Price To Reload Your Own Shells

1,000 reloads

Shot @$40/bag-$120

Wads @ $24/1,000

Powder @ $25/lb-$75

Primers @ $90/1,000 Federal 209 on Natchez today.

$309/1,000 Shells

Around $77/case of reloads at today's inflated component prices.

New shells are going up another 8% very shortly.

 

Or under 70 dollars a flat if you don't mind using cheddites.

 

From my latest purchases -
Qty Load Cost Shell Box Flat
Powder 1 Lbs 20 grains $35.25 $0.1224 $3.06 $30.60
Shot 25 Lbs 1.000 Oz $53.82 $0.1346 $3.37 $33.65
Wads 5000Ea 1 $117.99 $0.0236 $0.59 $5.90
Primers 2000Ea 1 $197.00 $0.0985 $2.46 $24.63
Totals $404.06 $0.3791 $9.48 $94.77

 

I guess it all comes down to what you pay for components. Even though almost everything I'm loading is with components bought at pre-pandemic prices here is my worksheet with pricing adjusted to what I would have to pay today.

 

Ran the numbers today I'm at $74 a flat.
20 g green dot
1 1/8 oz.mag shot
Claybuster wads
Cheddites

 

My old numbers with $40 lead compared to $48 lead- West Coast.
Powder- old price $160, new price $210- 8lb
Primers- old price- $160, new price $200-5000
20ga., 7/8oz load
Old price $4.88 a box
new price $6.02

 

Just got back from a road trip hunting reloading supplies --8# red dot $335 -- clay buster wads $12.29 -- Lawernce shot $54.99 -- STS hulls 5 cents each --Primmers $50.00 thousand ---- add 5.5% sales tax -- not figuring 120 mile road trip -- loading 18.5 grain - 1 1/8 loads = $8.89 a box

 

Ouch! Looks like you really wanted that red dot... Then again, federal top guns are 7.80 a box and winchester super targets 8.50 at wally world. At least you're getting a better shell.

 

My local dealer got in a whopping 3 8lbs. of Red Dot and 1 Green Dot last week. Sold for $195.

 

It seems a little Red/Green dot have shown up in the last week or so. Not much, but some. I'm hopeful it's a sign more may come but I'm not holding my breath. At least they didn't drive the price through the roof where you found it.

 

I'm loading free shells now since I bought the stuff a long time ago. That's how I explain it to my wife

 

the cost, time, and energy expended to reload and the amount of shooting i have been reduced to, (due to the current economics,) doesnt justify the effort to do it anymore. and like many others, i have so many loaded shells sitting, i will seriously be dead before i shoot them up. and that doesnt include the factory rounds left sitting. my loaders are rusting in place. what i have was loaded when components were cheap. a box in any gauge came to about 1.75-2.50 a box back then.
even if things improved, i have no reason to do it anymore. i loaded my first hull in 1984.

 

A few minutes produces a box of shells......... about $6.00. I have always bought when I found a good price so inventory is a combination of old and new. Least costly shells here are $10 for 1oz and except for the occasional Top Gun are import straight wall shells with bases other than brass. They all seem to go bang though. With my inventory of AA, Nitro and Gold Medal I can produce what I consider a better shell at less cost. I supply quite a few shells to kids for the high school team. They have shells provided for their scores but not for practice and by keeping my costs where they are I can give them the shells without breaking my bank and they can afford the shooting.
I have found that if one shops the market it is possible the keep reloading cost effective. A recent purchase resulted in 40 lbs of powder at $20 a pound including freight and hazmat..... Larry

 

Using my stash of components from several yrs. ago (and running low) I am at 6.44/25 i&1/8 oz loads. Don't even want to think about what cost will bewhen I run out of my components.

 

I buy a fair amount of componenet from folks who are getting out of reloading, etc. I sell some off, keep the rest & use to reload, etc.

Here's my current prices for loading 1 1/8 oz 12 ga trap loads

Winchester Primers - $50/Thousand
Winchester Super Handicap powder - Paid $100 for 8# 4 years ago (that's what he was asking)
Win AA CF Hulls - Free (Included in the purchase of the Win Super Handicap Powere)
Old Winchester WAA12XW Wads - .01 each (bought 5000 at that price, back up the truck)
Lawrence Shot - $25 per 25# bag (bought from someone 3 years ago.)

Total Cost per Lost Target Cost Calculator - $4.10 per box.

None of these components were purchased online or from a store. When the Win Super Handicap is gone, I'll switch over to 700X (purchased 12 lb at $150 earlier this year).

My best buy was a full set of Mec Hydraulic loaders (all 4 gauges) in excellent shape for $1,000 3 years ago.

Bottom line, I do a lot of horse trading, buying & selling of Mec Loaders, components, etc. and readjusting of my Mec loaders because of it. It takes time. However, I do load a great shell for very little $$. It takes time & effort, you can't wait and buy components at retail if you want to load inexpensively.

