12 cents to pull the trigger . . .

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Prof Young

New member
Loaders:
So I did some figuring and using 3.9 titegroup, 115 gr. plated bullet and winchester primer, it cost me 12 cents to make a 9mm round. That's easily half of what one usually buys off the shelf for. I think my reloading gear has easily paid for itself over the years and on a per-shot basis I am saving money. I don't count the time. I'm retired. Got loads of that.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
I know my own will go "boom" without the supernova "KaBOOM!"

That is enough for me.
The fact that I enjoy it and it "saves me money" make it even better.
 
Yep, I am getting 11 to 13 cents per round depending on the cost of bullets and primers which seem to fluctuate depending on sales (free hazmat, etc.). This obviously does not take the cost of the brass into account which I reuse or get for free as range pickup.

The cost of new rounds is going down to around 18 cents a round nowadays however, so we are not quite at that "half" point anymore.

I do agree however that my rounds are superior to anything I can buy, plus they are tailored to my guns and the type of shooting I need them for (plinking, USPSA, Steel Matches, etc.).
 
And the numbers are even better with larger calibers. I don't know if I am saving any money, but I do know I can shoot more and shooter better ammo. I also enjoy the loading process, developing accurate loads, etc.
 
Did you have to buy lead? I don't know what lead cost's but I've got a ton of lead I got for free over the years. Enough to keep me in free bullet's for a very long time. I'd figured out what it cost to use cast bullet's in a 38 years ago but don't remember what the cost was. It was less expensive than shooting 22 LR's though.
 
Back that long ago we figured a penny for the primer and half a penny for powder and two pennies for a commercial cast bullet. We collected a lot of brass free at the range and at .45 Auto target load levels, got so many reloadings out of it that we didn't count it as a cost. (Even today, I can get Starline .45 Auto brass for about $0.17, and and easily get 30 target reloads out of it (about 4 grains of Bullseye) I'm barely spending over half a cent per load for it, though that doesn't count sacrifices to the range gods. Back then, though, a fifth of a cent might have been reasonable for purchased brass). Cast bullets cost you something in terms of time collecting wheel weights and then there was electricity and bullet lube and equipment investment. So it wasn't truly free, but it sure seemed like it. So, we were in the range of two or three and a half cents a round most of the time.
 
Prof Young wrote:
...it cost me 12 cents to make a 9mm round.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm coming in in that neighborhood, too.

I know that if someone really gets savage with their approach to cost-cutting on 9mm, (i.e. use free range pick-up brass, cast your own bullets, troll estate sales for primers, etc.) they can reportedly get their cost per round down into the same range as quality .22 LR.

And back when I was a graduate student, I would do the same things to try and keep my costs down. But today I am old enough and wealthy enough that going too far out of my way to shave half a cent off the cost of a round isn't as important as it once was.
 
Buying plated bullets while on sale is the way I go. Primers and powders I watch for sales locally to avoid the hazmat fees as I don't use as much as many do..

I figure I'm in the $0.10/0.12 range. Really just missed out as Cabela's had a sale on S&B primers for $20.00 k.. Where I find I'm really saving is in my 380acp reloads.
 
Free brass is everywhere.

I no longer count semi-auto handgun brass as an expense/cost in reloading. I pick up so much of it at the range, that I usually give away 30-50% while still building my stash beyond any quantity that I'll ever need. And, of course, that's after sorting out the low grade brass and damaged stuff that goes straight into the recycling bucket.

.380 Auto, 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 Auto are so prevalent that I occasionally pass it up and just leave it for the next scrounger. (Especially on bad days for my back.)

I also turn .40 S&W and .45 Auto cases into bullet jackets (.430" and .475" respectively), because no one in my reloading network needs it (and it's beneficial to me, of course). Cram some lead into the jackets, and I've got a jacketed bullet for a couple cents. Add some liquid flux, heat, and a couple extra steps during the process, and they're bonded bullets for just 3 to 4 cents apiece (suitable for up to ~2,400 fps in a rifle, and proven on elk).
For higher round count cartridges, it wouldn't really be worth the effort. But for .44 Mag, .444 Marlin, .480 Ruger, and .475 Tremor, the effort of swaging bullets from range brass is minimal. If I put together a run of 400 of a given bullet type, they'll last me two to five years.
 
