Price difference between buying and reloading today .

Mike-in-WV · Post by **Mike-in-WV** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:11 pm

Can you reload 100, 30-30, 170 gr. Soft Point RN cheaper than $46.25?
A box of 20 Federals cost me $9.27 at Wal=Mart. It's been years sense I have done any reloading but it seems to me that it would cost more than that today to reload my own. Mike

cutter · Post by **cutter** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:20 pm

Yes, if you already have the brass.

stretch · Post by **stretch** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:37 pm

Yes, if you have the brass, and yes, depending on what's available
in your neck of the woods, and yes, depending on the load you
want.

I can assure you that I can load 10mm and 41 Mag a LOT cheaper than
I can buy anything to feed those two critters! 9mm? Maybe not
so much of a savings there.

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:57 pm

Yes with a lb of most of the popular powders will load 200 rounds. 20$
200 speer bullets 32
200 primers 4

total 56$

If you buy brass you need to sort of depreciate it at around 10 loads per case, so the cost gets pretty minimal for cases in the long run.

Dastook · Post by **Dastook** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:04 pm

Yes you can save a lot of money reloading. Of course I do it for a lot of different calibers that show a much greater savings than the 30-30 will. The one thing I have noticed for my own personal experience is when I reload I tend to shoot more, which of course costs more. But you have many more fun experiences as well.

El Chivo · Post by **El Chivo** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:09 pm

I've barely shot my 35 Rem because ammo is $1.50 per round in the stores and $1.00 per round plus shipping from Midway.

Even the .357 has gone up considerably, it used to be $12.00 a box now it's $20.00.

30-30 at the Big 5 is now almost $1.00 per round.

So reloading your big expense is the bullet, 10-20 cents each, primers and powder are cheap so I'd say you come in well under half price.

If I only hunted I wouldn't reload but I'm doing lots of silhouette shooting, and each match is 40 rounds, and they go fast.

But another big reason is you can make the load you want, I want light loads for example and most factory ammo is pretty stiff. Plus I'm seeing you can tune the load to your gun and improve the accuracy.

45-70- · Post by **45-70-** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:19 pm

For the 30-30 ammo from Walmart, it comes to about 46 cents a round. My time is far more important so for the 30-30, I dont reload it. I just buy a few boxes each time we do some shopping.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:19 pm

I can reload 100 30-30's for about $8. That does not include the many hours casting and sizing my own bullets or the 6 million dollars I have in reloading and casting equipment.

----------Sixgun

cas · Post by **cas** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:33 pm

Sixgun wrote:the 6 million dollars I have in reloading and casting equipment.

Yeah.. the cost really all depends on WHEN you start counting.

Would you believe that at the moment, this is well over $800 worth of ammo.

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:44 pm

You save even more if you can Cast your own from scavanged WWs.

Mike-in-WV · Post by **Mike-in-WV** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:45 pm

Back in the very early 70's I reloaded all my .44 mag, 30-30, 222, 22-250, 243, .45, and a few others. Sold everything because we needed the money with a new baby on the way and me laid off.
After many years I was right back at it again until about 15 years ago and I sold my reloading equipment to a friend. Spent a fortune in the reloading stuff and it would be years before I made my money back but I did enjoy working up loads for myself and friends.
Now that I can buy the 30-30 so cheap it's really not worth reloading them and I have a friend who reloads most of my other ammo just for cost. He doesn't believe it's worth reloading the 30-30 either when I can buy them so cheap at Wally world.
One of these days I still may get back in to reloading

I have to admit I miss it. Mike

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:52 pm

So if you already had all that figured out, WHY did you ask

cnjarvis · Post by **cnjarvis** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:55 pm

I don't know about my other cartridges but I can load 50 rounds of 45 Colt for $4.58 with the components I have on hand. Make that $2 per box if I cast my own.

Factory ammo is running $25 ish.

Mike-in-WV · Post by **Mike-in-WV** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:23 pm

Don McDowell wrote: So if you already had all that figured out, WHY did you ask

The reason I asked is because there are many on here you know far more than I do about reloading today. My friend just started and loads mostly revolver and pistol loads. Things are not priced today as they were back when I was doing it . That's why I asked the question I did, not to pee you off or anyone else and I'm sorry if I did.

Mike

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:35 pm

Nope , not mad, just curious as to why when most of the answers came in at about 1/3 less than what store bought stuff is , there's still the "not worth it" deal floating around.

Even at 6 bucks a box right now (reloads) , with todays prices for quality components its still cheaper than over the counter stuff. Not to mention if you only loaded say 50 rounds and those lasted 2 years. You still have enough fixins for another 150 rounds , and I seriously doubt that factory rounds will still be at 10$ that far down the road.

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:48 pm

I dont reload to save money, I do it cuz I enjoy it and the greater accuracy is just a bonus!

jdad · Post by **jdad** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:24 pm

The "cost", of enjoying our hobby, is the reason that 90% of my shooting is rimfire. Even garbage Remington Golden Bullets, something I refuse to buy, cost less per round than a primer does. My match ammo, Wolf MT, has an average cost (I bought a lot last year) of .065 per round. If it wasn't for silhouette I wouldn't even shoot 30-30 or 32-20.

DerekR · Post by **DerekR** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:08 pm

I tend to shoot up all of the money I save reloading!

Post by **Hobie** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:42 pm

I couldn't shoot my .45-75 if I didn't reload. Factory ammo is about $80-90 a box of 20 delivered.

505stevec · Post by **505stevec** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:57 pm

I have always had military surplus stuff so I could shoot that at about as much as reloading it. Now I have gotten into levers in the last year and have a .300 savage, 45-70, 30-30, 44 mag and 357 mag. I will start reloading this year for sure.

KirkD · Post by **KirkD** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:13 pm

The local caster just cast 1,000 bullets from a Veral Smith mould I supplied him (38-55) for $55.

shawn_c992001 · Post by **shawn_c992001** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:40 pm

If you're reloading anything hard to find or obsolete of course it's cheaper. Try reloading 577-450MH, 22 Jet, and 401 Winchester. Around here 358 Win. ammo is non-existant, and Midway only had it as a sseasonal item. The only way I got some ammo to hunt with was to buy some bullets and dies, and get at it.