The Realities of Reloading

Cost Saving or Stuffing Hulls With Cash?

When I think about it, I’m amazed at the number of rounds I go through during a season of upland bird hunting. It doesn’t seem to me that it lasts all that long, there wasn’t that many birds, and, when I did get a chance to shoot, I seldom - if ever - require more than one shot.

Okay, back to reality. There’s a topic that returns like a boomerang every year or so - reloading. For the last several years the main focus has been where to find components and making due with the ones you do find. For many of us that have reloaded for decades, there is the sticker-shock from the price of these components. Which brings to mind, “Can you still save money by reloading?”

I hesitated about writing on this subject. The (mostly) ups and downs of reloading component prices, or the ability to even find them, will likely make such an article irrelevant in a very short time. Yet, the question comes up so often that it deserves a moment of contemplation. For the sake of practicality, let’s look at the deeper question, “Is reloading your own (shotgun) ammunition worth it (to you)?”

I will use current (8/2024) data for the pricing each item. When summarizing I will include a comparison between lower-priced target and, more expensive, hunting loads. This is because there is a huge difference in the retail price per box but not as much difference in the price for each component. Along with the cost per component, current realities dictate my looking into each component’s availablity. No sense heading down the path if there is going to be insurmoutable road blocks.

Many Makes and Mechanisms…

For the sake of gauge and even the type of load, I own a few - preset - reloading machines. The single-stage reloader (left) requires the operator to move the hull from station to station until the final crimp.

RELOADER: The machine itself varies in price and complexity depending on the design. Some, like mine, require the shell hull to be manually taken - one step at a time - through the entire process. It’s slow but effective process seems to meet my loading requirements. The other end of the spectrum we find reloaders that pump out a loaded round each time the lever is pulled and the operator only has to add an empty hull and wad at the beginning of the process. That, and make sure the hoppers are filled with the various components - primers, powder, and shot.

RELOADER PRICE: Single-stage (one at a time) reloaders vary from MEC’s SizeMaster: $390 - MEC 600 Jr: $250 down to LEE Loaders: $70. I have used MEC equipment for decades and know very little about LEE or other manufacturers. For manual progressive (loaded shell with each actuation) you will add over a $100. In addition, for set-up and periodic checking of powder weight dropped, you will need a reliable powder/shot scale. A frugal shopper should be able to obtain one for less than $100.

Often used equipment and components can be found at pawn shops or estate sales. I have found that the best prices for reloaders and other items are at garage or estate sales. In either case, it pays to know the condition these items are in and have the ablity to haggle over price.

HULLS: The empties, themselves, require your ability to determine condition; once-fired or the leftovers of multiple reloading events. Another important characteristic is that they should be all the same make and model. Shotgun shells are not all the same - even within the same manufacturer. There can be significant differences that will determine which components, (primers, powder, & wads) and amounts, (shot & powder) you will use. You will need to research!

Hulls…

Come in various forms - compression formed, base wad, etc. - and conditions - well used, once-fired, and new. After the reloader itself, the choice of hulls and their condition plays a key roll in the finished product.

It might be possible to “dumpster-dive” for once-fired hulls from local target ranges. However, there are a few cautions I should provide. Scrounging hulls from the ground or waste barrels at these sites may be frowned upon by the proprietors and/or shooters. To save yourself the embarrassment of being expelled from the grounds, secure permission and get instruction.

HULL PRICE: Once-fired target rounds can often be purchased online. $12 - $14 (depending) / 100 - Approx: .13 /each

PRIMERS:

Here’s where we run into availablity issues. I have been primarily using CCI primers for a million-teen years but, currently, they are as rare as an honest politician. Leaving me with very suspect foreign-made primers or relatively expensive American manufactured products.

PRIMER PRICE: Foreign crap withstanding, prices run from about .08 to .14 / each.

POWDER: Here’s another availablity wildcard. I’ve been primarily using Alliant (formally, Hercules) powder products but haven’t been able to procure what I’m looking for with any regularity for a few years. Explainations run the gambit; manufacturing processes, factory explosions, or, like everything else, climate-change. Plenty of excuses.

