[silverlance]

Fiocchi NIB 9mm 115gr: 139/1000.
Georgia Arms reload 9mm 124GR: 149/1000
Miwall reload 9mm 124Gr: 135/1000.

Can it actually be possible to reload for cheaper than that? Time is of no essence. I can watch a movie and reload at the same time. I've been told that it only takes about an hour to reload a thousand rounds with a good press, anyway.

ps: is it real messy? will i need to dedicate a lot of space to this?

I haven't reloaded all these years because people keep telling me that it's not worth it - now I put the same question to you folks who do.

[Car Knocker]

I've been relying on components that I've had stashed for a couple of years so I really can't tell you what current costs are.

I do think, however, that a thousand rounds an hour would be pretty tough to do, no matter what brand press you're using.

I can tell you that reloading while watching a movie or engaging in some other distraction is a sure prescription to a damaged firearm and/or an injury. Even though there are devices that help check powder levels, those devices can fail. I've had it happen to me. A double charge of powder is not a good thing; neither is a squib.

Reloading is not particularly messy and it can be done in a couple of square feet; more space is better.

[bouis]

300 rnds/hour is a much more realistic number, and about what I get with my Dillon 550.

Winchester White Box is currently, what, about $130/1000 with tax? It's almost not worth it to reload 9mm. But there are some savings to be had.

9mm can be reloaded for about $80/1000 with FMJ bullets if you shop around and buy in bulk to minimize shipping/hazmat fees. Lead bullets would be much cheaper but aren't optimal for the velocity of 9mm -- I've never tried them. Component prices are going up these days, but ammo prices will go up, too.

[WayneConrad]

I'm loading 9mm FMJ at about a dime a round, with components purchased recently.

6 cents for a Speer bulk bullet
2 cents for the primer
1 cent for the case
1 cent for the powder

Time wise, my single-stage press makes 200 rounds in two hours without being in a hurry.

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

Why shoot jacketed bullets at paper?

OK, I have shot a lot of lead. In several different calibers. So if I'm not buying jacketed bullets at premium prices, it's either free lead, (which I'm running out of), or $15.00 for 60 pounds at the local tire shop. So that's roughly 230 rounds per pound of lead. With a 6 hole bullet mold, I can easily turn out 125 bullets in 20 minutes.Then there's sizing and lubing them though... More equipment needed.

At 7000gns/pound

Call it $.01/bullet Or, if you're not willing to pour your own, 9mm lead bullets are available for ~$5.00/thousand.
4.3gns of powder per load is ~1625 loads/pound of $20-powder. Or still $.01/load.
I'll go with the fore-mentioned $.02/primer.
And $.01/case.

So that's $.05 each loading your own or with purchased lead -vs- your listed more than $.12/load. Double my numbers, and still, it's cheaper to reload. (The Dillon 550 is easily capable of 400+rnds/hour)

But factor time to reload without distractions. And then.... Factor that over the years I've quite possibly accumulated thousands of dollars of reloading equipment. Some say it's not cost effective to reload. But once the equipment is purchased, it doesn't take but a short time for an "avid" shooter to recoupe the costs. After that, there is a significant savings. Less savings if you're shooting premium jacketed bullets, and less if you're not shooting very often. But if you're shooting often, and shooting lead, it's deffinately worth it.

The only thing I don't reload for is 30/30win. For as much as I shoot the lever gun, it's not worth it when I can go to Wally World and get a box of 20 on sale for $7.00 plus tax. But for my 30-338 that's not a readily available cartridge on sporting goods store shelves, I have to reload.

Even for a 9mm, the satisfaction of building my own talored load for given shooting discipline, Well... It's difficult to quantify a dollar amount on each load.

You ask if it's messy? Not particularly. But I don't reload in my kitchen. I have a gun room dedicated to such.

Ok, if you've got a place to safely do it, and the initial cost of a good progressive press and components are possible, then just try it. You'll either get hooked, or not like it. Even so, you can usually recoupe at least 75% of your equipment costs if you decide to sell.

