Do you include brass in cost per round?

Reloading
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Something I debated with a mate (I have this recurring debate from time to time with people), one of those useless conversations, but curious now…

Cost of brass per reloaded round.

Some people like to apply a depreciating cost analysis, shall we say, to brass. Where the first load is 50c, 25c on second load, 16c on third, 13c on forth and so on. Whatever really, whatever strategy you apply… Or you could look at it from the tail end, when brass is ready for retirement. Assume it’s 50c per case. You get 10 reloads (fake numbers, just easy to count), that’s 50/5 - 10c per case across its entire lifespan.

My train of thought is a lot simpler. Say I am shooting factory ammo, I shoot, I eject, I am done. At this point I would consider brass to be used, so any reuse I would consider free. Similarly, if I buy brass, first time I fire it, I consider it used in a sense that, if I didn’t reload, if it was factory equivalent, it would go in the bin, so any reuse after that is free.

What do you think?

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Mate I do include the cost of brass when calculating the cost of reloading. Exactly as you have done, I use a planning figure of 10 reloads per case.

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@juststarting But then wouldn’t you have to discount a portion of the cost per round of your factory ammo to take into account that it’s also providing you with reusable brass then factor that portion into your overall reloading costs? :crazy_face:
If i was reloading i’d just do it the way you said buy dividing the price of brass by the amount of times you can reuse it regardless of how you got it. That’s the most honest way because whether you buy brass or it comes as a part of factory ammo it’s never free, you’re paying for it one way or the other. Not including it is just creating a false economy, unless of course your brass or factory ammo magically falls from the sky for free.

But if you’re trying to justify cost to your Mrs then true or not just work it out which ever way ends up being cheapest :grin:

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No, just no…
It’s so much easier that way for my simple redneck brain …

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Here @bentaz this will make it easier for you mate. :slightly_smiling_face:
If you want to be truly accurate you should also factor in the thousands of dollars you spend on reloading equipment divide it by expected years of its lifespan and how many rounds you punch out per year for that lifespan then add that number to your per round cost. :astonished: :rofl: :rofl:

Oh and i forgot about all the other small consumables used in the process that you probably should add up too :crazy_face: :rofl:

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Don’t forget to factor in the cost of a replacement barrel :grimacing:

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I told my wife that all that reloading gear makes all my boolits free now and I would never lie to her, so it must be true! plus I can’t add up! :rofl:

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@JSS I do include the cost of the barrel each time I pull that trigger. I use the figure of 3000 rounds per barrel and the barrel at a cost of $1000 which is broken into the cost of the barrel about $700 and $300 for the Gunsmithing required. So that is another 30c per round that goes into the equation of cost per round.

The brass I normally use the figure of about 10 reloads. I buy a set of brass about 300 -400 cases and these are used for the life of the barrel. When the barrel is done and changed so is the brass. Its really hard to take brass from one barrel to the next.

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Mate I calculate the cost per reload out of interests sake. The amount I shoot every year isn’t going to break the bank. The cost of reloads fades into insignificance when you have too much time on your hands and end up buying thermal scopes then all of a sudden deciding you NEED a 45/70 lever for no other reason than you don’t have one.
:joy::joy::joy::joy::beers:

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That is the best reason to buy a 45-70 I’ve heard of!

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Awesome, you’re even more OCD than me :laughing:

@CAVOK i agree i don’t think any of us really care about the cost of what we’re doing. And you don’t need A 45/70 you need TWO of them.

If you look at it like “you get what you pay for” then guns that are expensive to shoot must be better, and therefore more fun.

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If i’m completely honest apart from a really rough guess i couldn’t tell you what i spend on any of my hobbies.

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As it should be. Where’s the fun in bean counting

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It should be like beer, once its been bought it doesn’t cost anything.

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Yeah, I don’t actually calculate cost per round. I shoot twice a week (when I was a free range chicken), so regardless of the cost, my equipment would have paid for itself a while ago. 500+ rounds per month is not uncommon. But it was an interesting conversation. Like if I shoot factory ammo, it’s paid. That’s it, that’s the cost per round. Ergo, brass is free. Purely a point of view conversation. :slight_smile:

Wife encourages my hobby, it keeps me off the couch :slight_smile: And away from computer.

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I’m with @juststarting on the “factory ammo brass is essentially free” theory - so I don’t calculate the brass cost into my reloading, since I’ve already got the brass anyway.

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No because basically every piece of brass i have has been shot by me or found on the ground.

I havent bought brass so it doesnt get included in my cost perceound

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I’m not loading at the minute but when i was naah, only the .500 i counted as that thing eats brass for breakfast lunch and dinner and is rare Af

And no its not for sale yet, still got my license this month

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If you want to be super bean counter though, the opportunity cost should be considered. You can sell that brass and make some money, thus when you reload it, you’re using up an asset.

I’m tempted to ask around if there are any accounting standards around that could be applicable. If there is one for how to measure income from the growth of trees for farms, there’s surely one that can be used here.

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Bastard!

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