30 Luger Reloading Costs

[sheepherder]

In another thread, Zorba and Kurusu had this exchange...

Originally Posted by kurusu

If you'd roll your own it would be a lot cheaper.

Originally Posted by Zorba

Yea, it would. And certainly never say never. But I'm not there yet.

Here's my somewhat whimsical cost analysis of 30 Luger reloading...

30 Luger Reloading Costs

I'm in the process of ordering more bullets for my 30 Luger/7.65mm Parabellum reloading so I thought I'd add up the costs for a Luger owner/shooter interested in reloading and just starting out. 30 cal Lugers are considered cheaper to purchase than 9mm Lugers, but finding ammunition can be a pain, so here's my findings as of Sept 2016.

I did my 'shopping' at Midway. They had everything in stock. I prefer RCBS reloading components.

The RCBS Master Kit can be found on eBay for considerably less - I got my Kit used with all components for $120. Die sets can be found cheaper as well, but with less frequency. Midways' price for 30 Luger dies is quite reasonable.

Consumables I figured in batches of 100. That's bullets, primers, brass. Powder in lots of 1 pound.

The RCBS Master Kit consists of the following -

Master Kit Includes:

Rock Chucker Supreme Single Stage press
M500 scale
Uniflow Powder Measure
Nosler Reloading Manual
Hand priming tool with small and large primer plugs
Folding Hex Key Set with 0.050", 1/16", 5/64", 3/32", 7/64", 1/8", 9/64" and 5/32" keys
Universal Case Loading Block, which holds 40 cases in most rifle and pistol calibers
Case Lube Kit, which includes a 2 oz bottle of Case Lube-2, a case lube pad, 2 case neck brushes for .22 through .30 calibers and an accessory handle
Powder Funnel for .22 to .45 caliber, including the Winchester Short Magnum calibers
Chamfer and deburring tool for .17 through .60 caliber

There are other accessories that can be helpful, but this Kit will get a new reloader started.

Here's what I come up with -

30 Luger Reloading Costs

Brass - ~$23.00/100 Starline (Midway, new)
Powder - ~$21.00/lb (Alliant Red Dot, Midway)
Primers - ~$4.00/100 (CCI Small Pistol, Johnsons)
Bullets - ~$21.00/100 (Sierra 8005, Midway)

RCBS Kit - ~$150/$250 (eBay, used; $330.00 Midway, new)
RCBS Die Set - ~$36.00 (Midway, new)
RCBS Shellholder - ~$8.00 (Midway, new)

Total:

~$263 to $363 (est w/used Kit)
~$443 est (w/new Kit)

This would optimistically yield 100 loaded cartridge cases, ready to shoot. Some cases may be damaged and rendered unusable during setup of the die sets and/or seating the bullets.

I used Red Dot as my powder, because that is what I have on hand. Getting started will also require a secure bench/table to bolt the press to. Reloading can get messy/dirty at times, so a basement/garage/workshop environment is probably best.

That's not a lot of money, especially with a used RCBS Kit. I can get about 8 - 10 reloads from Remington brass (which is a softer alloy than Winchester) if I shoot light target loads. I visually inspect cases after sizing, and wipe completed cases and feel for cracks before placing the loaded cartridges in my box for shooting. A bullet puller, either kinetic or die/collet, is useful for salvaging powder and bullets (and primers too) if a case does crack or collapse. I've found that STP Oil Treatment is an excellent substitute for case lube, and much cheaper.

I have not found Carbide dies to be any easier to size cases. Hardened steel dies with case lube still yield the best and easiest results for me.