I pulled some information together comparing the cost of both loaded ammo and handloading components comparing 2005 to today. I knew that things had gotten more expensive, but the actual percentage of increase was shocking. If you're interested, you can click on the link below to reach the article.

Pete

Things have not changed much for me.
My goal is to load for near zero cost.
While not really possible I have a lot of components that I purchased for less than a dime on the dollar. My most significant cost change has been the cost of gas to get to the rifle range.

maybe not as cost affective as it once was but i can make my rifles shoot the way i want without trying fifteen boxes of factory stuff first.i raise my own beef figured i could of bought same amount about 100 bucks cheaper this year.but i know it is not loaded in steroids and how it was handled during butchering.that makes it worth the extra cost to me.

I would believe his statistics more if he hadn't used Cabelas as the source.

Pete,
looks like you put quite a bit of time and effort into developing the article about the cost of reloading then versus now. Nicely done.

A question for you, and it may not directly correlate to reloading but hopefully you'll catch my drift. Do you write and publish about hunting and reloading solely for the money? Are there not other things that you could do that would be in strict economic terms more profitable or cost effective than writing and publishing. I would venture a guess that writing is called out of you and it accents your vocation or your avocation.
After reading the thread thats been developing over the last couple of days that asks what different posters do here in their real life (job), and considering the vast array of talent, I doubt very few dedicated reloaders/handloaders that post here do it for the express purpose of saving money. I know I don't. I've stated here on a number of occasions that I reload for 45 different chamberings, I have several hundred bullets for caliber from .17 to 45, numerous pounds of powder and reloading dies for all.

All in all, I think reason number two as stated in your article would be most valid
GWB

To me, handloading has never been about saving money. I really enjoy getting the most out of my rifles. What spurred me to write the article (which by way was solely for the fun of it; I'm not planning on selling it to anyone) was that I hadn't really realized how much the price of components had gone up and how much it really cost per round.

I know there are cheaper places than Cabela's to buy handloading components, but they were the only place where I had access to their pricing from four years ago and could make an apples to apples comparison.

What I found the most surprising was that from a percentage basis, premium bullets increased in cost far less than the standard cup and core stuff.

Pete,

+1

GWB

quote:

Originally posted by talentrec:
I pulled some information together comparing the cost of both loaded ammo and handloading components comparing 2005 to today. I knew that things had gotten more expensive, but the actual percentage of increase was shocking. If you're interested, you can click on the link below to reach the article.

Pete

Basically, the least you'll save over factory ammo is half. Upto 2/3 the cost of premium factory ammo. How is that not cost effective? You do need to shop around for components & you'll obviously save more buying in bulk. Back in the day yo ucould buy 9mm for $6/50 & reload it for $4. Now you can reload it for $5 & buy it for $9. It's pretty much linear.

quote:

Basically, the least you'll save over factory ammo is half. Upto 2/3 the cost of premium factory ammo. How is that not cost effective? You do need to shop around for components & you'll obviously save more buying in bulk. Back in the day yo ucould buy 9mm for $6/50 & reload it for $4. Now you can reload it for $5 & buy it for $9. It's pretty much linear.

Yep as to the cost of my time. My reloading time is taken away from sitting on my butt and watching TV. To me that is a pay increase

Here in the UK I know that reloading is much more expensive than in the US. A 1lb jug of RL15 is about £45 for example and 100 Hornady spire points in 308 are about £27. So, this thread inspired me to work out what the reloading was costing me per round. As a guide factory federal 150 grain 308 ammo is about £1 per round.

Brass (40pence each say 10 reloads) - 4p
primer - 5p
powder - 30p
head - 27p

So, I guess that works out about 66p per round with factory Federal coming in at £1. However, that doesn't count the cost of getting a load that shoots well etc.

So, in general I would say that the hunter is probably better off to buy factory as was concluded but for those who view reloading as a pastime then I think over a long period of time they could probably at least break even once capital costs are considered.

Cabelas is a ripoff on powder. They want 28 bucks a pound and I still get it for under 20.

quote:

Originally posted by talentrec:
What I found the most surprising was that from a percentage basis, premium bullets increased in cost far less than the standard cup and core stuff.

Regular gas is 2.00, premium is 2.35. When regular was 4.00, premium was 4.35. Premium went up less, as a percentage. I remember buying premium more often last summer, thinking its all crazy, , might as well get the performance.