Does reloading save you money if you can't pick up your brass?

[whacko]

Going to the gun store today to buy ammo made me sick while looking at the prices so that settles it - I'm going to start reloading.

It does save a ton of money.

Also working up a load can be satisfying. I make 45acp loads that are tack drivers compared to factory ammo. I'm at the point now where I've given up on plastic ammo holders and have switched to coffee cans to store my reloads. Lol

That's one afternoons worth of work. A coffee can holds 200 rounds of 38 special.......made 500 rounds that afternoon on a single stage Lee. Worth every minute of my time.

 

[whacko]

I started reloading in the early 90s. When I started, scrounging brass was like an addiction, and in the first year I scrounged enough to last me a lifetime of shooting. It was fortunate that I had access to a law enforcement range and thousands of once-fired brass was there for the taking.
Like most other hobbies of mine I jumped in with both feet and I was on a crusade to get as many components as I could as cheaply as I could.
I bought powder and primers like a hoarder buys toilet paper. Then when I got into bullet casting I would come home with enough wheel weights, linotype, and roof flashing to squash the suspension in my 3/4 ton truck.
So in my case reloading is WAY cheaper than factory ammo. I remember figuring out that a box of 50, 38 special, 158 grain SWC, cast bullet reloads cost me something like $2.00 or less to produce. Of course that's with powder and primers that I bought from long gone shops like Perry White's and Hembrow's.
But even at today's prices I can't see how reloading isn't cheaper than store bought ammo. As far as scrounging brass, if you can't do it where you compete you should be able to find plenty at other ranges.

It definitely saves money. My brass supply was created by saving all my factory once fired brass for like 6 years before I started reloading. I have tons of 5 gallon pails full of it all sorted out by cal. If your buying new brass to get started it's gonna be tough to save money until you've loaded those cases a few times......but saving factory brass for a few years will get you going on the cheap.

 

[DW357]

This is the clear answer. If You made the reloads with spent factory brass your still saving money by not keeping the brass at one event.

I'm surprised that some on this thread said reloading doesn't save money. I absolutely feel it does. I saved 38 357 45acp factory brass for many years before I started reloading. The brass is therefore.....free. for 38 special using 125 grain cast projos buseye powder and Winchester primers I'm loading it for under $7 a box. 38 special lead is selling for $16 to $18 a box anywhere I see it.

357 mag I'm loading HOT 125 grain loads with Speer 125 grain hollow points a healthy dose of h110 a and Winchester mag primers for $15 a box. Closest hot 357 factory I can compare it to is Remy 125 grain lswc at $26 a box.

It does save a shit ton of money.

Nice! I bet you can drop that cost for your 125 gr loads if you switch to Zero 125 gr JHPs? Those are just a hair under 10 cents each.

Ya reloading definitely saves me money with the magnum calibers. Yuge savings especially with 44 magnum.

 

[TrashcanDan]

And all the cool kids use moon clips with their revos so they get their brass back even when they are on the clock.

I plead guilty to that.

Title says it all.

I'm shooting my third 3-gun match this Sunday. Guys don't normally pick up their own brass and instead junk them in the bucket at these matches. Exception to this is if you show up with something weird and novel like AAs or shiny gold Remington Nitro Sporting Clay loads, then people love to pick them up and poke fun

So for 12/20 gauge, 9x19, and .223/.308, is there significant financial savings by reloading if you can't/don't pick up your brass, or do you save money by buying bulk ammo online?

Bring a sorter. Typically at the end of a shoot we'll have 4 or so buckets of brass, and a couple of guys that "hey do you mind if we...."
They'll take what they need and leave the rest.

 

[Cuz]

While reloading can save you money, let’s not forget that it also depends on how much shooting you do. If you only shoot a few hundred rounds a year, it will take quite a while to offset the start up cost of reloading. You have to be honest about how many rounds you shoot in a year, and the caliber. Then compare the cost of components to the case price of ammo at TargetSports USA. It’s not fair to use gun store prices as they are skewed high.

Yes, I reload, and have for over 20 years. But lately, I’ve been buying ammo because it’s more convenient, I don’t have the time to reload, and I’m just not able to get to the range very often, so I’m not shooting all that much. I don’t mind paying 15-16 cents each for good quality 9mm when I’m shooting less than 1,000 rounds a year.

 

[1903Collector]

What is this "saving money" Hell I think I spend more!

I don't reload the common stuff as much anymore, but the oddballs like 6.5 Grendel, 35 Rem and 45/70 I do. And now that I'm getting into the .458 Socom I'll be reloading for that one...Damn that stuff its pricey!!

I used to spend January and February pumping out a large amount of 45, 9mm and 308 and that got me thru the rest of the year.