Shot shell reloading and what it costs.

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FairChase93

Active member
I've been reloading for my rifles for awhile now and it has proven to be quite enjoyable and given that the volume of my shooting has went up quite a bit since I started it has been more affordable as well.

I'm considering reloading for my shotguns now and from what I have seen and the numbers I have crunched it actually appears as though shot shell reloading may actually cost more than purchasing loaded shells.

For instance around here a box of target loads, let's say 1 1/8 oz of 71/2s, will cost you between 6.00 and 6.50. That is about 0.26 per shell. From my calculations I have come up with 0.32 per shell for a reloaded round of the same weight and shot size. That is using free once fired hulls and does not include any equipment cost.

I want to know what others have come up with for a reloading cost and if they have found it to be more economical.

Just for a little background I generally shoot between a 100 and 150 rounds at the trap range per week. Not sure of average number of shells used but I do a LOT of pheasent and grouse hunting and some dove hunting. I also do my fair share of waterfowl hunting, and have started carrying my shotgun everytime I call coyotes. Also a die hard spring turkey hunter as well so I do quite a bit with my shotguns. Most of this is with a 12 ga, but I also use my 20 some and having started using a 28ga for some of my upland hunting.

So is it worth to reload shot shells? What is your experience with what it costs? Do you find it enjoyable? If I decide to give it a go what would you suggest for equipment? Do you see an improvement in your patterns? Just trying to decide if I should give it a go or not.
 
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Shotgun reloading gets cheaper as you shoot more. In your case, you're about at the "break even" point. Here's what you have to do to save money:

Buy your hulls CHEAP and in QUANTITY. In your case, you say you have free hulls. They are only free if they are the correct ones. You can't just throw powder in a hull and expect to have a safe and correct load. I have actually seen guns destroyed because someone substituted a hull. You gotta use the correct hulls for the recipe. Gunbroker used to be a fairly decent place for hulls, but I haven't purchased any in a long time. In the case of the most-liked Winchester AA compression formed hulls you can expect anywhere from 5 to 8 reloads per hull if you care for them properly.

Buy ALL of your components in bulk. That means a case of wads at a time, and 300-400 pounds of shot at once. Primers obviously are purchased per 1000, and unless you can beat the price I would suggest you purchase them locally to avoid the shipping charges. Same for powder. Only in 8# kegs ... never per pound.

By rough count, my son and I (mostly him) go through approximately 15,000 - 17,000 rounds per year. And 90% are reloads. I use MEC equipment, and believe it or not I don't always load on a progressive machine. We load 12, 20, 28, and 410 gauges. If you are shooting a 28, you can definitely save money over the cost of factory ammo. Not to mention the limited loads and availability. And even more so with the little .410.

I would suggest that you get a MEC 600 JR machine and learn to use it properly. At your numbers a progressive isn't necessary and since you mentioned needing more than skeet/dove loads you need the easy adjust-ability of a standard loader. Be aware that MEC loaders come in either 2.75" or 3.00" models, and they are difficult to change. It's actually less expensive in the long run to purchase 2 loaders if you are going to be loading both lengths.

BEFORE you buy ANYTHING, get a reloading manual and study it. Then get a loader. Then decide what loads you may want to shoot and get a few of those hulls to try. After you are certain about your component needs, then buy your components in bulk.

If you need some reading material, go over to Shotgunworld.com and check them out. PredatorMasters is a great place, but it isn't geared to the shotgunner. The guys at SGW know what they are doing and can help you a lot.

If there is anything I can help you with I will be more than happy to do so.
 
Originally Posted By: FairChase93Would you be willing to share your average price of a reloaded trap shell?

LOL ... not sure I know .....
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Give me a few minutes ......

EDIT: About $3.75 - $4.00 a box depending on the current cost of components. These are quality skeet loads with good components:

AA Hulls
Windjammer wads
Lawrence shot
Winchester primers

We load with "AA Lite" powder, which is a bit more expensive, and that runs the cost up. I didn't include the cost of the hulls as that can vary from "free" to who-knows-what depending on availability. And make no mistake: I am not above going garbage can diving at the local club if I see a bunch of AA hulls being thrown away by someone. (It's amazing the people that leave hulls lying in the fields after they shoot) Some clubs don't allow a hull to be picked up after it hits the ground because they resell them, and that's OK. They usually turn them back to the membership at reasonable costs. But if you're shooting a break action gun that's not an issue. This cost is based on buying components in very large quantities, also. If you are a member of a skeet/clays club there is usually a "buying group" that orders components like powder and especially shot in huge amounts and you can dramatically lower your costs by doing that. And as you increase your powder and shot charges when going to trap loads / 5 stand / sporting clays of course the costs increase a bit.

If you're interested in loading for pheasant, turkey, and coyotes the largest advantage is that you can tailor your loads to your specific needs, and you always have ammunition available without having to go store-jumping to find it.
 
