Reloading vs. Buying Ammo: Is It Really Worth It?
Gunsmithing is a way of life that creates countless memories, builds strong friendships, and hones skills you can apply to many aspects of your life. As with any career or hobby, there are several costs associated with gunsmithing, including ammunition. Every time you shoot a bullet, it costs you money. You need to be conservative with pulling that trigger, especially when practising, as you can go through more bullets than you realise.
One way you can save money is through reloading. Reloading ammunition involves creating ammunition by hand instead of buying it premade. It involves combining a casing, usually brass, gunpowder, primer, and a bullet. The shell casing holds everything together and is the only reusable part. There is a pocket at its base for the primer, a cavity for the powder, and a case neck for the bullet.
Reloading can also be used to customise rounds. Shooters use this technique for better accuracy.
Cost Comparison
The cost comparison of pre-made ammunition versus reloading depends on the gun you are using. For common caliber guns such as 9mm, the cost savings by reloading your ammunition are very small. But for medium to large cartridges such as 300 Win Mag, there can be a significant saving. Depending on the cartridge, you can save up to $1.00 per round when comparing it to premade ammunition.
To fully appreciate the savings you may make through reloading, you have to factor in the setup costs and tools you will need to create your own customized bullets. The main tool you need is a reloading press, which aligns the bullet in the shell casing perfectly. Other components you need to make the casings, powder, bullets, primers, are a case lubricant, a measuring scale, a loading block, a powder dispenser, and reloading dies. When it comes to purchasing reloading dies, that is dependent on the gun you are using. For instance, the 0.223 Remington needs 0.223 Remington reloading dies.
All these costs need to be considered when comparing reloading to premade ammunition, but overall, it is considered most cost-efficient to reload ammunition.
Time Investment
It goes without saying that buying pre-made commercial ammunition and primarily using that to practice shooting targets and during hunting excursions is less time-dependent than reloading and creating your own bullets. But most people don’t do it because it saves them time; they do it to save money, customise their shooting experience, and because it is fun. It is fun to be more involved in the shooting process and become more self-sufficient.
Performance Difference
There are several performance differences between factory ammunition and reloaded bullets, the biggest being that they can be customized to whatever you want. Reloading bullets can increase your accuracy and precision by reducing extreme spread and standard deviation, resulting in less vertical dispersion and tighter groupings. This advantage becomes a lot clearer with long-range shooting when consistency is critical for success.
It can be tailored to your exact chamber dimensions, barrel length, and twist rate. Due to you having control over every component during reloading, you have access to a variety of premium bullets that are not usually offered in premade ammunition. For instance, you can use maximum velocities for hunting, or when teaching young shooters, you can change to reduced-recoil bullets, which help to get comfortable with shooting at the very beginning.
While performance can be better for reloaded ammunition, you can factor in that you are making it yourself, so it will take a significant amount of practice before you are proficient in making the bullets you want. But the fun is always in the journey, not the destination.
Who is Reloaded Ammo Right For
Overall, reloading is a process that can be incredibly cost-efficient for high-volume shooting or larger guns. It can increase your performance accuracy and precision, excellent for hunting conditions. While it is not as time-efficient as premade ammunition, it is a skill all on its own and will increase your knowledge of gunsmithing and how different types of guns work, ballistics, and ammunition performance. The more knowledge you have on anything, the better.
If you are looking for convenience and hassle-free practice rounds or hunting sessions, then reloading is not for you, but if you are someone with an interest in how mechanisms work and how components can be improved with a little tweaking and hard work, then reloading may be the next component of gunsmithing that could be for you. Also, if there is an ammunition shortage like the one in 2015, you are self-sufficient and do not need to rely on pre-made bullets.
Conclusion
If you are interested in learning more about reloading, the different types of ammunition, or gunsmithing as a whole, then look no further than MGS Trade School, as they have an extensive knowledge base that can help both beginners and experts in guns as a whole. Visit MGS Trade School today to increase your gunsmithing knowledge!
Written by: Ryan Clancy, Mechanical Engineer
