A question for you 9mm types...

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It's probably a little cheaper to reload 9mm, if you get components on sale, but I hate fiddling with the little case.
So, I buy surplus or commercial 9mm FMJs for as close to $100 per thousand as I can get.
It's handy to have reloading gear for .38 Special, .357 .41 Magnum, .45ACP, and .44 magnum however.
Also for assorted rifle rounds.
 
More and more I find myself buying the cheaper 9MM like UMC or WWB and just reloading for .45 and some rifle rounds.

Oh Jeez, I think I just recommended both! Its just what I do, not what you have to do. :)
 
English, I think it is slightly cheaper to reload 9mm. But I hate doing it. However, if you can find a deal around $100/1000rds. 45's, though, it's hand's down cheaper to reload.
 
It all really depends on how much you can get ammo for.


Without a ton of hoops to jump through I can get down to $105 / 1000 for 9mm on sale.

Some people near academy sports can get 1000 for $77 + tax


Reloading... depending on how much work you want to do would be ~ 50-60 / 1000 ?

So if you collect all your brass everytime you shoot, and dont mind the extra hours of work, it looks like you could pay for the press after several cases worth of reloads.
 
If you can get it for around 100 bucks a case, I don't know if the savings you would get from reloading would justify the time spent making the rounds personally. However, if reloading rounds is your idea of a fun friday night, then you probably already know the answer to this question....
 
It's more time consuming than I care for, so I usually buy 9mm and re-load 45, 44, 357 etc.
 
Hmmmm, well, I do shoot .45 (or did before the slide cracked) and I want to learn reloading anyways so I can take care of my .22-250 and 7.5 Swiss.

I guess this settles the first part, now for the second...
I was looking at the Lee handpress kit so I can do it wherever I happen to be or the Anniversery Reloading Kit from Lee. I've never done it before but I know the basics and have been wanting to set this up for a while now.

Argh, I hate choices like this. :rolleyes:
 
I reload 9MM and also occasionally buy the cheap stuff on sale. I think it's mainly your feeling about whether reloading is a chore or just plain fun and relaxing and don't worry about the time involved. Most of my reloads are cast bullet loads that work well at 7 to 10 ys. and yes they're cheaper to me because I've always had more time than money. Also my pistol prefers the 124/125 gr bullets. I have a couple of friends that hate those little cases.
 
Niether. I can usually find it on sale around here for about $6 /50. For me, it just isn't worth the hassle of reloading or messing with delivery.
 
I reload for .45, .38/.357 and several rifle rounds, but I don't bother with 9mm. The only reason I can think of to reload the 9 is to get a light load for target shooting, since the commercial loads in 115 g. are just about perfect for the power factor in both IDPA and IPSC, so you can't really make up lighter loads for those competitions.
 
I buy a lot of 9mm, but need to reload again. I buy 9mm jacketed bullets whenever I see a good deal on quantities. I figure 5 gr of ww231, a 5 cent bullet and a cent or two for a primer is as cheap as I can load it. I don't load lead in 9mm, I don't want the PITA of cleaning the barrel afterwards. In the end, it's not much cheaper than buying 9mm by the case for $5 a box/50.
 
I reload on a Dillon 550B for about 65 dollars per 1,000. Once fired, prepped brass from Midway is cheap, jacketed bullets are cheap, and I use Power Pistol powder.

My handloads shoot MUCH better than the stuff I was able to buy for $100-$110/1,000.
 
depends if you have the time or just enjoy reloading
9mm can be bought cheap when found on sale not worth reloading in my opinion.
Bigger cal. is a diff story because of cost almost need to reload if you are going to shoot alot
 
I can reload 9mm for about $3.80/50.

Single stage press - given to me
scale - dad already had
powder throw - dad already had
calipers - already had
empty brass cases - free range brass (have to hunt it down...)
lee 4 die set - $28 (I don't include them in price because I'll have them until they wear out)
lee speed die - $13 (same as 4 die set...)


Or...

I can go to a local store and pay $5.50/50.
 
i buy the cheap stuff if im bringing someone out. but if its just for mine and my fathers consumption then its reloads. i think it's fun and even with fmj and especially jhp its way cheaper. lead gets crazy cheap. like 5 bucks a hundred. that being said my local prices suck. 13 bucks a hundred in 9mm
 
CCI Blazer $3.86/50 at the store for sports and outdoors, Academy. WWB $4.86/50. That's cheaper than walmarts valuepacks of WWB.

Advantages of reloading 9mm- custom, target loads, more accurate, slightly less expensive, and if you enjoy reloading obviously. If it's just a cost based decision, it depends on how valuable your time is.
 
I think many of your replies are missing a basic point. If you're going to load pistol, you should really consider a progressive press (Dillon 550, Hornady L-n-L)

When the ever-present "what does it take to start reloading?" threads come up, invariably there are the "you should start on a single stage" replies. I suspect these are the same guys that then say it takes too long.

Once my Dillon 550 is set up, I can pretty easily run 450-500 per hour. I've loaded pistol on single stage and IMO it's a PITA. I shoot 45LC, 10mm, 44 mag, 357 Herrett so reloading is a must. I also load a lot of rifle, so reloading really opens up a lot of opportunities.

I think some shooters are caliber-challenged due to the cost of shooting. I can shoot any of the above calibers for less than you can buy 9mm's. I'd suggest biting the bullet and spending the $$$ to get set up right. It's fun and saves a ton in the long run, and you get to shoot more of varied calibers

HTH
 
Back in the day when reloading components were cheep,cheep,cheep,I did a lot of it because I hunted a lot .Mostly rifle. Before long it became more like work than a hobby and I quit doing it.
These days I look for inexpensive practice ammo for pistol and buy serious stuff by the case when I can get a deal. It's just simpler for me.
 
As two of my 9s shoot more than 2x500 rounds/minute and the other seven or eight also have healthy appetites, I buy 9mm in bulk and reload other calibers. :) Even with my progressive reloader, it is still too time consuming given the number of rounds required.
 
redneck2 said:
I think many of your replies are missing a basic point. If you're going to load pistol, you should really consider a progressive press (Dillon 550, Hornady L-n-L)
Click to expand...


I think many of the replies were in response to this question:
english kanigit said:
Is it cheaper in the long run to reload your own or just buy bulk? Right now I can either get a good basic reloading setup or a case of 9mm and I'm torn between the two
Click to expand...

...but yeah, the dillon 550 is a sweet press lol.
 
I;ve reloaded 9mm for over a year now, and I do it for the money, but mostly for the fun of it. Yes, when I don't have $5 in my pocket, I can whip up a batch from components, but I also find reloading a relaxing, productive hobby.
After you get past the initial expense, it's good to go, and BTW, when I say for new reloaders to get a single stage, it's for safety, not speed requirements. I use an old RCBS jr single stage, and will upgrade to a turret sometime, but probably never a progressive - that's just me, YMMV.
 
WWB is normally available for $4.86/50, and CCI Blazer for $3.86/50. You can beat those prices if you cast your own bullets - assuming you get the metal for free - but if you factor in your time, (which includes picking up the brass, sorting it, cleaning it, casting bullets and all that entails, etc.) you're getting "paid" a small fraction of minimum wage, even if you have a progressive loader.

Buy commercial bullets, and the savings gap narrows . . . I haven't loaded 9mm ammo in years.
 
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