There are several sticky posts about the cost effectiveness of reloading. Read, read, read... Opinions differ, you'll have to make up your own mind. But everyone I know, that I shoot with, that's at the range when they aren't doing something else, -they reload. Mostly, because it's cheaper and allows them to shoot more.

-Steve

[JDGray]

1000 115gr winchester fmj - 49.00 shipped
1000 winchester primers - 18.00 w/tax
powder per/1000 - 14.85
cases free
Exersize for my right arm
total......................81.85/1000

I enjoy reloading almost as much as shooting, I would guess about 5 hours to do at 1 sitting, which I wouldn't enjoy.

[taliv]

$43/1000 FMJ bullets
powder is about $10,
primers are $14

reuse your cases

nets you something under $70/1000, cheaper if you use lead bullets

a dillon 1050 is advertised at a 1200 rnd/yr rate
i go slow and get something around 800ish without difficulty


DO NOT WATCH MOVIES WHILE RELOADING. concentrate on what you're doing.

I've found reloading to be extremely messy.

[Crosshair]

I come out ahead with reloading 9mm since I get all my cases for free at the range.

[target4fun]

If you do reloading for costs alone, for 9mm I wouldnt do it. Unless you are shooting thousands of round's. I never have reloaded 9mm (too cheap) but I hear from other members that it is a pain to reload versus reloading for 40/45 which is econmical to reload IMHO. I also agree reloading infront of a TV, isn't a good idea, I tried it it doesn't work. Even the radio, I wouldnt use at first but you can after you become used to your "rythm" of reloading its okay. If your still intrested in reloading, most dont do it for costs they do it because it is fun and a challenge. I would reccomend try a single stage press maybe from RCBS, start out with the cheap stuff then go progressive once your gung-ho cause it get pricey real quick.


Hope it help's some.

Stockton

[rchernandez]

9mm UMC is currently on sale at Sportsman's Warehouse for $5.88/box of 50. I still have a few ammo boxes worth from last years sale at $4.96/box. After my "N"th visit they waived the 10 box limit!

I reload .45acp, 38spl and 32S&WL, for cost and accuracy. 9mm on the other hand, I can't beat for what I can get it for! I'm sure one day we will cross the price point when it becomes more cost effective to reload. We're not there yet.

Since I'm only shooting 9mm out of my Glock, I leave the brass for others to collect :)

[Jim Watson]

I am at present loading 9mm P with components at the following replacement cost. (I have supplies on hand bought for less.)

$70/M bullets
$19/M primers*
$ 8/M powder*
free brass

*includes Hazmat ripoff but not freight, I can have components drop-shipped to the Trap & Skeet club.

That is $97 a thousand for tailored subsonic ammo I cannot buy at Cheapmart.

[silverlance]

You've given me a lot of food for thought.

My conclusion:

How to make it worthwhile -

simple.

shoot a heckuva lot.

=)

[BigJakeJ1s]

Around here (N TX), Academy usually has 9mm blazer, 115 gr fmj, aluminum cases (non-reloadable), for $3.99/50 or less than $80/1000.

Andy

[robctwo]

I've been reloading since 2004. I started with 9mm. I figure I reload for about 1/2 price of WWB. I turn out 300 per hour on my Hornady LnL without hurrying. I listen to radio while reloading and watch what I'm doing. The reloading pays for the press after a few thousand rounds. Then it pays for the next gun, and the next, and the next.

You start reloading .40 and .45. Savings jump dramatically. You bought the .40 and the .45 with the savings. You buy more gear. You buy more supplies in larger quantities, the savings grow exponentially. You get custom guns. They are free, because the 500 to 1,000 rounds of ammo you are shooting per week would have cost three to five times what it did.

You buy more brass, because you understand why people need to have 3,000-5,000 rounds available in at least three calibers.

Of course reloading 9mm is cheaper than buying a few boxes of WWB every few weeks. That's what I tell my wife every month.

[BluesBear]

It's apparant that you haven't done much research into reloading.
At least you haven't done enough.

Before ANYONE should start they need , and I mean really NEED to read as much as they can. Study reloading manuals and books. Talk face to face with people who actually do it. Gather all of the knowledge you can from as many sources as possible.

Then and only then, after you have enough useful information, start buying equipment.

