Reloading costs

sig40shooter · 03-28-2011, 09:09 AM

Hi, I am thinking of getting into reloading and want to know if it is cost effective. Assuming I own the equipment required what is a ballpark estimate of cost per round to hand load rounds for a .45 ACP? Any help would be great. Thanks a bunch

Dennis

koorbloh · 03-28-2011, 09:30 AM

powder will be $20-30 a pound if you buy it by the 1 pound bottles, 7000 grains per pound, prolly 10 grains or less for .45? 700 rounds per pound?

I buy cheap .38sp bullets for $12 for 100....45 might be higher?

primers are 3-5$ per 100

.04 (powder) + .12 (bullet) + .04 (primer) = $0.20 per round....if you buy in small quantities.

you can drive your powder, bullet, and primer costs down by buying in bulk.

brass is free because you have been saving your brass since you started shooting .45, right?

sig40shooter · 03-28-2011, 09:36 AM

I have been told I can only reuse my brass a few times is that true? how many times do you reuse? And how much is new brass?

koorbloh · 03-28-2011, 09:38 AM

you can re-use brass until it's out of spec or starts splitting.

some try to make it a certain number of rounds, but that's not really true.

the load you're using dictates the stress on the brass, and thus how much it can be reused.

as for buying brass....I dunno...figure it out yourself? I just used numbers off my head.

midway usa is a good source.

nwcid · 03-28-2011, 12:22 PM

Again cost really depends on what you are buying and in what kind of bulk.

The other nice thing about hand loading is you can tune/load to your gun. That is not something you can do at any price with factory ammo.

As for brass life you ask about .45. If you are just loading plinking loads (not super hot loads) you should get many loads out of them. It would not be out of line to get more then a dozen loadings out of them.

On the other hand I have a buddy that loads some really hot .44 mag loads and he only gets a couple loadings out of them.

35remington · 04-04-2011, 09:25 PM

I reload 9mm and this is what I figured out for a ballpark cost comparison, walmart 1000 rounds $229.00 if you buy 4 250 bricks. Reloads $32.00 for 1000 primers, 108.00 for hsm brand 115 gr. bullets, $30.00 win 231 powder, brass range pickups $0, $1.00 for polishing media, $180.00 for reloads. Now others may have a better deal on components and lead non jacketed bullets will put price down even lower, but this is average if you run out and just get what you can find. So you save $50 on 1000

zxmurphy · 04-05-2011, 05:43 PM

Last time I ran the numbers on reloading .45acp it came out to about $6.00-$6.50 for 50 rounds, reloading 200gr. LSWC.
This is of course not figuring the cost of the Press, Tumbler etc.

mogas · 04-21-2011, 12:51 PM

Actually reloading got me started into collecting rifles and trying to improve standard calibers into more accurate and efficient calibers from the parent case..This became a hobby that just GREW and Grew..So, in truth, it costs me plenty! Right now I reload for 8mm mauser, 30.06, 7mm mauser, 6.5mm mauser, 7.5X55 swiss, 257 Ackley Imp, 270, 280 Rem. Express, 35 Whelen, 35 Brown Whelen, 338 mag, 375 H&H, 416 Taylor, and as of May a 376 Styer...oh (almost forgot) 8mm-06 improved and 338-06 improved...and my newly acquired 44 mag, When I return to Washington (in Arizona now) I plan on getting rid of my collection of mausers vz24 I was saving to make more rifles..I got enough to clean and reload for now..

TheRedSkull · 04-21-2011, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mogas

Actually reloading got me started into collecting rifles and trying to improve standard calibers into more accurate and efficient calibers from the parent case..This became a hobby that just GREW and Grew..So, in truth, it costs me plenty! Right now I reload for 8mm mauser, 30.06, 7mm mauser, 6.5mm mauser, 7.5X55 swiss, 257 Ackley Imp, 270, 280 Rem. Express, 35 Whelen, 35 Brown Whelen, 338 mag, 375 H&H, 416 Taylor, and as of May a 376 Styer...oh (almost forgot) 8mm-06 improved and 338-06 improved...and my newly acquired 44 mag, When I return to Washington (in Arizona now) I plan on getting rid of my collection of mausers vz24 I was saving to make more rifles..I got enough to clean and reload for now..

wow, just wow...

mogas · 04-21-2011, 03:51 PM

I wanted to post some pictures but this is a real chore for a computer illiterate like me..Ordinarily, when I press the "picture" box the computer will take over and open up (automatically) the folders I have pics stored in..but here when I press the pic image it just opens a box with "HTTP:// and that is it! So, I guess your laughing at me now for being computer ignorant! Can anyone tell me "very s l o w l y and explicitly how to post PICS HERE?

TheRedSkull · 04-21-2011, 07:17 PM

i use pics i put on photobucket and from there you can select the "image code" or whatever, then you place it in the message box (previewing a message is a good idea to ensure its gonna work)...

sorry i too am computationally challenged, i learned how so i could trade gear on other forums...

i hope someone else can maybe explain it better...

mogas · 04-21-2011, 08:05 PM

Thanks gunslinger, I will keep working on it until I get some pics posted..BTW, where did you get that REDskull pic...it is one of the best whatchamacallits Ive seen....

TheRedSkull · 04-21-2011, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mogas

Thanks gunslinger, I will keep working on it until I get some pics posted..BTW, where did you get that REDskull pic...it is one of the best whatchamacallits Ive seen....

its from a sideshow collectibles statue they did...

