Hand loading just doesn't pencil out...

[AMProducts]

At least, not for range ammo for common pistol calibers. I can buy 9 mm and .45 ACP FMJ's for .20 & .25 a round, I can't match that even with cheap bullets and free brass, and that's ignoring my time, too. So how do you guys do it? Are you buying components in such vast quantities that the volume discount makes it viable, or do you just not care? Or are you willing to spend the time, assuming you can break even on cost, just for the control? Mostly just curious, later.

Dave

At the moment, unless you're shooting exotic rifle ammo, or have an excellent deal on components, there's really no reason to reload. I say this as an ammunition manufacturer and producer of automated equipment for ammunition loading. Given my cost structure for components, I can edge out commercially produced ammo by about 20% for most of the commodity calibers. Mind you, I'm paying about 1/3 to 1/2 what most of you are paying at-retail for components, and that's the best I can do.

 

[Mikej]

At the moment, unless you're shooting exotic rifle ammo, or have an excellent deal on components, there's really no reason to reload. I say this as an ammunition manufacturer and producer of automated equipment for ammunition loading. Given my cost structure for components, I can edge out commercially produced ammo by about 20% for most of the commodity calibers. Mind you, I'm paying about 1/3 to 1/2 what most of you are paying at-retail for components, and that's the best I can do.

Sigh....Do I really have to go through this again? With you? You get your brass, whether from ammo you buy, or pick up at the range. Bullets in bulk(1000-3000), powder, primers, by the 1000. All that is, just hanging around. You've cleaned the brass and put it near the loading area. You get around to decapping/sizing brass. Now, eventually you sit down at the bench, prime brass, and get to loading each cartridge. At this point I may have been a week, or a month, OR, three/six months since the process was started. I try not to let primed brass sit to long though. Heck, when I get to loading that box or three of 9mm, .40, .45, .38/.38+P/.357 Mag it seems like it's FREE! I tell ya', it feels like it's FREE! I hope I never lose that feeling either!

It would be different if I were in it for a business, that's for sure.

 

[Mikej]

Only several hundred loaded rounds Mike?

You had better quit sloughing off and get busy.

1,000 rounds per caliber is minimum..

I did sit down yesterday for a couple of hours and sort, size and trim some .38 special. I'll have to look and see what caliber I have less of and compare how many of what caliber I have empty boxes for. maybe tomorrow during the hot afternoon. K?

 

[ageingstudent]

I did sit down yesterday for a couple of hours and sort, size and trim some .38 special. I'll have to look and see what caliber I have less of and compare how many of what caliber I have empty boxes for. maybe tomorrow during the hot afternoon. K?

It's too hot out...I'm workin' on workin' some up right now in the air conditioned confines.

Also I went out for a late breakfast and a giant Denver Omelet has grounded me. I'm usless to do anything else. Still too full.

 

[No_Regerts]

I roll my own hunting ammo because I can choose the components I want, build more consistent loads that are usually faster.

I roll my own long range stuff for the same reasons. If its stuff I will shoot at a faster rate, I generally buy factory because the time expended loading vs shooting is too lopsided otherwise.

 

[Mikej]

I roll my own hunting ammo because I can choose the components I want, build more consistent loads that are usually faster.

I roll my own long range stuff for the same reasons. If its stuff I will shoot at a faster rate, I generally buy factory because the time expended loading vs shooting is too lopsided otherwise.

I consider myself lucky to have the time, to enjoy the load.

 

[No_Regerts]

I consider myself lucky to have the time, to enjoy the load.

For some reason, loading rifle ammo doesn't bore me like pistol ammo. I think its because every rifle round has a tangible purpose. Its almost like I'm stamping deer, antelope, elk, coyote, coyote, coyote....on each completed cartridge.

 

[Mikej]

For some reason, loading rifle ammo doesn't bore me like pistol ammo. I think its because every rifle round has a tangible purpose. Its almost like I'm stamping deer, antelope, elk, coyote, coyote, coyote....on each completed cartridge.

I haven't done any long gun, yet. I'm pretty danged excited to do my first 6.55 Swede though! All I need to do is shoot more of the PPU I bought so I have the brass. I do have brass/components for .30 carbine but I figure that will be pretty much like hand gun. Unless I need to play with the load for proper cycling.

 

[No_Regerts]

I haven't done any long gun, yet. I'm pretty danged excited to do my first 6.55 Swede though! All I need to do is shoot more of the PPU I bought so I have the brass. I do have brass/components for .30 carbine but I figure that will be pretty much like hand gun. Unless I need to play with the load for proper cycling.

6.5x55 can be weak sauce in factory loads. It will outrun the creed when loaded up proper and fired out of a modern rifle.

 

[Mikej]

6.5x55 can be weak sauce in factory loads. It will outrun the creed when loaded up proper and fired out of a modern rifle.

1902 Swede Mauser short rifle. I'll be staying with the loads recommended for such rifle. Not a hunter, just digging the gun and how it was made.

 

[ageingstudent]

For some reason, loading rifle ammo doesn't bore me like pistol ammo. I think its because every rifle round has a tangible purpose. Its almost like I'm stamping deer, antelope, elk, coyote, coyote, coyote....on each completed cartridge.

I'm trying to get my revolvers to print 6 rounds on a 12" plate at 75 yards with my homemade bullets. I've found that they are all capable with the right load so far. I don't hunt much except for gophers in mom's hayfield, but trying to get that 75 yard accuracy is doing wonders for my 25 yard groups. Keeps it interesting.

