[John in AR]

.22's r fun to shoot, stupe, so WHY .44 special and pay 10 x as much for the ammo, dummy?

Interesting how market prices change. 22 ammo is nowadays 18-20 cents per round even mail-order, and .44 special (and most centerfire pistol stuff) can be loaded for substantially less than that.

I don't shoot .44 special, but my total cost for loading .45Colt is just primers and powder. I have no idea what primers run currently, but I paid from $3 to $4 per hundred for what I have on hand. Powder is another 1-2 cents per round, so less than $3 per box of 50 - or 6 cents per round - for my centerfire stuff. I view the cost of ammo simply as "the cost of replenishing/replacing what I shoot". So since .22LR pretty much has to be bought as factory-new ammo, compared to shooting my own centerfire ammo, current market conditions mean that the rimfire stuff is roughly six times more expensive for me to shoot than my .45 colt or .38 special. What a strange year...

Reloading is good, if you shoot enough to make it worthwhile.