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That is cheap in your case then. I did all my calculations based on components that I found on online retailers.

The Sportsmans Club that I am involved with just finished construction of a trap range this year and as of now we do not have a lot of participation. Which is expected considering it's a rural town of 700 people, in the middle of nowhere (just like I like it), so the group buy thing is out for me at least for now.

Considering equipment cost I'm probably not going to jump in just yet. It is intriguing to be able to get just exactly what I want out of my game loads though.

I'm sure there is eventually enough savings to make up for the equipment. Especially when many of my hunting loads are costing a dollar or more a piece most of the time. But from what I'm seeing start up costs would be pretty high between a press and components, and possibly more presses for different gauges and lengths it adds up fast.

It is something I may consider later on just not sure I'm ready to commit that much cash to it at the moment.
 
I totally understand. If you wanted to get started as cheaply as possible, Str8shooter has a MEC for sale in the classifieds for $90 delivered. That's not a bad deal considering a new one will run you close to $200 after shipping charges. Looks like it needs a good cleaning and a couple of bottles ($5 each).

http://www.predatormastersforums.com/for...420#Post2722420

Don't hesitate to let me know if I can help you later on.
 
I'll keep that in mind. I have my factory loads that I KNOW work even if they are pricey so I'm just gonna stick with them for now. I'm curious though what is your go to load for the 28ga as far as shot size and weight. I picked up a 28ga earlier this year, I love that light little gun, but I can't decide what shot size I like to run in it.

I spent about 6 weeks this summer shooting all my trap with the 28ga. I was using some factory shells, 3/4 oz loads of #9s. I switched to some number 7s right towards the end and seemed to do a little better with those. They both patterned very well on paper, I was thinking the 9s may have been fading too fast but not sure about that.

One thing I know for sure is that 6 weeks on that little gun really helped my game with the 12 ga. Since switching back, I've been running 22 s and 23 s pretty consistently.

Anyways got off topic there with some self gloating. Curious what you like in the 28ga.
 
I prefer (for skeet) 3/4 ounce of #8 running about 1050fps. I actually shoot better scores on average with the 28 than I do with the 12. There's just something about the shot string that suits my shooting style. I have shot pheasant with 7/8 ounce of #5 and that does the trick if you know the limitations of the gun.
 

I load 10, 12, 20, and 28 ga., and my experiences are very similar to Hidalgo's. I shoot 100 rounds of 12 ga. a week, in a trap league. My hand loads are maybe a $1 less than cheap target loads, but are made with quality components, and hulls(AA and STS). If you just look at the bottom line, yes you won't save much money in 12 ga. loading. You will get higher quality ammo, be able to choose loads your shotgun/choke likes, on the pattern board, and always be able to get them, with hand loading. Where one can really save money is with less popular gauges. I save $5 a box on 28 ga. loads, and again I can make loads that are not available commercially. The same thing for 10 ga. I load Hevi-shot for waterfowl and turkeys, for about 60% of the cost of factory ammo, and again I pick loads my shotgun likes and I can always get them, if I keep a good supply of components.

The equipment costs, to get into shotgun loading, are lower than metallic cartridge hand loading. Basically, get a Mec Single stage, a charge bar, a few powder bushings, and start turning out ammo.

There is only one down side...It is addicting.
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Originally Posted By: HidalgoI prefer (for skeet) 3/4 ounce of #8 running about 1050fps. I actually shoot better scores on average with the 28 than I do with the 12. There's just something about the shot string that suits my shooting style. I have shot pheasant with 7/8 ounce of #5 and that does the trick if you know the limitations of the gun.

It sounds like you and I share the same results with a 28 ga. It kills birds, and clays, much better than it should, for such a small shot charge. It is my favorite ruffed grouse/wood cock gun. I have been able to up the hunting ammo shot charge with Ballistic Products 28 ga. wads. I can even get a 1 oz load, patterning well, with BPs 1 oz wad. Not sure why I need it, but I have loaded some, to try for late season grouse.

Squeeze
 
I have been running some Federal 7/8 oz of 6 shot for sharp tails and am currently loving the combo. Pretty much everybody that I have talked to that owns a 28ga agrees there is just something about it that works. I had better results on the trap range with more of field load like the one above than I did with the 9s I had been using.

What turns me off about the start up cost is the fact that Hidalgo mentioned it was easier to have different presses for different lengths etc. If it was more like a metallic setup where I could just buy a set of dies and change gauges quick and be done i would be all over it. I am sure it is addictive, my rifle reloading has turned into my favorite pastime and gets a fair share of my gun money already.

I'm sure I probably will get into it at some point I just decided there other things I would rather spend my money on right at that current moment.
 
