Current cost to reload

C

Cousin Pat

New member
Aside from the cost of equipment, what does it cost you per box (25) for powder, wads, shot, primer, etc.? For example: Target loads that duplicate Fiocchi/Rio commercial loads -- 12g, #8, 1oz@1150 and 28g, #9, 3/4oz@1300. I'm paying about $8 for the former and $10 per box for the latter here in Calif.-- I'm wondering how much could be saved by reloading. Thanks!
 
Primers will run around here - $115 to 185/5000
Powder for 12 gauge can run from $90-125/8#
Wads - using AA or Rem clones will run about $75/5000
Shot here runs from $20 for reclaimed, $29 for locally made, $35+ for magnum name brand

My typical load uses 1oz of shot, 17.3 gr. Clays, a Claybuster wad and local shot.

Wad=.015
Primer=.023
Powder=.037
Shot=.0725

Total is .1475 x 25/box= $3.69/box

Remington Gun Clubs run $6.00 on sale
Kemen is available for $5.50

At $2/box minimum savings, payback on equipment is fast
 
oneounceload,
For typical 1-1/8-oz 1,200 fps target loads, I came up with $3.48/box, but I've still got a lot of $17/bag re-manufactured shot from the gun club.
 
Zippy - I used to live 3 miles from the West Coast shot tower - we used to get their magnum $8-10/bag - and that was only a few years ago - wished I had bought a drum
 
My costs are similar on 12ga / 1 oz loads at about $ 3.67 a box ...and I'm assuming a hull life of 15 reloads ( and buying new hulls at $ 0.05 each ) ...

But to me it isn't about the savings per box / reloading is part of the game ...customizing loads for myself, grandkids, etc ... I like reloading as part of the game .....( and reload for 12ga, 20ga, 28ga and .410 ) - the savings are more significant as you get into 28ga and .410 ...

You didn't ask / but I like MEC loaders. I used the MEC Grabber for many years / nothing wrong with it ( it indexes manually / but its a good progressive loader and simple ). I've since moved on to MEC 9000-HN hydraulics / faster / but they take up more room in my shop because the pump and elec motor needs to stay on the floor. The MEC 9000-GN is a manual machine, auto indexing ( the N designates the new primer system for MEC ) a spring activated lever vs the older chain pull spring mechanism.

I do about 20 boxes an hour off the hydraulic machines / but even the old Grabber's will do 10 boxes an hour easily.

There are other good machines on the market / RCBS, Posness Warren, Spolar, Dillon etc .... I've used MEC's for a little over 50 yrs ...so I stay with what I know.
 
Obviously, reloading shot shells is only advisable if you shoot enough to justify the cost of the equipment. When I was actively competing, I shot a minimum of 6-boxes of shells 5-days a week. Figuring a modest, low end estimate of a $2/box savings, it would take only two months to cover the cost of one of BigJimP's MEC 9000-GNs!
 
For what its worth / the 12ga Grabber I bought in about 1980 or so ...I had completely reconditioned for $ 100 / and sold it to a buddy for $ 100 about 10 yrs ago.

He didn't use it much / so about 6 months ago - I bought it back from him for $100 .....

I'll pass that loader onto my youngest son / who wants to get into doing his own reloading with his buddies about 3 hours south of where I live .... Its an old machine / but with a little TLC it'll produce a very high quality shell.

He has a small house ( no dedicated shop ) - so he will do exactly as I did 30 yrs ago ... Keep the loader mounted on a 2 X 18" plank / clamp it to a workbench / fill the bottles / load 30 or 40 boxes .... empty the bottles, put a pillow case over it for storage / put it back on a shelf in the garage ... / and I won't be a bit surprised if he passes it down to his son oneday ....
 
For me, loading 7-1/8oz 2-3/4in shells comes out to about $3.00 depending on the prices for my components. Sometimes theyre a little cheaper, sometimes they increase a little (shot especially).

I was paying $60 for a case of Gun Club shells, so Im usually saving anywhere from 40-50% per box, which of course comes out to 40-50% per case.
 
Can the cheap Wally world value pack stuff be reloaded? (the shells with aluminum or tin not brass shells):confused:
Oh and how many times can a shell be reloaded?
 
The wally world shells are either Federal, Remington, or Winchester. While ANY hull MAY be reloaded, reloading it safely and properly is something else. Most of those are a problem to reload properly and even if done, are good for maybe one time
 
Like OneOunce said - the cheaper rounds are reloadable - but not long term.

By far the best hull to reload in 12ga - is the Remington STS (dark Green ) or Remington Nitro hulls ( gold ) .... and unless you make up a real "hot" load - 20 or 25 reloads per hull are easily attained before they'll crack.

