Anyone reload 12ga anymore

[LD1]

Did a quick look and dont seem too economical anymore. Unless I am looking in the wrong places for components.

We used to shoot alot of clays 20-25 years ago. And reloaded alot, and even back then the savings wasnt much.

Just did some shooting with a friend last weekend and ordering some more ammo, but thought I would explore getting back into reloading...here is what I found....

12ga Wads....$12/500....................................................2.4¢/rd
primers.........$90/1000..................................................9¢/rd
Red dot...$215/8lb keg...18gr/load......3111 loads/keg.......7¢/rd
#8 shot/////$46/25lb....1-1/8oz/load....355 loads / 25lb.....13¢/rd
TOTAL..........................................................................31.4¢/rd

That brings the total to $7.85/box of 25. And thats not including any tax or shipping and handling. Can actually find ammo cheaper than that before shipping and taxes. What I have been buying is $94/case (250) plus tax....free shipping.

I dont see any way to make it economical for 12ga or 20 for that matter. Maybe for .410 or 28ga. Is everyone pretty much seeing the same thing.

 

[nybirdman]

I think your prices are pretty close;I don't reload shot-gun but rifle.Only because of availability and my choices for bullet.
Can purchase;9mm,40 S&W and .223 cheaper than I can reload.

 

[CH4Ohio]

Did a quick look and dont seem too economical anymore. Unless I am looking in the wrong places for components.

We used to shoot alot of clays 20-25 years ago. And reloaded alot, and even back then the savings wasnt much.

Just did some shooting with a friend last weekend and ordering some more ammo, but thought I would explore getting back into reloading...here is what I found....

12ga Wads....$12/500....................................................2.4¢/rd
primers.........$90/1000..................................................9¢/rd
Red dot...$215/8lb keg...18gr/load......3111 loads/keg.......7¢/rd
#8 shot/////$46/25lb....1-1/8oz/load....355 loads / 25lb.....13¢/rd
TOTAL..........................................................................31.4¢/rd

That brings the total to $7.85/box of 25. And thats not including any tax or shipping and handling. Can actually find ammo cheaper than that before shipping and taxes. What I have been buying is $94/case (250) plus tax....free shipping.

I dont see any way to make it economical for 12ga or 20 for that matter. Maybe for .410 or 28ga. Is everyone pretty much seeing the same thing.

I haven't itemized cost lately, but your numbers look reasonable. I used to reload several pistol and rifle calibers. Reloaded lots of .45's and .38's especially. At one time I was able to reload .45 ACP for 6 cents per round.

When primers and powder all but disappeared and then went crazy I pretty much gave up on it. I should probably pack up the equipment and sell it so my wife doesn't have to try to figure out what to do with it someday.

Edit -- I should add. A couple weeks ago I noticed the guys working at the trap/sporting clays club throwing empty shells in the trash. If people there are reloading, they must have more shells than they need. There was a time when all the spent shells got recycled.

 

[Bearsixty7]

Your prices actually look better than average. Where are those prices from?

Grafs, and sometimes Midway and Cabela's (with points and/or on sale) used to be decent priced, but today they are high, even higher than what you stated.

I reload .38 Special and 12 GA for CAS mostly so it's more about loading to what is needed, Light, low recoil loads for speed and rapid sequential shot placement.

I do also load for skeet. The cost of lead and primers is still outrageous!

I haven't been shooting much the last several years so luckily I still have a medium size stockpile of components from 10 years ago that were purchased at a reasonable cost.

Dove/target load 12GA have been popping up for sale at about $8 a box occasionally so I have been buying those by the case for skeet shooting and saving my components for CAS.

 

[Roadworthy]

I haven't reloaded twelve gauge lately, it's cheaper to buy shells. It is barely worthwhile to reload .410. I mostly shoot pellet rifles now and the price of pellets keeps increasing.

 

[LD1]

Your prices actually look better than average. Where are those prices from?

Grafs, and sometimes Midway and Cabela's (with points and/or on sale) used to be decent priced, but today they are high, even higher than what you stated.

I reload .38 Special and 12 GA for CAS mostly so it's more about loading to what is needed, Light, low recoil loads for speed and rapid sequential shot placement.

I do also load for skeet. The cost of lead and primers is still outrageous!

I haven't been shooting much the last several years so luckily I still have a medium size stockpile of components from 10 years ago that were purchased at a reasonable cost.

Dove/target load 12GA have been popping up for sale at about $8 a box occasionally so I have been buying those by the case for skeet shooting and saving my components for CAS.

Those prices I'm not sure where exactly. I just googled "red dot powder" and looked at the first 4 websites and jotted down the cheapest.


Same for shot, wadd, and primers. So those prices are probably 4 different places.

 

[Hay Dude]

I get 12GA dirt cheap from the Amish. Not worth reloading for me anymore.
I don’t have the time, either.

 

[ponytug]

I get 12GA dirt cheap from the Amish. Not worth reloading for me anymore.
I don’t have the time, either.

I'm curious. Why do your local Amish have 12ga ammo cheap? (Not obvious from a distance, given how little experience I have with Amish...)

All the best,

Peter

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Amish around here, buy up things in huge quantities for low prices, then sell the stiff cheaper than what others can sell it for.

One time the Amish here wanted to buy a couple big tillers, they didn't like my Howard dealers' prices, so they ordered two "made to their order" (copies of Howards) direct from china.

That worked out very good for me, as I had Amish ringing my phone off the hook, as those china tillers were broke down constantly, and they hired me to come rotavate their land!

More junk china soft steel trying to keep up with the good stuff!!

SR

 

[Torvy]

You sure they are Amish and not Hutterite or Mennonite? I don't think actual Amish use powered equipment.