How long did it take for you all to figure out that reloading wasn't really going to save you money? I think it was maybe a few sessions into reloading and shooting before I figured that I would be shooting at least 10x what I might have without the reloading.

This is not to suggest I'm angry about it. I'm still thankful to the people who got me started, and that includes this forum. It's not about saving money any more. Once I got started there was no stopping. The extra expense is well worth it.

Just wondering how everyone else evolved in the reloading process. When did reloading go from "hobby" to "obsession" (Da wife's term for it)?

It didn't take long!

I saved a lot of $ 'res when I reloaded to produce regular factory type ammo.Once I figured out that accuracy and type of bullet mattered ,it rapidly cost a ton of money.
Different objectives


sheephunter

I really enjoy reloading, I feel its worth every penny spent. Especially on the calibers that factory ammo is no longer available for

When:
1.4895 $.87/#
2.30cal. bullets $3.25/100
3.Primers $7.85/1000
4.06 cases where ever you could pick, them up and it didn't matter that they were not all the same. We did save money than but once the demand became greater it changed.rifle shooters,jacketed bullets, had about 8 choices of powder to select from. Who would ever need more? Right? What we have today was brought on by a whole new breed of cat.No complaint , just a statement.The objective today is different and you must pay for it. Roger

Gonzo
You are only reloading for 5 cartridges,wait until you get to 50 or 60.You should close the door tighter on your reloading room and seal it or a casting bug will get in. The 22 hornet and the 458 win. would make a good canidate for cast bullets and you can save more money.
Enjoy reloading.

Be careful Dye

Yes at first it was to save money.....I was in college and was taught by a master and got to use his equipment. Then I got another gun or two and wanted to do it with my own stuff! And just see how good I could make a rifle shoot!!! The money doesn't matter much anymore but the accuracy does! The reloading evolved into the gunsmithing and they both fit together! And I will be 48 years old tomorrow and could live to be 100 and will still be amazed that I can start a little bitty .172,.224,.243,.257,.264,.277,.284,.308 diameter projectile down a tube of steel and know(or have a reasonable idea) of where it will hit 100-1000 yards away from me!!! A wonderment!!!! I love it! Now back to the bench!!! GHD

I don't have the time to shoot any more than I did before I started reloading. So, for me, it really does save money.

And I get to shoot that .17/.357mag wildcat I inherited.

SHHhhhh! Your wife thinks you are saving money. This will also work on gun purchases if one of the Democrats gets the president's job in November.

it is kinda therputic to reload your own ammo..... if you want to save you can cast your own bullets to help with that.. like i said before i picked out a week about 4 yrs ago and cast several thousand .38 caliber 150 gr. swcs the lead was from an indoor range we cleaned out so it was free.i shoot .357 mag and .38 spl. and i can save money by such tactics. THANKS AGAIN HARLEY...........


THE 2ND AMENDMENT PROTECTS US ALL.....

Oh no!? I haven't? I'm not? I'm

It may have been break even during the first few years, shot every Saturday and many Sundays.
Since I realized I have acquired more guns, several with non-mainstream chamberings, than I may ever have an opportunity to actually hunt with and way more brass to boot.
Regardless, I find the whole process very therapeutic.
Bill

I like to reload, the types of cartridges I shoot you do save money a pack of factory 45/70 rounds in Aus is around $60.00 I can reload this round for heaps less. And secondly the factory rounds wouldn't pull the skin off a rice custard

I'm like Dave R. Since my shooting time is quite limited, I save loads of money -about 75% over factory stuff. Since I'm a handgunner/defensive shooter and burn up a good bit of ammo, that amounts to quite a bit.

O no!!
For the .22-250, the Win white box stuff is about = or less $ than I can build it, on the other hand, .338-378 @ $70.00 per 20 loaded.... Bet yo a$$ I be savin some cash. I seriously do think the thereputic part is more than anything for me. That is why I still load for .22-250

Pat

Shooting 44mag, reloading can pay for a cheezy set up in one day.

But I loose money on the other 36 calibers... my next caliber will be 17HMR

I used to go through 200-300 .44 mag factory loads every weekend. After a couple of years, I started loading. Now, 20 years later, I'm sure I've saved a lot (especially high powered rifle loads and cast handgun loads).