Powder options have slimmed down.

POWDER PRICE: Again, if you can find it, a pound of powder will run you from $40 to $45. Heavy caclulations show that you can get around 390 rounds of target loads per pound for an estimated cost of 11¢ per round.

WADS: It seems as though the wads you need can be found locally, or online, with very little extra effort. Like all components, the finished shell is determined - a great deal - by the hulls you started with and what your intended use is for the round. My 12 ga. target rounds are generally 1-1/8 oz shot loads - the hunting rounds, perhaps, 1-1/4. My 20 ga. shells run between 7/8 to one ounce of shot, more on that later.

WAD PRICE: Wads are an odd-duck because they tend to be the least expensive component and easiest to come by. Bags of 500 run just under $15 for a per shell cost of about 3¢.

The price tag on the center bag brings a tear to your eye.

SHOT: It has been determined by our country’s leadership that the United States should stand for the world’s freedom and save its environment. Both at a high cost to it’s citizens. The sacrifice of American lives for the sake of global freedom has been a constant and controversial effort. Well back of that in significance, is the sacrifice of America’s industry/economy for the sake of (global) environmental reform. Lead mining and manufacturing was one of the first to take the hit and has been whittled-down to practically nothing in the U.S..

Ironically, that relegates this production to countries that lack (or have greatly relaxed) environmental restrictions - thus, making it more likely that global pollution has increased in this regard. For those interested in reloading, the result has been excessive price increases and shortages.

Non-toxic alternatives for reloading are available but at prices so high it would make you light-headed. Unlike many actions designed to improve environmental conditions, the production of, so called, non-toxic alternatives have not received any financial incentives from the government - just increasing restrictions.

(LEAD) SHOT PRICE: Currently, if you can locate it in sporting goods stores, the cost is about $52 / 25 lbs., (about $2/lb). to about $65, (about $2.60/lb.). Of course, having it shipped to you will add significantly to the cost. Using the former price, that’s about 13¢ per round.

(NON-TOXIC) SHOT PRICE: The materials and their cost are all over the board. Bismuth can cost over $18/lb. and plated Tungsten well over $40 per pound! Steel shot requires specific components (hulls & wads) and, in my opinion, it’s crap; I wouldn’t waste my time with it.

Calculations (Lead): Adding everything together (not including the initial cost of the reloading equipment) that comes to about 52¢ per round. Multiply that by 25 rounds and you come up with about $13 per box. That price will gradually recede as you reload hulls multiple times, of course. If you can locate a source for free reloadable hulls, that drops the cost to a more reasonable $9.50 per box which is about the shelf price for the least expensive target loads.

Pricing upland game (pheasant) loads by increasing powder cost to 14¢ and shot increased to about 15¢ per and we get a per round total of 43¢ - 56¢ (depending on hull purchase) for a total of $10.75 / box (without hull purchase) - $14.00 / box (with hull purchase). In this case, the savings is a bit more significant.

SUMMARY:

If you don’t have to amortize the initial cost of the reloading equipment and can get the hulls at no cost, you’re still not saving much - if anything - by reloading standard target shells. However, if you have a reloader, you can still save a few bucks per box over premium target and hunting loads (*) - even if you need to purchase quality (used) hulls for that purpose. If you need to purchase equipment, the pay-off will be in the (distant) future.

Worth it? My guess, for most folks, the initial costs, the space, and time required would have them determine - “Probably, not.” In the end, much like tying flies, reloading (shotshells) has become, for many of us, a part of the heritage that defines us. Something that is part hobby and part of the overall enjoyment of sport shooting and upland hunting.

Facing the reality that, if it was all about cost-savings, we would likely not participate in either.

(*) Prices obtained online from Midway USA, Precision Reloading, Ballistic Products, MEC, LEE Loader, and onsite at Sportsman’s Warehouse & North-40.