Cost Benefit of Reloading Pistol Rounds

[Georgia Terrapin]

With ammo prices so high right now, how many rounds of 9mm or .380 must be reloaded to break even on the cost of basic equipment and supplies? I wonder whether it's cost-effective to add a new dimension to my firearms interest. I know it would be fun and interesting, just wondering whether I'd increase or decrease my long-term costs. I assume I'd have to buy all the supplies rather than re-use them.

Thanks,
Greg

 

[Dirty J]

If you think factory ammo is hard to find, you clearly haven’t yet shopped for components yet.

Not only are they 2-3x the typical price, they sell out in seconds at all the big online retailers.


No matter the cost... reloading will typically save you 40-50% off the price of factory handgun ammo.

 

[Kman]

With ammo prices so high right now, how many rounds of 9mm or .380 must be reloaded to break even on the cost of basic equipment and supplies? I wonder whether it's cost-effective to add a new dimension to my firearms interest. I know it would be fun and interesting, just wondering whether I'd increase or decrease my long-term costs. I assume I'd have to buy all the supplies rather than re-use them.

Thanks,
Greg

I do it because it brings a whole new rabbit hole to fall in to with firearms. Right now unless you have the components and equipment, I would stay away. Before the panic you could load 9mm pretty cheap, around $0.10/round without a ton of equipment, now you might as well buy factory Ammo because everything is scarce and high priced.

 

[Dirty J]

As for recouping costs...

that’s got more to do with the machine you go with versus the price of the components.

Oh... and many reloading machines are backordered anywhere from 12-24 weeks.

 

[garypl50]

You’re not going to save any money because you will shoot a lot more and the money you save per round will be offset by you shooting a lot more rounds! Reloading is relaxing and I recommend you get into it as soon as component prices come back down to earth.

 

[fattboyzz]

good luck finding components

 

[Dieseltech]

The biggest cost savings are seen if you plan properly. If you get into reloading during “good times” when ammo is cheap and stock up on components and equipment AND ammo all while things are cheap. Now here’s the trick while prices are good you keep buying ammo. When things get crappy like they are now that’s when you make your money back. All the components you had put up and never touched are now your cheap ammo. And then the cycle starts all over again until next crisis or presidential election. How fast recoup your money with this method is dependent on how much you shoot. 1,000 plus rounds per month and you would have already recouped your money in one “crisis” cycle.

 

[Hunterrs]

Cool reloading calculator from Dillon:

https://www.dillonprecision.com/reloading-cost-calculator.html

 

[Dieseltech]

As I above stated is not nec how most reloaders end up. As other members have stated it is a relaxing rabbit hole in the firearm hobby, where you can now make your own ammo exactly to YOUR specific needs. This as stated by others tends to lead to shooting more. It also tends to lead to... “oh this machine is a pain in the ass I want a better one” I personally enjoy reloading almost as much as shooting itself. It is part of the hobby for me. Am I saving money between the combination of the ideas I stated above and the rabbit hole reloading brings you down absolutely. But with shooting / reloading lumped together as a whole I no longer look at it that way. I now look at it as a way to keep enjoying my hobby during times like these when things are made out of unobtanium. If you enjoy shooting and firearms you will like reloading and like shooting more. But now is not the time to get into especially with the idea of strictly saving money. Right now it will cost you more to reload then it will to buy ammo with the current market prices, availability, and back orders. Just my two cents hope this helps!

 

[Georgia Terrapin]

There's some good information in this thread. Dirty J says it's possible to save 40+% (which I know will lead to more shooting). But Dieseltech adds, "Right now it will cost you more to reload then it will to buy ammo with the current market prices, availability, and back orders." I think it would be fun, but maybe I'll just watch the prices for a few weeks before jumping into it. Thanks, everyone.