How much does it cost to get set up to reload/when do you break even?

R

rhinonewshooter

New member
I have asked a few quesitons about shells, and many point to reloading.

I'm not there quite yet, but it would seem that there are some set up costs (reloading equipment) then the costs per shell.

Let's assume you can reuse existing shells, what is your average cost per reloaded shell?

How much would I need to spend to get the basic the basic equipmment?

How much time does it take to set up and reload?

How many shells do you need to reload before you break even on costs of materials/equipment?
 
How much does it cost to get set up to reload
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$4,215.78

When do you break even
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When you've loaded about 5,000 rounds and then sell the equipment off to the next reloading maniac!

:D:D:D

Okay, tongue-in-cheek teasing aside, you can have a pretty good setup for around $300-$500 and the "break even" point generally seems to be somewhere between 2000 and 3000 rounds though this number is VERY flexible and depends a lot on what you are shooting and what kinds of component deals you can find.
 
I believe it comes down to about $3 per box when you reload, so divide how ever much your reloading equipment costs by $4 and that about how many boxes you have to reload to break even.

PS- I am assuming each store bought box is about $7, so 7-3= $4 savings per box.
 
The answer is your payback / if you shoot 5 boxes a week is between 10 and 20 months depending on what kind of machine you need. If you shoot 10 boxes a week - payback is cut in half.
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I use MEC loaders ....and their better machines ( all progressive ) start at
$ 375 for the Grabber ( this is my low end option ) / $ 430 for the 9000 GN / $ 875 for the 9000 HN hydraulic. You can go cheaper - but I wouldn't...

The loader ( for shotshells ) comes with everything you'll need except a scale - so add $ 55 for a good beam scale.

So call it $ 430 to $930 / for enty level to high end. The difference in the machines ( all MEC ): not that RCBS, etc don't make good machines / but I believe MEC has 80+ % of the market ...

A. MEC Grabber model ( manually indexes ) and manually operated / speed is 6 - 8 boxes and hour. Very good long term machine.
b. MEC 9000 GN is manually operated but auto indexes - speed 10-12 boxes an hour. An excellent long term machine.
c. MEC 9000 HN is operated hydraulically by a foot pedal / speed is 15 - 20 boxes an hours. The top of the line for MEC -- but you need some room. Electric motor and hydraulic pump have to rest on the floor. Once its full of oil / its not something you want to move much / if at all.

My cost to reload is $ 3.75 per box ( 25 shells ) - components are shot, primers, wads and the hull. I calculate an STS hull at 25 reloads before I toss it out. I buy components in case quantities ( 5000 primers to a case etc ) ...

Retail - 12ga shells are $ 6 a box - maybe more / ...so my savings is $ 2.25 per box....
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If I shoot 10 boxes a week my savings is $ 22.50 per week.

If I buy the Grabber - to break even $ 430 takes 5 months...( and I still have a Grabber machine / MEC / that I bought new in about 1985 - and I reconditioned it ( spent maybe $ 15 on parts ) and I'll pass it on to one of my adult kids and he'll use it for 30 yrs ...???

All 3 machines produce very high quality shells.

My primary machines are the hydraulics ----but at the same 10 boxes a week the payback is 41 wks or a little over 10 months.../ where when I was shooting competitively, I shot easily 20 boxes a week - so it was a little faster.

Savings are even higher on 28ga and .410 hulls ...where I reload them for around $ 2.50 a box / and retail they are close to $ 10 a box ....

so I've invested in the Hydraulic MEC machines - in 12ga, 20ga, 28ga and .410 ....but I only need one pump ( the $ 875 price ) and I only buy the loader for 20ga, 28ga and .410 for about $ 1600 = meaning I have all 4 gagues for about $ 2,500. Now mind you - those 4 machines will get passed down as well ( when I'm old ...I'm only 60 now ...) and I intend to shoot for at least another 25 yrs ...maybe more ...:D
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I learned to reload when I was about 10 ....so I've been at it, off and on, for 50+ yrs. To me, its part of the game ...and I like it. Its quiet time in my shop / listen to some music ---just relax ---- and crank out 20 boxes or so in an hour is no big deal.

I can customize my shells to whatever I want. If I want some 9's in my 20ga - I load em up. If I want some 8's - I load em up. If I want some at 1150 fps - I load em up ....or 1200 fps / or 1225 fps or whatever is my point...