Yep, reloading can save some serious coin, especially in large rifle rounds. It costs me around $1.00 per round in my 7mmSTW using premium bullets. But to buy 7mmSTW, if you can find it, is around $2.50 per round, and no where near as accurate as my reloads.
 
For 9mm I am paying 7 to 8 cents per projectile, 2 - 2.5 cents for primers, and about 1 cent for powder. So it cost 10 cents to 11.5 cents per round for the 9mm. For 45 the primers is the same price, powder is 1.1 cents, and bullets are 8 to 11 cents.

I buy all of my supplies on sale, with coupons, or mil discount. I have a 5 year supply of primers, a 4 year supply of powder, and a 3 year supply of bullets. I usually buy a years supply of bullets on Black Friday. I am not going to buy any primers unless they drop below $20 a brick for the next year. For powder it is also going to be a very good sale.
 
Time is money

Been loading for 33 years. I don't believe I've ever cost it out; save a few quick run-throughs in my head. I know the savings are substantial.

But that's not why I load my own.

I load my own because I enjoy it. Even the brass prep. Which I spent about 90 minutes doing today. If I didn't enjoy handloading, the cost savings alone wouldn't justify my time to do it.

There are a lot of garage corners stuffed with loading equipment collecting dust because the would-be loader was only doing it to save money. If one doesn't view it as a craft to be enjoyed in and of itself, one is likely to grow tired and revert to buying factory ammo.

And let's get real: none of us handloaders save any money at all. We just shoot more :p.
 
Ammo for my .338 Lapua using Lapua brass, 91 gr Retumbo, CCI 250's, and a 300 gr SMK is about $1.50 per round.

The factory equivalent is $5.00/round.

I load .300 wm for $0.75/round with premium components.
Factory equivalent is about $3.50/round

I load LC Brass, Varget, 75 gr hornady BTHP, CCI BR-4,...holds 3/4 moa at 100 yards, 1.5 moa at 600 yards.
About $0.25/round.... factory equivalent is about $1/round

And to be honest, there is no true factory equivalent tuned to my guns.

Not to mention the therapeutic benefits of reloading
 
Mid 1970's when I started shooting, it seemed like reloading was taken for granted.

When I bought my first .357 Mag, the sales guy just assumed I'd be handloading & asked my how I was set for bullets and primers!

When I mentioned I didn't handload, he walked me over to the display case with the Lee pound 'em in pound 'em out reloader.
A pound of Unique & a box of primers later.....I was a handloader....

It's sad to see so many people "out there in the other forums" that shoot but don't reload. It's like I'd like to grab them by the shoulders & shake them and yell at them "Why are you wasting so much money"!

Sorry...get carried away sometimes :D :D.
 
When I bought all my Pacific tools years ago. I never thought to average out the cost of each cartridge I ever fired over the years. Perhaps I should have. Likely my bench tools have reimbursed me at the least 10 times over my original investment of (129.00) back in the late Sixty's. Very likely even more than 10 times.

Today if I were to average such costs. Considering from whom I bought my components from years ago. Anyone recall? Lock Stock & Barrel or Dexter Automotive.
Those 20th century suppliers. At Dealers cost I bought jacketed bullet bulk packs 2600 to 3400 pcs in one box.
8 lb powder containers.
Primer bulk packs which counts are/were (5000 pcs) to a single box. Only new brass I ever bought. A bulk case of factory new Winchester 223. Likely 3000 or more pcs to a box around 1/4 cent each at the time.
Still trying to shoot all those components up. It appears "I'm not going to get it done."
 
Yes, I am at about the same ..around $6 for a box...using a premium jacketed 115gr FMJ bullet ( Montana Gold ) ...and TiteGroup, etc...

...... / and I agree time is irrelevent - I'm retired too / but since my press puts out 15- 20 boxes an hour with ease, time is no big deal anyway.
 
I shoot mostly bigger stuff, 44 mag and 45 Colt, and even those I can reload for 18¢ a round for target loads, 200-250 gr bullets at 8-900 fps. For high powered hunting loads with quality WFN bullets, like 300-325 grainers at 1200 fps, it's still under 30¢ each. But still, the main benefit to reloading is the process itself: finding the perfect load for each different task at hand.
 
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