ctay Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Wanted to share a spreadsheet I created to compare the cost of reloading different calibers. This is what helped me decide on 38SC over 9Major but as the cost of components can differ across the country and by person I thought it would be useful to have something to compare. Let me know if you notice any problems or mistakes and I'll make the changes! Screen shots: Reloading Costs.zip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambo Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Nice sheet! Very similar to a sheet I used to come to a similar conclusion. It all boils down to how much brass you can recover and reuse... Aka time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 CTAY, looks good, thanks for sharing. One question - I thought a big advantage to the .38 is you can use "better" powders than HS6? Not sure if that would do anything to your spreadsheet if you switched to a different powder for .38??? You'd probably also lower the price a bit by using WAC (7.0 grains) than HS6?? Probably small differences, though -most of the cost is in the bullet/case. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocMedic Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Hmm, I get about 5+ reloads out of my Major 9 Brass. Some probably got snuck in at 7+, they don't last more then that though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctay Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 Hmm, I get about 5+ reloads out of my Major 9 Brass. Some probably got snuck in at 7+, they don't last more then that though. I did my calculation on the "shoot it and leave it" line of thinking with 9Major. It is fairly easy to change though, just update the number of reloads the the percentage lost numbers and you will have a new cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Nice spreadsheet if you like spreadsheets I guess. I have never paid a penny for any 9mm brass. I work enough matches to get all I need. I think I'm in the the 30k range right now. That's alot of brass considering I reload it several times. Your sheet shows 38 brass getting loaded 7 times when many load it many more times than that but the truth seems to be you will lose it way before that day comes. I have some 9mm brass that has been reloaded 5-6 times at least. Yeah, you should probably use any of the V V powders in 38. They are certainly "better" powders. Since you like these types of calculations do one on price comparison of powders. I found out through simple math that by using the most expensive powder out there compared to the cheapest adds about a half cent to each round. Powder is one of the cheapest components we use so if your cartridge of choice will hold it use the good stuff. I really wanted to use 3N37 but I just could not pack enough in there to make a comfortable PF. Another point to consider is that most 9mm guys don't run 115's and trend towards 121 or 124 so the bullets cost a little more in 9mm. Again, I never pay for brass so there is no question 9mm is cheaper than 38 by a wide margin. I hang around after local matches, steel matches, etc and pick the stuff up by the bucket full. Another nice thing about 9 is if you just feel lazy one day you just leave it all lay and you have lost nothing but a few minutes time. After matches I typically pick up 5 times what I shot so it adds up fast. I load 9MAJOR for about $6.50 a box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OperationHitFactor Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I think this is a basic, yet informative spreadsheet. Depending on an individual's needs they can sub in different numbers to get a more personalized price per thousand. Different powder cost and brass usesage can be put into the equation fairly simply to come up with a number more specific to the shooter. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctay Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) CTAY, looks good, thanks for sharing. One question - I thought a big advantage to the .38 is you can use "better" powders than HS6? Not sure if that would do anything to your spreadsheet if you switched to a different powder for .38??? You'd probably also lower the price a bit by using WAC (7.0 grains) than HS6?? Probably small differences, though -most of the cost is in the bullet/case. Jack Yeah, the cost of the bullet really becomes the most expensive part. Buying 4K at a time from Montana Gold really cuts the cost. On the HS6 - that is what my builder recommends. Planned on using that for a while before playing around with other powders. @OperationHitFactor - Thanks! Glad you like it! Edited February 10, 2012 by ctay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Not having to exacerbate the 3 lumbar discs I need replaced: priceless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidnal Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Not having to exacerbate the 3 lumbar discs I need replaced: priceless. +1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 After shooting super for about 5 years, I'm switch over to 9, I'm tried of being more worried about my brass then my shooting. Factor in the cost of a new open gun that I'm having built, 9 is going to cost me a lot more than super, but it will be worth it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hax Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Keep the spreadsheets coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctay Posted February 11, 2012 Author Share Posted February 11, 2012 not sure why but it seems like the average cost is not refreshing on the spreadsheet. to force it to refresh double click on the average cost cell and hit enter (don't change anything). BTW you can use this to calculate any round cost - not just 9 and 38. Compare how much two different powders effect your cost - whatever you can think of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip_E Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Very useful. I can quickly see how much more it cost to load major vs minor with the same components....about .01 cent. :-) This does shed light on where we should look to save money (bullets) and where it doesn't make sense to skimp (powder). Much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParaGunner Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I have some great local shooters where I'm at, they help me pick up my brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StravIs09 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 http://www.cmcalc.com/index.php try this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Hmm, I get about 5+ reloads out of my Major 9 Brass. Some probably got snuck in at 7+, they don't last more then that though. If you had a CasePro, and could roll size your 9mm brass, would that stretch out the life of the brass so you could get even more reloadings out of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 you can use this to calculate any round cost - I'd love to see a comparison of loading 50 grain .223 vs buying rounds at $300/1000:) Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Buy primers @ Powder Valley for $15.00/k and save more. To be fair, you need a large order to compensate for the frt and HazMat charges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishhunter3 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I load 9 mm major, shoot and leave my brass, but I found a local range that sells me brass for $50 - about 5000+ - brings the cost way down, this a indoor range and you have to pick out the 380 brass but that's not that hard, Last 5000 found about 300 380's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whoops! Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) When I did 9 major, I only used new brass because quite frankly there's no way for me to tell if brass is once fired or what it was fired out of and I don't have time to measure each one. Using only new brass and the expensive powders that I use, 9 major was only about 10% cheaper than 38 supercomp. I throw all of my brass away, unless I'm at an event where I have to pick it up. Edited February 16, 2012 by Whoops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DESDES Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Buy primers @ Powder Valley for $15.00/k and save more. To be fair, you need a large order to compensate for the frt and HazMat charges. What primers are only $15/K at Powder Valley? I haven't seen prices that low in years. I'm not even an hour from there, so no worries about the hazmat fee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Buy primers @ Powder Valley for $15.00/k and save more. To be fair, you need a large order to compensate for the frt and HazMat charges. What primers are only $15/K at Powder Valley? I haven't seen prices that low in years. I'm not even an hour from there, so no worries about the hazmat fee! Wolf SRP and 223 primers are $15.50/k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Texas Granny Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 A few thoughts. Was haz mat fee included? Shipping? Taxes? Insurance? I don't see the value of your time indicated anywhere. I dont see any amortization of equipment needed fo reload. I don't see any cost associated with the space you have set aside to reload. I don't see any Equipment maintance costs or other expendables included. Without all of the above included in your calculation of costs you cannot come anywhere near a true cost per round when reloading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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