Its also my pleasure to pass this part of the hobby onto my kids (now adults) and my grandkids ( now 2 - 19 ) ...just like I learned from my Grandpa when I was 10. There is something very special to most kids ...about making up their own shells to go to the range or to the gun club. Its also a time to talk to the kids ( get their cell phones off ) and get them to focus on something different ...

I'd reload ...even if the cost was a wash .../ because I like it ...and while I justify it with savings ...the reality is I shoot more ( with the same budget ) because I reload. But yes - it will save you some money.
 
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The least expensive set-up would be a used MEC Jr. - about $50-$75. You'll also need a scale.

Hulls of good quality are reloadable many times
You'll need wads, primers, powder, and shot
Those items will vary in price depending on what you use and how you buy it

I buy in bulk and I use reclaimed shot, so my costs are right at $3.15 to $3.25 a box - that's over $2/box savings over the wally world promo loads. In small quantities or components and with the used MEC, 50 boxes or so would have you breaking even, AND you'll be loading ammo that you like to shoot in your gun
 
Most clubs sell " re-claimed shot" in bags ....they pay a 3rd party to come into the club and mine or clean the shot fall zones - to keep the lead out of the water tables. The club then re-buys the shot back from the processor as part of the cleanup project.

After the processor seperates the shot from dirt, rocks, etc ....they will clean, re-graphite it ...and bag and sell it .../ some of the re-claimed is junky, some of its pretty good ---depends on who does the work ! If the company is good at it ...its pretty good stuff.

at my club re-claimed is about $ 21 a bag ...and new shot - Northwest Shot is about $ 26 a bag ...and West Coast premium hard shot is about $ 29 a bag...

Using re-claimed in a 12ga or 20ga is probably fine ...especially for practice.

One way to judge the quality of the shot ...is to take a flat glass pane ...and put some shot in a small cup ...and pour it accross the glass pane ...and tilt it a little and see how it rolls. If it rolls pretty straight ...and there are no big chunks in it ...its pretty good. If it rolls like a worm ...then its junk...

But even as junk ...it'll still break targets ...especially in a 12ga and save a few bucks. ( but oneounce can answer what he thinks as well )...
 
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Jim - if I had your shot prices, I'd use West Coast.

Here, reclaimed, when available, is 25, local made recycled stuff shot is 35 and new from Peru is $40/bag

Antique Shooter - Jim pretty much nailed it. A company from WI came to our club and "mined" our trap fields. They clean it, sweep it with a magnet, and the re-graphite the shot. While not round, it works great for practice and informal sporting clays.

If I am shooting for serious score, I use factory
 
remember you are not going to save anything. the savings will only buy more components to make more ammo. "its just getting more for the same"
 
This same company then went to a club called Silver Dollar near Tampa - the first 40,000# they reclaimed they had already sold to a club in PA for sale to its members. Typically the club gets 40% of the redone material as payment and the miners get 60% for their effort
 
There may be a cheaper way. I don't own any reloading equipment of my own except for a set of dies. I buy my components and then use a friend's presses and scales. This gets me into the game without a large outlay. He benefits because I'll also kick in money to buy stuff that he uses (like tumbler media, etc.).

If you are loading shotshells, there are many trap/skeet clubs that have a similar setup. Club owns the equipment and the member provides his own components.
 
When we discuss reloading ...it often centers around cost ...and that's fine...

Reloading does require some equipment - but its really minimal in terms of expense ( especially if you buy a good used loader ) / and with the payback on the equipment very quick ( less than a year for most of us ) buying a new press is probably a good idea unless you have a lot of experience with the press... but reloading also takes an attitude ...

You should ask yourself - are you going to keep the press clean and properly lubed - and will you approach the process keeping a clean and organized loading bench - will you focus on "quality control" and "safety" --- following published recipes, not mixing components that are not in the recipes, etc is really the questions you should answer for yourself....

Reloading is easy - very easy with today's presses .../ with progressive presses the amount of time it takes is really minimal --- and saving money - or making your money you budget for shooting go further so you can have more fun - is a good thing ....but its not the only thing !
 
Reclaimed shot

As we all know, the secret to reload economy is keeping your component costs as low as possible. Bulk purchasing is one way to lower costs and using reclaimed shot is another.

At one time our club sold reclaimed shot. An itinerant harvester would arrive with his machinery and crew. He'd harvest the grounded shot, clean and bag it. The harvester would take his payment as a portion of the reclaimed shot.

