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Cost of Shotshell Reloading

mjclothiers
For any of you out there that reload shotgun shells I am wondering what the cost per shell is for a lead shot. I am wondering if it cost less than buying them from the store

Thank You
Paul
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Comments

12 comments

Date Votes
  • sweaver
    I'm about to begin to reloading my rifle and handgun shells. I went last night to my local gun shop and bought Hornady's reloading manuals and am now reading through those before I start. Now, I asked him last night about reloading shotgun shells since I skeet shoot alot. He said that with the amount of time and money you will invest in reloading shotgun shells you will never come out ahead. You can get a case of target loads at WalMart for $27 bucks..thats like a dime a shell...how can you reload much cheaper?

    shane
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  • heavyiron
    Hi,

    I agree with sweaver on this one. Shotgun shells cannot be reloaded any cheaper than what new factory shells can be purchased for at WalMart or other stores.

    Reloading shotgun shells can provide some additional flexability in the type of loads you make or in other characteristics of a specialty load. However, they probably can't be made any cheaper.

    Regards,

    Heavyiron[8D]

    bullitt_county_4199_small.jpg
    "If I don't see you nomore on this world, I'll meet you on the next one, and don't be late!" - Jimi Hendrix
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  • mjclothiers
    Thanks for the info.
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  • bobski
    the cost of LEAD drives the market in reloading. sometimes it goes up and sometimes it goes down. watch out for the ole' wally world hussle that a lot of people are falling for. these days shotshell mfger's they are selling boxes of shells with only 20 in them instead of 25. so it appears the shells are cheaper, but youre getting rooked 5 shells! PERFORMANCE is another key issue in reloading. all COMPETITION shells have wads in them. these cheapo kmart shells have buffers and cardboard and usually are 3 1/4 drams! if you do a lot of shooting, you will learn how nice a 2 3/4 dram load is real quick. and where else can you make pet loads other than a loading bench!? answer: full price retail at a your local sports shop, thats where. THATS where you save your money. when you find a shell that you can shoot well and kicks little and not have to PAY for whatever a retail store gives you, you win at reloading. my machines have not been reset for over 10 years. buy all your componants on sale and in bulk to get your savings and 3 years later when everyone is paying inflated prices, you whip out your old wads and shoot cheap. my hi performance loads a 3.00 a box. closest thing to them is a winchester AA skeet load and they cost 6.00 retail. thats a 50% savings, unless i dont know math well....[:)]

    former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, former navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction. NRA certified instructor.
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  • rmckuin
    I also shoot a shotgun a lot. My "custom" reloads are much more comfortable to shoot and preform better, I think, than the cheap or promotional loads sold at many of the discount stores. I try to duplicate the Winchester Target Skeet loads that are much more expensive than the promotional loads. The best loads to save money on are of course, are the 28 and 410 loads. Around here they are near $7 per box--I can still reload those for about half of that. Can't save much on the 12 & 20 ga. because I can buy the Winchester around here from time to time, for about $4.50 or a little less.

    Like many other skeet/trap shooters, I don't usually save any money even when I can reload for about half--I just shoot twice as much!

    Reloading then just becomes another discussion--I reload shotshells to save money and make better loads than the discount store brands. Performance is an important consideration for me. Others are occasional shooters and are just out to save a few bucks and performance isn't really a consideration for them.

    Reloading is also another "hobby" for me also. I wouldn't reload for others, but I do enjoy producing my own..

    Enjoy the holidays.
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  • gruntled
    I gave up reloading shotgun shells when I couldn't get paper shells anymore. I know everyone loves the plastic but I couldn't get the crimp to hold.
    Even then I only loaded the .410s & 28s. Since the prices on those have soared you can definately save enough to make them worthwhile.
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  • Laredo Lefty
    Well put bobski........ I have a Dillon 900 shotshell loading machine I use for making shells I cannot get at a store. I can experiment with different combinations of components.

    Iam lucky to have access to free, once fired Win AA hulls, but there are other ways to save on components.

    A local range sells reclaimed shot for reloading at a very reduced price. They also sell wads that are identical to "Winchester" but made by another company and are almost half the price.

    Even without the savings I would still reload because it is just plain fun.

    Joe
    "Never let school interfere with your education"
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  • bobski
    lefty...sounds like you use claybusters to me![:D] nothin beats reclaim and reloading! i know a guy who gives me free lead if i help him bulldoze the field once every 10 years at his range. picture a dumptruck of lead in your back yard. shhh, dont tell EPA![:D]
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  • Laredo Lefty
    bobski,,,,, Yes, Claybusters are the ones. They are every bit as good as Winchester but a hell of a lot cheaper.

    My wife got me the Dillon 900 for Christmas a few years ago just after they came out. I gave away the Mec I had to a buddy. The Dillon is an awesome machine.

    I have tried to get some of the reclaimed shot from the trap & skeet range, but it is so popular with reloaders that they are usually sold out.

    Joe
    "Never let school interfere with your education"
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  • earlwellman
    Call me thick, but how do they reclaim shot at a skeet field?
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  • bobski
    after years, you can see where the shot lands. basically nothing grows there. you go out there with a bulldozer and you skim off about the top foot of soil and put it in a dump truck. then you dump it in a vat, wash it, sift it, bag it, & sell it! cost...the fuel for the dozer and the rental.

    former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, former navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction. NRA certified instructor.
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  • tlen
    Here is says it costs $2.62 per box of 25 12 gauge reloads once you have the hulls. [url][/url]http://www.fieldandclays.com/expert_reloading.htm[url][/url].
    Here's a shotshell reloading cost program that really counts the pennys.........
    [url][/url]http://www.trapshooters.com/rlcalcadv.htm[url][/url]
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