The most expensive component of a round of ammunition is the brass case! It's initial cost represents about 75% of the total cost of the cartridge. To throw it away after firing is just plain wasteful.

However, to answer your inquiry, whether you are going to save money by reloading those cases depends on several factors:

The most important of these is "How much shooting will you do?" If the answer is "a box or two every year", it will NOT save you any money if you don't already have the press, loading dies, and a powder scale. However, if you DO already have the equipment, or free access to it, even if you only reload 100 rounds, you can save money by buying powder, primers, and bullets separately.

If you have to buy a press, powder scale, and a set of dies as well as bullets, primers, and powder, you will have to load 500 rounds or more before you break even - this depends on the CARTRIDGE. For example, a box of 20 .416 Rigby cases costs me $40.00. But if I buynew LOADED rounds, it's going to be in the vicinity of $100.00 or more for just one box!

I started (in 1954) reloading .30/'06 ammo so I could shoot more (ie., save money). But I soon found that the handloading of ammunition was so fascinating, and had so much potential for various things, that I quickly gave up on saving money! I'm still spending money on exotic tools, strange calibers, bullet moulds and other bullet-making equipment, Berdan primers, etc., etc., that I have completely forgotten about the idea of saving money. Today, I own a great many arms which have never been sullied with one round of factory ammunition!

But, you can save money! To START reloading, all you need is a single-stage press, a powder scale, a set of dies, and one box of bullets, a can of powder, and 100 primers of the correct type.

You can get the toolsoff of e-Bay for very little, usually no more than half the retail price. I bought a "used" RCBS Rockchucker off e-Bat last year for $50.00. When it arrived, I could not tell that it was not brand-new

I usually buy my powder, primers and bullets from GRAF's orMidway, and some locally.

I startred reloading .30/'06 ammo with a Lyman 310 tool + dies for itand a simple Pacific powder scale. That's all that's REQUIRED! Later on, you might add a case trimmer, BUT you can do without that at least for awhile!