The Rem Gun Club ( usually black hulls ) - use the same recipe as the STS or Nitro hulls - but the plastic is thinner and more brittle - and you'll only get about 5 reloads out of the Rem Gun Clubs...

You can't mix and match head stamps on shotshell hulls for reloading - you need to pick just one to save and reload ( its not like metallic - where it doesn't matter ). Once you have the hull, you pick a wad and powder combination, and a primer ( you can't mix and match primers either like you might in metallic ) ....and set your press up.

My personal favorite reload for 12ga ( for sporting, skeet and Trap ) is 1 oz of 8's, at about 1225 fps - using STS hulls, Hodgden Clays powder, and Win 239 primers - and a "Green Duster" wad...... I use all MEC presses - look at the Grabber model or the 9000-GN / if you have more room and a dedicated space for loading look at the MEC 9000-HN hydraulic presses. You will need a different press for every gague - if you go with MEC. But MEC has been in business a long time / they're simple machines and solid workhorses .....although Posness Warren, RCBS, Dillon etc make good machines too.
 
My only discrepancy with Jim, is that, round here, Gun Clubs are a ribbed green and Game Loads tend to be black.............otherwise he's spot on.

Remington green hulls and Winchester AA's are good hulls, although lately, the Remingtons are found to be superior in 12 and 20
 
Oh great .... Gun Clubs are a different color now ...( they have to keep us confused )...

My issue with Win hulls - is the 2 piece HS hulls ... requiring a different wad .....at least in some gagues / and the internal base cup was moving inside the hulls ( at least initially ) causing reloaders all kinds of issues. It got worse on their 28ga hulls - changing lengths on the cases without remarking them - and then changing them back ...again causing all kinds of crimp issues ....so most of us just threw away the Win hulls ...
 
is it just me or does anyone else find it strange and maybe" just a little bit aggravating", when the OP doesn't respond back.:rolleyes:

you guys gave good, up to date answers and no thank you or anything.

maybe i'm just having a down day:o guess i need to go break some clays and cheer up.:)

i must have changed my e-mail or something,i visit most everyday but i know i've posted more than once.:rolleyes:
 
For me ....maybe yes and no ... This forum is a hobby ...like any number of other things I do ..

But its always good to get feedback ....maybe we bored him with the details ... Sometimes I know we miss the mark on our responses - because we assume something ( like he wants to really consider reloading ..) ....or maybe he thinks we're foolish to reload if we only save $4 or $5 a box when he shoots 4 or 5 boxes a month ( and most of us shoot 10 - 16 boxes a week )...

But I guess it would be nice to hear from the OP ...even if we irritated him or her ( but its not keeping me up at nite either ...) .
 
I wasn't trying to stir things up. i mentioned this on another forum (SGW same screen name) where i mainly hang out. it's just one of those thinking out loud questions i come up with every so often.

i've always tried and usually do thank folks who have responded to one of my questions. even if i don't totally agree with them,i still like to thank folks for stopping by and giving a little of their time.

i really do come by here every day,between you Big Jim,one ounce,dave,zippy and a few others you guys you've got things covered. really enjoy ya'lls post and have learned a LOT.

so to cover for others and myself

A BIG THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND PATIENCE:)

take care all and let's go bust some clays.:):)
 
Thanks for the THANKS!...Much appreciated....as for busting clays, went to do that today.......was NOT a good day for me or my regular squad - we were across the board 25-30 birds down each......must be my lousy reloads....(at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)....:D

(SGW IS a good site for learning things as well)
 
hopper810,
In the of words of my friend, oneounceload, "Thanks for the thanks!" Yes, it can be frustrating when you go out of your way to accumulate data for someone, and never know it they ever checked back.
Almost had a bad day here, too. Met some friends for lunch and then to the range to introduce them to cap and ball revolvers. Got to the club and the gate key-code didn't work and there was a sign "Range closed." Just as we were about to give up, the rangemaster opened the gate -- they were doing some tractor work on the rifle ranges, but the pistol range had just opened. Our timing was perfect :)
1-oz, sorry to hear you and your teammates had a bad batch of reloads today.
All's well that ends well.
 
shooting

Y'know.....I am always amazed at how much dedicated shotgunners shoot. From what I can see, many of you shoot 400 to 800 shells a week. That's impressive.
I have an understanding of how I can shoot that much in practice for a pistol match because there are sustained fire segments that eat up ammo relatively quickly but shotgunning, to me (just trying to learn the ropes here) has always seemed a more leisurely sport, though VERY competitive. Where do you find the time?
Do you shoot every day? Most of it on weekends?
Me...taking this up late (at 63)...I'm still trying just to hit the little buggers.
Pete
 
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