 

[Capn Jack]

I haven't done any long gun, yet. I'm pretty danged excited to do my first 6.55 Swede though! All I need to do is shoot more of the PPU I bought so I have the brass. I do have brass/components for .30 carbine but I figure that will be pretty much like hand gun. Unless I need to play with the load for proper cycling.

Mike see if you can find a box of those .30 95gr half jacket bullets. I think they were Speer one of those and it was 14, or 16 grs. of 2400 will really smack a jackrabbit down. Double check that load. I took it out of the book, but it's been over 50 years since I had a, M1 carbine

 

[Mikej]

Mike see if you can find a box of those .30 95gr half jacket bullets. I think they were Speer one of those and it was 14, or 16 grs. of 2400 will really smack a jackrabbit down. Double check that load. I took it out of the book, but it's been over 50 years since I had a, M1 carbine

I believe that's the 100 grain Speer "Plinker" you might be referring to? Got a couple hundred. And I picked up near 600 original Sierra 110 grain soft point round nose from a member. So old they don't have a # on the cardboard box, just M-1-Carbine. Maybe 2100 if you were to find them now? I picked up H110 to start with though.

 

[AMProducts]

Sigh....Do I really have to go through this again? With you? You get your brass, whether from ammo you buy, or pick up at the range. Bullets in bulk(1000-3000), powder, primers, by the 1000. All that is, just hanging around. You've cleaned the brass and put it near the loading area. You get around to decapping/sizing brass. Now, eventually you sit down at the bench, prime brass, and get to loading each cartridge. At this point I may have been a week, or a month, OR, three/six months since the process was started. I try not to let primed brass sit to long though. Heck, when I get to loading that box or three of 9mm, .40, .45, .38/.38+P/.357 Mag it seems like it's FREE! I tell ya', it feels like it's FREE! I hope I never lose that feeling either!

It would be different if I were in it for a business, that's for sure.

I recently had to buy some powder at retail. I was absolutely floored by the price. Thankfully, it was at a customer request, and it didn't work out, so I never have to buy it again.

 

[orygun]

Whether or not handloading pencils out for anyone has a lot to do with what they want to shoot.
First, you have to invest the money to buy the reloading tools. This can often be divided somewhat by how many calibers you end up loading for. Second, you invest in components. Third, your time. How much time you devote differs due to expectations of your reloaded rounds.
When I shot a 500 S&W Mag it was $2-2.50 per shot. Once I had the brass I could load a round for slightly less than a buck. That penciled out.
I shoot a 30-06 Ackley Improved. No way I'm going to be able to buy new ammo. Pencil or not, I have to reload. (same press, by the way as what I used for the 500)
I will load up 7-800 rounds of 45 ACP when I sit down to do it. I don't do that very often because I can often buy FMJ ammo for a reasonable price. For the 45 ACP, nah, it wouldn't really save me money if I didn't already have the press. Mom and Dad gave me the dies for a birthday gift, so that didn't hurt either.

Yesterday I had a $50 Visa card I needed to burn before the end of the month. I have a new 44 Mag and knew I could buy a set of RCBS carbide dies for $55, which is what I started out to do. Instead I added a little more cash and bought two boxes of ammo. Shooting today beats shooting next week.

 

[Rick4570]

ifin it don't pencil out try using a pen.......................

 

[5nmay5]

I don't buy brass... my friends bring me their brass, i reload it, give then a few hundred rounds and call it square. I have about 70 pounds of brass just waiting to be loaded right now... i do 9mm and 5.56, though i got plenty of .40 and .45 just sitting in a shoe box.

 

[Bealzybub]

Check the price of 577 Snider and ask me that again

 

[BigDanS]

Reloading has lots if facets. For me, its part if the craft. Knowing how to reload is a skill I wanted to keep ip with. I load pistols and revolvers cheap, and rifles accurate.

I bought a 120 lb 5 gallon bucket of wheel weights from a tire shop and melted the lead into ingots. I make .38 / .357 from lead for about .02 each. Any lead bullet from .02 to .04. I load a box of accurate .38's for about $2.

I load rifle bullets only for their accuracy, but I load my 45-70 for about .10 a round or $5 for 50. Shooting Trailboss 45-70 rounds is a hoot.

D

 

[osprey]

Funny story about a novice reloader. A good friend wanted to get into reloading and had $800 worth of Cabelas points so I went with him and got him outfitted. I showed him the ropes on bottlenecked rifle on my setup and cut him loose. He showed up at my house yesterday as we were going to hit the range. He had 50 loaded in .2 gr increments up to max for his 300wsm. He mentioned he had a couple seated too short and couldn't figure out his kinetic puller. I told him to grab them and we could fix them up before we hit the range. What I saw when he brought them to my reloading room was what looked like a loading block full of weatherby 300 short mags. They all had a funky double radius shoulder like a weatherby cartridge. I just started laughing. I told him he couldn't shoot them as the were all messed up. We went back through adjusting the seating die without crimping and how to use kinetic puller. He went home to pull 50 bullets and I went to the range without him. He is a bright guy and I like his chances going forward, but it just goes to show, you need to pay very close attention to details. Hard to make it pencil out when you start out by Yogi-ing 50 pcs of new brass.