But I've never saved as much as I do now--reloading for the .500 S&W. At $2.40/each for CHEAP factory ammo, I've already saved close to $1000, with better bullet selection and quality than can be had from any bullet maker. I think nothing of shooting 100-150 rounds a weekend, which would be impossible if I didn't handload.

If you really want to kid yourself, start thinking about reloading shotgun shells. Not a lot to be saved there.

Seriously, I look at reloading as another hobby. And you do save money if you shoot the calibers that cost $25+ for factory loads.

I started reloading right after I got a .22 Hornet. Did you ever price factory ammo for a Hornet? Besides, that Ruger wouldn't do much better than 4" @ 100 yards with "store-bought" bullets.
I did some reloading for my M1A, but soon realized NATO surplus ammo was about 4 cents per round cheaper.
I like to tinker with .243 for accuracy, trying for those elusive "1-hole groups".
Then I got a .17 Remington. If you think factory Hornet ammo is expensive, the .17 ammo is almost $1 per shot!
If you've got a wildcat, such as .19 Calhoon, you have no choice but "roll your own".
Reloading is also a great alternative to "reality TV", or discussing what color to paint the living room with the wife!
Regards, George

The price of factory .44 special loads got me to "do the math" and I did save money at first. Within a year I had added other calibers, equipment, upgraded the press, etc. and the financial advantages evaporated.

But it still "pays off" in a fashion. When my shooting buddies need to get away from the house ( escape from honey-do lists, etc.) they tell their brides that they need to come over to my place to reload in order to "save some money" on ammo.

Ah, yeah...
okay, I shoot 500 jeffe-ry... these are roughly 9 bucks EACH to buy... I reload, with woodleigh bullets, for about 1.5, and if I use cast bullets, 38�. 200 500 jeffery rounds "pays" for all my reloading gear.. ALL of it.

but, since I started reloading, I starting allowing myself to shoot more interesting calibers... which leads to more guns purchased... HEY, i say, it's cheaper to do most of the work yourself, which leads to dremels, sanders and bedding.... hey, i says, it's even CHEAPER if I do all the gunsmithing myself, which leads to lathes and mills, and bluing, and measuring tools, and then, eventually, the fact that I have

eaten
up
all
the
time
I
had
to reload


dang it all, I am happy playing
jeffe

When I started out I found I could load 100 30-06 rounds for the same price as a box (20)of ready rolled. Components have gotten much more expensive now but my press and "stuff" are long since amortized so my only expenses are the components I buy..........and an occasional new rifle to reload for...........
I urge everyone to continue the money saving myth however. Especially to one's wife. To the point of occasionally buying her a small gift with some of your "savings". Also, it doesn't hurt, on returning from the range, to remark, "if I'd had to buy the ammo I shot up today, it would have cost me over $$$$". She will admire you for spending your evenings reloading so you could save money. What a guy!

It didn't take to long to realize that . That was when 75 cents for a pound of surplus 4831 was a lot. Saving is a relative term, as opposed to shooting the same in factory offerings, yeah, you can save money if that is the principle applied. Unfortunately, saving money is not the only agenda involved for most of us. The sport of shooting is well served by reloading, and reloading allows for more sport, not less, savings are negated by increase use. When I finally sold a lot of my reloading stuff, the dies alone were packed into three large boxes, of which you could only move one at a time. I still reload, but not at that prior level. However, I got to shoot a lot, and enjoyed all of it. Whatever savings were involved were expended on more shooting, it was still saving, but then was well spent!

When the objective becomes performance of the round, saving quickly goes out the window!

Save money, yes, improve accuracy, absolutely, especially the nearest gunshop is a five hour drive away EACH WAY, ie 5 hours there, 5 hours back!! From outback Australia.

we should all take notes from beemanbeme and show up with a little something for the misses. Tying those flowers to "money saved reloading" is a surefire method to keep the passtime going. Might even revert from "obsession" back to "hobby."

And I think I should clarify that I too am long past saving money on this. It was the initiator, but it certainly didn't last long. Soon as I started seeing those itty-bitty groups with bullets you can't always get in factory loads I was into the next stage - perpetual improvement.

Taking a note from my wife, when I do something like buy 5000 bullets of a discontinued type, I tell her how I got them for a fraction of what they originally sold for and how much I saved. And the fleeting opportunity to get them. Women understand a bargain, and respect a smart shopper.

Bull-puckey! I've saved thousands and thousands in therapy bills! Dutch.