Seems like a lot of folks are interested in how much it costs to reload vs. buying factory ammunition so I decided to work up a little spreadsheet with costs and how many rounds are necessary to amortize the equipment purchase. On equipment, I didn't always pick the cheapest or the most expensive. I picked equipment that I actually own or have used and feel comfortable recommending. All prices given, with the exception of the RL550B (price from Dillons) and the Starline brass (price from Starline) were taken from the Midway web site. On components, I picked the ones I did for the following reasons:
Rainier Ballistics bullets (2000 count) -- I chose the 2000 count box from Midway because at least at this time, Midway gives free shipping on that size. On bullets, freight is a major cost of the component so eliminating it helps. I chose the Rainier because of lower cost compared to name brand jacketed bullets for what I consider mostly to be range / practice ammunition.
Accurate Arms AA#2 powder -- This is a powder that I've used with good results and the charge weights for a given velocity are lower than some other powders so you get more "bang for your buck". I selected a charge weight of 5 grains. Accurate's data says 5.6 grains as a starting load with a Sierra JHP bullet. Rainier suggest reducing jacketed bullet data by 10%, thus a derived starting load of 5 grains.
CCI #500 primers -- Again, I've had good results using CCI primers. Also, they are considered one of the "harder" primers and I don't care to use soft primers in a progressive press.
Starline Brass -- I buy directly from Starline because their prices include shipping (there's that freight savings again) plus they are usually cheaper than most other brands but their brass is very good quality. In the chart, I assumed 5 loadings for the brass as the 40 seems like that it may get fewer reloads on brass life than some other calibers.
For cost comparison, the Speer Lawman ammo I have listed was priced from AmmoMan. He has fair pricing and, again, his prices include shipping.
On powder and primers, though I used Midway pricing I would suggest that you make those purchases locally, at least until you've decided on a specific powder and are ready to make a volume purchase. Reason being that powder and primers carry an additional HazMat shipping charge and if you're only buying in a small amount, it's almost always cheaper to buy locally.
On my choices for equipment & components -- I really don't want to get into a discussion / debate about my choices. You may like something else or be able to buy something cheaper. I built this on prices that I can get immediately (without searching for days) and on equipment that I find reliable. I chose 40 S&W as it seems like a cartridge that a lot of board members currently shoot or looking at buying. It is also less likely to find great buys on (like you can sometimes find on 9mm) so it makes it a good candidate for reloading.
If anyone would like a copy of the actual spreadsheet, email me at
hoss@kansascas.com and I'll send it to you. It's an Excel spreadsheet and if I didn't mess something up, the formulas should be protected so you can change components & costs but not the formulas.
And finally, if anyone sees where I've made a mis-calculation in my math, please let me know.
Hoss