Reloading is a very enjoyable hobby. But it is also one of the most serious.

Never forget that reloading is one of the few legal hobbies that you can do totally within the confines of your home that could easily cause injury and/or death to you and to bystanders.

One mistake is all it takes.

[Jim Watson]

Dang, Andy, I have to check Academy. Around here they went up from $3.86 to $4.89 several months ago and I haven't been back in lately.
I prefer my own but always keep some econoball if I get behind in my work or want to shoot somebody else's gun.

[kid_couteau]

Lets seeeee

1000 bullets about $43.00
1000 primers about $20.00
Powder for 1000 rounds about $12.00

Follow cops around and get their free once fired brass

Lee Loader for 9MM $20.00

Lee powder dippers $8.00

Little wooden mallet $4.00

Case lube $5.00

$112.00 for 1000 rounds.

Next time around you only need powder, primers and lead so figure $75.00 per 1000.

Yup its slow. Yup you wanna kill yourself. But yup you can do it this way.

Kid

[ocabj]

Yes, it's possible to reload 9mm for less than $139 per 1000.

Yes, there is always a worthwhile reason to reload any cartridge. I like to reload 9mm because I like 147gr 9mm bullets out of a 5" Taurus and Beretta barrel. I like to reload 9mm because I still get cost savings over factory ammo in 115gr and 124gr loadings.

[raz-0]

I'm currently loading 9mm. 124gr bullets.. $46 per 1k shipped (recently)
Powder is about $15 a pound, which is good for about 1600 rounds or so.
Primers are about $17 a thousand.
Brasss is once fired pickup from matches. FREE.

So about $80 a thousand.

Now my reloading setup has set me back about $800 since I first started, the time to savings for 9mm is pretty long. However, I used to shoot a lot of .45 ACP, and after having loaded about 10,000 rounds of that, i'm about $280 into the black after 3 years. But the cost savings are about double that of 9mm. So don't expect to be averaging less than $130 per 1000 until you hit the 18-20k mark.

My main issue with loading 9mm is that it takes longer because the small size and tapered case makes it harder to handle. I'm getting into the groove finally and only hitting about 300 rounds per hour. With .45 i was getting about 420.

[fordman650]

well after reading this post i think that i will start reloading 9's,unless i'm wrong the cheapest i can get is $6.99 a box which = $349.50 per thousand and if i can load for around $139 that is a savings even at $5.00 a box that worth it and it's a great hobby

[Hutch]

If your time is free, then it's a little better than break-even for 9mm. However, 9mm is probably the LEAST efficient measure. I shoot Cowboy Action, and the equation is much different for .44Spl and .45 Colt. The savings are dramatic. Also, if you ever get into serious target shooting, you can load more accurate ammo than you can buy.

[callgood]

All I reload/shoot in 9mm are 124gr Gold Dots. With brass, between 20-21 cents each. Reusing brass right at 14.2 cants each. I started reloading when I began shooting 10mm. You can save a bundle reloading 10mm.

[wrangler5]

You can see some, but not dramatic, savings on 9mm FMJ loads compared to White Box or Blazer. But if you CARRY a 9mm with premium defensive ammo (like Hornady XTPs or Speer Gold Dots) you CAN see some dramatic savings if you load your own defensive practice loads using the same premium bullets.

I carry factory loads in my carry guns, but I think it's useful to periodically put a few magazines worth of rounds downrange using my carry gun and carry ammo. That can get expensive, though, with ammo that's sold in boxes of 20. Speer and Hornady both offer defensive ammo, but they also sell their defensive bullets as components, and you can duplicate their defensive loads for way under half of retail if you reload.

For example, Midway sells Speer 9mm 124g Gold Dot ammo for $690/1000 rounds and Hornady XTP for about $600. (I know, you're probably not going to make up 1K of these, but it fits with figures others have posted earlier.) Midway sells the Gold Dot bullets separately for $128/1000, and XTPs for $150 (lower if you have a dealer or collector FFL on file with them.) If you use Jim Watson's figures from yesterday and substitute bullet costs, you come out with about $155/1000 for your own Gold Dot loads, and $177 for XTPs. Add in some shipping, maybe add a bit for some more powder for these full power loads, and you're still probably in the neighborhood of $200/1000 for these "premium" loads.

