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Cost of your reloads ?

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  • Baddog 0302

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    Excluding or prorating the cost of either 1x or new brass what does it cost to reload your ammo ? Considering what it will cost to replace what you use.
    Example ; Using a 169 SMK, 44.0 Gn of powder, Fed. 210 primers
    About $ 1.00 per round
     

    nwfdub

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    The answer will vary quite differently between rifle and handgun loads. My last rifle load was about. $0.73 per not including brass. My previous rifle load was $1.10 without brass.

    My pistol loads vary as well depending on the pill. About $0.30 for FMJ. About $0.60 per HST hollow point.

    I use the reloading assistant app as it gives me the breakdown.
    7799e2efe3a47c58e530ff7f047565ba.jpg


    Sent from my SM-G715U using Tapatalk
     

    Plinker

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    Good thread!
    Subscribed!

    I’ll just add that I reload 10 calibers combined in pistol/rifle/.410 on single stage press’s.
    I started reloading about 1970 with a Lee Loader from Penneys Hardware pounding out 12 gauge and ever since find it extremely satisfying to load and plink with my reloads. I’m able to plink more with same moneys.

    For sure if I was a hunter (I’m not) I would just find a factory load that my rifle liked and call it a day.

    You can spend big money getting into reloading properly so everyones mileage may vary.
     

    Baddog 0302

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    The answer will vary quite differently between rifle and handgun loads. My last rifle load was about. $0.73 per not including brass. My previous rifle load was $1.10 without brass.

    My pistol loads vary as well depending on the pill. About $0.30 for FMJ. About $0.60 per HST hollow point.

    I use the reloading assistant app as it gives me the breakdown.
    7799e2efe3a47c58e530ff7f047565ba.jpg


    Sent from my SM-G715U using Tapatalk
    Damn, well since I don't own a "dingle berry" or a "maxi pad" ie; something to put apps on , I just use a mechanical pencil/
     

    Baddog 0302

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    Good thread!
    Subscribed!

    I’ll just add that I reload 10 calibers combined in pistol/rifle/.410 on single stage press’s.
    I started reloading about 1970 with a Lee Loader from Penneys Hardware pounding out 12 gauge and ever since find it extremely satisfying to load and plink with my reloads. I’m able to plink more with same moneys.

    For sure if I was a hunter (I’m not) I would just find a factory load that my rifle liked and call it a day.

    You can spend big money getting into reloading properly so everyones mileage may vary.
    Yes , today $$$, and that's middle of the road $$, but my equip. is older that some members here.
     

    Jevaughn

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    I've been realizing pistol rounds since I was a teen. If I wanted to shoot something other than the 22, I had to reload it. I reload some rifle, but not nearly as much as I do for pistol. My pet .308 round is 43.3gr of imr4064 and a 175gr smk with federal 210, so roughly .75/round. My .38 loads are the cheapest, at around .15/round with a SNS 158gr lrnfp and 3.9gr of unique and 9mm is close with a 135gr DGbullets pill and some bullseye or unique under that. It's definitely cheaper than buying factory ammo, especially for 308 and .38.
     

    Jester896

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    to use your example, it would cost me .605 and I would use a 210M or $12.10 a box. I don't have 169gr SMK so I would have to buy them and MidSouth has 500ct boxes in stock....included the cost of them today.
     

    Baddog 0302

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    Roughly 50% of factory rounds. In my figuring I also added a little for HazMat and shipping.
    Plus , in most cases one can adjust the amount of jump the bullet makes , and in bolt guns you can have cases that have a little closer fit { a little more concentric} to the chamber.
     

    Jhunter

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    Damn, well since I don't own a "dingle berry" or a "maxi pad" ie; something to put apps on , I just use a mechanical pencil/
    This is my idea of retirement. I wish I could figure out a way to hang out in the reloading section and shed my phone.
     

    Jester896

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    I would take my phone for the music and set it in the Bluetooth cradle of the speaker thingy...turn the ringer to silent
     

    brasshog

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    Since I cast and make my own my current cost for a box of 358 win ammo is $6.86/box not including brass last I looked.
     

    Ric-san

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    Prior to the plague we all just went through…I could load a 9mm for under $.05 . I cast lead boolits so minus the initial investment of reloading equipment and casting equipment…let see how its done today post plague.

    1 lb 231 powder $50 (approx) ; 1 lb has 7000 grains.
    1rd 9mm rd is 4.5 grains of 231 powder. ($ .032 per rd cost)
    (You can load 1,555 rds of 9mm per lb of powder)

    Primers are avg 1k for $100; so each rd cost $.10

    New Starline brass $18.00/100; so brass ea. is $.18

    Plated bullets $43/500; so each bullet is $.08

    Cast bullet Pb=$1.50/lb so 7000(grains per lb)/115= 60; so $1.50/60= .025 per cast boolit.

    Total cost for a new reloaded is $0.39
    total cost of reloading w/ reusing your brass $0.18
    total cost of reloading w/reusing brass and casting
    lead (Pb) boolit $0.10

    Same holds true for rifle, however they use more powder, bullets cost more. True savings money wise occurs as you re-use your brass, find components on sale/clearance/horse trade. Also since you are making the ammo, you are your own quality assurance, and you taylor make ammo to your standards.

    45-70 Government ammo is roughly $50 per box of 20, avg $2.50 per round. Let’s go over the cost to reload assuming you cast your own lead boolit and reuse your saved brass.

    Alliant 2400 powder $50/lb. 7000/21(grains used per round) 333. $50/333= $0 .15 per round cost for powder.

    lead boolit 7000/340(weight per boolit)=20. $1.5/20=.075 per boolit.

    Primers $100/1000= $.10 per round

    total cost to reload 1 rd of 45-70 reusing brass/casting boolit = $0.32

    So you can save money in the long run. Yes it takes time and effort, but there is also satisfaction knowing you made it. Casting boolits involves scrounging lead wherever you can=free. I’m lucky to have scrounged about 100 lbs on base where I work by taking C-130 wing tip weights that literally would be thrown away as the base doesn’t recycle lead.
    Feel free to double-check my math as required.
     
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