,000 Federal primers = .029 per

$149 for 8 lbs of Clays (1lb = 7,000 grains) = 56,000 grains, 2.5 grains per load = 22,400 loads = .007 per round

.03 cents per round for once fired brass, assuming each piece can be used at least 5 times (probably more like 20) that's .006 per round

 

.04+.029+.007+.006 = .082 per round.  That's not as low as OLG, but he may use different components or find better deals. 

 

If store bought is going for .33 that's a savings of .248 per round.  My family goes through about 2,000 rounds a month so it took us about three months to recover the cost of a Dillon 650.

 

.248* 2000 = $496 saved per month reloading, or about $6,000 dollars a year.  

 

[bgavin 253]

Indeed.
This volume works for you, but not (yet) for me.

Q: How do you like the Clays?

This looks like  just the right load in 38 SP with 125gr Missouri LRNFP.
It's a perfect BHN match.

[Captain Bill Burt 1,256]

2 hours ago, bgavin said:

Indeed.
This volume works for you, but not (yet) for me.

Q: How do you like the Clays?

This looks like  just the right load in 38 SP with 125gr Missouri LRNFP.
It's a perfect BHN match.

I love Clays.  It's all I currently load with. Whenever I get down to two 8# tubs I buy another. 

[Matthew Duncan 521]

The last time I computed the costs was before the Obama regime.  Reloading saved me $40 a match, $80 when the son shot with me.  The Dillon Square Deal paid for its of in a short time.  Sold it and purchased a 650 XL, now I save money AND enjoy reloading.

[Yul Lose 3,756]

1 hour ago, Matthew Duncan said:

The last time I computed the costs was before the Obama regime.  Reloading saved me $40 a match, $80 when the son shot with me.  The Dillon Square Deal paid for its of in a short time.  Sold it and purchased a 650 XL, now I save money AND enjoy reloading.

Yep, no matter what you say some folks will still doubt the economy of reloading. I haven’t bought a factory loaded round since 2007 and haven’t bothered to compute the savings because I don’t want or need to. Have I saved money? I don’t care. I love reloading.