So go ahead, load up a thousand, and you've "paid for" your press. :D

[Berek]

I can reload at about $0.08 per round. $0.05 per round if I scrounge brass, which my range has no problem with. Of course, I give each case a thorough inspection before reloading....

But then, I'm not too keen on non-brass cases and have found, at least in my area, the Winchester White-box is getting unreliable. In my last 5 boxes of 50, I had 13 hang-fires, about as many misfires and 2 squibs. They did come from the same lot #, so it could have been that lot... I dunno....

[Double Naught Spy]

Why shoot jacketed bullets at paper?

Why pump more poison into the air with each shot in close proximity to you if you don't have to do so?

Around here (N TX), Academy usually has 9mm blazer, 115 gr fmj, aluminum cases (non-reloadable), for $3.99/50 or less than $80/1000.

Jim Watson is right. They went back up several months ago. It now roughly costs $100 per 1000.

---------------

Reloading is only cheaper if your time has zero dollar value. If you really enjoy reloading and have the time, then it can equate to a zero dollar value. For me, it is cheaper to buy because I don't have the time for such endeavors. Of the shooters that I know that reload (although I have met a couple of exceptions at gun schools), reloading becomes so encompassing that they seem to focus quite a bit on shooting to reload instead of reloading to shoot. In other words, the main focus, even while shooting, it the reloads, their performance, etc.

[callgood]

Double Naught- yes, I've been there. Early in my reloading endeavors I was very taken at learning a new skill and figuring out the "whys" and "why nots" of the operation. I guess that will continue. I don't have the time to shoot as much as many here, so a single stage press is fine for me. It also lets me concentrate on loading the "best" ammo I can (no, I'm not into Lapua, etc. YET). So I do lapse into periods where reloading takes a front seat, generally on cold or rainy days when I can't either shoot or take care of the yard, paint, or whatever. However, shooting is the main focus, reloading just makes it possible for me.

I'm going to a shoot this weekend I'm really looking forward to. I've reloaded 600 .223 Remington for it. Some there will be happy to shoot well. I will be satisfied to shoot well with ammo I loaded.

[Master Blaster]

Why shoot jacketed bullets at paper?


Why pump more poison into the air with each shot in close proximity to you if you don't have to do so?



FMJ bullets have a soft lead core exposed at the base, if you shoot them you are also breathing lead vapor, in some cases more than from cast bullets.

Copper plated or Jacketed hollow points are much better for your health.

One thing no one has mentioned here is that if you like to load a practice load that duplicates a carry load, you can save a lot of money by reloading that carry load. For example premium Speer 124 grain gold dots bullets are sold by Midway for $10 per hundred. The local sporting goods store sells that premium factory load for $14 per twenty rounds.

This can be a substantial saving if you want to practice with your premium carry load alot like 1000+ rounds.

1000 gold dots $110
powder $12
primers $16
cases free

total $138

Store bought

$14 x 50 (at 20 per box) = $700:eek: :eek: :eek:

Or maybe you get them at $10 a box so its only$500 for a thousand practice rounds of gold dots. :eek: :eek:

[taliv]

One thing no one has mentioned here

actually, wrangler5 in post 23 used almost exactly your same example :neener:

[BigJakeJ1s]

I got mine a couple of months ago (3 at most) for $3.99/50, but I haven't checked lately.

Even at ~$98/1k, it aint worth it for me to reload it. Not near enough savings for the effort. OTOH, if I had a gun that didn't like blazer 9mm, I might have a reason to reload it.

I got into reloading for 45 colt. Reloading that, I can save some $$! Even though I had a local commercial reloader reload my brass for ~$9/50. I still buy new ammo at Cabela's (local, no shipping or hazmat) whenever I need more brass. I just have to "process" the ammo to get the brass! :^)

Andy

[1911user]

The cheapest 9mm ammo all seems loaded with 115 grain FMJ. Anything heavier is more expensive sometimes much more expensive even if FMJ. You don't save much reloading 115gr ammo, but 124 and 147gr show better savings especially non-FMJ bullets. My preference is medium to heavy bullets for a caliber and prefer to practice with similar weight bullets.

