Let’s be real. Hand loading is basically a hobby. If you count in the time investment, basement space, etc, is an average shooter really saving money?
Yes, because you are looking at it the wrong way.
This has been beaten to death ... but one more time.
1. If you are skipping work to reload, you are doing it wrong. So your "time investment" argument gets thrown out.
2. Most people usually reload when they would be doing something else that is useless, like watching TV. I would rather reload than watch some mind numbing TV show.
3. Even with the stupid cost of primers, 9mm ammo (one of the cheapest to reload) can still be reloaded for LESS than the cheapest 9mm steel cased factory ammo, and the reloads should be the equivalent of match ammo, so you are saving money and shooting better ammo.
4. No need to depend on stores to carry the ammo you want to shoot.
5. Basement space. Reloading can take up a lot of space or very little space. Just like everything else. If someone uses the basement for a business, then it might be stupid to take up space, but if it is used like the average basement, to collect sh*t you will eventually throw away, then it isn't a big deal.
The investment is not that great depending on how much you reload and what you reload. For example, it is cheaper to start reloading 45/70 than buying 300 of the cheap factory rounds.
I started reloading 6.5cm this week. Cost to start was the dies, bullets, brass and powder. Combined around $350 because I bought several pounds of powder ($200 worth). That $200 investment in powder will give me 700 rounds. Today, good match ammo for 6.5cm is $2-4 per round. Very good factory ammo for hunting is $1 - 2/round. You can do the math.
Last night I reloaded 70 rounds of 460 SW to go shoot tomorrow. I wasn't planning on reloading, but it was cold AF outside, the wife had to study and I had nothing better to do, so f*ck it, I reloaded some ammo.
Just like everything you can start reloading a caliber for $300 or $5K ... depends what you want and how you want to reload.