to load a box of shotgun shell for about 3.00 a box is alfull hard to do if to go to a sporting goods store and buy you supplies. lead 45.00 for 25lbs,wads 11.00 for 500,primers 35.00 a thousand and powder at 24.00 a lbs. and here theres 6 percent tax too, and that comes out to over .25 cents per shell. now if you go in with friends and buy a truck load of supplies you can cut the cost quite a bit. i just bought rem gun club 1-1/8-#7.5 shot 12ga shells at bass pro for 53.00 a flat including tax and that comes out to .22 cents a shell, and its hard to load a comparable load for that price. i am not busting any one,s balls,but for alot of people reloading may not be the money savings thing to do,as not every one has a mec 9000g or ever a mec 650. try running 500 shells with your mec 600 or god forbid a lee load all in less than 2-3 hours. eastbank.