Around how much per round does it cost to reload, NOT including brass? IOW, approximate cost per round for the bullet, primer, and powder?
Assume typical range fodder bullets, primers, and powders will be used.
How many times can 5.56 brass be reloaded?
I did a rough calc on 9mm the other day and it was about 25 cents if you could get some cheap or pull down bullets. Probably 30 cents for 223 ball assuming you’d have to buy at current lunatic prices.
5.56 brass can last a long time if you load mild. Ours is 2-3 times before the primer pocket is too loose.
Reloading Costs Calculator :
https://ultimatereloader.com/tools/reloading-costs-calculator/
Getting started is the biggest expense! If you have 0 equipment then you’re gonna be in the hole for a while! There are deals out there on brass and bullets ya just gotta be vigilant and scour the net for them. If you’re not into that and taking the time to do that it’s gonna take a long time to recoup your $$$ on the tools to get started. Powder is getting silly now, primers are hit or miss, there are deals and then there aren’t. The reloading calculator is a great tool but that’s probably considering you have everything to get going. If ya want to get into reloading ya better do it now, cuz it probably isn’t gonna get any cheaper anytime soon. Also, take into account whether is it a chore for you or will you enjoy it, if it brings you no joy then continue to buy what ya need, stockpile what ya can & what you use the most, and move on! If ya need links or info on places to start looking for anything, just say so, I’m sure many will chip in and help ya out. Keep us posted on what ya decide!
powder 7000/lb cost as of now $45-$70/lb
primers. $50-$90/1000
bullets $15-$30/100
brass free
what it cost me to reload a 223 rd.
powder $0.12
primer $0.06
bullet $0.15
total = $0.33 per round
357mag
powder $0.04
primer $0.06
bullet free i cast them myself
total price per rd = $0.10
This is at current prices. I am working on powder and primers from the 80’s yet that I inherited. I also sell a LOT of brass I pick at the local public range. I use this $ to buy all of my needs I use to reload and also guns I like. I have not used any money of my own in over 20 years to buy anything for reloading or any of my guns. I am fortunate to be able to pick up a 5 gal bucket of brass every time I go to the range. And brass at $2/lb right now that is avg $125/bucket taken to the scrapyard. I avg 2 buckets a week.
Right now is NOT the time to get started unless you have lots of $ to be able to stock deep and have other resources to offset the cost.
I disagree!
Now IS the time!
It’s an election year. Ever-y-thing will jump in price and scarcity when it gets going. It takes a long time for stock to return and prices to drop.
You can start reloading a cartridge or two on a simple press like a Lee Turret for $500 or less, just to get going.
Duplicate
Prices post corona will not go back to what they were. They will probably go up this year, being an election year, and go maybe go down a few cents by mid term.
It’s odd reloading components aren’t bouncing back as much as ammo, regarding availability. I assumed more were buying ammo, than stacking powder and primers.
Estimate what you want to shoot in a year, buy 10x that in components as money allows, and drive on. It will save you money long term……If you shoot often
Agree! There are deals out there ya just gotta look,my shooting buddies and I have prob bought 100K SPP in the last 3 or 4 months and there around $45ish per 1K shipped. I don’t really need any but SRP are still around $65/70 per 1K along with LRP. Powder is the killer at the moment with some select single LBs going for $60 bucks + ship & Hazmat! The plus with that is lots of places are doing FREE Hazmat or shipping or $5 buck shipping,all this is based on buying a certain amount,sometimes $99 bucks or $199 everyone is different,but I get emails weekly with some type of Free this or that,sign up and buy accordingly! Ron3 is probably correct in NOW is the time. I would figure out what you want to reload 1st,2nd,etc and start buying components 1st. Theirs tons of reloading equip out there used @ fair prices,Craigslist,Ebay,gun Forums,etc,the components are the big items I would concentrate on at the moment with whatever your budget will allow.
