What's YOUR investment into reloading?

4

4runnerman

New member
Don't want to know:). I run around $300.00 month just in reloading splys. If it was not for donating plasma at $280.00 a month things could get rough around here.
 
S

Sport45

New member
I don't know how much I've spent on reloading equipment. Quite a bit, but less than I've spent on firearms.

But then again, I'm sure I've spent more on ammunition and components than I have for firearms and reloading equipment combined.
 
I

iraiam

New member
If it was not for donating plasma at $280.00 a month things could get rough around here.
Click to expand...

Don't you mean selling plasma? I don't get a red cent for mine, I consider that donating.

But to answer the question in the OP, I don't know, a pile of $$ for sure. I have no doubt it would scare me. I have extensive reloading capabilities, a large store of components, and a sizable ammo stash. It was not a small investment just in storage for components and ammunition.
 
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K

kilimanjaro

New member
I'm kind of an Excel fiend, so my spreadsheet tracks equipment and components, gives me a unit cost of brass or bullets by caliber, and cost of loaded rounds over time. As I reload the same brass, or pickup new brass at the range, costs go d
own.

Trouble is, my total investment divided by rounds loaded is a very big number per round.
Need to load about 3 cases to make me feel better.
 
L

Lost Sheep

New member
Here's a spreadsheet for you

Kilimanjaro,

Does your spreadsheet allow for the calculation of break-even point and include your time and your time to learn to load? (I have not yet added in a calculation to add the rental value of the space required for the loading room, as I don't have dedicated square footage.) (I also have not added in the cost of the gun required to shoot my loaded ammo, as that seems as silly as putting the cart before the horse.)

What do you think of these formulas?
Copy/paste into a spreadsheet starting at A1.)

350
140
35
28
6
0
20
10
10
0
25
50
<
100
<
=A14*(A2/1000+A3/1000+A4/(7000/(A5/(1-A6)))+A7/100/A8)
=+A16/A14
=+A11/A12-A17
=1000/A9*A18
=(A1+A10*A19)/A18
=+A20/1000*A9

and this at B1


Cost of the loading tools
Bullets (per thousand)
Primers (per thousand)
Powder (per lb)
load (grains per round)
spillage/shrinkage (I guess at 0% unless specified otherwise)
Brass (per hundred)
# of times each case is used (account for loss in this estimate. If Brass cost is zero, use 1)
Time required to load 1000 rounds. Include EVERYTHING. Picking up, cleaning, sorting, inspecting, filling primer tubes, etc.
Initial time learning to load
Cost per box for purchased ammuntion
Rounds per box referred to above
<
Incremental round count (50, 10, 20, 100: your typical production batch)
<
(Calculated) Cost per increment loaded
(Calculated) Cost per round
(Calculated) Savings per round
(Calculated) savings per hour. Your "wage" if you choose to see it that way.
(Calculated) Your breakeven point, in rounds produced
(Calculated) Your breakeven point, in hours


Anyone else with comments, please feel free to weigh in, but please, PLEASE, do not address the wisdom or folly of counting time spent enjoying a hobby. Please start another thread for that discussion.

Lost Sheep
 
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Z

zxcvbob

New member
Anyone else with comments, please feel free to weigh in, but please, PLEASE, do not address the wisdom or folly of counting time spent enjoying a hobby. Please start another thread for that discussion.
Click to expand...

You're trying too hard. There is also an intangible value to being able to load ammo and/or shoot when all the stores and all the web sites have been sold-out for over a year. Whatever that value, IMHO it overwhelms a lot of your detailed cost analysis.
 
L

Lost Sheep

New member
zxcvbob said:
You're trying too hard. There is also an intangible value to being able to load ammo and/or shoot when all the stores and all the web sites have been sold-out for over a year. Whatever that value, IMHO it overwhelms a lot of your detailed cost analysis.
Click to expand...
True. If ammo is unavailable at ANY price, the cell "Cost per box for purchased ammuntion" goes to infinity. The break-even point goes to zero (or, realistically to one one).

Do not discount the intangible value to the person who just enjoys fiddling with spreadsheets, either.

Lost Sheep
 
D

darkgael

New member
Reloading

I am sure that my investment after decades of reloading is many thousands of dollars......allowing me to save even more thousands compared to what buying factory ammo would have cost.
I have reloading benches in three locations - one in each of two houses and another in a garage (I started with a Lee Loader, a box of bullets, 100 primers, a pound of powder and a shoe box).
I have fifteen bench mounted presses and a couple of hand presses, a shot maker for Trap loads, three lead casting furnaces, more molds than I want to count, and shelves of components. Lotsa stuff.
I do not particularly enjoy the process of reloading; I find it tedious. I do enjoy the shooting that it allows me to do and I do enjoy the quality of the ammo that I am able to make.
Pete
 
K

kilimanjaro

New member
Lots of spreadsheets here, nice to feel vindicated, as the Excel Nerd of the office.

Do add a column in your spreadsheet for local sales tax rate, multiply your total x 1.08 or whatever, to get a revised total. In the event of a loss, you want the insurance company to reimburse you for that replacement cost as well.
 
M

Machineguntony

New member
So far I've spent this much in the last month to get started, rounded:

$1850 to fully load up a Dillon 650 for 9mm and .223 (I bought every accessory imaginable, including the Auto primer)

$500 reloading bench

$300 on Dardas Cast bullets

$2000 on various powders, in bulk (I found a great deal)

$2500 in bulk bullets for .223 and 9mm (I found a great deal)

$1000 for reloading necessities like a scale, bullet puller, OAL measuring device, tumbler, etc.

As I was looking through my receipts, I was wondering how a Dillon 650 cost $1850, especially when considering the 650 itself is only about $566.

Here is the breakdown:

$566 for the Dillon 650

$127 for .223 dies

$64 for 9mm dies

$78 for 9mm conversion kit (press came in .223)

$120 for three case feed plates

$110 for quick change kit

$70 for powder check

$40 bullet tray

$220 case feeder

$315 Auto Primer filler

$50 change kit for primer filler (from small to large primers, as it came in small)

$45 handle for press

$45 strong mount
 
O

oldreloader

New member
I did a spreadsheet for equipment only and used Midway USA for a replacement cost. YIKES!! When I get enough nerve I'll do one for components..:eek:
 
S

slammedsi

New member
I've got somewhere in the middle to upper teens. I have collected a lot of stuff and was given a lot of different reloading supplys from my father also. 4 mec 9000 loaders, a dillon amd two rcbs rock chuckers. Not to mention powder, primers bullets, ect ect. Drives a wedge in my marriage but calms my nerves to set back and reload.
 
C

Crankylove

New member
My setup is fairly simple compared to some.

Single stage press, powder dispenser, beam scale, hand primer, hand trimmer, funnels, about a dozen die sets, misc. tools, free homemade bench, and then all the components.

Even with my simple set up, I've probably got $2,500 into right now, and that's pretty low for most reloaded I know.
 
R

redrick

New member
Update

I got some more equipment yesterday. So I am up to $2343.00, not including cartridge components, which I have little of and I am going to have to build a bigger bookcase.

I just started 5 months ago and so far I have made 24, 45 colt cartridges, that I have not tested yet. I just got powder 2 weeks ago ( Trail Boss ) only.
 
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