Reloading shotshells

Collo Rosso

Collo Rosso

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I have reloaded centerfire pistol and rifle for years but recently have become addicted to 5 stand and sporting clays and I'm eating shotshells at an alarming rate. I've been buying them from Sports Academy and with tax as cheap as 21 cents a round and no more than 23 cents per. I add up primers, wads and the biggest expense of shot and I'm coming up with 19 to 20 cents a round, and that's not including hulls of which I have none. At a couple cents per round I'll die before I pay for the press I don't have.
Is it just not worth it right now or am I missing something?
 
There are a few good reasons to have reloading equipment of any kind.....when there is ammo shortages, to create custom loads/hard to get ammo.

Other than that...ammo is generally so plentiful and cheep that the time spent at the press would be better spent shooting or hunting.
 
Nope, not worth it for the $$$ but there can be other reasons to get into it...
- you just enjoy making your own
- you are prepared for the time when that $$$ equation changes
- You want a different loading than you can buy at the big box store
- you shoot 410 or 28 gauge

I got myself set up to load 12 gauge, learned how it all works, packed it away in the attic and bought a case of target loads on sale.
 
A buddy of mine shoots a lot of clays/skeet, etc and reloads his own shells. Even though there is almost no cost savings it does give him the benefit of tailoring a load to his liking, and he also enjoys the reloading process. If you look at it as an investment the return may even be negative considering your time involved and the equipment needed.

I reload pistol ammo. I can do it cheaper than I can buy it, but even if it cost the same or maybe even more I would still reload my own ammo since I can make exactly what I want and I enjoy the process.

I would suggest buying shells for now, but keeping your eyes open for a good deal on a shell press and the rest of what you need to get started. If you enjoy reloading its just a matter of time til you start loading your own shells too.
 
Got to talk to a couple of shotshell reloaders at the club yesterday and one said he's stopped reloading 12 gauge (still does 16 and 28) and the other only shoots 12 gauge so he's stopped altogether. They said with shot at $38/25lbs. it just ain't worth it. Oh well.
 
I load almost everything I shoot but would probably shoot factory 12 and 20 gauge if I ever got back into shooting shotguns a lot.

I have always found getting the proper components that fit together to be more of a challenge when reloading for shotguns than when loading for rifles and handguns. Once you have everything set up and running, however, plenty of shells can be assembled fairly quickly with most modern presses. You might not save much money over buying factory shells at this particular time.
 
My coworker reloads rifle ammo only, a lot of it, and buys pistol ammo as needed.
He has loader for shotgun but it never gets used given prices today on shells.
 
The shells you're buying at bargain prices are just that, lowest pricing, lowest quality. I can load a better shell with better quality components than I can buy and that includes top shelf stuff. I know exactly what's in my shells and have faith in them, enough to shoot tournaments with them.
The crap shells you're paying 5.00 (or less) a box for will not perform to the same level as a specifically tailored reload. I've been reloading shot shells for over 25 years and have pretty much seen it all when it comes to the sports that pay money and they all would rather use their reloads than factory stuff.
Economy isn't the only factor to be considered......
 
Bailey Boat said:
The shells you're buying at bargain prices are just that, lowest pricing, lowest quality. I can load a better shell with better quality components than I can buy and that includes top shelf stuff. I know exactly what's in my shells and have faith in them, enough to shoot tournaments with them.
The crap shells you're paying 5.00 (or less) a box for will not perform to the same level as a specifically tailored reload. I've been reloading shot shells for over 25 years and have pretty much seen it all when it comes to the sports that pay money and they all would rather use their reloads than factory stuff.
Economy isn't the only factor to be considered......
Click to expand...
And that is why a lot of people reload in the first place - metallic OR shotshell. I can't really justify reloading 9mm or 223 plinking ammo right now because the factory ammo is so cheap, but I can load 9mm tailored to my gun (my wife does not like factory ammo) and I can load 223 that is more accurate than ammo costing > $1.00 per round.
 
Oh, and it's fun to make stuff too.
 
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