I've shot Hornady Superformance, .308 SST , 165 gr for the last five years. I get 1/2-3/4" groups. A typical year is 20 rounds at the range for fun and to verify zero. Between deer, hogs and coyotes maybe another 50.

What would be the cost to load the first 100 rounds? I'd be buying everything. All the equipment, brass, primers, powder, same bullets. Also, at a minimum 4 test recipes's to be shot. I wouldn't charge myself for my time.

I see it as something to take pride in, loading my own ammo and getting it to shoot well. Killing a years worth of animals and knowing I did it with ammo that I loaded myself would increase the personal satisfaction level.

If I thought I could load better ammo, and break even after five years on cost per round, the decision may get easier.

JOEL, Reloading your own ammo DOES NOT SAVE MONEY!!!!!. You just get to shoot more. Always trying new recipes to make that 3/4 inch group a 1/2 inch group, then more recipes to make that 1/2 inch group a 3/8 inch group and on & on it goes. Daniel

I didn't think so.

Your equipment paying for itself all depends on how much you shoot. An RCBS Rock Chucker kit will make very good ammo. It will take more than 100 rounds to pay for itself.

This is just a math problem, you can answer for yourself.

Brass
Primer
Bullet
Powder, 7000 grains in a pound. .308 Win uses 43.0 to 45.0 gr of H-Varget, depending on bullet

I know. The 100 rounds would be the baseline. I shoot about 70 rounds per year of this caliber and was looking at five years on cost recovery. I don't know all of the pieces of equipment needed, so to do the math I was asking for someone in the know to give an estimate. I got the math, Just looking at an estimate of the cost of all the equipment required to get started.

I bought my first press, RCBS, about 35 or 40 years ago and asked myself the same question. I'm quit looking for the answer.

I think you just answered my question. I'm 57. I never exclusively considered cost savings as a motivator to do it, but if I could at least break even after five years, and load ammo of equal quality that would be another check in the pro column.

No more than you shoot annually I’d say there’s no point in reloading for that one caliber unless it’s personal satisfaction. Having the equipment opens a lot of doors though, the only thing I don’t reload for now is 9mm and 45acp. If needed I could load those too.

Forget about equipment cost for a moment. Figure out component/consumable cost per round and compare it to the per round price of your store-bought. If there is a savings in loading your own then you can easily figure out how many rounds you'll need to load to break even for whatever equipment you want to buy.

I think there are even calculators to help with this. An Internet search for "reloading cost calculator" will probably get you going in the right direction. Though the calculations will get thrown off by the unknown of brass life - still you can get started.

There is a list of equipment is in the New to reloading info sticky thread above.

With a 308 you will take a long time to cover the cost of a setup, but can tune your ammo to your rifle. If shooting some the more expensive cartridges the recoup is a lot faster. When you can load boxes of Weatherby ammo for 25 bucks or so with the same bullets as some factory ammo that costs #80 or more it does not take long and you generally get better ammo.

Glad the Superformanxe works for your gun, in my old 7mm-08 the light mags would shoot half inch at 100 yards so I stopped reloading for it for a while, then when they replaced that with Superformance the gun hated it to the point of usually about 3 inch groups at 100 yards. Started reloading for it again and it shoots those into the half inch groups like expected.

I have been reloading 40+ years snd still find it relaxing

The kit I mentioned will get you going, after you add a pair of dies. Hornady dies are some of the best bang for the buck, and a very good dies. RCBS dies are never a bad choice. Redding a very good, but their customer service in the event of a part breaking is not as good as Hornady and RCBS, and Redding are usually quite expensive. Lee dies, don't ever buy Lee dies.

If you want to call me, I'm happy to help with your equipment and component list. Get it all bought, bring it out, we will set it up on my bench, work up a load with your rifle right beside the bench, and you'll leave knowing how to load, as well as a load developed for your rifle. Figure a full day.

As far as burning through a lot of rounds, like hundreds per year, I don't. I'll kill 30-40 hogs per year, a couple of deer and a few coyotes. Some of those hogs are killed with another caliber. I do shoot several hundred rounds of .22 and .40 S&W. Not a $ saving venture, but what in hunting is? I'm the hunter in camp that may have over 3k in rifle/scope combination but has the oldest, smallest camper and refuses to buy firewood for camp. I may get into it.

Cost savings depends on a lot! There are lots of neat gadgets that are fun and neat and useful that you absolutely do not need. Try to find some used equipment and that will knock your start up cost down.

