Price comparison question

[MikeInOr]

Sure similar has been discussed but its been 35 years since Ive hand loaded and it was all rifle and shotgun.

I shoot 9mm, 45acp, 38/357 and some 380. I buy whats on sale and an example would be 9mm 115gr Blazer for $200 case.. I see guys buying it and saying "i cant load it for that".
My question is what quality/accuracy is being loaded in comparison to bargain case price?
Basically is the basement price of a hand load better quality than a basement price factory load?

I carry GoldDots in multiple different calibers. I reload my own GoldDot ammunition and can do some practicing with my carry ammo to ensure proper functioning. Reloading my own carry ammo saves me a lot of money.

I also reload my target/practice/plinking ammo. 9mm I would be better off buying commercial ammo on sale. For 45acp I am really not sure. For 44 mag, 50ae, .308, 6.5x55, .30 carbine, etc. I couldn't afford to shoot commercial ammo.

If you don't enjoy reloading it is not worth the cost savings to reload.

I have been reloading for 35 years. What I paid for my Dillon 650XL progressive press and all the accessories was forgotten a long time ago. With as much as I have loaded over the years the equipment cost per bullet is very minimal. I personally would not have the patients to reload with a single stage press.

 

[oremike]

I started out with 45 Colt and wanted to make cheaper than factory ammo but soon realized I was making better than factory ammo for less cost. factory ammo was a 250gr soft lead RNFP at about 800 fps if you were lucky. I was shooting a Ruger Blackhawk so was able to comfortably shoot a 255 gr hardcast bullet at about 1000 fps very accurately. Way better than the factory offerings. Fast forward 40 or so years and I'm still enjoying shooting my home rolled ammo to the point that most of my guns as long as I've owned them have never had any other than my ammo in them. Oh sure when my shooting partner and I get together he's shot my guns and my ammo and me his. We both have been at this for a really long time and on occasion independent of each other have developed exactly the same load for our guns. Now days I commercially load about 25 calibers and endeavor to to make the best ammo I can and sell it for a fairest price I can. I can't compete with Bi-Marts loss leader pricing and don't try to. Bottom line here is that I don't have corporate bean counters looking over my shoulder looking for ways to increase dividends for share holders I can just make good ammo at a fair price.

 

[drakeslayer]

I started out with 45 Colt and wanted to make cheaper than factory ammo but soon realized I was making better than factory ammo for less cost. factory ammo was a 250gr soft lead RNFP at about 800 fps if you were lucky. I was shooting a Ruger Blackhawk so was able to comfortably shoot a 255 gr hardcast bullet at about 1000 fps very accurately. Way better than the factory offerings. Fast forward 40 or so years and I'm still enjoying shooting my home rolled ammo to the point that most of my guns as long as I've owned them have never had any other than my ammo in them. Oh sure when my shooting partner and I get together he's shot my guns and my ammo and me his. We both have been at this for a really long time and on occasion independent of each other have developed exactly the same load for our guns. Now days I commercially load about 25 calibers and endeavor to to make the best ammo I can and sell it for a fairest price I can. I can't compete with Bi-Marts loss leader pricing and don't try to. Bottom line here is that I don't have corporate bean counters looking over my shoulder looking for ways to increase dividends for share holders I can just make good ammo at a fair price.

Bimart had some AMMO Inc 45 ACP on sale for black friday. Knowing their price code I was a little shocked at the loss per box they were taking. It was a considerable amount.

 

[arakboss]

So it sounds like If I buy bulk and load for my 38/357', 380, and 45acp, i can keep cost down.

If you time isn't worth anything, then yes. If you value your time that changes everything. I would guess reloading 100 rnds on single stage press takes at least 5x the time it takes to shoot those 100rnds.

 

[arakboss]

I carry GoldDots in multiple different calibers. I reload my own GoldDot ammunition and can do some practicing with my carry ammo to ensure proper functioning. Reloading my own carry ammo saves me a lot of money.

I also reload my target/practice/plinking ammo. 9mm I would be better off buying commercial ammo on sale. For 45acp I am really not sure. For 44 mag, 50ae, .308, 6.5x55, .30 carbine, etc. I couldn't afford to shoot commercial ammo.

If you don't enjoy reloading it is not worth the cost savings to reload.

I have been reloading for 35 years. What I paid for my Dillon 650XL progressive press and all the accessories was forgotten a long time ago. With as much as I have loaded over the years the equipment cost per bullet is very minimal. I personally would not have the patients to reload with a single stage press.

"If you don't enjoy reloading it is not worth the cost savings to reload."


I agree with this statement. And also consider the space involved with reloading. If you live in a small space it can be difficult to incorporate a reloading area or storage into your life.

 

[Richo877]

If you live in a small space it can be difficult

Still worth it if you enjoy it. I don't have the space to spread out all over, but it takes significantly less space than I previously imagined.

The storage space is the real issue, but if you've got room to store several cases of ammo, you have room to store cases of components. I could see how loading for a vast variety of calibers will start taking up space.

 

[Alexx1401]

Bimart had some AMMO Inc 45 ACP on sale for black friday. Knowing their price code I was a little shocked at the loss per box they were taking. It was a considerable amount.

Many stores will have what they call Loss Leaders. They will set out to lose money on somethings to get you into the store. If balances out as a LOT of the people who come it to buy the thing they are not making money on and walk out with a few others while there. They do keep track of it and make sure its worth it or they stop offering stuff like that.

 

[Xmark1]

As a general rule, the cost savings really go up as the cartridge size increases.
It has been my personal experience that the $10/box 9mm shoots good enough for me.
I recently loaded a few cases of different quality JHP's in 9mm.
Blazer, ZSR, Magtech, and other factory FMJ-RN ammo shoot just as well as my high dollar JHP's.

It has also been my experience that long guns are a different thing, in that handloading does increase accuracy and reduces cost.
On those days I bust off a hundred rounds of 338LM, I save a lot on my handloads and have better results than factory ammo.

IMHO - this is not legal advice, and your results may vary.

 

[TommyFun]

Primers are 3x what they should be.
Powder is 2x what it should be.

I'm buying 9mm for cheaper than the components I have on the shelf to reload it. If I load it, its because I want to occupy myself with something, not for financial reasons.

 

[orygun]

Primers are 3x what they should be.
Powder is 2x what it should be.

I'm buying 9mm for cheaper than the components I have on the shelf to reload it. If I load it, its because I want to occupy myself with something, not for financial reasons.

I bought most of my supplies for a lot less than they sell for now, but if I consider replacement costs, you're right on. Plus, some of the stuff I have now is nearly impossible to come by. I just bought another 250 rounds of 357 because I thought it was a good enough price that I'd rather do than than reload at the present time.

 

[TommyFun]

I bought most of my supplies for a lot less than they sell for now, but if I consider replacement costs, you're right on. Plus, some of the stuff I have now is nearly impossible to come by. I just bought another 250 rounds of 357 because I thought it was a good enough price that I'd rather do than than reload at the present time.

Correct. Some may say 'I got it at…' but we have to consider our inventory prices should reflect todays prices or we're blind.