How much can you save by making your own shotgun shells?

I saw the equipment and components to make shotguns shells at local retail stores. Is there much money to be saved by making your own shells? Considering the efficiencies of mass production I guess the savings would be negligent.How much can you save by making your own shotgun shells?
Reloading light trap and skeet shells doesn鈥檛 save all that much, unless you shoot a lot. However buckshot loads and slugs reloaded with scrap lead can save quite a bit. Lead shot has darn near doubled in price.





What I have done to save cash is make my own shot with the Littleton鈥檚 shot maker. This machine cost me about $400 and has paid for it self in the last two years. It鈥檚 a real pain to get the shot to come out right, at first you get tear shaped shot until you get the hang of it. Also shot size varies a bit but I get #6 through #9 with it. Good enough for grouse and rabbit hunting and trap shooting.


I also have molds for buckshot and slugs. Sling shot ammo molds can be found that are about .31 caliber that鈥檚 between 0 buck and 1 buck. I use LEE shotgun slug molds for my slugs.


The scrap lead can be used tire weights that are a hard lead alloy or lead fishing weights etc. I came across an old sail boat that had lead in its hull for a counter weight. The boat had over 1,000 lbs of pure lead but I got several hundred pounds for free. Do not use car battery lead its nasty stuff.





Anyway by casting my own buck shot, slugs and making my own shot I reduced shotshell costs a great deal. For example a box of 5ea 12 ga slugs costs about a buck a round, my reloaded ones cost about 30 cents a round. If I make my own wads I save even more.


You can also make shot shell ammo that鈥檚 not sold in stores like buck and ball





I cant speak about reloading steel shot or heavy shot as I am just about to start but haven鈥檛 done so yet.


So I would say its well worth it if you shoot a lot. If you don鈥檛 shoot a lot it would take years to recoup your costs of equipment.





This may help;


Here are some current prices to get started; I went online to get them;





Lee load-all 2鈥?cost $59.98


1Lb Unique鈥︹€ost $30.00


25lbs of lead shot..cost around $40.00 for un-plated


Primers 鈥︹€?cost about $25 to $35 per 1,000


Wads鈥︹€?.about $15 per 500





This works out to about $5.00 a box, that is with free empty hulls and not including the cost of the Lee Loader. I can reload some hulls 10 times.


The load I worked up for the calculator (see below) was a heavy field load for small game about equal to some Heavy game loads that sells for from $10.00 to $15.00 for a box of 25.


So saving would be from $5 to $10 a box





Here is a shot shell reload calculator;


http://www.microsafari.com/trap/tcalc1.h鈥?/a>


You will have to change the prices for what these components are going for now and what kind you want.





I used a Lee Load-all for years until I bought a used MEC.How much can you save by making your own shotgun shells?
It depends on how many shells you actually go through to see if it is cost effective. If you are shooting skeet and trap, going through hundreds of shells a weekend then yes it is worth the cost of reloading equipment and the components, and the time maybe. Considering how actually cheap shot shells are when buying in bulk then you have to put the value into your time.


For rifle shooting reloading makes a lot more sense because the powder,powder weight,bullet selection and COL are things you can influence that actually effect accuracy. That is actually the main benefit of hand loading is the accuracy gains. In a shotgun you don't have those parameters to deal with.


I would never go through enough shot shell in a lifetime to make it worth the reloading costs in equipment and personal time. Most of my hunting friends are the same. One guy I know bought all the equipment and then did it a few times and said screw it.
You can buy a box of 25 shells for 5 dollars(20 cents a shell) in any small game size load. You can buy a box of 5 buckshot or slugs for 5 dollars(1 dollar a shell). It would take a TON of reloading for the initial equipement purchase to be equaled, and you would MAYBE save 5 cents per shell. If you do the math and assume it will cost around 100$ initially to get everything, plus the powder, plus primers, plus shells, plus the shot, you really don't save that much. Just buy your range ammo in bulk and buy 2 or 3 boxes of hunting ammo(should last a couple of years unless you waste it) in 3 different shot sizes(6,2 and BB are perfect for me). Those shot sizes takes care of rabbits, partridge, ducks and geese. if there are no geese, then no need for BB. I shoot around 10 partridge a year, so that is 10 shells, which means 2 boxes every 5 years. Don't see why you would load the ammo unless you do it for fun. Definetely not cost saving.
I believe I read it was 50-60% because of the shipping costs and wholesalers and dealers need to make a bit of cash with every transaction, so if the shells go through 5 people, that means those 5 people need to be paid, that's about 50-60% of the total cost of the ammo from factory to final sale.


so that means the factory makes $6 from it, but the final sale could be $10, see how middlemen ruin everything.


so you save more then half by reloading.
I don't think its worth the bother ----- Its like this -- Do you really need another hobby??? --- Seriously -- I have my guns, my hot rod Plymouth's, my coin collection, a couple of women I chase around, my bouncer job at the club on weekends -- The last thing I want to be doing in my time is mixing powder and bullet stuff.... YES I DO agree that some ammo is real expensive -- But if your not shooting 338 Federal, 375 Ruger, 45/70 or some of that other $35 to $90 a box ammo then pass on reloading.....





I feel shotgun cartridges although not super cheap are still decently priced low enough that its not worth the bother reloading.... If you got better stuff to do with your time then forget it.....
I have purchased cases of 12 gauge shells ( 10 boxes) for $40.00.


I think I could reload the same 250 shells for about $20.00


I paid $40.00 on ebay for a Lee Load-All for 12 guage shells.





A couple of years ago my daughter and I were shooting trap, and we went through about 10 boxes a week. it paid as far as material to reload, but time with teens in the house is a premium and reloading took a back seat to activities.
you would have to reload or make a lot of shells to recoup your cost,s


if your just an average hunter or shooter forget it,


save you empties and have them reloaded , there's lots of people that do it,


if you shoot a lot then buy ammo in bulk its cheaper
With shot running $50 for a 25lb bag it's nearly impossible to save money reloading shotgun shells for 12 ga or 20ga. That is $50 for 400 1oz loads of lead. Then you still need primers and wads. If you are reloading for a 16ga or 28 ga it might save some money.