 

At coffee this morning a couple guys were making comments about "hoarding" and high prices and how stupid I was to purchase powder yesterday for $35 a pound and some new shot from a neighbor for $40 per 25lb bag....yup, too much but I now have it...... I got to thinking and ask if they were the same guys that said I was silly to buy powder a few years back at $19 a pound and shot for $21 a bag??? and then I ask if they were the same two that had remarked they would never pay more than $10 for powder and $12 for a bag of new shot??? They indicated my memory was too good and then ask where I had made my new purchasres...... It is great to complain about today but we have to remember what our yesterday's were like...... Larry

 

I've never regretted putting an extra case, bottle, sleeve, sack, or bag on the shelf .......................

 

I remember when shot went from $5/bag to $21/bag in short order. Half the shooters in our league quit never to return. That was back in the 70's I think. Looks like it may be Deja vu all over again-"Yogi Berra".

 

Reading this has reinforced my decision to practice often with cheap ammo and not worry about reloading at all. I can buy cases of Rio at 92 bucks with no other fees or taxes. That's only 15 to 20 dollars more per 250. Shooting up to 1000 rounds per month would only save 100 bucks at the most. Even at double those savings, I can't see it being worth the equipment costs, home space requirements, plus time taken away from shooting, work, or family.

 

unless of course your gun starts jamming or puncturing primers. for you it may be ok, but for many, those off brand euros cause issues.

 

Then I'd just buy the somewhat pricier ammo. I still can't see it being worth the savings. But I've done reloading and I only reload for my target benchrest rifle rounds. I rely on decent factory ammo otherwise.

But I can't deny it can be a fun hobby and in that case, it doesn't matter much if you save money or not. But I don't think there's any way for it to be economically efficient to reload in bulk unless you truly enjoy the time and the process involved. In which case saving money is just a bit of icing on the cake.

As I often say, someone who's too poor to buy ammo is too poor to reload. Someone with a better income can't make it pay to reload. Only worthwhile for hard to obtain or rarer, much pricier loads or for the avid hobbyist.

I will add that a fallacy I often see is that so and so bought components X at less than half today's prices so it's worth it. That's like saying if I pay one oz in gold for a nice over under, it only cost me $X00 because that's how much the coin cost me 30 years ago. The cost of the components is what they are worth today if sold or rebought online.

 

Last time estimated sg shells I reload at about $7.00 -$8.00 a box. I bought some LNLR AAs for $12.37 at Wallyword.
Shot was the biggest price increase and I already had about 10 lbs of Clays and 2000 primers.

 

unfortunately, that theory doesn't work, since the inflation rate has moved faster than wages can keep up with.
so, where there use to be a way to save money reloading, has become (equal) to buying new ammo. these gun industry economic suits know the market, and have forced buyers to where they want us. and records seems to indicate, they want us buying new ammo more than allowing us to save money reloading.
of course wealthy americans can afford anything. which only proves that wealthry shooters can (afford) a hobby reloading. just like they can afford new ammo. win win for them.
lose lose for the middle/low income spectrum.
all part of socialism, which does away with the middle income, leaving the wealthy wealthy and poor begging for the industry to provide, which is being regulated by govt. in other words, govt is training us to beg for products. im old enough to remember empty shelves in communist Russia and west Germany, with long lines waiting for rations.
sad....its happening here and many don't see it.
if you can do away with the ma and pa market, forcing everyone to the govt warehouses, (or box store concept,) you have easier control.
thus why clubs flourish, while individuals go searching for scraps. the market has clubs and big organizations right where they want them.... giving them a false sense of security in numbers, giving discounts to members only, to feed there habits.
while others sell off their guns and focus on making house and car payments....and food puchases.

clay shooting is reverting back to its roots. its a rich mans sport again. so is reloading.

 

I will start by saying I can't remember the last time I spent money to buy new shells. I don't run the Walmart or Target stores to even see if they have new shells on the shelves.

I purchased quite a lot of components while prices were starting to rise a few years ago. Thinking $35 a bag shot was high at the time I still was buying a couple bags or more each month. Same with primers and powder. I don't keep great records of my purchases but I do know that "cost averaging" keeps my 12 ga 1 oz loads below $6 a box. Sun gauges save me even more money.

A few of my friends are shooting less due to age and health issues. As a result, some of them have stopped reloading and are selling their stockpile of components. In the last couple of weeks I've paid $40 a bag for shot and $50 (per thousand) for primers. I've found some powder on the back shelf of my reloading area and the cost was $20 a pound for various types. I don't pay anything for empty hulls. I can rely either on empty hulls that I've had for decades or can easily pick up hulls at the club where I shoot. I have more than 5,000 each of 12 and 20 ga hulls. 28 and .410 not quite so many - but, quite frankly, more than likely enough to last the rest of my active shooting life at my age and the # of shells I'm shooting each week.

 

seems we are all in the same boat.