I ordered a shellplate and case feeder plate for the progressive just to load 9mm. Maybe they'll be paid for after the first 6-8K rounds. 45 auto reloading has already paid for the press setups.

[Nhsport]

I have all the gear but I do not reload regular ammo for 9mm. My time is better spent reloading a couple of boxes of 44mag,45-70,or .357. Some guys get a kick out of reloading everything,but not many do 9mm just for the cost savings

[1911jerry]

I reload 9mm for IPSC. I shoot at least 1000 rounds each month in practice. I do load 147 grain bullets which cost more than the cheaper 115 grain 3.99 to 4.99 range per 50 boxes of store bought ammo.

Another reason is to tailor the load to make a certain power factor. Factory ammo generate a stiff amount of power factor. Hand tailored loads shoot pretty flat in my gun, make recoil manageable, and gets me back on the sight picture faster. Speed accuracy amd power is the name of the game in IPSC.

I agree, most people would spend the time to reload 9mm, and please feel free continue to do so. I am a brass scrounger at the range and get the brass for free......

JS

[robertbank]

I cast my own bullets from wheelweights whcih I get for free. 9MM brass I get from my range for free. Not factoring in bullet lube and naptha gas for my coleman stove to melt the wheelwights down my costs come out to just under $3.00 per box or under $60per housand. That is $Cdn. Multipy by .90 of US equivalent.

That is paying through the nose for powder and primers. Nothin up here is cheap by your standards.

My bullet/primer/powder combo gives me deviations of less than 6 and the load is very accurate in all my 9MM. Commercial 9MM ammo up here goes for around $11.00 box of 50. Transportation costs!

Take Care

Take Care

[CPLofMARINES]

$11.98 at wallmart for 100 win. 115 grn. fmj.


Semper Fi!

[Chris Rhines]

I handload 9mmP for USPSA Production.

147grn. Zero JHPs are 6.45c each, shipped in quantities of 2000.
Powder (Titegroup) runs 0.67c per charge, including shipping and HAZMAT.
Primers are 1.75c each - I order them at the same time as the powder to avoid doubling on the HAZMAT charge.
Brass is free.

That totals up to 8.87c per round. Throwing in the cost of bullet lube, corncob for case prep, etc, call it 9c/round. I can crank out 600 rounds per hour easy on my Dillon 650, more like 800 if I have someone to load primer tubes and keep the case feeder and powder measure topped off.

Highly accurate, light recoiling, minor-PF 147grn JHPs for $90/thousand is not a bad deal, even with the cost of my time.

- Chris

[benedict1]

I can buy components locally at big savings in large quantities--

Loading Unique, Berry's 124 gr copper-plated RN bullets, WSP primers and once-fired Win cases I got through the want ads in a forum--

Powder--8#, $108
Primers--5K, $72.
Cases-- 3.5K, $43.60
Bullets--$54.60/1000 on my doorstep.

Cost/round= 9 cents
Cost/box=$4.49
Cost/K=$89.73

Even if I had to pay $125 for the powder and $100 for 5K primers the cost per 1000 is still under $100, to be precise, $96.73.

If you can get the components right it works. At the local Wal-Mart, for the 115 gr FMJ Winchester 9 mm I have to pay $12.88 per hundred plus 7.75% sales tax--that's $138.87 per 1000.

At my current cost it is definitely the right thing to do, and I can get a load I prefer--124 gr bullet.

I'm using the calculator at http://handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

[CSA 357]

i just got a glock 19, and was wondering about getting a set of dies, heck if i can buy it that cheap thats what ill do! and not have to chase brass all over the range, thats why i wanted a 9mm in the first place, cheap to shoot! i might get a set of dies just to load some carry loads, but then i would be chasing brass again wouldnt i?*csa*:rolleyes:

[trickyasafox]

my costs are really low cause i hit a phenominal deal a while ago
2 dollars per 100 on 115 gr JHP bullets + shipping so i paid 120 for 5k of bullets or 24 dollars per k
8lbs of powder goes for 84.85 after tax
primers go for 12.58 per k
cases are free (i am the world's biggest brass rat)

so that works out to
41 bucks and change per k

untill my bullets dry up then we'll see what i can do. i am thinking about keadbullets for my next order

[mrmeval]

Best I got was $118 and that was not counting shipping and using some pretty crappy once fired brass but everything else was new. $198 with new Lapua brass.

