How much is your reloading time worth?

Prof Young said:
So as a follow up to a "discussion" in a previous post about whether it is worth while to reload 9mm given the prices you can get the cheap stuff at . . . I conducted at bit of research.

At a casual pace I can easily reload 150 9mm in an hour. (using turret press) So the math is easy. At a savings of ten cents a shot, (an easy to achieve savings) my time is now worth $15 an hour. At 12 cents a shot savings my time is now worth $18 an hour.

Okay, so imagine a part-time-in-retirement job you enjoyed that you could do anytime you want, as much or little as you want, and you get paid $15 to $18 buck an hour for it. And you don't even have to leave home.

Is it worth it . . . ?

Life is good.
Prof Young
Click to expand...

Amazing! Either way the money is coming out of your pocket. Look at it this way, by loading your own you can shoot more for the same money but it's likely you'll shoot enough more that it will cost you more to reload. I think the only way to save money reloading is to shoot cast bullet's. Well that was when lead was free at the tire store. I have a lifetime supply for myself and not much out of pocket. Used to go to the store and stop at the tire store on the way by! Now if you want to save money reloading, become a high volume shooter. Of course then you spend more than when you were a low volume shooter. I got into casting because the bullet's for handgun ammo were just to expensive for as much as I wanted to shoot. Free lead and a Lee mold fixed that right up. Now after all these years I have less than $100K invested in shooting handgun's. The equipment will be paid off soon!
 
Depends. I don't bother with 9mm because I have a huge stash of factory ammo. Now 44 magnum is worth my while because factory loaded ammo go for 60 cents each, and I can handload it for just over 16 cents, and that with 240 grain jacketed soft points.

5.56 competition ammo with 68-77 grain bullets is a must.
 
Saving money, breaking even or spending money on handloading for my various arms has been a last thought for me. No, I'm not wealthy, but, buy components when sales come up. Only load on a single stage, RCBS Rockchukar. I load for fun. But, having recently purchased a Henry.357 rifle, I've churned up my loading. Damn, more money down the barrel. Being retired, this is more fun than I could have imagined. My ammo is loaded only for my son and myself.
 
Never got into reloading to save money , after looking back from tools , press and scales , adding in powder , primers bullets and brass . Breaking out even will take some time.
 
Okay, so imagine a part-time-in-retirement job you enjoyed that you could do anytime you want, as much or little as you want, and you get paid $15 to $18 buck an hour for it. And you don't even have to leave home.

Is it worth it . . . ?
Click to expand...

OP wants to know but his question because of the variables only applies to his particular case,for that reason only he can answer it.
 
my reloading time is free, since there is nothing that I could be doing that would pay anything other than good will from wife or neighbors.
 
Certainly not about money; quality, yes. For the most part, My ammo is better than most factory for MY guns. Tailor made. I probably should load for my shotguns, but, I can't beat Wal-Mart prices for the shot -gunning I do. It was/is never about saving money. Pure enjoyment of a hobby.
 
At age 79 my services are still in demand. i could be sitting at a computer 10/7 charging big bucks for my services, but i'm tired of playing the game.

Reloading is very relaxing for me. Gives me a sense of accomplishment to know i'm capable of matching or bettering expensive match ammunition.
 
It's my hobby, it's what I do when I can't get to the range, and all winter I reload, instead of watching the Nitwit Football League.....
 
Ditto most of the above - it's zen - it's craft - it's self reliance - it's to be in generally good company - it's because it's no-one else's business just how much ammo I may have...... what it isn't about is manhours. If I charged myself my hourly wage - I'd not be doing this...... For what I've spent on my reloading gear I could have bought every round I've ever fired to date twice......

Oh - and it is educational. I've learned so much - and I'm safer for having learned as much as I have plying this craft.
 
I'm not sure I can quantify it in dollars and cents. I mean, if I consider that it costs around $45/box of 50 for either .44 spl or .44 mag, and I can make those rounds for about $12/100, or $22/100. Or using an annual set of figures, if I bought .44 spl/mag it would cost me about $800-$900/yearly. I make the same 1,000 rounds for about $210. Just WAG-ing here, but i think that's about $150 or so an hour.

But most of the rounds I make aren't as "profitable." And my varmint .223 rounds are down right too costly in terms of time to make. The monetary cost is about 37 cents a round in materials, but it takes two weeks, 4 nights per week, two hours per night to make 1,000 rounds of the stuff. And that's if I'm in a hurry. I've lolly-gagged until it's taken me more than three weeks to produce my 1,000.

