is reloading worth it ? is it cheaper ?

[7mm12g22lr]

just like the title says I am thinking in starting reloading for saving money on ammo but have no idea if it is worth it for 3-4 boxes per year ...probably not.
I shoot a 7mm RM.
Thanks.

[Scott N]

You won't necessarily save money unless you shoot a lot. I have found reloading to be a very satisfying hobby, it's fun to custom make ammo for your own rifles. You can also shoot more for less money than factory ammo, so in that way it is worth it. It also allows for flexibility.... you can load lighter, practice loads for target shooting at the range, or choose premium bullets for that moose hunt that you've been waiting for years to draw your tag. I say go for it!

[solocam3]

You could probably find some one to reload for you close to you. You buy the bullets, powder, primers, dies etc and they supply the press and knowledge and you suplly the refreshments (Afterwords, ofcourse) This is one reason you should have a location on your listing.

[oldgutpile]

Depending on the loads you are making (meaning more-so to caliber than graind of bullet, etc.) the cost is mainly in the casing itself. For example, the 30-378 I just started loading for, costs about 108.00/box off the shelf at wholesale sports. I can reload the spent casings for aprox. 20% of that.
Back in the day when I was a coyote hunting fanatic, it was nothing to go through a box of shells in a weekend. Store cost at that time was around 16.00/box, and I could reload them for 4.00!
The initial cost of the set-up will more than pay for itself over time.
There is also the satisfaction of playing with different loads until you come up with the magic recipe that just seems to work wonders in your individual gun.

[7mm12g22lr]

ok. so it is cheaper by 80%..... as oldgutpile says..... provided you re-use the casings.
then how many times can you reload a casing ?And is that available for all calibers?

[Mike_W]

If you are looking for cheap ammo then go pick up some super-x.
If you are willing to take up a very satisfiying hobby then go pick up some dies and a press I would say for a decent new set up you would be looking in the $500 range you can buy a decent ammount of bullets for that.
I reload personally but not for the money savings, I reload for two major reasons improved/tuning accuracy and the personal satisfaction of shooting a big game animal with something you have made.
I reload and reuse brass and can probably shoot 60 bullets handloaded for what the same lead in a premium bullet would cost me for 20 so I guess when you think about it that way in two or three years you reloading setup would be paid for.

You can get 3 - 6 shots off a casing on average but a inspection is required everytime.
Most calibers are avalible for reload, depending on the case there are some cases where a sizing die might not be avalible but there are ways around that.

[Dick284]

Reloading as a cost saving measure only, is a pretty tough sell.

Unless,

You shoot lots.
You shoot a hard to find chambering.
Or,

want to shoot more for the same money, and want a hobby that is able to be done year round, and will allow you to possibly meet some very interesting folks, and allow you to move into different shooting sports.

I think I grasped the gist of it, for me it's a lot more than saving a few bucks, heck I'm far past that, it's something that is a part of something much bigger.

You know the sense of satisfaction when you know it's your load and it's development that either fills the freezer, or puts a memory of a life time on the wall.

Or the knowing that all that time spent tinkering and researching has come to a culmination, when that group on that target, is simply amazing.

It's a tough thing to describe how some of us get into this thing called reloading, sure we started with a single motive, but over time it evolves into something larger than words.

Just do it....You'll like it.

[Bushrat]

If your only shooting 3-4 boxes a year, you need more practice It's not worth reloading. Reloading probably saves me at least $1500 a year.