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Originally Posted By: FairChase93I've been reloading for my rifles for awhile now and it has proven to be quite enjoyable and given that the volume of my shooting has went up quite a bit since I started it has been more affordable as well.

I'm considering reloading for my shotguns now and from what I have seen and the numbers I have crunched it actually appears as though shot shell reloading may actually cost more than purchasing loaded shells.

For instance around here a box of target loads, let's say 1 1/8 oz of 71/2s, will cost you between 6.00 and 6.50. That is about 0.26 per shell. From my calculations I have come up with 0.32 per shell for a reloaded round of the same weight and shot size. That is using free once fired hulls and does not include any equipment cost.

Given the CURRENT price of components, if you had to start from scratch today, I would say it's at very best questionable if it would be a money saver to reload. It will take a significant amount of time to recover the cost of just the equipment.

Your price of factory loads is roughly accurate, but have you tried to negotiate any deals? I know 2 league shooters who went in to a big box sporting goods store when they had a sale on target loads at $6.99 a box. They cut a deal on a pallet load for 10% off the SALE price. So, essentially, every 10th box was free, tax not included of course. It was a no-brainer for the manager, his monthly sales went up by a pallet load of shells and he never had to touch them.

But you have to be willing to buy in quantity and store them.

To me, the limiting factor is time vs money. Is your time worth the few bucks a week that that will save you?

Grouse
 
I have a few connections and could purchase trap loads for prices that would come close to rivaling your reload prices, however the quantity of the order needed would not be feasible for me to purchase myself. I am the President of the Sportsmans Club that owns and operates the trap range and we may in the future do a club order but it's hard to say when that will be. We spent every last penny we had to build the range and we have other projects to get finished as well. Not to mention it took years and years to save that money.

The main reason I wanted to get into reloading shot shells was that I thought I would be able to cover all my needs at an affordable price. Now that I have a better understanding of the process and equipment needed to do what I want to do with it I'm not as interested anymore.
 
I have many reasons why I reload shotgun shells. The main reason I reload shotgun shells is that I enjoy reloading shotgun shells.

Even 40 years ago if you wanted to save money reloading your hunting and target shotgun shells you had to buy in bulk. If you bought primers by the hundred, powder by the pound, wads and shot one bag at a time you wouldn't save much money if you even saved a dime.

If you buy good shot, wads and powder the reloads you can make are better loads than the cheap promo loads that they sell at Wal-Mart. So if you are going to compare the cost of reloading a box of target reloads to factory ammo compare the cost of the reloads to the cost of factory Rem STSs, Nitros and Win AAs.

All of my 12 ga target loads are now 1 oz or 7/8 oz loads. No gun shops or Wal-Marts around here sell light target loads. That is another reason to reload your own shotguns shells, you can reload what you want to shoot.

The closest Wal-Mart to my house is over 40 miles away so even if Wal-Mart had the shells I wanted it would cost me about $20.00 just in gasoline to go get them.

Right now most of the shotgun and pistol powders are almost impossible to find. I still have 8 lbs of Clays that I bought 3 years ago. Even with the Haz-Mat and shipping charges we have always saved money by ordering the powder and primers.

Compared to local prices "over 40 miles away" powder is about $8.00 cheaper per pound and primers are about $2.00 per hundred cheaper by ordering it. I always contacted a few friends and we would make an order and would fill the Haz-Mat box with 48 lbs of powder and primers.

When we would order 32 lbs of powder at $8.00 per pound savings that more than covers the cost of the Haz-Mat fee and shipping. Plus it is delivered to my door.

When I ordered 24 or 32 lbs of powder from Powder Valley I would ask them to put as many Win 209 primers in the Haz-Mat box as they could without going over the 48 pond limit. The more you can get into the Haz-Mat box makes the shipping and Haz-Mat cost much less per dollar spent.

If you want to reload some bad a$$ coyote, duck and goose shotgun loads you can buy HW13 shot from Bucks Run and reload them for half of what Hevi-Shot loads are selling for now.
 
You can save some money by buying in bulk. You can also load what you want, exactly how you want it. But, in the end, you have to like reloading shotshells to really enjoy all the benefits.
 
Steel shot loading is what I do.

There was a time that buying old closeout steel shot was cheaper than reloading. The stuff was surprisingly effective too, even though it was slow compared to the lastest whizbang shells.

Now, prices for shotshells are up to $20 to even over $30 per box.

I can reload 2.75" for about $6, and 3.5" for about $8-9

Steel shot reloading is slow, and you have to follow exact recipes, and you can't come close to what factory loads do. But you can make some good enough ammo and save some money.
 
Originally Posted By: who me?

Steel shot reloading is slow, and you have to follow exact recipes, and you can't come close to what factory loads do.

WHO can't? I know several who reload steel and make loads that the factory could never produce. There is data, components, and technique out there if you search hard enough for it.
 


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