Selling reloaded ammo

[Honeybee]

I have the license and the machine to make ammo and with the brass I have from the local range I can reload for a little less than making new,
However what is a fair price to sell reloaded ammo for.
The cost of reloading has always been more than the cost of new ammo but with the inability to buy ammo for the common man is it worth trying to sell?

It cost from .20 to .28 to make a single reload with modern prices of primers, powder and bullets provided I don't have to pay for the brass. this does not include any labor or gas to go get the supplies or postage to get them here. I can comfortable make 400 to 500 rounds per hour after setup.

I do not load lead, FMJ and JHP only. What would you sell them for?

9mm?
40?
45?
223?

I realize that if no one wants to shoot reloads then I won't sell any but with ammo so hard to get for the average shooter what choice do they have when it is time to take their CCW?

 

[pen25]

the real question you have to ask is you may have the license but do you have the insurance.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=464211

 

[Calamity Jake]

the real question you have to ask is you may have the license but do you have the insurance.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=464211

There you go ^^^^^^^


Plus I won't shoot some one elses reloads unless I know and trust them

 

[Honeybee]

You guys don't know me do you?
I own a gun store and am a full time gunsmith I am also licensed to make class 3 weapons.
Yes I do have the insurance, 25 mil worth.
and the ammo is loaded to factory specs for weight and fps.

 

[WessonOil]

You guys don't know me do you?
I own a gun store and am a full time gunsmith I am also licensed to make class 3 weapons.
Yes I do have the insurance, 25 mil worth.
and the ammo is loaded to factory specs for weight and fps.

With all due respect, if you're in the retail business why are you asking us for pricing?
That's probably why the replying members questioned your background.

Your costs seem rather high, as I handload a 9mm FMRN 115 grain for about .12 per round, using a Precision Delta Bullet.

45 ACP runs about the same, as I use a J&K Hard Cast bullet, and large primers cost the same as small, and powder charge is close to the same with a 9mm and 45 acp.

 

[Honeybee]

I use Hornady and Sierra bullets because accuracy is more important than cost to me, However I can just save these for myself and start using cheap lead or copper plated bullets, but the accuracy is lost then, I guess the members here don't care as long as they can get it cheap.

I have been getting
$15 for 20 rd 55 grain 223's
$25 for 50 rd 115 grain 9mm fmj
$26 for 50 rd 115 grain 9mm JHP
$27.50 for 50 rd 140 grain 40 s&w fmj
$35 for 50 rd 230 grain 45 fmj
$30 for 20 rd 240 grain 45 critical defense jhp
also have some 22 and 380 that I traded for
22 is $7.99 box
$25.99 for 50 rd 90 grain 380 fmj

I know most members here stand in line at opening of all the stores to buy it at listed prices and then hoard it or sell for big profit but my customers don't do that.
I don't want to gouge but cost has to be considered and so does labor.

Once ammo is available again at factory listed prices I will quit selling my reloads but for now my customers want to shoot.

 

[O4L]

It looks to me that you are selling reloads at factory ammo prices. Fifty cents to seventy five cents a round is a little high for reloads.

http://www.gunbot.net/

 

[younggundavid]

Your costs seem rather high, as I handload a 9mm FMRN 115 grain for about .12 per round, using a Precision Delta Bullet.

Hmm. been reloading a while myself now.. about 15 years... Precision delta bullets... 9mm 115 grn fmj rn... 93.00 per thousand or 89.00 per thousand with an order of 10,000 rnds. so that's 8.9 cents per round Plus powder... buy good powder in 8lb can's.. you'll spend roughly 15.00 dollars per pound. Depending on charge your going to use roughly 3/4's of a lb... so let's say 1.2 cents per round for powder. Primers at 35.00 per thousand... 3.5 cents per round... good once fired military brass... 40 dollars per thousand.. so .4 cents per round... so that would be 17.6 cents per round.. if you put 1000 rnds of 9mm in an ammo can to sell to customers.. your looking at roughly another 12 dollars for the can.. that's another 1.2 cents per round... making a total of 18.8 cents per round.. or roughly 19 cents per round. So his costs seem about right..

Buddy of mine is a licensced manufacturer of ammo... The average price on military brass (if your the one bidding at the military bases) is roughly 3.8 cents per round from the results of bids from the last 90 days.. IF your the one doing the bidding.. if your purchasing from the ones doing the bidding you'll pay nearly double that(right now)...He buys 1.2 million primers at a time(straight from winchester)... and still pays.. nearly 2 cents per round for primers... and his powder comes in 70lb drums.. he still spends nearly 1 cents per round for powder.. He order's 1 million bullets at a time as well and his plated bullets are still costing him 6.3 cents per round once he receives them.. So I guess if you could go out today and invest 150,000.00 dollars to buy enough brass/ bullets/ primer and powder in bulk .. you could probably get the price down to about 12 cents per round..

 

[younggundavid]

It looks to me that you are selling reloads at factory ammo prices. Fifty cents to seventy five cents a round is a little high for reloads.

http://www.gunbot.net/

First of all.. The guy asking the question about reloading prices's is in the Tulsa area... that area is being hit harder due to the lack of local supplies. I can't tell you how many guys a week from Tulsa contact me wanting reload's or reloading supplies... But yes... id say if you weren't in Tulsa 50 cents per round is too high.. I have a buddy in tulsa that is casting his own lead bullets for 9mm and is loading them for people for .45 to 50 cents per round and is selling rounds. However, he doesn't have a store front and won't have to face any of these people again.. once or should things return to Normal. That's what YOU need to consider since you own your own gunstore.. goughing customers now.. won't bring you respect later. I generally have priced and sold my 9mm ammo (lately).. at anywhere from 30 to 35 cents per round right now.. Normally if you can make 80 to 100 dollars profit from reloading 1000 rnds your doing a pretty fair deal and people will see that.

 

[vdub]

I guess the members here don't care as long as they can get it cheap.

I think you got it figured out for the most part.