Reloading 12ga worth it?

[DS12]

Was curious what's the cost savings to load 12ga?

[tightloop]

Depends on several factors...

1. If you and some buddies go together and buy bulk, you can get them cheaper than you can reload them, but they will all be the same kind, ie, 3 1/4, 1 1/8, 7 1/2

2. If you shoot only one game and one type of ammo, cheaper to buy bulk

3. the set up and components can be expensive and you have to get the hulls from somewhere.

4. If you shoot enough to pay for reloading gear and components you don't have time to shoot much else...

Just my experience. My buddies and I bought 10k worth of BP ammo for clays and got it delivered for 3.20 a box, but that was 4 yrs ago...more now I am sure. A good reloading machine is 300 bucks or more and shot is over 30 bucks a bag, hulls are 8cents each if you buy once fired AA's..it isn't cheap.

Bite the bullet and buy 10 flats of AA's and save the hulls then rethink reloading when you are about to shoot them all up.

[mscott]

Here's a calculator for you. Right now shot is over $40 for a 25# bag. Winchester primers run about $26k.

http://10xshooters.com/calculators/

Edited May 1, 2008 by mscott

[Hank Ellis]

Was curious what's the cost savings to load 12ga?

Best answer is, it depends.

Depends on what your reloading for. 3-gun, hunting, clays.

Depends on your shooting volume.

Depends if you have a need for something special.

Depends if you have the resources to do a group buy.

What shotgun games are you playing and what is your shooting volume?

[EricW]

Prices per flat/250

Current best price for bargain shells here: $66 w/tax

Current best price for delivered shotshells: $78 delivered

My current best cost to reload $55 w/tax

Current price of a reloader that can churn at shells at a volume worth your time investment: $750 delivered. I have two MECs. There's no way I'd plan my economics around a MEC. They're just too much of a PITA to keep running. Then there's the mess. There's just no way to not have crap everywhere.

So you can break even at 33 flats of ammo, assuming your time is worth $0. Add in gas and the hassle of trying to find components and that figure goes up. If time spent reloading is time spent not shooting, well, you do the math.

On average, I shoot about a flat a week for the 6 to 8 months that we can shoot here. Even at today's ammo prices, I still will continue to buy finished ammo. Walmart ammo availability is now so spotty that I'm about ready to even give up on *that* and just buy a pallet of B&P and be done with it.

[D.Hayden]

I have a PW press...

It really comes down to the price of lead and what price you can get on loaded shells.

With prices of 25# lead in the 40-50 range... I can buy shells cheaper... or at least not enough savings to justify my loading them.

But, if you can get lead in the $25 range.. it's working out to about $3.15 a box.

I only reload for trap/skeet, not for 3 Gun.. so I'm buying shells for that, no matter what.

[UW Mitch]

I bought a Mec600Jr. for about $50, thinking I would load some nice light loads for trap for my GF. The cost was about equivalent of buying (not in bulk) and the time to load 100 rounds was about an hour. I loaded a couple hundred and haven't touched the loader since. Not worth it I think unless you're shooting a LOT and gonna spend some money on a good machine, and the ammo you load is customer tailored to what you want.

I just did trap, so that being said, what's the process for loading slugs, and the economics of that versus buying low recoil slugs (from Federal for example)?

~Mitch

[Hank Ellis]

I just did trap, so that being said, what's the process for loading slugs, and the economics of that versus buying low recoil slugs (from Federal for example)?

~Mitch

Didn't try loading slugs but did try 00 buckshot. Disaster. Pups wouldn't feed. Horrible crimp. And the pattern covered a zip code.

More so than birdshot, loading slugs or buckshot requires a bit more work. Did the math and factory was cheaper and better in the long run. Besides I don't shoot enough of either to justify the cost in money or time.

I reload 12ga. Probably don't save much money if any but I do like the process. Even I gave up on slugs and buckshot.

If you want to pursue it however, cruise around http://www.ballisticproducts.com/.

[TonyT]

The only 12 ga. I load is with 7/8 oz. of shot. For 1 oz. loads in 12 ga nad 7/9 oz loads in 20 ga. you have to calculate your time in cents per hour to compete with inexpensive loaded ammo. I do reload 28 ga. and 410 bore where the diffrence between ammo prices and my reloads is more significant.

[steveknapp]

That calculator tells all. And from what I've been reading here, as well on other forums (this is my first post here!)...reloading isn't always about logic. Some do it for fun.

I'm not a great shot, nor do I get to shoot as much as I'd like. My goal for this summer is 200 rounds of shotshells a month. I reload because it's fun and in theory it's saving me some money in the long haul. I buy the shot and whatnot in bulk when I'm at a good supplier. My job often takes me past Midwestern Shooters Supply, so that works well for me. I've ordered some components from Ballistic Products to try some different loads and wads.

But I will say I'm happy reloading with my MEC Sizemaster. It's not a progressive, but gets the job done well enough. I've not made a mess with it, nor I've got the adjustable charge bar for it, and the only "issue" I've had has been that the bar needs a slight tweak at the start of each reloading session. Maybe changes in how the power flows due to temp and humidity? Nothing major.