I was happy reloading with the reclaimed shot for trap and Skeet practice loads; however, I didn't use it in the .410-bore. Actually, our reclaimed shot looked better than the shot used in some factory promotional dove loads; but, the club had a vocal minority who scorned the use of reclaimed shot.

Eventually, the club found it more advantageous (politically and economically) to have the shot totally re-cycled. This eliminated the dusty work of processing the shot on-site and reduced range down time. The new shot was offered to the members for little more than the reclaimed. IIRC, the last time, a member's share was just under 1/2-ton.
 
reloading

The reloading calculator tells me that I am spending $2.18 per box.
I make my own shot using a Littleton shotmaker and I am able to get "range lead" for free.
I am retired and have the time and the place to do this. In an hour I process enough range lead to make two 25 lb bags of shot. During that hour, I am also running the shotmaker, which will make about 25lbs of shot in 35 mins.
The shot maker is the real cost and since Gun Club shells are about $6.25 a box at Walmart, the savings relative to that ammunition are a bit over $4.00. The Littleton was amortized after my first 110 boxes of shells - about a half year of shooting at my current rate. The shot is just fine for my purposes - my scores haven't gone down - and looks round and evenly sized.
What is my time worth? As much as I want to shoot.
Pete
 
These guys have been helping me get into shooting and reloading and they know what they are talking about. There are a couple of thoughts I have that they may not have emphasized.

Some of the guys buy in massive quantities and that enables them to get lower prices. I don't shoot that much to justify buying in such great quantities, but what they have suggested is that I might buy supplies with a group in order to get better prices.

Also, and the experience posters are welcome to correct me if I have anything wrong, but it seems that some clubs have much better prices than others on similar supplies. I think the reason is some are making a small profit on them while others are selling supplies at or closer to cost to entice shooters to visit their clubs. So ask around and you might discover that you can save by driving a few miles out of your way.

As for how much you need to spend on a machine, much depends on how much time you can allocate to reloading and how much ammo you require in any period of time. I have a little MEC Sizemaster that is fine for my needs. For others a Grabber is a minimal reloader, but some are happy with a MEC 600 Jr.

That calculator that Zippy13 suggested will help you decide what if any costs you will save and much will depend on what kind of loads you are making. Some folk shoot 1 1/8 ounces and some lighter loads. It makes a big difference to costs if you load less shot since not too many get free lead and are so far into reloading to make our own shot.

Shot is your biggest cost factor and the last bags I got ran about $32. I had been paying $44 and some of the guys pay $50. If I could get reclaimed shot I would buy some. Anyhow, even with the less expensive shot, I figure a box costs me $4 and I am only saving about $1.80 a box. It can take a long time to recover the cost of even a less expensive machine like my Sizemaster at that rate, but like BigJimP wrote even if it takes several months to amortize the cost your machine is good for well over a decade.

Another option that some of the guys don't recommend is getting a used machine. Unless you are very "frugal" like me (some say cheap), it may be worth it to get a new machine.
 
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I bought three used MEC loaders, two 600 JRs, 12 and 20, and one 12 gauge Grabber. No major probs, though the Grabber is mo' finicky.

The loads I make for $4 and change per box are as good as the ones that sell for $7 or $8 a box, high quality target loads. My savings work out to $3-4 per box, not $1.50.
 
Dave makes a good point....

For most of us - because we use very good components - we are getting as good a reloaded shell - as the new premium shells ( new Rem STS shells ) ...and new Rem STS shells are about $ 8 - $ 9 for a box of 25...

The promo shells - from Wal-Mart, from Estate ( div of Federal), or Rio ...and selling new for $ 5.50 - $ 6 a box ....and while they're plenty good enough to shoot for practice in Skeet or 16 yard Trap or in Sporting ...I wouldn't shoot them in competition / where I will shoot my own reloads in competition...

Cut some of these promo shells apart someday ...and dump out the shot and look it over ...( its almost like they're using re-claimed shot in some of those shells ....pellets are not all round ...some are not sized per what you thought they were on the box ...maybe its what they swept up off the floor of the factory and recycled ....) and try the plate glass trick ... put the shot in a styrofoam coffee cup ....tilt the glass a little ...and pour the shot down the glass ...and see how it flows ....and I'd almost guarantee it won't roll too straight ...( indicating its not all round ...) ....vs a premium shell ...or a good reload...and I'm confident you'll see a difference...
 
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