I know many people do it for having their perfect load and consistency, the enjoy it, or whatever but from a purely financial standpoint does one really save much? I know now reloading machines, primers, powder, bullets are all hard to find and expensive but so is ammo off the shelf. With that in mind in the current environment will reloading save you money? My hunting calibers I don’t shoot enough to really matter but I send a lot of 9mm and 556 down the range.

Following along for answers.

Unless you’re going to shoot high volume competition with those two caliber I would say no. You will of course eventually pay for the equipment with the money saved, but it could take years. How much do you actually shoot of those calibers per year? 1000-3000? More? It would have to be more for me to consider it a financial gain.

Time. Since you’re not loading for any purpose other than having reliable ammunition you have to put a value on your time. If you was trying to achieve a goal that could not be obtained with factory ammo that would be different. You should figure 1 minute per round once you know what you’re doing. That number maybe a little high but not far off unless you invest in a pretty expensive progressive unit. Those tend to have a lot of set up time involved.

I try to shoot long range and am very anal about my reloading. I don’t want anyone else doing it. I HATE the process and it actually causes me some stress.

By the way I’m about to start loading at 05:00 now so I can shoot Saturday. It’s the only time I have available between now and then.

I’ve been doing it for more that 40 years. If I buy a gun of a different caliber, I buy components and tools.

But, to your question. Hell no.

Reloading can be done well on with basic equipment that isn't very expensive. For those that have been reloading for a while and have a large stock of components bought when prices were cheap, it's a fraction of today's ammo prices. If you are just starting, it's going to be tough to find components and they are materially more expensive.

Not now but it will save over time. The longer you reload and the more you shoot the more it makes sense. There are many good reasons to reload but usually only one or two apply to each person. If saving money is your only goal you might spend elsewhere. I got into it out of concern for someday not being able to buy loaded ammo. Same reason I learned to cast bullets, to be self-sufficient. In that short time (relative to veteran loaders) the price of lead, primers, powder, brass, and OEM ammo have all gone up considerably. Because sufficiency was my goal, I bought more components than I could ever use (at my current rate of consumption) when the prices were "low" because I figured they would all go up one day. It's never too late to start. It only hurts at first.

Others have already said it but I agree, the simple answer is no.

Even if you do th emost favorable assumptions in the analysis, namely assume large amounts of firing for each piece of brass and compare to higher end ammo, then you still end up needing several thousands of rounds shot before breaking even. When I did a quick calc years ago, I used the cost of my hornady kit, which aint exactly top of the line, vs black hills 308 and the number still was like several thousands. More practically, i have purchased more reloading equipment.

The cost savings analysis will probably show it aint worth it.

I think you cannot justify reloading.

Your hunting cartridges, reloaded would save the most money per round.

Historically 9mm and 5.56mm are the two centerfire cartridges you cannot buy the parts, and load your own cheaper than the finished ammo costs. Now, if you've spent all these years saving brass, that will save you money per loaded round.

If you save brass, do some math on what it costs to reload it. If the math doesn't work for you the brass has value, and will sell. I've purchased lots and lots of once fire brass, and am happy to get it.

I did the math, and for me personally it didn't add up. I only have so much time and $ for hunting, and every time I decide to give reloading a go, I end up spending that $ on a new feeder, game camera set up (just dropped $500 on a cuddelink system), scope, small cabin build, etc.

Also been reloading for about 40 years. I can’t imagine that I’ll ever be able to truthfully say I’ve saved any money, but neither can I say that I haven’t. I just don’t know. But…what I do know is that I won’t be running out of ammo any time soon. Compare that to what the non-reloaders can say.

I started loading .44 mag and the cost savings easily paid for the basic reloading setup. Load any Weatherby proprietary cartridge and the savings on a couple boxes will pay for the dies. A few more will pay for even upgraded equipment.

