Well, if you like to shoot but dont because you cannot afford to because of ammo prices then its cheaper. But the initial investment is pricey and it will take you some time to recoup your investment. If you want to try out reloading on the cheap, look into the Classic Lee Loader in your particular caliber you wish to reload. You can get a brand new kit for around $15 and it will have everything that you need tool wise minus a rubber mallet to get started reloading. You will then want to pick up some empty brass if you havent been saving yours and some primers, and powder and bullets. You will be into it about $50-$60 depending on where you buy at and what brand you buy. This is how I got started and it is a fun hobby and I have shot a lot more than I would have at $25-$30 per box of .270 rounds and I have since bought a 30-30 loader, and a .44 magnum loader. I have loaded a few hundred rounds for what I would have spent on 60-80 rounds of factroy ammo. You can figure once you are set up it will cost you .03 per primer, .20 per bullet and $20 per pound of powder and anywhere from 70-200 rounds per pound, depending greatly on what you are reloading. Those are the inflated prices from the local gunsmith too, so you can save more $$$ by shopping around. I am hoping that I get a reloading press for Xmas to make it even easier to reload.