I found it really easy to save money reloading, but I started out loading for a 270 win 300 wby and 45 colt. The last two have large opportunities to save! I also load for my brother and dad for a few of the same calibers and so we share the load of buying powder primers etc. so my "labor" pays for some of it as well for me, which I enjoy it so it isn't a cost to me.

It sounds like you already have the answer to your question. Don't worry about the cost, it won't break the bank. You just need a "nudge" to push you over the edge....

I started reloading in the 1980’s. I was shooting a lot more than I had previously, and wanted to make my own ammo. I might have had the thought that it would save money. Well, I haven’t saved any money, but I do enjoy reloading, and haven’t shot a factory round in my rifles for 40 years. Each round shoots where it’s supposed to, and no worries about where this box of bullets might shoot. No changes in the scope setting.

I do buy some factory pistol ammo from time to time. I shoot a lot of 380, but don’t load that one.

For me, I suppose all my reloading gear has paid for itself, and I can’t even imagine shooting factory loads in my rifles.

FiremanJG’s offer to help you get started was just what you need, and he’s a pro. If, however, you live near me, I’ll make the same offer. Perhaps I’m a semi-pro.

Not only does it save you money to reload, it gives you the control of your ammo to make and/or do anything you want. I started loading on 38 Special and 270 Win. I quickly learned what over pressure was on the 38 Special loads. I tested and shot so many different loads and bullets in the 270. I took a 1000 yard class with my 270 hunting rifle with my loads running 135 SMK's and IMR 4350. I shot better than a lot of the shooters running AI's in 308 and 300 WM. Once I saw this, I knew I would reload from then on. IMO, it's the only way to go. Factory ammo is often very poor in quality controls inside on the powder charge. And the bullets are seated too deep.

I see used reloading hardware for sale quite often for pennies on the dollar.
Everything from complete set ups to individual components.

I started loading in 1989, the first cartridge I loaded for was the .44 Magnum. Even back in 1989 it was 50 cents every time you pulled the trigger.

Fast forward to today, and the only reason I buy factory ammo is for self defense ammo in rifles and handguns.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

The best I’ve done price wise was 12.5 cents per round on 45 Colt. At the time the cheapest I could buy it was 60 cents per. I don’t know with the components I have now if I could get that cheap but it has to be close. Even being cheap those loads accounted for 4 pigs in one day out of an Italian revolver.

Lee press kit will run you $150 or so. Dies are $40ish

So $200, plus $30 worth of powder, $30 worth of bullets, $4 in primers, and the brass you (should) already have brings us to about $265 to get started on the cheap end.

To answer the OP...

It ends up costing you about $3-5, easily or more depending on equipment choice, per shot for the first 100 rounds you make. As other have mentioned, it's not that indicative. It mostly means $300-400 on the bare min and then about $1-1.25, again depending on component choices, per shot because in this hypothetical u have to buy brass. Again that's not that indicative because of how one considers brass cost.

Now calculating hownluch saving to recoup initial expenditures is a good exercise in my opinion. Aside for the joy that some individuals get from reloading, the cost implication is soemthing I think is important. Now the bigger mins game of comparing cost to justify savings is how to consider brass. In particular, I ran a bunch of cost scenarios to justify buying Lapua brass based on assumed brass life.

Anyways, good luck. I'm fairly new to reloading and hot totally hooked. I started with 308 as well to save money. For whatever it's worth, at this point every round costs me about of 178gr eldm with varget costs me about 60 cents. But that's the cheapest number because it's only consumables; powder, bullet and primer. Now I stopped tracking how many rounds ive made to date so no way of distributing the equipment costs to date. BUT I'm on my 4ht loading for my lapua brass which means each round costs me 85 cents, and the next on will cost me 80 cents and so on. Fyi, I planned on getting 10 firings out of the brass. I got totally hooked but I went into it wanting to shoot long distance.

For a basis of comparison, my ammo out performs federal gold medal match 175smk, which was the best factory ammo results for my rifle. And u can see what that costs, almost always over a dollar.

Been reloading since Jr high(1972?) Stock up on components and you'll have no worries.
I put off casting boolits for years because of the $$. Now I can't imagine not casting. Ammo is really inexpensive now.

Papalote

It's a hobby that encourages you to shoot more. How much do you spend on other hobbies without thought of an ROI?

double tap

I doubt that it really pays off. But, neither does having more than one gun, too much fishing gear, way too many tools, etc.

It's just what I do.