I'm mostly guessing, I just grabbed a reloading formula and looked up prices on midway and the brass from ammunitionstore.

[redneck2]

if you don't have brass, try e-bay

[trickyasafox]

if you need brass i've dealt with www.millseatcomponents.com and they have been top notch. i think it was 7 or 8 dollars per thou for 9mm brass last i ordered.

[benedict1]

For brass, keep an eye on the Want Ads in the various forums--I got 3500 once-fired Win 9mm on Glock Talk recently at a very good price. Do a Google search every few days for 'used 9mm brass' and see what pops up.

[45auto]

Depends on how much you shoot, if money is the only consideration.

Shoot 15,000 rounds a year and you should save @ $500 per year. 10 years...$5,000 :D . Subtract the cost of reloading equipment and you have your "net" savings.

Not having to always "look" for specials and loading what you want...priceless IMO ;) .

Shoot 1 or 2 thousand a year...don't bother.

[wolf_from_wv]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v151/wolf_from_wv/brass_in_paper_box.jpg

That is a 10 ream paper box of 9mm brass.

I haven't checked reloading prices since the 9mm bullets went up $10 this year, though...

=============
Speaking of range pickup brass, I found 21 .45LC laying on the ground at the range.:D

[Sistema1927]

I wouldn't reload 9mm, except for the fact that I was given boxes and boxes of 9mm components(probably enough for 5k rounds, bullets, brass, and primers), so I shoot 9mm for the cost of my powder and labor. I can crank out 125-150 rounds per hour on my Lee Classic Turret press.

However, the real reason to reload is for other calibers. I save considerably loading for .45 Colt and .45 ACP, as well as for my .32 S&W top-break. I also enjoy creating custom cast bullet loads for .30-30 and my 7.62x51 Ishapore. Additionally, I load light "coyote" loads for my .303 Jungle Carbine.

So, while I wouldn't reload 9mm except for the free components, I find reloading to save me a ton of money for other calibers, coupled with the pride on crafting my own, coupled with the relaxation that an hour or two pulling the handle provides.

[jjohnson]

Yeah, I'm a brass rat, too, and have all my brass in 5-gallon buckets. At the moment, 3 buckets of 9mm (and I stopped picking up brass at that point) 2 buckets of .40, most of a bucket of .45. The big savings isn't in 9mm, but if you're doing .44 Special, .45 Colt, or any of the weird stuff I load like 7.62 x 25 or 9x23... hey, I'm actually MAKING money (that's what I tell my wife) :neener:

And since she got me a Dillon 550B several years ago for Christmas, I'm just trying to show my appreciation by loading 12-15 thousand rounds a year with it.
Nice guy, huh? :evil:

[BluesBear]

I paid $5 each for three USGI .30cal ammo cans full of once fired USGI range brass. One was full of WCC .38 special and the other two were full of WCC 9mm.

There's a little over 3K in each 9mm can. I haven't counted the .38 yet.

I already had a nice set of RCBS carbide dies and I was given a Lee progressive already set up for 9mm.
(yes, given. As in get the POS out of my sight, given.)

So I'm all set.




Now all I need is a firearm chambered in 9mm. :o

[Double Naught Spy]

FMJ bullets have a soft lead core exposed at the base, if you shoot them you are also breathing lead vapor, in some cases more than from cast bullets.

Copper plated or Jacketed hollow points are much better for your health.


I have never heard this argument. That is a new one on me. I have heard lots of lead shooters claim things like all the smoke that comes out is from the lead lube, etc. etc. etc. and how safe it all is. Maybe hard cast is better, but I don't know many folks that shoot it.

FYI, Blazer at $100 per 1000 is TMJ ammo, no exposed lead, hence no lead vapor.

