Re: 22LR is back to 10 cents a round

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ErikO wrote:If I need to buy a .38 instead of a .22 revolver to run my classes, I am ok with that. ;) Now to get the rest of my bills ok with it...
That might be a really good idea, actually. I make 50-round boxes of .38 Special, with Lee's 105gr 358-105-SWC boolit at a cost (to me) of $2.75. That means 500 rounds costs me $27.50. Now we're into .22LR territory. Since reloading and casting are fun hobbies for me, the time doing it is well spent.

Out of the levergun, this .38 Special load feels just like .22LR. Out of the revolver, it feels a little stronger than .22LR, but lighter than factory .38 Spl. New shooters seem to really like shooting the load, either revolver or rifle.

Think about it.
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Re: 22LR is back to 10 cents a round

12
senorgrand wrote:Just bought a 9mm revolver. What do you think it would cost to reload?

I wasn't considering it, since I found some for 25cents a round, but cheaper is good.
I cast my own projectiles and save my brass. I'm making 50 round boxes of 9mm 115 gr. round nose for about $3.05 - $3.25. Lead is $0.95 / pound where I buy it. The increased primer / powder cost drove the cost up. Of course, this doesn't take into account time, which, for me, doesn't count because I enjoy the Zen of casting / loading as much as I do shooting.
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Re: 22LR is back to 10 cents a round

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Even if you don't cast it's a pretty good deal to reload- after the sunk cost of reloading equipment is factored out for the long haul.
$.09/bullet (Copper plated)
$.045/primer (in small quantities
$.02/powder
Gets you in right around $.16/round
Brass is obviously reusable, figure for initial purchase you'll spend $.06 per, and it can be reloaded 8-12 times or so.

Makes a box of 50 around $8.12, biggest cost being the bullet. If you go lead, not copper plated, that reduces cost to about $.06/bullet, getting the cost per 50 down around $6.60
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: 22LR is back to 10 cents a round

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I guess I see things differently. If you're just going to shoot a couple hundred rounds a year of a common and cheap factory round like 9mm, it's not worth your time to reload. The short answer is it depends on how much you shoot.

Yeah you're paying 1/2 for ammo but you have $300-400 sitting around that you can tie up in equiptment and bulk components to get you started. And then you have your time. It could take years before you break even if you don't shoot a lot.

That being said, if you do shoot a lot you can save money.

Re: 22LR is back to 10 cents a round

15
curtism1234 wrote:I guess I see things differently. If you're just going to shoot a couple hundred rounds a year of a common and cheap factory round like 9mm, it's not worth your time to reload. The short answer is it depends on how much you shoot.

Yeah you're paying 1/2 for ammo but you have $300-400 sitting around that you can tie up in equiptment and bulk components to get you started. And then you have your time. It could take years before you break even if you don't shoot a lot.

That being said, if you do shoot a lot you can save money.
Yeah - I don't enjoy picking up brass - and I don't have very much free time, so reloading would feel like work to me.

Given that, I factored in my time as a cost, and amortized the cost of the equipment.... and found that the minimum breakeven for reloading to be worth it was at about 24 cents a round (this was before the panic, and I mostly shoot 9mm) - and even then it came out at only about $500 savings after 10 years at the rate I shoot right now. Which would just turn into another firearm purchase.

Of course - it becomes a lot more obvious if you shoot more expensive calibers - and with even bulk 9mm having not come down below 28cents per round on the 'net yet, I'm getting slightly tempted. I'm also mindful of the fact that if I'm going to switch over to reloading, the sooner the better to reap any long term benefit.


Plus - everyone I've ever talked to has always said "You don't save money - you just shoot more."

Re: 22LR is back to 10 cents a round

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Reloading 9mm Para is about the same cost, for me, as reloading .38 Special. This is because I use the same bullet (358-105-SWC works great in 9mm), just about the same charge of powder, the same small pistol primers, and the brass is free.

Here's an example of where reloading can save you Big Bucks.

I've mentioned what I call my ".45 Colt Magnum" load a couple times before and how much fun it is. It uses a 255gr cast boolit of about BHN 12, with a substantial charge of 2400 powder under it. It is about the power of a full-house .44 Magnum load, which it was designed to replicate.

I've shot some of Buffalo Bore's ".45 Colt +P" rounds with the 260gr bullet. They feel just like my .45 Colt Magnum load. That ammo is about $40 for a box of 20 (just checked two nights ago). That means about $100 for a box of 50.

I make that same 50-round box for $8.00.

That means, since I definitely enjoy this round, each box that I shoot saves me NINETY TWO DOLLARS. Per box.

Now, .44 Magnum doesn't save me quite that much, but it's about $25/box. That adds up pretty fast, too, especially as much as I enjoy trigger time with that Ruger 96/44.

Yeah, it's worth it. :thumbup:
"SF Liberal With A Gun + Free Software Advocate"
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