Topic: Economics of reloading/saving brass?

[fm500]

I often see guys scavanging for brass scraps at the range near dusk.

I've never given a thought to reloading, and probably never will in the near future, but is it worth saving Brass from 9mm and .308?  Can this be sold/traded, or given to someone to reload more economically than whatever bulk ammo I can get at wal-mart or Cabellas?

Or is it really not worth the time to collect/save unless you plan on reloading yourself?

[Jeff]

Brass is worth less than $1/pound at the recycle center.  So, it's probably not worth your time if you don't reload.  But for those of that do it's definitely worth the time. 

You can maybe save a little reloading 9mm but you can save a lot reloading .308.  If you have friends that reload you might ask and see if they'd like it. 

[Norton1]

An example - 308 brass is currently being sold for $130 a 1000, mixed head stamp, once fired. That's a lot of dough re me! You get extra brass just offer it here and I can guarantee you one of us will take all you have.

[Michael N]

I can honestly say that I haven't saved a dime over the years by reloading . That being said , I have shot a hell of a lot more rounds over the years because I reloaded 

If it weren't for reloading there would have been no way i could compete in IPSC , 3-gun and sniper comps . When you look at the sheer volume of the shooting you do to become proficient its the only way to do it unless you are moderately wealthy . The other side of it is the quality of your reloads is generally a heck of a lot higher than that of factory ammo until you get into the premium lines and then the savings really stack up in your favor . Look at the price of Match .223 or .308 right now and then look at what you can load it for . I am guessing it is less than half the price to reload and maybe more if you get in on group buys or buy in bulk .

[NGO]

I have three kids and their is no way I could afford to buy ammo even re-manufactured ammo if I didn't reload.

If there was a way to reload .22lr cheaply and easily and with more saving, I would do it.

Three kids can go thru a lot of ammo in a summer!!!



It doesn't help when you can shoot out your back door either. The temptation is just to great...


Reload, plus you can make ammo that is far more accurate than just about any factory ammo your can buy.

[ballardw]

Don't forget to include cost of tools. But by the time you've loaded a few thousand rounds the contribution to the per round cost gets down to nothing.

There are also other benefits besides cost savings. You can assemble rounds to do things that factory ammo doesn't, or shoot calibers that factory ammo is scarce, non-existent or very expensive.

It can also be a way to spend time with family and friends. I used to help my dad reload starting at about age 8. Some of his friends would come over and we'd cast bullets, sharing the cost of buying the hardware.

I find reloading to be a bit theraputic as well.

And at the end of an evening there's a sense of accomplishment instead of dissatisfaction with the quality of the latest re-run on the TV.

[NGO]

Good points ballardw, let me add that you get to spend "quality" time with your kids. (any time is quality)

I find reloading is best when I take one kid at a time to help, nothing like spending two hours alone with machinery and your kids to have some good discission time and get to know them and them you.

You will talk about everything at some point.

The kids love it also. My oldest DD sometimes would rather be reading a book when we start ,  but by the time we are done doing for the evening she doesn't want to stop what ever process we are doing.

[Nealio]

I originally bought my reloading set up for .223 ammo and 10mm.  I can not find ammo that is more accurate than what I make myself (due to my tuning of the load to my rifle).  If you try to reload to beat the price of bulk, crappy ammo, then you (IMHO) are not going to come out ahead.  However the price of Black Hills Gold .223 is 4 times what I reload for..   Same with 10mm.  My .45 stuff is about 1/2 the price (counting the brass as "free") as bulk.
 - Nealio

[fj40mojo]

Going back to the original question here, even if you don't reload it is worthwhile to pick up your brass because someone here will buy it. If you leave it lay on the range someone is gonna pick it up. Either way we are going to get your brass, you may as well get something back out of it and recoup some of your $$$ by selling it.

What am I saying? Disregard everything I've said thus far. Leave your brass on the ground and just let me know where and when you'll be shooting.