[darwin-t]

Berry's Bullets are plated but work just fine as long as you don't get the velocities too high.

http://www.berrysmfg.com/categories/11-0.php
Click on a bullet and you can check the price per thousand.

They have free shipping!They add a small fee that has something to do with lead handling. These are great people and a pleasure to deal with.

I load 147 grain which use less powder than lighter bullets.

I buy powder and primers locally because the hazardous material fee doesn't make it worthwhile to buy it online.

In my local shop 1000 primers went from $20 to $23. The owner says all components are going up.

All told I spend about $80 per thousand.

[Car Knocker]

They have free shipping!

It's not free, it's just included in the price. :)

[RustyFN]

I don't reload yet but am very interested. Please correct me if I am wrong. Wouldn't one of the main advantages to reloading besides price be performance?:confused: I shot a friends Glock at a Glock match and there was very little recoil. Can you control recoil and accuracy by reloading? I think that and price would be perfect reasons for reloading.
Rusty

[strambo]

Please correct me if I am wrong. Wouldn't one of the main advantages to reloading besides price be performance?

Yes, your reloads will be tailored to whatever performance you desire, be higher quality (than the cheap ammo) and still cost less than the cheap stuff by a couple cents per round. Only downside is time...but Id rather spend an hour loading 400 rds, then spend 45mins to an hour driving to the store and back to buy them.

I load 124gr FMJs for about 8 cents per round...they are about 100 fps slower than my carry load (124 +p GDs) but approximate it a lot better than cheap 115 gr factory and don't batter my guns like the +Ps.

[spsowell]

"CPLofMARINES

$11.98 at wallmart for 100 win. 115 grn. fmj.


Semper Fi! "


Local Wally marts sell the WWB for $4.63/50 but charge $11.98 for the "value" box of 100. Makes you wonder where the value is there? :confused:

At the $4.63 price, I've not been able to convince myself to reload for 9mm yet. I have been collecting brass, though.

Saving a ton on reloading for my 10mm, .40, .45, and .223

[MCgunner]

I cast my own bullets from free range scrap, all I wanna pick up for free. So, my bullets are free. I can pick up all the brass I want out there, too, so brass is free. All I have to pay for is primers and powder, so I'm lookin' at $24 a thousand I reckon, that's $2.40 a hundred, $1.20 a box.:D That's cheaper than .22 LR Mini Mags, put it that way.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I cast my own bullets for 9MM and the load is customized to my pistol, so it's extremely accurate. Cost including top quality primers and powder is $1.70 for a box of fifty. You can do the math for a thousand off of that.

I highly suggest anyone who's reloading take a hard look at casting their own bullets out of wheel weights. Easy to acquire and it's easily hardened for higher velocities using water quenching or oven heating.

So yes, you can reload 9MM for waaay less than you can buy them off the shelf and they'll be cleaner (using Clays, especially) and way more accurate if you "roll your own."

Dave

[oldschool]

With an 8 month old at home, I don’t have the time to reload .45’s for my Kimber or money to buy manufactured ammo for it (all going to cloths & diapers). So my solution may be to buy a 9mm pistol and buy store ammo but I really like my light IPSC/ steel plate loads so I'd probably end up reloading for it. I would love a 10mm and I’m thinking Glock 20 does anybody know if that pistol can be converted to 9mm or is it just as cheap/effective to buy a dedicated 9mm?

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

oldschool,

Buy diapers and focus on raising your child. Along the way, you'll find some time or another to buy firearms (milsurps are cheaper, btw), but your child will grow up all too fast and next thing you know, they'll be off to college.

When that happens, you'll have money and time to devote more to the luxuries of shooting. In the meantime, if you're tight on money, spend it on your kids and their raising. Fishing is good, for example, with cane poles.

How do I know all this high falooting wisdom? I have two, kids, that is. One has graduated college (with honors) and is getting married this spring. The other is graduating (with honors) this spring as well. I didn't have a lot of money over the years of raising them, but spent as much time as I could with them. Looking back, I wish I could have spent even more time.

Regards,

Dave

[MCgunner]

My suggestion is to get 'em potty trained...:D