Guns, Bows, Shooting Sports, and Hunting Reloading, any money savings

[jandtjil]

I haven't reloaded 12ga shells in probably 6 years and since then I know ammo prices have soared.

Is reloading shotgun shells a viable money saver for a guy who is maybe going to reload 15-20 boxes a year? I dont shoot trap or skeet with groups anymore, but might start shooting a few rounds with the Mrs, maybe one weekend a month. When I did reload they were similar to Win AA rounds, not too hot. , but fast enough to help with my limited hand/eye coordination. :-laf JJ

 

[BIGNASTY]

If you have the equipment then reload but if you dont and your only in the 15-20 box a year group and have to buy the equipment I wouldn't think it would be worth the cost. It is addicting so you might shoot more if it's cheaper. JMO

 

[jandtjil]

I do, I have a MEC 600, slow... but it certainly has been trouble free.
Yeah I could sit down and get some prices on components/powder/shot, but am hoping someone has some recent "ballpark" prices what a box is costing them to reload.

 

[BIGNASTY]

cant help you there I just reload because I know it's cheaper

 

[JKreiss]

It really boils down to what you shoot. For me, cost doesn't factor into my 7. 62 or shotgun shells, it's cheaper to just buy them. But for my . 300 wby, or 325 wsm, etc. it's cheaper to reload, plus you can't get close with factory ammo to the performance and CONSISTENCY of well made handloads. I'm still fairly green with all of it and have been learning from my dad when time allows. The big questions are what are you going to shoot, how much are you going to shoot, and what are you looking for (accuracy, velocity, etc. ) My dad gave me all his old stuff so i just had to buy dies so it was cheaper for me to start.

 

[sarj]

Mr. J. Burchfield made some wise observations and comments on the 380 thread last month. I like how he thinks and my safe reflects it. He commented on reloading in that thread, and I almost was tempted to trouble him with private communications to pursue his thoughts & recommendations about reloading, but I didn't want to impose on his time for such selfish reasons. With a little luck, he may weigh in on this subject here.

 

[dpotter]

I have been reloading since 1989 and one thing i know for sure, I have not saved any money. I shoot as much & as often as I can afford. If you reload, you can shoot more for the same $$. I started reloading for the "savings", haha. But, I do get to shoot a lot more for the same $$. The bigest problem I have is my kids, they seem to think Dad's reloaded ammo is free! I guess it is for them. Also, buy good quality and it will last a lifetime.

 

[goodguys75]

also your time is a huge factor... it is also worth something... .....

 

[SRath]

I coach a high school trap shooting team and my sons both shoot on it. My cost last summer to reload decent rounds that matched the Remington Nitro 27's we like for competition (we must use factory loads for competition), was right at $4 per box for 12 ga.



I gave my old Mec 600 Jr. (and arm) one heckuva workout trying to keep up with all the practice rounds and really need to upgrade to a progressive loader.



We could buy cheap factory light loads for $5 to $6 per box, but they weren't as good as our reloads, and that extra $1 or $2 per box over hundreds of boxes really adds up. As the coach, I far too often found myself supplying other members of the team with practice rounds. It is a great sport and getting high school kids involved is good for both them and the sport, but it has also become a pretty expensive sport compared to just a few years ago.

 

[The patriot]

I dont reload shotgun ammo but I have to think if you already have the equipment it has to be cheaper.

As long as you shop around and get good deals on your components.

 

[HHhuntitall]

I dont reload shotgun ammo but I have to think if you already have the equipment it has to be cheaper.

As long as you shop around and get good deals on your components.

There's a lot to be said by that comment right there. Reloading tools are the most expensive startup cost for the reloader. Basically, powder, primers, and shot are up by about 30% over 6-7 years ago. Cheap shotgun ammo at WalMart and Cabela's is up 200% in the same time period. A lb of powder is around $16. 50, a box of primers is $35/per 1000, wads are $12 per 500, and shot is @ $40 for 25lbs. So figure your loads, lets load, say 12ga Winchester hulls with 1oz of #8 shot, shooting AA Winchester hulls, 16grains of Hodgdon TiteWad, CCI209 Primer. To load 500 rounds of ammunition you will need two lbs powder, one bag wads(presuming they are all good and you don't ruin any), two bags of shot, 500 primers(can be bought by 100 or 1000), and your cleaned hulls. That totals to $166, but remember you have residual powder, primers, and shot. Two cases of cheap 12ga ammo from Wally world is $120, so figuring that you only used 1/10 of the 2nd lb of powder leaves you $14. 85 in powder, half the primers at $17. 50, and 3/4 a bag of shot left leaves $30. If you subtract what you have left over, you end up with $103 in actual cost in the 500 rounds... ... . IT takes a lot of reloading scatter-rounds to pay for the tools, but to me, it's worth it. I know each time I touch off the trigger, the patterns are tighter, faster, and more consistent.

 

[moparguy]

I bought a little Pacific Press in about 85 to load for my new Redhawk 44, the old guy at the gun shop said "you won't save any money, but you can shoot more". He was right.