Saving money by reloading.

[Bugs100]

I went on a brass buying spree. In the last month I got 3500 45acps, 400 44mags, 1000 32-20's, 1000 41 mags and 1200 38 specials.

I also got 4000 45 bullets, 500 44mags, 1000 32's, 2000 38 specials and 1000 41mags.

Now I have to be honest and admit it came to more money than I thought it would. But even throwing in the price of powder and primers it's still a lot cheaper making your own and seeing how the brass is mine now, even cheaper the next time I reload it.

All in all I figure I spent about what it would have cost me to just buy the 70 boxes of 45's, that the 3500 rounds OF 45'S equal.

 

[MegaPlinker]

Why would you need 3500 45 cases? Just curious.

 

[Bugs100]

When I reload I do it all at once with 3500 rounds of 45 it will be a while before I have to do it again, It's a lot cheaper I found out to buy in large quanities for one caliber at a time. I can get as much as 7 dollars off per 500 bullets when I buy 3500.

 

[PistolPete]

Bugs your savings will be when you reload the same brass 2, 3, 4+ times. Then the brass doesn't cost you anything. Also, you can buy once fired brass on Ebay for short money. I use to do it for .40 S&W and would use it for all my practice ammo. Much cheaper that way.

 

[vellnueve]

When I reload I do it all at once with 3500 rounds of 45 it will be a while before I have to do it again.

3500? About two weeks worth, then?

 

[Gammon]

If you really want to save money by reloading, you must rely on the charity of others. Brass is free on the ground at your local club. I haven't bought a pistol case in over 20 years.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I haven't bought a pistol case in over 20 years.

I have.

I get all of the .45, .38 Special, and .357 magnum brass I can use for free (if I reloaded 9mm or owned a .40 I could get those for free too). However, my favorite part about reloading is that you no longer have to fear any caliber.

In the past 6 months, I've bought 10mm, .44 Special, .38 S&W, .500 S&W Magnum, and .460 S&W Magnum brass for reloading. Many of these cases are now on they're 5th reloading. If I'd had to buy all of the ammo that I've made for these calibers, I would've paid at least 5 times what I did (including initial the cost of the brass).

I paid for my whole setup the first time I loaded .500 Magnums. I have a Hornady L-N-L Progressive press. The whole setup including the press, case feeder, tumbler, media separator, scale, dies, shellplate, and tools set me back about $700. The first weekend I used it I loaded 1000 rounds of .500 Magnum. Here was the cost breakdown:

$700 for reloading equipment
$250 for 1000 rounds of once-fired .500 brass (eBay)
$112 for 1000 Rainier plated bullets (on sale at Midway)
$44 for a 2 pounds of Titegroup (local)
$24 for 1000 primers (local)
$1105 total for ammo that retails for about $1500

The second 1000 rounds cost me about $400 because I didn't have to buy the brass but I used more expensive Remington Core Lokt bullets and 6 pounds of H110.

With that said, you don't save money by reloading - you just shoot more.

 

[RKG]

One man's view:

If you reload because it is an enjoyable adjunct to a shooting hobby, which gives you the ability on occasion to shoot rounds that are hard to purchase and on occasion to tailor loads to a particular purpose, you may end of saving some money, but that is not the primary objective.

If you reload simply to save money, you'll probably let your attention lapse (with potentially disastrous results) and won't save nearly as much as you think.

(I do not reload range brass. Virtually all of my brass is either once-fired from store-bought by me or once-fired from friends who shoot but don't reload; a small amount was purchased as new components, and a smaller amount is formed by me for calibers for which new brass isn't available (e.g., .308 x. 1-1/2").)

 

[Bugs100]

Gammon, you couldn't belong to Braintree. The only brass I ever see there is 22lr.

I see guys park, walk in to the range check the brass barrels and just walk out and drive away. It must some sort of old timers excuse to get out of the house. I havn't picked up one piece of free brass in years.

It also seems that all the young guys don't reload and use non reloadable CCI Blazer for practice. Most of the them use .40 or 9mm Glocks or Sigs.

It's rare to see any one under 50 with a wheel gun. I think myself that 45's and other large calibers are mostly owned by guys over 40.

Now that I'm retired and have plenty of time I enjoy reloading all most as much as shooting. But I'll be dammed if I'm going to ride around checking brass barrels every day. I rather buy it.

 

[adweisbe]

I justed picked up 300 .45 cases @ the plate rack at Harvard yesterday. I don't pay for brass either because I have been collecting since I started shooting.

 

[rscalzo]

Just make sure that the 3500 rounds of 45ACP is the load that functions and is accurate in your firearms. I've seem too many load up large lots only to find out that they didn't function or that it wasn't the load that want.

 

[Patriot]

Gammon, you couldn't belong to Braintree.

Bugs,

You need to go down there on weekdays. I was down there last Thursday
afternoon about 12:30 and picked up almost 300 pieces of .38 special once
fired federal and win headstamped, along with about 50 pieces of LC 30-06
CMP brass and 50 pieces of .45 mixed headstamp (looked like reloaded brass)
all in good condition. In general, on the weekend you are correct. I hardly
ever see anything other than .22, 9mm, or .40. Yesterday I could have
scrounged some 9mm and .40 but I wasn't up to grousing through the barrels
as I don't reload those calibers.

TBP

 

[Bugs100]

Geez your lucky.. I'm there twice a week and never on weekends. I like to get there about 9:30-10am when there's no one there. I rarely get there when the outdoor range is open.

I actually have 4500 pieces of 45 brass and the 1st 1200 I'm loading with 5.2grs W231 and Hornady .451 230 GR HP/XTP. The rest is going to be from 4.8 to 5.3 of W231 using 230 gr Rn cast.

In addtion I have 1000 41mags to load with 12.5 grs of blue dot and 1000 32-20's using 4.0 grs of Unique with 115 Grain Round Nose Flat Points.

I already did 1200 38's and I did those in 6 days at a hour a day. I pump and load for a hour then clean the press and fill the primer tubes and quit so I don't lose my focus and make a mistake. I average about 200 a hour this way.