Reloaders?

[lockhart]

I bought my Smith & Wesson .500 magnum in 2005. I bought a box of Corbon 440 grain ammo, the 1650 fps loads. A box of TWELVE rounds cost me $36.00! Thats THREE DOLLARS per round! I sent off for a bullet mold from RCBS that cast a 400 grain bullet from wheelweights. Once you have the brass, the cost of reloading that .500 Smith is around .85 cents per round, with my casting my own bullets. Now, you tell ME if reloading is saving me money. I've been shooting IHMSA silhouette for 40 years, and I would have had to quit shooting it 39 years ago if I had to shoot factory rounds.

[dustnchips]

Low production rounds are very expensive, but with common high production rounds the gap between roll your own and store bought gets very narrow. I only reload a bit now, but common rounds can not be reloaded for 30% of production ammo. 357 Max is an expensive round with a high ratio while 38 special is low. I only reload the Max. Depends on what you shoot and how you want to spend your time. I prefer reloading for rifles to tune the load to the gun. Lots of minor adjustments and lots of testing rounds.

[340pd]

My rough reload costs based on pricing bought before the Chinese virus hit our sport.

These are approximate but pretty darn close. The 380's are low because I got a closeout deal on a couple thousand.

All FMJ's, Primers @.03¢ ea. Powders at $22/lb.
.380 - $4.00/box
38/.357 - $7.00/box
9mm - $7.00/box
45acp - $8.00/box

Using lead bullets, which is something I really avoid, my prices would be lowered dramatically.

Post Chinese virus/riots the prices would rise by about 20% but due to me having lived through five or six other "shortages" I will likely not live long enough to pay those inflated prices.

That said in 2015 I built a "black rifle" and not loading .223/5.56 I bought a fair amount of ammo at the crazy high price of 40¢/round. Only to see it fall to half that price a couple years later. Reflecting back, that 40¢/rd. looks like a bargain by today's craziness.

[scattershot]

As a general rule, it doesn’t pay to reload something like 9mm. With the current craziness, though, all bets are off. At current prices, I figure it costs $23.00 or so per hundred rounds of .45 ACP. I recently saw 100 rounds of range ammo in that caliber for $75.00, plus shipping. I’ve been reloading for almost 50 years, so my equipment has more than paid for itself. I guess the bottom line is, during the shortages that crop up with increasing frequency, I can still shoot, when a lot of other folks can’t.

If you do start reloading, my advice is to stock up on primers, more than you think you need. That’s the only thing you can’t substitute or make yourself. Good luck!

[340pd]

scattershot is correct. If you are young or shoot a lot, buy five times as many primers as you ever think you will need. They will always have value and are the only component that will stop your ability to load something.

With so many manufacturers going to SPP for 45acp, your shelf SKU's are reduced.

My LPP are cost averaged at less than $25/m. Powder is still currently less than 2¢/rd.
Last night I ordered from Precision Bullets, 1000 230 gr. coated lead bullets for $105 delivered which included my "first time buyer discount". This is my first deviation from FMJ's or plated bullets which have increased dramatically and are still in short supply.

Stuff is out there and paying for a single stage press and a set of dies can pay for themselves in a short time.

I was at my local gun club yesterday and they were selling 9/mm for $28/bx and one of the managers told me they were not making a lot of money at that price but did not want to increase it for fear of riling customers who will still buy and shoot a box at that price.
I am very happy that the range where I work does not sell any ammo.