So I think it totaled up about 3500$ in reloading equipment and what not. Does this seem a little high? Or am I just stupid for asking this because it’s an expensive hobby.... at least now.
Cost of reloading
- Thread starter Cosmic338
- Start date
What are trying to do, build a space ship for the mars landing. I think a more modest approach can be be done for less than $1,000.00.
If you like it you can expand your capabilities or easily sale your investment with little loss if you buy quality entry level equipment.
If you like it you can expand your capabilities or easily sale your investment with little loss if you buy quality entry level equipment.
There's a whopping big difference between "reloading" (volume) and "handloading" (precision). One saves you money as the investment isn't huge and you work in volume for "plinking" quality. The other costs a lot and is geared towards competition and precision shooters. That $3,500 is high for reloading, and low for handloading. IMHO
What are you trying to accomplish?
Is that just the tools and equipment or did you add in components?
Is that just the tools and equipment or did you add in components?
Get yourself an ex-wife and you'll see that $3500 is not really that expensive.
It all depends on what you want to do. A lot of people want the best equipment you can buy, like a Prometheus that you can purchase for the starting price of $5100.00. Then there' people like me that have more than one hobby and can't spend that much anymore, so I have a RCBS Chargemaster 1500. Even going the way I did, you are going to spend some money.
RCBS Chargemaster 1500 $449.99
RCBS Die Locking Ring Wrench $9.49
RCBS funnel $5.99
Redding T-7 Turret Press $336.99
Redding T-7 Turret Press Turret with Bushings $81.99
RCBS 90375 Trim Mate Case Prep Center 110V AC $245.00
All of you reloading dies $$$$$
Stainless Steel Ammo Reloading Kit - Rebel 17 Tumbler - Stainless Steel Media – Detergent $270.00
RCBS Universal Hand Priming Tool $74.00
RCBS Extra trays for priming tool $8.49
It all starts adding up and I haven’t even added the annealer or Lyman Brass Smith. Then all the little stuff, such as boxes, shell holders, loading trays, etc. Can’t even remember half the little stuff.
RCBS Chargemaster 1500 $449.99
RCBS Die Locking Ring Wrench $9.49
RCBS funnel $5.99
Redding T-7 Turret Press $336.99
Redding T-7 Turret Press Turret with Bushings $81.99
RCBS 90375 Trim Mate Case Prep Center 110V AC $245.00
All of you reloading dies $$$$$
Stainless Steel Ammo Reloading Kit - Rebel 17 Tumbler - Stainless Steel Media – Detergent $270.00
RCBS Universal Hand Priming Tool $74.00
RCBS Extra trays for priming tool $8.49
It all starts adding up and I haven’t even added the annealer or Lyman Brass Smith. Then all the little stuff, such as boxes, shell holders, loading trays, etc. Can’t even remember half the little stuff.
This is another hobby where you can spend as much or as little as you want. I have $1000 tied up in a Giraud trimmer and annealing machine with enough extras to cover the cartridges that I load. I probably have another $1000 tied up in measuring tools and neck turning stuff. Special hand tools for case prep, powder weighing and dispensing systems, competition die sets, $600 priming tools, ect all add up.
You just have to decide what level you want or need to be at. National records have been set and broken with ammo loaded on basic equipment. Expensive tools may make better ammo or make the job go faster.
I like the analogy about handloaders vs reloaders.
You just have to decide what level you want or need to be at. National records have been set and broken with ammo loaded on basic equipment. Expensive tools may make better ammo or make the job go faster.
I like the analogy about handloaders vs reloaders.
You also need to keep in mind the law of diminishing returns. If you're just trying to meet or slightly exceed factory match ammo, 1k should get you there. I'm running:
Redding Big Boss press
RCBS chargemaster lite
Hornady & RCBS dies
Mitutoyo digital calipers
Whidding shoulder gauges
Lyman hand primer
Lyman stadium shell blocks
Can't remember what tumbler
RCBS media separator
Now finding components will be the hard part right now
Redding Big Boss press
RCBS chargemaster lite
Hornady & RCBS dies
Mitutoyo digital calipers
Whidding shoulder gauges
Lyman hand primer
Lyman stadium shell blocks
Can't remember what tumbler
RCBS media separator
Now finding components will be the hard part right now
Separate the consumables from the capital investments
Brass, powder, bullets, primers = consumables. average this out over cost/per round asuuming x loads per brass. This gives you your "cost of ammo" equivalent. This is going to be about 50-70% the cost of ammo from the shelf. This is where you "save money", in the long run, but its not "the cost of reloading" in that sense since you would have to spend the same or more to shoot your system regardless of it reloading or otherwise.
Next, add up all the "Capital" investments, which are long term investments like press, dies, scales, etc that are the same no matter how many rounds you manufacture or shoot. This is "the COST" of the reloading setup. IE, this COST allows you to make ammo for cheaper than you could purchase it (in theory --- se above-- at 30-50% discount).
The capital cost should be around $1-2K or something for a decent setup, althoug this will scale with number of calibres and other bells and whistles. Then the rest of the investment is basically ammo-inventory you haven't shot yet.
In order to "recoup the investment" you need to shoot enough rounds so that the $.30 to .50 etc per round savings x number of rounds shot/manufactured is larger in quantity than your investment. IE shoot 5000 rounds, save $2500 = $500 in savings over your $2000 investment.
