I reload pistol cartridges, mostly .45 ACP, using a Dillon 550. In 1991, I figured that it would take about $800 to get started with a 550 and most of the trimmings. I estimated that I could reload .45 for about 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of factory ammo. That would result in breakeven being reached at about 5500 rounds or so.
The numbers have undoubtedly changed since then, but I suspect not markedly.
Don't expect to save a bunch of money by reloading. Expect to shoot a bunch more spending the same money.
Here's an article I wrote in 1999 for our club newsletter. One thing I didn't take into account at the time is that each time I shoot, I tend to lose about 10% of the cases. So the cost per reloaded round is a bit higher than is shown here. These are 1999 costs, so 2006 costs will be different:
Reloading – Is It For You?
What comes out of the barrel each time you shoot a gun is not just a bullet – it’s money. As my shooting hobby has grown over the years, I found that my desire to shoot was bumping up against my budget. So I finally took the plunge and started reloading.
Are You Ready To Reload?
All the good reloading manuals start with the same caution: you can hurt yourself badly, or worse. To be a safe reloader, you must have common sense. You must show attention to detail, and you must follow the recipes in the reloading manuals. If an experiment goes wrong in the kitchen, you can always just call for a pizza. The consequences of a failed reloading experiment could be far more grave. A few years ago, a club member blew up a Smith & Wesson revolver due to an overcharged round that he reloaded. Fortunately, the damage was confined to gun, but it could have been much worse.
To quote from Lyman’s 47th Reloading Handbook, “…if you think all loading manuals are conservative, that maximum loads can be exceeded, or that specific cautions can be ignored by a savvy person, then I promise you that reloading is not for you.”
Is It Worth It?
So, you’ve decided that you’re careful enough to reload. Just how much money can you save by reloading?
Let’s take a quick look at how much it costs to reload 1000 rounds of .45ACP using 230 grain lead round nose bullets. The primers will cost $15. The bullets will cost about $40. 4 lbs. of Alliant Bullseye powder costs about $55 and is enough for about 6200 rounds of .45 ACP. That works out to about $9 of powder per 1000 rounds. 1000 rounds of unprimed brass costs about $110. Assuming that we can get reload the brass 10 times before it needs to be discarded, that gives us a cost of about $11 for brass. Adding all the costs up yields a figure of $75 per thousand, or about 7.5 cents per round.
Full metal jacket bullets are about twice the price of lead round nose, costing about $80 per thousand. So loading full metal jacket 230 grain bullets would bring our costs up to about $115 per thousand or 11.5 cents per round.
Now, let’s compare that to factory ammunition. You can get .45 ACP full metal jacket Sellier & Bellot mail order for about $10 per box of 50, not including shipping cost. Total cost for $1000 rounds would be around $220, or 22 cents per round.
So, you can reload .45 ACP for one-third to one-half the cost of factory ammunition.
What’s It Cost To Get Started?
By now, you’re probably asking so how much does all this stuff cost?
Unfortunately, it’s not cheap. I decided to buy a progressive press from Dillon Precision. They’re generally regarded as expensive, but well built and with excellent support. Dillon offers a lifetime warranty – if it breaks, they’ll fix it for free, no questions asked. You don’t have to be the original owner or show a receipt. There certainly are other, less expensive, manufacturers you might want to consider, including RCBS, Lee, and MEC. But I won't buy anything other than a Dillon.
Here’s a list of what you’d need to get started reloading .45 ACP with Dillon’s RL 550B progressive press:
Description Price
RL550B reloader $319.95
Balance beam scale
Dial caliper
Primer flip tray
Bench wrench
Case lube
Safety glasses
Machine cover
Reloading handbook
Accessory package deal $160.95
large pickup tubes, set of four $10.95
Case cleaner $87.95
Media separator $32.95
Walnut cleaning media $15.95
Roller handle $30.79
Bullet tray $27.49
Bullet puller $24.95
.45acp dies $49.95
.45acp ammo boxes, set of 10 $23.40
Total: $785.28
As you can see, it takes a substantial investment to get started reloading. How long will it take for that investment to pay off? If we’re reloading 230 grain lead round nose for $75, then we are saving about $145 over the $220 cost of factory ammunition per 1000 rounds. Dividing the cost of the reloading setup, $785 by the savings per 1000 rounds, or $145, we get 5.4. If I’ve done my math correctly, that indicates the press will pay for itself after loading 5400 rounds.
You can spend less by starting with a single-stage press, rather than a progressive. But the progressive press will reload much faster, especially for pistol calibers.
How Fast Can You Reload?
If I’ve convinced you that it pays to reload, you’re probably wondering just how much time all this takes.
Dillon Precision claims that their RL 550B press has a rate of 500-600 rounds per hour. I’m still relatively new to reloading and I’m certainly trying to be cautious, rather than win a race. Nevertheless, I think Dillon is being a bit optimistic here. When I figure out how many rounds I can load in an hour, I include the time required to: 1) fill the primer pickup tubes, 2) reload the ammunition, 3) put the ammunition into ammunition boxes, and 4) clean up my work area. If I add in all those steps, I can reload about 300 rounds in an hour. So I can reload a weekends worth of ammunition in just a couple hours during the week.
Is Reloading For You?
I enjoy reloading. I’m afraid that it probably isn’t saving me any money – instead, I’m just shooting a lot more. As you can see, it takes a substantial investment to get started. And that investment includes not just money. You must spend a significant amount of time learning about reloading before you start. Once you do start reloading, you must do so carefully, cautiously, and meticulously. For me, the time spent reloading is time that I’d probably be sitting in front of the TV. So for me, it’s a good investment.
If reloading still sounds good to you, you can reach Dillon Precision on the web, at
http://www.dillon-precision.com.