03-28-2011, 09:09 AM	#1
sig40shooter Gunslinger Joined: Mar 2011 From: Tahuya, WA Posts: 19	Reloading costs Hi, I am thinking of getting into reloading and want to know if it is cost effective. Assuming I own the equipment required what is a ballpark estimate of cost per round to hand load rounds for a .45 ACP? Any help would be great. Thanks a bunch Dennis

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03-28-2011, 09:30 AM	#2
koorbloh Sharpshooter Joined: Jan 2009 From: Lynnwood, WA Posts: 661	powder will be $20-30 a pound if you buy it by the 1 pound bottles, 7000 grains per pound, prolly 10 grains or less for .45? 700 rounds per pound? I buy cheap .38sp bullets for $12 for 100....45 might be higher? primers are 3-5$ per 100 .04 (powder) + .12 (bullet) + .04 (primer) = $0.20 per round....if you buy in small quantities. you can drive your powder, bullet, and primer costs down by buying in bulk. brass is free because you have been saving your brass since you started shooting .45, right?

03-28-2011, 09:36 AM	#3
sig40shooter Gunslinger Joined: Mar 2011 From: Tahuya, WA Posts: 19	I have been told I can only reuse my brass a few times is that true? how many times do you reuse? And how much is new brass?

03-28-2011, 09:38 AM	#4
koorbloh Sharpshooter Joined: Jan 2009 From: Lynnwood, WA Posts: 661	you can re-use brass until it's out of spec or starts splitting. some try to make it a certain number of rounds, but that's not really true. the load you're using dictates the stress on the brass, and thus how much it can be reused. as for buying brass....I dunno...figure it out yourself? I just used numbers off my head. midway usa is a good source.

03-28-2011, 12:22 PM	#5
nwcid Rifleman Joined: Mar 2010 From: Spokane/Yakima WA Posts: 123	Again cost really depends on what you are buying and in what kind of bulk. The other nice thing about hand loading is you can tune/load to your gun. That is not something you can do at any price with factory ammo. As for brass life you ask about .45. If you are just loading plinking loads (not super hot loads) you should get many loads out of them. It would not be out of line to get more then a dozen loadings out of them. On the other hand I have a buddy that loads some really hot .44 mag loads and he only gets a couple loadings out of them.

04-04-2011, 09:25 PM	#6
35remington Gunslinger Joined: Jan 2011 From: Pasco,Wash Posts: 17	I reload 9mm and this is what I figured out for a ballpark cost comparison, walmart 1000 rounds $229.00 if you buy 4 250 bricks. Reloads $32.00 for 1000 primers, 108.00 for hsm brand 115 gr. bullets, $30.00 win 231 powder, brass range pickups $0, $1.00 for polishing media, $180.00 for reloads. Now others may have a better deal on components and lead non jacketed bullets will put price down even lower, but this is average if you run out and just get what you can find. So you save $50 on 1000

04-05-2011, 05:43 PM	#7
zxmurphy Newbie Joined: Mar 2010 From: wa Posts: 3	Last time I ran the numbers on reloading .45acp it came out to about $6.00-$6.50 for 50 rounds, reloading 200gr. LSWC. This is of course not figuring the cost of the Press, Tumbler etc.

04-21-2011, 12:51 PM	#8
mogas Gunslinger Joined: Apr 2011 From: MAPLE VALLEY, WA. Posts: 27	Actually reloading got me started into collecting rifles and trying to improve standard calibers into more accurate and efficient calibers from the parent case..This became a hobby that just GREW and Grew..So, in truth, it costs me plenty! Right now I reload for 8mm mauser, 30.06, 7mm mauser, 6.5mm mauser, 7.5X55 swiss, 257 Ackley Imp, 270, 280 Rem. Express, 35 Whelen, 35 Brown Whelen, 338 mag, 375 H&H, 416 Taylor, and as of May a 376 Styer...oh (almost forgot) 8mm-06 improved and 338-06 improved...and my newly acquired 44 mag, When I return to Washington (in Arizona now) I plan on getting rid of my collection of mausers vz24 I was saving to make more rifles..I got enough to clean and reload for now..

04-21-2011, 03:51 PM	#10
mogas Gunslinger Joined: Apr 2011 From: MAPLE VALLEY, WA. Posts: 27	I wanted to post some pictures but this is a real chore for a computer illiterate like me..Ordinarily, when I press the "picture" box the computer will take over and open up (automatically) the folders I have pics stored in..but here when I press the pic image it just opens a box with "HTTP:// and that is it! So, I guess your laughing at me now for being computer ignorant! Can anyone tell me "very s l o w l y and explicitly how to post PICS HERE?

04-21-2011, 07:17 PM	#11
TheRedSkull Rifleman Joined: Apr 2011 From: Corvallis, OR Posts: 204	i use pics i put on photobucket and from there you can select the "image code" or whatever, then you place it in the message box (previewing a message is a good idea to ensure its gonna work)... sorry i too am computationally challenged, i learned how so i could trade gear on other forums... i hope someone else can maybe explain it better...

04-21-2011, 08:05 PM	#12
mogas Gunslinger Joined: Apr 2011 From: MAPLE VALLEY, WA. Posts: 27	Thanks gunslinger, I will keep working on it until I get some pics posted..BTW, where did you get that REDskull pic...it is one of the best whatchamacallits Ive seen....