I load 9mm and .223 because I can and have the components. I doubt I save much if anything but I also have a progressive press now so time is not as much an issue as it was even on a turret press. On the .223 I can load specific bullets for blasting, Target shooting, or hunting. A .223 with premium bullets can be loaded much cheaper than it can be bought. Currently I most definitely load cheaper than buying, but I have the components and I have lots of brass.

.308 was a slight savings, but when I got 20 pounds of powder from Chad I started saving an additional $.20 a round with 50 grains of powder in each shell. And you can load premium bullets that are difficult to buy off the shelf already loaded. I ran into a good deal on SST bullets a while back and loaded them up for about 1/2 the cost I could buy loaded premium ammunition.

As the OP mentioned this does not even include accuracy concerns.

The only way you'll save $ is if you REALLY shoot a lot of 556 and 9 and collect the brass. Of course, I'd recommend a progressive for those and it'd take a while to just break even. Don't forget, time is money.

Bad Time for saving money on anything shooting related

IMO, I think most on here reload to squeeze the best accuracy/speed from their rigs. If your rifle is not capable of shooting at least one inch @ 100, just stick with the premium factory loadings, They are VERY GOOD.

If it will shoot 1" groups then you could probably get it to .75" by reloading.

I've been reloading for almost 60 years. Its a good way to kill time......a lot of it...

Thanks. With the 9MM I might shoot 5000 a year? I try to shoot at least a couple boxes a week. 556 is probably half that. All calibers combined I have already spent over 10k this year on ammo. Haven’t shot it all yet of course just stocking up. I have a range at my house so it makes it easier. I don’t watch TV so most my free time in the evenings I am on the internet doing nothing. Figured a press in my home office might be something worthwhile.

I am not really needing to save money but figured if it would save money that would be a good justification. I think it would be kind of cool to do but realistically I have no complaints out of my factory ammo. I have enough Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X in every caliber I hunt with to last my lifetime. I can shoot sub MOA groups with it out of most my rifles.

Do not reload to save money but to craft better ammo. It will become either a great hobby or a waste of your time. I have been doing so since the early 70,s. Sank a buttload for equipment over the years. Much enjoyment.

If I shot 5000 rds of 9mm and 2500 rds of 556, I would have a Dillon 650/750 setup to take care of those. Never have to worry about 750 per thousand 9mm or $1 a rd 556 again.

I have been loading since 1989, and I honestly enjoy loading it almost as much as shooting it. I have a Dillon 550 I purchased in 1994 that has been factory rebuilt twice from almost daily use.

I don't save any money, but I shoot about twice as much for the same amount of money. I have seen drastic increases in accuracy in both handguns and rifles, and much tighter buckshot patterns and slug groups in shotguns from handloading. Of course as several people have mentioned finding components right now is the fun part.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Ammo isn’t that much. I bought 3,000 rounds of 9mm last week for $389 per thousand.

I've been at it since 1985, and the economics of reloading are the last thing I care about. I enjoy the process and get great enjoyment in the field when shooting accurate ammo that I made.

It’s running me 175.00 per 1000 to load 9mm on my 650 lately.

Agreed on the Dillon 650 or 750.

That's pretty high volume shooting for the year. And since you have the time, you should do it.

.224" target bullets are available in bulk. I'm still trying to figure out the best bulk buy of 9mm bullets. I like heavy for cartridge bullets in my rifles, I also like 147's in 9mm.

You're going to run into the same problem the rest of us have, and that's lack of primers. Having your own range, you probably have a pile of brass.

JG, I know it’s not 147 grain, but Wilson Combat has 135 grain in stock at a good price.

9mm Bullets

That is a good price! Thank you.

I have never been a huge fan of the plated bullets except for the Speer Gold Dots. I also shoot the 115s out of a 6 inch barrel and they are at or above the recommended max velocity for plated so I stick with jacketed because I am concerned with tearing the plating and depositing it in the barrel. Not so much a problem with the 147s but that's just my preference. I only shoot jacketed out of a carbine.

So in other words, it boils down to getting an additional 1/4-inch of accuracy out of a given rifle. That's something that would be quickly wasted on folks like me with average skills shooting a factory rifle.