But those bullets will shoot 1/4 MOA at 200 yards, and I just got back from a p-dog trip where I hit 5 dogs at over 400 yards in less than a minute, using only 8 shots. I can't afford that kind of precision out of a box. So despite the cost in time, I continue to load those p-dog pills every February.

If I had to quantify it, probably I'm barely breaking even, and those .44s are probably the only reason I am (well, and the .380s; those things are stupidly expensive to buy), but reloading those pills is relaxing, and almost as soothing to me as fishing.
 
Another really interesting post and replies. I really enjoy this place.

I started making my own ammo because I heard I could make it better AND cheaper than buying it if I did it right. That was my thought process years ago.

Reloading has given me enjoyment, more knowledge about all things "gun" and more friends. It has been a pleasing, relaxing and beneficial hobby for me. Ya, it's a hobby now.

I cannot imagine how much money I have saved over the years by making my own ammunition. I have little doubt that it is substantial but the key for me is that the labor is free. I WANT to do it. I like to do it. Without labor costs I'm pretty sure I've already paid myself back for all the reloading equipment I've purchased over the years. I load 7 pistol calibers and 6 rifle calibers. Several of those are not 9mm prices at Walmart.

I have maxed out my "production" with a turret press. I don't go any faster than that for my own safety. My best bud has a Dillon and he can make ammo like popcorn when he wants to. That's too much machine parts for me. :)

It's been an interesting read for me. Lots of views and ideas here. In the end, for me it's a hobby that pays me back for my effort 2-3 times a week. So, I win.
 
The simple reason why I've not reloaded 9 mm in years past, even though I have the stuff to do it, is that I HATE trying to fumble those small cases into position on my press.

When the price of 9mm dropped so low (prior to Obama taking office and sending the prices on just about everything firearms related soaring) it was worth more to me on an aggravation-savings level to buy my 9 mm.
 
I reload all my centerfire ammo. But I don't count my time because I'm not in a race to save money. I enjoy reloading, though I too find 9mm rather burdensome.

When I look at the cost of loading 9mm, buying 1000 primers and bullets, and a pound of powder, versus buying 1000 loaded rounds I can't get close to $.10 per round in savings. About $.028 for a primer, $.08 for a plated bullet, and about $.01 for powder. That's $.12 per round reloaded, not counting the brass. Loaded ammo can be had for about $.17 per round, and if you pick up the brass as you would need to do for reloading, you can sell it, even if just for scrap. So the savings is on the order of $.05 per round, or $2.50 per box of 50. A minor savings, but perhaps worth the effort if you have a press with bullet and case feeders.

And there is also the brass prep, which generally includes some level of inspection, and perhaps an occasional primer pocket cleaning. Plus the occasional press and die maintenance.

But beyond any cost "savings", reloading allows me to tailor my loads, often assembling loads less powerful than those from the factory. When I look at what I spend on reloading equipment, I doubt I save much money on common handgun ammo like 9mm or 45 Auto, or even 357 Mag or 44 Mag. I may save a little more on 454 Casull and centerfire rifle ammo (other than .223).

All things considered, the savings isn't really all that great (if any at all) for someone who shoots about 3K-5K rounds per year. And if you try to count your time, well...
 
If I can buy what I make, I do. No one sells the loads I load, heck, some of the rounds I load no one even makes anything like them.

That said I could buy a nice boat, a Harley and a Rolex if I sold all of my reloading gear and wanted to blow the money on things that interest other people.
 
I don't hurry even on a progressive, so I am "earning" only $33 an hour.
But I am retired, so the time is available at no cost.

Even if gainfully employed, I bet you can find SOMETHING to substitute reloading for. NFL, maybe.
 
Even if gainfully employed, I bet you can find SOMETHING to substitute reloading for.
Click to expand...

Oh you're right, I have tons of hobbies. I do leather work, wood work, and I reload. I love all three, but don't have enough time to properly do just one of them! It's taken me nearly a month to half finish a display case for my '51 Navy.

NFL, maybe.
Click to expand...

I would sell all of my TVs if that was all there was to watch. Just me...
 
I am retired and have plenty of time for reloading and I enjoy it almost as much as shooting. Reloading I enjoy the satisfaction of loading my own ammo which generally shoots more accurate the the factory type. It is part of my hobby and I enjoy it. No pay or money saving required.
 
Back before Obama was elected I would scrounge brass at the local range. Folks would laugh at me for picking up 9 mm, "because factory ammo was so cheap" After the election and ammo prices, no pun intended shot through the roof folks were whining at the range about the price of ammo, and all I did was smile and have fun shooting my reloaded 9 mm.:eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top