HOW MUCH???

[Sarge]

Can anyone share with me the approx. cost of reloading a shot shell?

I have been thinking of taking up Trap until I can get a better shotgun and then Sporting Clays, and I am willing to purchase ammo. A case of 250 rounds of Winchester AA light target 71/2 shot will run around $0.20 per shot. I tried to figure out what it would cost to reload the same shell and I came up with $0.37 per shot. I can’t believe that this is even close. Since I don’t do any kind of reloading right now, I haven’t the foggiest what is needed. I thought I could guess but the answer scared me away. Maybe someone who actually knows something would be willing to share their knowledge. It is obvious that I do not.

I can't get myself to buy equipment and make the commitment for quality, especially when I'm just starting a new shooting sport, unless there is also some measurable saving.

I would really like to reload just for fun, but start up costs need to be defrayed somewhere.


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Sarge

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Sarge,
When comparing reloads to factory loads, it is important to remember to compare apples to apples, and not apples to oranges. A lot of the "promotional shotshells" that are on the market today are loaded with inferior components: the shot is softer than that which is reserved for trap loads, and the size is not necessarily uniform in some cases. If you were to compare your reload to a AA trap load, you would probably see a difference. I have noticed that the AA hulls on the promotional loads seem to have a "thinner" plastic; it almost seems transparent when compared to a "standard" AA hull. Also remember that the hull is the most expensive part of the reload--depending on what you wish to reload, you can probably get these for nothing (I fish the black plastic remington unibodies out of the dumpster from the local public trap range. Powder can be bought in 1 lb, 4lb, and 8 lb kegs....obviously the more you buy, the more you will save, and if you reload for other cartridges (a lot of shotshell powders can be used to reload handgun cartridges), you can save even more. There are companies out there that make "knockoff" wads that compare favorably with well known wads such as the Winchester WAA12 and the Federal 12S1, yet are much cheaper to shoot. The shot that you get in bulk is "hard shot" and patterns better than the cheap shells from the local discount store. All in all, you really do get what you pay for.
When I started reloading back in the 70's, I did it to get superior loads that weren't manufactured by any of the major companies back then. Nobody loaded a 165 grain bullet in 30-06, and nobody made a 1 3/8 ounce 12 gague shotshell at 1350 fps. But I did!(and still do). I find great satisfaction in knowing that I can make loads for my 16 gauges that the ammo makers find to "costly" or "unpopular" to load, such as my 1 1/8 oz #5 shot at 1300 fps.
At any rate, I guess the bottom line is in most instances, you can find cheaper shells to shoot on the store shelves, but the quality is cheaper also! Good luck and good hunting!

[Benchshooter]

Sarge,
I think that you will find that the off set in the start up cost will out-weigh all the cost..You will find that once you start with the shotgun loads you will want to load for the guns you have. It is fun and you can do it with a buddy or by your self. It takes a good safe soace to do it right but it is fun, hope you start soon,

Happy shooting

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Benchman

[Benchshooter]

OOOPPPS I ment ( space ) sorry :)

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Benchman

[Sarge]

I guess I'll need to wait and see if I use a lot of shells. I haven't fully committed to a new hobby of Trap shooting. If I do, I'll be blowing up a lot of powder, I normally don't go into something part way. It just seemed to be wrong somehow, that loading my own should actually cost more, (not including the startup costs) than buying off the shelf. I haven't had bad experiences with shelf 06 ammo, but I don't compete either. Trap, on the other hand, would surely be leading into competition, if only on a friendly basis. I will need to see what shakes.

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Sarge http://www.geocities.com/nixonra/Sarge.jpg