The last part of the "cost" is time/labour. The math is drastically different if you bill your labor at minimum wage (eg, $10/hour). Then account for the "time per round" if this is 2minutes or 10 seconds...is a huge difference in cost (12:1 ratio etc)...and this is why time is money and people pay for "faster" setups.
Cheap setups which are very slow are not as cost effective in the long run if you value your time !!
If you try to add in the cost of equipment, it would be fair to consider what you could resell that equipment for and discount that from the price per round.
You can then offset these amounts with a liquidation of the capital, but this only works for a limited "production run" of ammo, ie a fixed quantity. EG, "for 5,000 rounds" you can "break even" and continue production. Or for 5,000 rounds you can do it at a net of cost of $XYZ (cheaper than purchasing retail)...but lose the ability to continue production going forward.
Same thing, just different implications.
419 Zero $1200
Amp $1400
Power Trimmer with accessories $550
Wet Tumbler $250-500
Autotrickler $1020
It ads up fast.
Amp $1400
Power Trimmer with accessories $550
Wet Tumbler $250-500
Autotrickler $1020
It ads up fast.
Between Covid and the election of Biden, you still should save reloading if you are a volume shooter.
I have about $1500 in gear, and another $2000 in bullets, primers and brass.
The days of $18 6.5 CM Hornady match are probably over for a year or two if not more.
I was a big ammo buyer until Covid changed things. I still buy ammo when I can, but the economy of a $50 box of 6.5 CM is pretty hard for me to swallow (I got really excited about a box of 95grain varmint bullets in 6.5 CM for $35).
The time reloading takes away from my family life hurts. I try to do it late at night or early in the morning. Sometimes for some parts of it I can involve my kids, but mostly I can't trust what they are doing as they are not old enough.
I can see my expenditures for gear increasing. I want a better press, a better scale and an anealer. There is another $2500 right there.
I have about $1500 in gear, and another $2000 in bullets, primers and brass.
The days of $18 6.5 CM Hornady match are probably over for a year or two if not more.
I was a big ammo buyer until Covid changed things. I still buy ammo when I can, but the economy of a $50 box of 6.5 CM is pretty hard for me to swallow (I got really excited about a box of 95grain varmint bullets in 6.5 CM for $35).
The time reloading takes away from my family life hurts. I try to do it late at night or early in the morning. Sometimes for some parts of it I can involve my kids, but mostly I can't trust what they are doing as they are not old enough.
I can see my expenditures for gear increasing. I want a better press, a better scale and an anealer. There is another $2500 right there.
I disagree. It's a one-time investment in reloading equipment. It only feels expensive because people are used to financing things: $50 a week for 2 years (or whatever). $50 a week doesn't sound too bad, right? That's like a hamburger/fries/drink a day, right? After 2 years it's $5200 total which feels like a lot when put in the context of a single payment. Don't get me started on your truck payment...
Lyman 8 station $200
Used CM 1500 $250
Vibrating tumbler $50
Wet tumbler $200
Caliper and accessories $100
Annealeez $300
Hand primer $70
Case prep center $200
Dies (for 2 calibers) $300
Various trays accessories call it another $100
call it $1700
for my 260 I’ve loaded roughly 3k rounds.
And just started 223 at 1k rounds
component cost
260- 65c per round with a Berger 140 hyrbid
223- 35c per round with a 77smk
3k rounds of factory ammo for the 260 would have been $4200 for better factory ammo (comparable to my hand loads)
1k for the 223 would have been $750.
so 5k for the ammo.
My all in cost for components and equipment is $4k
These are all pre March 2020 prices.
factory ammo is now 2x that cost. Components are probably 30% more if you pay gouge prices. Deals can still be found if you are patient.
My 260 ammo is mid single digit SDs and can shoot smaller than I want to concentrate enough to do most times. I can consistently shoot 3/8” at 100. Smaller about 1/2 the time.
now the flip side of this, is that since you are “saving money on ammo” you shoot more of it. I definitely wouldn’t shoot as much as I do if I didn’t hand load. Too expensive.
Used CM 1500 $250
Vibrating tumbler $50
Wet tumbler $200
Caliper and accessories $100
Annealeez $300
Hand primer $70
Case prep center $200
Dies (for 2 calibers) $300
Various trays accessories call it another $100
call it $1700
for my 260 I’ve loaded roughly 3k rounds.
And just started 223 at 1k rounds
component cost
260- 65c per round with a Berger 140 hyrbid
223- 35c per round with a 77smk
3k rounds of factory ammo for the 260 would have been $4200 for better factory ammo (comparable to my hand loads)
1k for the 223 would have been $750.
so 5k for the ammo.
My all in cost for components and equipment is $4k
These are all pre March 2020 prices.
factory ammo is now 2x that cost. Components are probably 30% more if you pay gouge prices. Deals can still be found if you are patient.
My 260 ammo is mid single digit SDs and can shoot smaller than I want to concentrate enough to do most times. I can consistently shoot 3/8” at 100. Smaller about 1/2 the time.
now the flip side of this, is that since you are “saving money on ammo” you shoot more of it. I definitely wouldn’t shoot as much as I do if I didn’t hand load. Too expensive.
If the reloading snap on man showed up at my house every week....oh man.
Hey this sounds like a business idea if I’ve ever heard one.