You can’t factor in the price of independent ammo manufacture. If it is not on the shelf, you can be creative at home with reloading stock. Kind of like cooking, nothing to eat at home? With some creativity and a few good cook books, ammo can be made with an assortment of components. During covid times, the only people shooting were reloaders.
if you had a 350 legend you were able to shoot the whole time during the bat flu. And ever since dipshit got rid of the russian steel case ammo, I have never found so much brass cased ammo at the range. We hardly ever see steel case right now.
That’s a good way to look at it.
People forget that during some panics 9mm FMJ jumps to $20 /50 with very few choices while remaining the “cheapest” centerfire ammo to shoot! 147 gr 9mm, .38 special, .45 acp and others were $40/50 and sparse even at that price.
Rifle rounds go to .80 - $1 per shot for the cheapest .223. Everything else was more.
It’s crazy. I try not to think too much about cost per round. I have old primers that the replacement cost would be 20-25 TIMES, my purchase price. That’s the one component I stacked stupid deep when they were silly cheap.
55 grain 223 is costing me 17 cents per round but most of those components were bought five or more years ago.
Right now, that same load is probably about 25-30 cpr.
That said, I rarely load the cheap stuff. Match ammo is where the money is saved, typically 50%.
As a guy who I took up reloading during COVID, I can tell you it can be done and while I’m not sitting on any $0.04 primers or $15/lb powder, it’s still all relative to ammo prices.
I made the decision to NOT go single stage and bought a Dillon 550 new from Scheels. Best decision I made.
Primers are getting reasonable so if you are even thinking about this, buy them now. Powder is the crazy component at this time but when you decide on a powder, buy in bulk when you find it on sale. And for me, I have a couple different powders I will use. My go-to powder is Vihtavuori…N320 and 3N37 for pistol, N140 for rifle (.223 & .308).
Bullets seem to be the one fairly consistent component…I am not pretty much buying mostly from Rocky Mountain Reloading as their projectiles work great for my needs…and they have some very good deals.
Good luck.
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If we are forced to pay more for powder, might as well buy the best. The VV powders are magical.
From OP: Sorry I disappeared. I got logged out and couldn’t find my password. Then, I got caught up on other things. Thanks for the responses thusfar.
I really wanted to try and start reloading rifle (.223 & 300 Blk) with a Lee hand press, but just don’t know what to buy (powder/primers) except hand press, dies and QC collets. I can do prep while sitting around just about anywhere and load a few hours a week in the garage.
Any idea how many rounds I could load with a hand press in 3 hours?
Is it worth buying all this stuff for that amount of rounds/shooting a week?
FWIW I have enough 9mm to last many many years, but would get those dies as well…Assume I would need a different powder.
Powder is essentially what’s holding me back, too many choices and only what’s available really matters. Not even sure where to start.
Difficult to say if you factor in brass prep… cleaning, sizing, trimming, crimp removal, etc. If I started with 100 rounds of once fired LC with crimps, it would be 4-5 hours before I finished a complete round. I don’t load start to finish like that in one session, but if I did it would be a long session.
It is all about efficiency. A Highpower champion once stated that if you are spending more time reloading than training, you are doing it wrong. I think it was Mr. John Feamster. Brass prep is the time killer. Do it in stages. Do it in batches. Pick one day to resize and do 500. Pick another day to trim and deburr the same 500. Annealing, crimp removal, and other prep techniques can be a one and done for the life of that piece of brass.
If you are limited to a single stage press, than pre prime your 500 prepped cases. The only way you are going to become efficient in the single stage world is with a powder measure. Trust your measure. Dump 20 charges into 20 cases. Trust your eyeball for any inconsistent throws by scanning your case block. Seat the bullets.
In the progressive world with a Dillon 550, efficiency is improved. Good primer seat feel, good measure with appropriate sized powder granules, manual index of the stations so that you have control of everything.
My cost in time is minimal. My boys are good enough now that I run a sweat shop of ammo production.