reloading break even

[gyrfalcon]

From my calculations I'll never break even.

[DanM]

This has been an interesting discussion, but unless you are reloading as a business - there is no break even. This is a hobby, and no one is paying you/us for our time, materials, or labor. There is only the amount of money and time that you put into the hobby.

The case could be made that for the same amount of money you could shoot more, or shoot different/better ammunition. It's theoretically possible to reload and save money, but I am not aware of anyone who has. They all shot more, better, etc....

Whenever I have tried to calculate a break even/payback point, it's been an exercise attempting to justify my hobby expenses to myself or someone else. I was impressed. Someone else was not. It's the nature of the argument: it's a tough sell trying to explain spending money now to save money later. Unless it's understood that the costs are hobby related, which is a different animal.

It's for Christmas! That's my story and I'm stickin' with it.

[pastorpaul]

It's for Christmas! That's my story and I'm stickin' with it.

best statement on the subject, imho.
all good discussion but this is the conclusive argument.

[Pat Cannon]

I'm paying, for components, very approximately, a third of retail price for .38 Special. Adding the cost of the press, scale, dies and all that stuff, divided by the thousands of rounds I've loaded in the last two years adds, very approximately, five bucks a box. With setup, and if I really take my time, I might spend a whole hour making that 50 rounds.

So if I haven't dropped a decimal point somewhere I'm making, very approximately, ten bucks an hour for cranking that lever. And I'm getting paid in ammo, not cash, so I won't waste it on stuff like food or the mortgage.

[rugersol]

And I'm getting paid in ammo, not cash, so I won't waste it on stuff like food or the mortgage.

[R.E.T.]

So if I haven't dropped a decimal point somewhere I'm making, very approximately, ten bucks an hour for cranking that lever. And I'm getting paid in ammo, not cash, so I won't waste it on stuff like food or the mortgage.

Good to see that someone has their priorities straight.

[DanM]

I'm paying, for components, very approximately, a third of retail price for .38 Special. Adding the cost of the press, scale, dies and all that stuff, divided by the thousands of rounds I've loaded in the last two years adds, very approximately, five bucks a box. With setup, and if I really take my time, I might spend a whole hour making that 50 rounds.

So if I haven't dropped a decimal point somewhere I'm making, very approximately, ten bucks an hour for cranking that lever. And I'm getting paid in ammo, not cash, so I won't waste it on stuff like food or the mortgage.

I'd love to see one of those graphs or charts of your cost savings. You know, like the ones you do for the steel shoot results.
You could start with 9mm with a short line representing the cost savings between store bought and reloaded, through .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .45 ACP, all the way up to .500 S&W Magnum with a long line (could consult with Sonic Sam on details). That might cover handgun ammunition. Then, just for completeness, there could be a listing of rifle rounds starting with .223, through .270, .30-06, up through .458 Win Mag. And don't forget 7mm Magnum! Educate us, Pat!


(Just don't start sounding like H. Ross Perot while presenting it, though. )

That is getting too sarcastic. I don't mean to get on you case Pat. My point is that I'm still spending money on ammunition when I reload. I agree with your point that there is less money spent, but it's still a debit on the checking account/credit card. Maybe the point of contention is the way that the savings is viewed. Real money in the pocket, or just less money spent.

Or has this whole topic just been over-analyzed.

[Snowgun]

I think this thread is the victim of semantics (or a misunderstanding of finance).

Nobody is under the illusion that suddenly you are going to get Free Money reloading, or that your ammo costs are going to Zero. Most people assume a fixed use of ammo per year no matter what.

It's simple. Right now one can pay full price for store bought ammo. Reloading give the ability to pay less than full price. However there is a capital cost in order to reload.

The difference between full price and reloading price (determined from cost of components ONLY), is the savings. What is interesting is if this "savings" is applied to the cost of the capital equipment, at what point do you pay that cost back? Then you can actually realize the reloading savings.

The only arguable intangible is time, which can be factored as a cost into the reloading price, or just applied as a "pain in the ass" factor.

[Pat Cannon]

Or has this whole topic just been over-analyzed.

Never!

[hydraulicman]

get yourself a dillon 550b. Load as much 9mm as you like. If you ever get out of it they sell at about 90 percent of new so your not out much money. If you keep it and continue to use it it will pay for itself in about 6000 rounds . Press scale books dies and tumbler included.

$100 budget lee singlestage kit

$300 lee turret

$600 dillon 550b

$600+ dillon 650 xl or hornady lock n load

[gyrfalcon]

~$210 Loadmaster w/Dies is also a very under rated press.

[David]

I went whole hog and bought a Dillon 1050 with all sorts of extra stuff back in the 90s. I sold it all within about three years. Even with a rig as "automatic" as that, I'll get back into reloading only when I can buy a monkey and have him sit in the shop making ammo for me. Otherwise it's not worth the time involved to do it right (to me). I know some people do it as a hobby and I won't take that away from anyone, but it started to seem like a chore for me. Hmm, that was right around the time my first kid was born...

[Amithus]

Nobody is under the illusion that suddenly you are going to get Free Money reloading, or that your ammo costs are going to Zero.

Damn it, now I gotta see if John at Gunstop will take it all back.

WTF!?!?!?

[LarryFlew]

OK, attempt to answer my own initial question.

First considering what I was paying for ammo buying 1000 rounds at a time maybe a nickle each in actual savings by calculation of 1st 2000 rounds of supplies excluding brass. So, NEVER in actual $$.

Being semi retired I could spend a lot of time looking and getting cheapest prices so here is what I got (all prices are to my door):

Used press with extra turrets and dies $150
Tumbler,puller,books ABC's etc $75
Chrono $76
scale $18
Caliper $10 already had
lee reloading manual $16

2000 MG bullets 1/2 124 115 (200) 148 $170
powder $34
primers $62
.133 each

Found it relaxing to sort and polish and have not gotten into the actual re-loading yet other than set up and test each station which appear to be working and nice and smooth. When I was doing 15 boxes of 12 gauge a week during trap it was relaxing so I'm guessing this will be also. Most of all looking forward to trying different bullets and loads etc.

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP AND ANSWERS FROM ALL OF YOU.

[rugersol]

sounds good!

ya got a Lee, then? ... turret? ... 'er 1000?