Cost efficient

[Kebes]

So I just started reloading ammunition for my 7mm. Luckily my dad and grandpa have a whackload of reloading gear sitting around that I can use for a while. But have any of you figured out about what the cost difference between reloading and buying factory ammunition is.....I'm using sierra 140 gr bullets (I'll load nosler's for hunting) and hodgons powder.

[tddeangelo]

The only way to do this is to price components and then compare to factory ammo.

For instance, Hornady 150gr Interlocks set me back $15 at Cabela's. a pound of IMR4064 was about $22 (give or take, I don't have the receipt in front of me), I haven't bought primers in forever, but I think they're around $3-$5 per 100 for large rifle primers, depending. If you have brass, that's not a cost factor (I don't buy new brass, I "empty" factory brass!). Equipment also is apparently not a cost factor.

So for 100 bullets/primers and suitable powder to feed that, it costs me a hair over $40. This is loading for the .30-06. To really nail it down, I take my powder charge and prorate the powder cost. 100 rounds would cost $16.30 in powder. Add $15 for bullets and $5 (to make it easy) for primers. That's approx. $36 per 100 rounds, or about 36 cents a round.

Now, if I BUY Hornady Custom ammo (factory brand) with the same bullet, I will get them for about $20/20, or about $1 per round. Thus I get almost 3 rounds handloaded for the cost of 1 round of factory ammo (almost).

Now, if I just wanted to shoot, I can get milsurp .30-06 delivered to me door for 26 or 27 cents a round, so I generally burn milsurp ammo for general shooting practice, and then buy or load as needed for hunting.

There's no magic ratio between handloading and factory. It's all relative. Something like the .30-06 is probably going to yield the least cost benefit to reload simply because of the commonality of the ammo and associated lower price (usually). I would bet you can cut costs on exotic rounds or belted mags much more than you can with the '06, as that ammo tends to be pricey in stores.

The REAL benefit of reloading is the ability to have EXACLTY what you want, how you want it, and you can find what your rifle likes best without being held to the lineup of factory ammo.

The downside is that some bullets (like the Fusion, unless it's out in "loose" form now) are sold only in loaded ammo. Also, the Hornady Light Mag lines use proprietary powders and, more specifically, blended powders, that produce ballistics we as handloaders can't safely generate, nor can we replicate the reloading techniques with home loading equipment.

[sammyd95]

If you compare apples with apples (if you will)I reload competition match ammo for my .223 rem,for around 17 to 20 cents each,you can but inexpensive ammo,but in comparison there is no comparison ,(to buy the type of amo you can reload would cost $20-$30 a box).to what you are getting when you take the time of reloading.and the satisfaction knowing that you have accomplised your goal.regaurdlees of caliber!

[Perferator]

For the .257weatherby mag I'd be paying about 44.00 per 20 factory rounds. I can reload them for about .50 each or 10.00 per box of 20. Not to mention have all I want and not worry about buying.

For the .270win (because of bullet cost) I can do a box of 20 for 13.00 or so.

For the 45-70 it's around 7.00 box of 20.

None of these reflect the start up cost of brass or any reloading equipment such as dies, press, scale etc.

Tell ya what, it sure pays off every hunting season!

[dubyam]

I did a comparison a while back on this very issue for a friend of mine. We factored in the cost of brass (amortized over either 5 or 8 loads, I can't remember which right now) and all components. What we found is that you can handload premium ammo with premium bullets for about $7-10 cheaper on average than you can buy it. It doesn't take long to figure out whether it's worth it or not to you. It sure is to me.

[gdbraham]

Well said all. I totally agree with sammy, to compare cheap ammo to the quality of handloaded ammo is nothing further from accurate. For the 7mm to buy a top quality box of ammo, I am sure would put you upwards of $40 or more. If the handloads are done with care, one can attain the perfect match of ammo to your rifle to obtain top performance and unsurpassed accuracy for a fraction the cost.

[WoodGuy]

Perferator said: "None of these reflect the start up cost of brass or any reloading equipment such as dies, press, scale etc."

As stated you have to amoritize the cost of equipment in addition to totaling ongoing component/supply costs. Also, your time is worth something so there is an accompaning opportuninty cost. A hazard/safety analysis and risk assesment should be considered. There may also be legal implications with your activity locale, the process itself and the final product. Almost all manufacturers void warranties of firearms used with non-factory ammo.

That said the biggest savings come from volume and/or with those rounds that have comparatively expensive factory cost, for instance the less common magnums or obsolete chamberings. The volume metric can be diminished with case quantity purchases of factory ammo. The biggest payoff may be the satisfaction of superior customized ammo to a particular gun. The cost/benefit ratio may or may not be favorable depending on individual variables and is a decision that should not be taken lightly.

The hunting/shooting buddies I have that handload are very serious hobbyist with extensive training, knowledge and experience. Monetary cost was not their primary motivation. With all the ramifications and considerations related to me and repeated here I decided it wasn't for me. However I have great respect for those who have safely mastered this aspect of the shooting sports. Without the pioneering efforts of handloaders and wildcatters many (or most) of the chamberings we enjoy today would not be available.

[Lodiman]

I shoot more b/c I handload and ammo is cheaper. I paid for my initaial investment probably 700 or 800 rounds ago. I got set up for around 200 to 250 init. cost and I ahve added some stuff. But when I save I think 10 to 20 per box of shells the investment paid for itself easily in the first 20 to 30 boxes.

[Beowulf]

I was just figuring this out two weeks ago for the cost of some bigbore ammo. I plan to head to Namibia this comming year and needed to load some ammo up for three rifles. For 100 rounds each rifle I loaded 50 solids and 50 TSX's. I saved $70 a box on the Rigby and 450/400 and $45 on the 375 H&H and that included the cost of new brass. It about paid for the cost of most my reloading equipment. With 223 I find the cost difference to be very little between reloads and mil-surp. Even buying .223 FMJ bullets in lots of 8 or 10 thousand and powder in 8 pound kegs I dont save much. If I shot all mil-surp .223 and sold the brass to others I would come out a bit ahead but then I wouldnt have match grade ammo either.

[farmer]

Here is the cost break down for my new 416 Rigby.

Factory ammo cost is between $3.75 (Hornady) and $20 (Winchester) per shot depending on manufacturer.

First run reloading is between $2.59 and $9.55 per shot depending on brass source and bullet choice.
Re-using the brass for subsequent loads lowers the cost to between $1.08 and $4.54 per shot depending on bullet choice.

So on a first run I can save between $23 and $203 per 20 depending on which load I was trying to recreate. On each subsequent set I can save between $50 and $309 dollars per 20.

That's a lot of savings plus I get a load that is tuned to provide the best possible accuracy in my rifle.