There were three reasons Western Outdoor News started this new column: 1) Moronic California legislation that almost made buying handgun ammunition an intrusive and tedious process, even to the point of banning mail-order sales. 2) The economy has put the crimp on shooters and hunters budgets and more of us are loading to save a little money where we can. 3) The sheer enjoyment loading our own ammunition and being able to put together specific loads for specific applications that simply aren’t available in factory ammunition.
AB 962 AND ITS ILK: Legislation passed and signed in 2009 mandated that all handgun ammunition be sold only in face-to-face transactions (in other words, banning mail order sales) and that purchasers leave a thumbprint each time they buy a box of ammo. AB 962 was an unmitigated disaster and fortunately a Fresno judge ruled it was unconstitutional last week because it was too vague. The way the law was written all metallic ammunition sales could have fallen under its umbrella. I have a Thompson/Center Encore handgun that shoots .308 “rifle” ammo. So does that make .308 ammo “handgun” ammo. No one knew, and the judge threw out the legislation. But there is no question, our crackerjack legislature will come back with a replacement bill, that will pass, and likely pass judicial scrutiny. While we’ve dodged this bullet for now, there is one way around this kind of legislation, and that is to reload. AB 962 didn’t affect reloading components, and it’s unlikely the legislature will include reloading components in future legislation that is sure to come.
DRAMATIC COST SAVINGS: The biggest reason to reload is that – across the board – you will save from 30 to 50 percent reloading metallic cartridges, whether pistol or rifle. If you are frugal and/or scrounge once-fired brass cases that can be used over and over again, you can save even more – especially if load conservatively and don’t tear up cases after two or three loads.
Yes, there is an initial investment of from $100 to $300 for some basic reloading equipment – a press, powder scale, powder measuring device, shell holder and reloading dies – but the savings quickly pay for the initial investment. Most of the companies make very serviceable package kits that have all you need to get started. Whether you buy a kit from Hornady, RCBS, Lyman, Lee, and Redding, to name just the major players, I recommend you consider those that start in the $300 range because those in this price range include upgrades in all the equipment. This is equipment you will use the rest of your life, probably not finding a need to upgrade in the future if you start here. I have used my first press, an RCBS Junior press (which is no longer made), for 40 years. Sure, I have added a lot of other equipment over the years, but I’ve never felt handicapped with that old workhorse press. All you need to add to any of these kits are the reloading dies for the types of cartridges you want to load. Once you have this gear, the only costs are components.
You will need brass, primers, powder, and bullets. The brass can be used over and over again so the actual cost per load is much less. With light loads, brass just about will last indefinitely, so the brass costs can drop to nearly nothing after an initial investment. I’ve also been a brass scrounger for decades and have an entire cabinet full of brass in a wide range of calibers.
As an illustration, here are the loading costs for two very commonly shot cartridges today – the 9mm and the .308 Winchester. This will give you a better idea of your savings.
From major mail order discount firms like Midway and Graf & Sons or local retail outlets like Turner’s Outdoorsman and Bass Pro Shops, you can buy new 9mm brass for $15 to $20 per hundred, jacketed bullets in a variety of configurations for $13 to $18 per hundred (with lead bullets starting as low as $8 per hundred, or less in volume), primers for $27 to $32 per thousand (less than three cents each), and powder is from $16 to $22 per pound. With most 9mm loads you’ll get at least 800 loads for a pound of powder. Bottom line is that most 9mm reloads will cost you from $18 to $30 per hundred – and only $14 to $15 per hundred if you really do it on the cheap. You read that right -- $15 per 100 rounds.
Costs for powder and primers are the same for .308 Winchester reloads. The rifle brass and bullets are a little more, with brass starting at about $35 to 40 per hundred, and jacketed bullets going from $22 per hundred on the cheap end up to $1 each (or even more) on the premium end of the equation. You’ll also only get from 100 to 200 loads from a pound of powder. But even the cheapest factory .308 ammo you can buy is still usually around $12 to $14 for a box of 20 rounds, with quality hunting and target ammunition running from $25 to $70 a box. By reloading, your costs drop to as little as $15 for 20 rounds of quality ammo, and half that if you do it on the cheap.
A popular home defense round for the 9mm is the Hornady XTP 115 grain load that costs from $17 to $22 a box for 25 rounds. If you reload the same bullet to the same ballistics, and even using brand new brass for your loads, the cost for this factory equivalent is just $37 per 100 rounds – or $9.25 vs. $17 for the 25-round factory box.
With non-lead big game ammo mandated for much of the coastal A zone and a few local D zones, the cost for a box of .308 Federal Premium Vital Shock ammo with a 150 grain Barnes Triple Shock copper bullet is $42 to $55-plus a box. The equivalent reload, again with new brass, is just $27 to $30 per box.
JUST PLAIN COOL: But saving money barely scratches the surface of why so many of us reload. I have a wonderful Savage Model 1899 in .303 Savage that is a great “shooter,” but factory ammo is simply not available anymore. But thanks to reloading, the gun isn’t retired. I also like to shoot light, rimfire-like, cast bullet loads out of my inherited old .30-06 that was my uncle’s favorite gun, and you simply can’t buy factory loads like that. And there are so many other reasons for reloading – reasons that we’ll be covering in the coming months.
Hopefully this column will inspire you to get involved in reloading, or give those of you who already reload some inspiration to try some new things.

Jim Matthews is a long-time Southern California outdoor writer and publisher or Western Birds, The Wingshooter’s Newsletter. He can be reached at 909-887-3444, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or via his web site at www.OutdoorNewsService.com. His column on reloading is a monthly feature.