This is probably going to be controversial but, 
IMO factory ammo is way cheaper in the long run! Unless you want to do mental math and ignore the real cost of reloading for yourself. My time is worth something! Ignoring that cost is another mental math trick I see/hear all the time! Look I get it, some people find it enjoyable and dont see the labor as part of the real cost but, the time I spend reloading is time I could have been doing something else more productive (financially) or something else more enjoyable (just about anything else 
)! So, for me there is an obvious cost! YMMV. I get it though, its entirely subjective
.
Ignoring the initial outlay to get up and running is another slight of hand trick. Thats akin to keeping two sets of books!
Unless some one gave you the equipment, you have to purchase it, and that takes money! That makes it an out of pocket expense, an expense you may or may not be able to recoup at least a part of in future but, nonetheless its part of the true cost! To be fair, if you can comfortably handle the initial outlay, then its a minimal expense over the long term. Just not free!
Reloading is time consuming, very, very time consuming. And generally, the cheaper you try to get by using the bare minimum equipment, the more time consuming it is. Starting out for me it took at least 10 hours to reload a 1000 rounds! Thats actual bench time, not reading online, educating myself. It can make economical sense when reloading a 338 Lapua Mag at $5 a round, and not so much for a 223 at .50 cents! YMMV. Context matters.
There are other reasons to reload than just saving money and increased accuracy. Knowing you can make your own ammo when there is none on the shelves is the major reason for me. And I dont mind paying the premium over factory ammo for that piece of mind!
IMO factory ammo is way cheaper in the long run! Unless you want to do mental math and ignore the real cost of reloading for yourself. My time is worth something! Ignoring that cost is another mental math trick I see/hear all the time! Look I get it, some people find it enjoyable and dont see the labor as part of the real cost but, the time I spend reloading is time I could have been doing something else more productive (financially) or something else more enjoyable (just about anything else )! So, for me there is an obvious cost! YMMV. I get it though, its entirely subjective
.Ignoring the initial outlay to get up and running is another slight of hand trick. Thats akin to keeping two sets of books!
Unless some one gave you the equipment, you have to purchase it, and that takes money! That makes it an out of pocket expense, an expense you may or may not be able to recoup at least a part of in future but, nonetheless its part of the true cost! To be fair, if you can comfortably handle the initial outlay, then its a minimal expense over the long term. Just not free! Reloading is time consuming, very, very time consuming. And generally, the cheaper you try to get by using the bare minimum equipment, the more time consuming it is. Starting out for me it took at least 10 hours to reload a 1000 rounds! Thats actual bench time, not reading online, educating myself. It can make economical sense when reloading a 338 Lapua Mag at $5 a round, and not so much for a 223 at .50 cents! YMMV. Context matters.
There are other reasons to reload than just saving money and increased accuracy. Knowing you can make your own ammo when there is none on the shelves is the major reason for me. And I dont mind paying the premium over factory ammo for that piece of mind!