Once you start buying multiple calibers of firearms the inevitable topic of reloading will come to mind. I know for me this came a short while after I purchased my first AR-15. My first gun purchase was a 9 mm and after adding .556 to the mix I knew that 300 Blackout was soon to follow.
A buddy of mine mentioned reloading and that got me thinking. Is reloading ammunition really cost effective? Well after some research I found that reloading ammunition can definitely be cost effective, but how much so really depends on the caliber you’re reloading.
Factory ammunition can easily cost as much as $2 per round, depending on caliber and quality, if not more now a days. This leaves lots of room to save money considering the components for a lot of these expensive calibers can be had for less than $0.75 per round. If you’re a real bargain hunter, you can really drive the cost down even more significantly by watching sales, Ebay, or local gun club trading posts.
You can even see savings over the normally cheap factory 9mm. Not to mention, the quality difference you will see if you are shooting competitively. Most factory 9mm ammunition is going to run you anywhere from $0.20 per round for practice ammo to over $0.45 per round for decent quality defensive ammo. I have regularly achieved a cost per round of $0.11 per round for practice rounds and loaded precision level hollow points for between $0.20 and $0.25 per round.
The first thing you are going to have to consider is the cost involved in getting started. When it comes to reloading there are so many tools available that it will boggle the mind. That being said there are a bare minimum of items you are going to need to get started.
Reloading Basic Necessities:
- Reloading Manual
- Reloading Press
- Caliber Specific Reloading Dies
- Shell Holder (Caliber Specific)
- Powder Measure
- Powder Scale
- Calipers
- Reloading Tray
- Bullet Puller
- Brass Cases
- Bullets
- Powder
- Primers
While this seems like a lot of items, most are items you will be able to use for years which means you can spread that cost out over potentially tens if not hundreds of thousands of rounds.
Now the cost to buy these items also can vary quite dramatically. The reloading press is usually your biggest initial investment on the list. Pricing is going to vary based on brand and type. You can pick up a Lee Precision (Single Stage) Reloader Press at Cabelas for around $43. Now you can also go for a single stage from Hornady or RCBS for around $200 depending on the model. You can also choose a turret press or go big by choosing a progressive press if you anticipate wanting to reload large volumes. Turret presses usually push you into the $300 range and progressive press can go from a couple hundred for a Lee all the way over $1100 for a Dillon 650 with all the bells and whistles.
For the purposes of this article, I’m not going to talk about “commercial grade” machines like the Dillon RL1100 or Mark 7’s new reloaders. These machines run into the thousands of dollars to get setup but can reload thousands of rounds per hour for the commercial reloading operation or serious competitive shooter.
The other items on the list follow this same pattern in that you can find items relatively cheap that will work just fine for the beginner reloader or you can splurge for the more expensive upgrades.
One of the best options and the one that I highly suggest is to buy one of the various starter kits from Lee, Hornady, Lyman or RCBS and start with a single stage reloader. These kits can be had on Midway USA or Cabelas from around $135 upto around $350 for a single stage kit. Again the price depends on the brand and model. The great thing about the kits is that they usually include just about everything you need to get started except your “perishable” items like primers, powder, etc…
When I got started I chose the Hornady Lock-N-Load Single Stage Classic Press Kit. I found a Black Friday deal for $250 a few years back at Cabelas. You can find it for around $300 at the time of writing this article at MidSouth Shooting Supply.
The reason I like this kit is it included almost everything I needed to get started. You can choose the deluxe version of the same kit and get everything for about $450. I would also seriously consider Lyman’s new line of presses. I haven’t personally used them but have seen some incredible reviews and they seem to be giving a lot of quality at a reasonable price.
Bottom line you for under $500 initial investment you can be up and going. If you are a real bargain hunter you can get started for much less than that.
One item that usually isn’t included in these kits is a bullet puller. This is an absolute necessity as you are getting started because trust me – you are going to make some mistakes. And one of the great things about reloading is you don’t have to toss out most of those. In most cases you can reuse your components and start over fresh.
After you have your reloading essentials all setup, you are going to need your components. This is where you really need to keep your eye out for deals.
Brass cases are usually the most expensive component that you are going to need. If you buy them new from a company like Starline Brass expect to pay anywhere from around $0.15 per case for 9mm to around $0.48 per case for rifle brass like 6.5 Creedmoor. Now the great thing about brass is it can be reused multiple times. I’ve regularly gotten 10 plus reloadings out of my brass as long as I don’t push the envelope on “Hot Loads”.
Because brass can be reused I have made it my goal to always come home from the range with more brass than I went with. Now, speaking of picking up brass. Make sure what the rules are at the range you frequent. While I think it’s a crock of you know what, some indoor ranges don’t allow you to collect brass. Any range like that, I try to avoid like the plague. Also remember that proper range etiquette dictates that if you want to pick up someone else’s brass, ALWAYS ASK FIRST! There is nothing more annoying than someone sweeping up my brass like they are doing me a favor and then dumping it in their bag without a single word. Total Range Leach! If you decide to be this person – don’t be surprised if you receive a massive verbal lashing.
Range brass will work fine for most purposes like plinking or practice. If you are getting into serious competitive or precision shooting then I would suggest opting for new brass when loading your rounds for the competition. You can still use these multiple times and because it’s new, you’re likely to get more life out of it than your typical range brass.
When it comes to purchasing your primers and powder prices fluctuate all the time. Understanding this and keeping track of the typical cost in your area will help you know when you’ve spotted a deal that you better jump all over. For instance, one of my local gun shops was closing out there reloading gear last year and marked all their reloading supplies down 50% including powder. I grabbed every 8lb container I could get.
Another thing to watch out for when purchasing your primer and powder online is the Hazmat Fees. While online pricing can look fantastic, there will usually always be a Hazmat Fee for shipping that runs around $30. Once you add that in, it takes a pretty large purchase to average out the cost and realize any savings over purchasing the items locally. This doesn’t really hurt my feelings though. While I like saving money and purchasing from Brownells, Cabela’s, or MidwayUSA, I like to support my local gun stores any chance I can. I figure, if we don’t support them while we can – we may not have the choice in the future.
So now that you’ve got your reloading necessities and all your components, you are ready to start reloading. If you’re wise with your purchases you can not only save a lot of money reloading your own ammunition – you can have a lot of fun doing it.
—- Ok, So I have to put a little side note in here and share some advice that I was given when I started reloading. In reality once you’ve started reloading you probably won’t save that much money…………..you will just shoot more for the same amount spent…ok really you’re going to spend more because we all know that this hobby is super addictive and tons of fun. And you know what – I’m just fine with that!