To each his own.
5.56 is still shipping for under $400/1,000, but that’s still almost 40¢ per round.
On the other hand, once you’ve got the brass, you can reload for less than 20¢ per round.
That’s half price, which saves more than a “few pennies.” Still, depending on how busy I am, sometimes it’s just not worth it…
Bimmer
Each of us has his own perception of the value of his time. Certainly, if you compare the income most of us make (on an hourly basis) to the amount of money (on an hourly basis) we can save by reloading, it doesn’t make economic sense to reload. But unless you are giving up time you would otherwise be paid for in order to reload, that’s not a valid comparison.
I’ve had people tell me that they would rather spend their time at the range than spend it reloading. Well, so would I. But since I do most of my reloading at night or at other times when I can’t go to the range, that is also not a valid comparison.
Reloading allows me to shoot more accurate ammo and to save myself some money, but (depending on how much you shoot) you may not save enough money to make it worthwhile for you.