When adding the cost of new brass shells, primers, projectile, and powder, the cost is more than 20% higher than buying ammo from a dealer. Thoughts?

I think that all has to go in the mix, considerations.

Most of us have or sniff out free or low cost brass. Primers used to average $35 per 1000, not to many years ago.

For casual shooting I get by fine with lead or plated bullets. A charge of 4.2 grains of Titegroup goes a long ways, from 7000 in a pound.(1666 rounds per lb). Titegroup powder used to average a fair amount below $20 a pound.

Look at some of the inflated prices with reloading, powder now $45+, primers $75 or more. Those prices are higher increases/inflation than a 50 round box of loaded ammo.

So if one took high shelf prices, for everything, it could easily be cheaper to just buy loaded ammo.

I usually can't buy the loads that I want to shoot regularly, but I can make them!!

quote:

Originally posted by GT-40DOC:
I usually can't buy the loads that I want to shoot regularly, but I can make them!!

Same. I don't reload to save money, especially if I factor in my time. 99% of my shooting is IDPA and other matches and I can tailor the ammunition to the game.

I still reload for my match rifles and for 2 or 3 other things that are either insanely expensive to buy commercially ($2-$4 or more per round) or hard to find on the shelves. For everything else, especially taking into account the value of my time, reloading just isn't worth it anymore.

I'm still operating on pre panic reloading components so for me it's still worth it.

The biggest variable is brass.
The other components will reflect current market conditions and you can reuse brass.
Generally, I see bullet sales on occasion or seconds at better prices.
Primers and powders are a sore point for sure.

I believe the biggest variable is the cartridge. If you are wanting to reload 9mm,5.56,7.62x51, then yes, buying loaded ammo is probably cheaper. Consider, however, cartridges like anything 338, 375, or the like. My 416 Rigby, when I could find ammunition, was somewhere around $12-20 a round, before C19. Post scamdemic it is simply gone. I can load it for around $3-5 at today’s prices, excluding brass.

Short version: for less popular cartridges, reloading creates tremendous savings and availability. For milsurp stuff, it makes no financial sense.

Reloading never really has been about saving money, really. It is a pleasurable hobby, provides ammunition availability, and can produce more accurate ammunition tailored to your firearm. That is really the reasons to get into it.

This is true if you limit yourself to 9mm Parabellum. However if your shoot something "exotic" such as the 380 it's still less expensive to reload. Off the top of my head the "exotic" calibers are ones like the 380, 38 special or 357 Magnum, any 40 or 10mm caliber, any 44 caliber, any 45 caliber, any .454 or .500 caliber, and of the 32 and smaller calibers. Basically if it's not 9mm it will be less expensive to reload.

One prime example where folks are really getting overcharged for ammo is the 380. The 95 grain bullets are distinctly less expensive that 115 grain loads, brass will last basically forever, primers are 80-90 per 1000, and powder usage for the 380 is minimal.

So lets work up the cost for 380 with a 100 grain plated bullet from Extreme bullets. Price there is 39.3 per 500, bullet cost per 50 rounds is 3.93. Starline sells brand new brass for 97.50 per 500 and you'll get a minimum of 30 reloads so the cost per box 0.325 a box for the casing. Powder Valley is currently selling Accurate #5 for 37.99 per pound so the cost per grain works out to 37.99/7000 and you need 4.7 grains for a cost of 1.275 per box of 50. So, the total component cost for 50 rounds of 380 works out to 5.53 USD and to factor in the cost of shipping for those components lets just throw in another 1.47 just to make a nice round number. Note, I expect that ordering in bulk will tend to spread those component costs over a larger volume so that 1.47 is likely too large. So cost for home brew 380 works out to about 7 dollars a box. I'll also note that if you have a reloading supplier within driving distance you can probably forego many of those costs for shipping.

Note specific suppliers I used for prices are all sources I have a history with and trust 100%. If they list something is in stock it actually is in stock and you'll get a shipping notification within 3 days of ordering. For cases it's Starline Brass and I just love the quality of what they produce, I have 38 special cases purchased band in about 2011 that still clean up nicely and not one single split case ever. Next up is Powder Valley and on real benefit of working with Powder Valley are their Free Hazmat "sales" and the Free Shipping on purchases over a minumum sales that take place every two months or so. Time things right and you can save a good bit of money on shipping. Finally there is Extreme bullets. Yeah most of their bullets are plated, so freaking what, Speer builds their Gold Dot ammo using plated bullets. I have an 1892 Winchester with a 20 inch barrel and I've pushed Extreme 158gn RNFP bullets to 1620 fps from that rifle with no issues at all with the plating coming apart or fouling.