What was normal pricing for reloading consumables before the panic?

[Eta-Carinae]

Having finally gotten my permit and facing the arrival of my firearms in MA in the near future, like everyone else I find that ammunition in the chamberings I will want are scarce to non-existant. And, like everyone else in this situation, I'm contemplating reloading.

Having identified the reloading equipment that would suit my needs and personality (Lyman T-Mag II, probably the expert kit, with Lee 4 piece carbide die sets), now I need to see how much the consumables would cost.

And there's the rub. I have no idea if the prices I'm finding on the web for various usual suspect suppliers reflect reasonable pre-panic prices, unreasonable panic induced prices, or simply elevated demand prices that are presently realistic but might go down in the future.

I have two 9mm, three .40s&w, and two .45acp pistols and a 9mm carbine so I would most likely be reloading 9mm, .40s&w, and .45acp in an estimated 45/45/10 mix in use.

What was a normal price for bulk FMJ/TMJ copper jacketed ball in those three calibers (9mm/147gr, .40s&w/165gr, and .45acp/235gr), small primers, and large primers before the panic?

I figure that if estimate the cost based on current panic level prices and something between current prices and what prices might be if demand can catch up, I can give myself a sense of how much reloading I would have to do to recoup the startup costs of buying a press kit, dies, books, case cleaner/tumbler, a workbench, etc.

 

[Big_Red]

Good luck finding the components.

 

[Eta-Carinae]

Good luck finding the components.

Availability for both the equipment and the consumables is a separate issue.

I need a good idea of the operating costs of reloading to decide if the cost and effort to aquire the equipment and consumables will produce sufficient cost savings over buying factory without requiring just as much effort to find the things I need.

 

[Big_Red]

I have only been reloading for a couple of months so I don't know what the pre-panic prices were. However, even with the current prices it is still a saving although it will take longer for the press to pay for itself.

 

[DukeInFlorida]

It's hard to really correlate the prices before the panic. Here's one example of why......

Before the panic, while CHINA was still buying up tons (literally) of metals from the US scrap market.... everyone who was selling lead was applying a significant SURCHARGE for the lead. My favorite place to buy bullets, Berry's Mfg, was charging about the same price now per thousand as they were then. However, the LEAD SURCHARGE then was almost the same as the price of the bullets, as an add on. So, for a thousand bullets, you'd pay like $70 per thousand, and the lead surcharge was another $50 a thousand. Net cost for a thousand bullets was $120.

Now that China has stopped trying to buy every once of metal in the universe, the price of lead has dropped back to a "normal level", and berry's has completely dropped the lead surcharge. Their price per thousand might have gone to $80 a thousand, but it' still cheaper (net cost) than the lead surcharge pre-panic days.

Primers haven't gone up all that much. They're just hard to find.

Brass has gone up a lot, especially the good military brass.

 

[Patriot]

1K of Primers were running $25-$27 last fall. Riley's is now gouging $31-$32 for these.
Bullets (200, 55gr, .224dia, Hornady) were 16.95 at Riley's, now the exact same thing is
being gouged for $25. I paid $33 for primers at Collector's that were $27 last fall.

I bought some primers from a shop recently that were priced at exactly the price I was paying
last fall (and these were of recent vintage) so my suspicion is that the manufacturers and
distributors haven't increased their price very much, if at all, but the retailers are doing a
number on their customers/buyers. YMMV.

 

[DukeInFlorida]

That's why I buy from larger retailers, or from the manufacturer direct when I can. The gun shops, with their high and mighty "Give us your money" attitude can kiss my hairy butt.

 

[jaypap]

I have primers from just a couple years ago marked $13.99 per thousand.

Last year $19.99 from a gun show.

I bought some last month $25.00 a thousand.

Most powders were around $15.00 a pound a couple years ago are now $25.00 a pound in stores.

I just bought some Bullseye and 231 from a dealer who sells from kegs at $13.00 to $15.00 a pound.

The whole reason to reload is to save money and todays shortages do not make that easy so shop around.

 

[Mike_Diako]

i just paid $39.99 for 1k small pistol primers. this it getting out of hand

 

[RustyFN]

Wolf primers last year for me were $16 per 1,000. They are $18 now but nothing is in stock. I haven't seen much of a change in the price of powder.
Rusty

 

[center442]

I felt like I was in Mr. Peabody's Wayback machine while I was reloading tonight.

I was using some H322 powder in 1lb cans. The price on them, in magic marker: $9.98. As I recall, that was quite expensive when my brother bought them.

I have a case of Federal Large Pistol Primers, 5,000 of them, with a sticky label that says $44.95. Bought on a road trip to Kittery Trading Post many years ago.

Jeez, I feel old!

 

[Patriot]

While components are pricey, have any of you looked at the prices on ammo lately? I can't
imagine being able to stay with this sport if I had to buy factory ammo. I haven't bought
factory ammo in probably a year and that was at Dick's for .45's. I sold it as I like my
reloads better, but Dick's is selling this stuff (rem UMC) at 18.95/50 in case lots. I make
my own for a hell of a lot less.

 

[drgrant]

Component price hasn't been a problem at least not at the bulk level. Availability has been a problem, though. If availability continues to be
shoddy, I think a lot of the prices will go up a bit.

I bought some components less than a month ago and the costs were really no different than what I paid back during spring of 2008.

-Mike

 

[swampy]

I went on a shopping spree in 1999 for the millenium. I bought primers for $39.99/5000. I bought a 12 lb keg of IMR 700x at KTP for $99.00. I bought 2000 9mm 115 JHP for $44.00, 2000 158gr SJHP for $46.00 and 2000 175gr 10mm JHP for $55.00...all bulk packaged. The bullets were bought mail order. I used to get my bullets and tools from either XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. The primer order I made was with XXXXXXXX for 25,000 which I am almost out of now. The hazmat fee was a horrible $14.00 if I remember correctly. I bought out a clearance supply of 9mm LRN @ $12.99/500 ( $5 off per box) and chilled lead shot at $16/25lbs at a local store at the same time. I bought 15 boxes of the 9mm at that price and have only 4 or 5 left to load.
I spent a huge amount on supplies in 1999 because I was able to work a ton of overtime preparing for the millenium panic. Now I have to use a friend's CC and address in another state to order items from outside Mass.
The catalogs seem to still have reasonable prices but no inventory. I'd imagine their prices will be updated once they get inventory in.
I saw used Lee dies on XXXXXXX XXX up 3 to 4 times the retail price for new ones. One used 6 cavity lee mold in 9mm was bid up to $145.00 but XXXXXXXX lists the price for the same mold at $38.00. People are going crazy.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

everyone who was selling lead was applying a significant SURCHARGE for the lead.

Some vendors just raised the price. By calling it a "lead surcharge", the vendor creates bad PR when they only give back part of the drop in raw material price when the commodity market retracts.

 

[nickortizzle1035]

i got a pound of accurate #5 for $21 and 1000 CCI large pistol primers for $31 i am looking for cast lead 45 bullets. i found some place with a good amount. they were looking for $40 for 230gr. round nose un-lubed cast lead. all of this was at seperate shops.