Cost of reloading .45acp?

[ArchAngelCD]

I did 15K and gave 5K each to the kids. Still have some of the $14 per K Wolf rifle primers from some years back.

I still have plenty of primers left and the average price was below $20/k. The only powders I have been buying are the newer ones I want to try like W244, W572, IMR4451 and a few others that have been around but I didn't get yet.

 

[rfwobbly]

Right now reloading the 45ACP is a lot cheaper becasue Bullets.Com is going out of business and selling their large pistol primers at ridiculously LOW prices. You'll want to jump on that deal with both feet becasue US made primer prices haven't been that low since the 1990's. You should be buying at least 10,000 primers.

Link to discounted primers

 

[denton]

230 grain copper plated round nose, $.10 at Xtreme Bullets.
Powder, $.02
Primer, $.03
Brass, once fired, $.06 each/10 reloads per case = $.006

So just about $.15-$.16 per round.

I've done some casting, and that does pull the cost down, plus being a useful skill. But I don't cast anymore. There is a local guy who will sell me all the regular cast bullets I want for $.05 each.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I don't know where you're buying powder and primers for $25 each but I can't find them for less than $30 per.

Believe it or not Unique goes for $21.99/lb pre tax in my area, W-231 goes for $24.00, and I've seen Red Dot for $19.99 in my area.

Longshot and H110 go for $26/lb, and Accurate No 9 for $26.99. All three pretax.

I like 1 lb containers as I then have room for more variety.

Primers are more like $28.99 regular pre tax price by me.

 

[mikey98e]

My 45 ACP loads are:
Hornady 230gr FMJ or Rainer 200 gr JHP
Universal powder 6gr
CCI 300 primer
Cases are free from the range.

The Hornady load costs me $15.07 per 50
The Rainer load costs me $8.40 per 50.

These loads work fine in my 1911 and S&W M&P. They are fine for plinking.
-mike

 

[markshere2]

I was ramping up ammo production from 2008 to about 2015.
I load all my calibers, including .45

I smelt wheel weights, cast bullets, have a LOT of primers brass and powder in stock.

I figure about 7 cents per, excluding brass.
With brass, maybe 11 cents each?

But my great-great grandchildren will be able to cast and reload and shoot, unless somebody gets stupid.

Being prepped has its own value.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Believe it or not Unique goes for $21.99/lb pre tax in my area, W-231 goes for $24.00, and I've seen Red Dot for $19.99 in my area.

Longshot and H110 go for $26/lb, and Accurate No 9 for $26.99. All three pretax.

I like 1 lb containers as I then have room for more variety.

Primers are more like $28.99 regular pre tax price by me.

My main problem is, all, and I mean all the small stores where I live have closed up in the past few years. I have no choice but to shop at Cabela's and since Bass Pro Shop bought them out the prices have gone up.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

My main problem is, all, and I mean all the small stores where I live have closed up in the past few years. I have no choice but to shop at Cabela's and since Bass Pro Shop bought them out the prices have gone up.

Ugh. Yeah that makes it hard. When I head to the city I've got Cabela's, Sheel's, a fantastic local shop, a Runnings Fleet Farm with a surprisingly good gun and reloading area, and a few other lesser shops near by. I wish you luck.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

I believe my cost is $8.60 a hundred, using cast bullets.

 

[giggitygiggity]

Bullets (plated/FMJ round nose): $65/500 = $0.13 each
Titegroup Powder: $175/8lbs = $0.003125 per grain x 4.5 grains = $0.014 per round
Primers: $30/1000 = $0.03 each
Brass: Reuse on-hand brass

Total = $0.174 per round = $8.70 per box of 50

My prices are estimates. I can usually do better by using discounted gift cards, waiting for sales, waiting for free shipping, free hazmat, etc. However, these are good ball park numbers.

 

[Rodentman]

I've never bothered to figure cost per round with reloading. It's a hobby and great fun, as others have said. I, as others, have bought guns in calibers that I think would be fun to reload, like 5.7x28 (time consuming...) and .22 tcm.

 

[refuse2bafool]

I live in the people's republic of California. So my costs are a little higher... I tend to think in terms of 1000 rounds.

• Extreme Plated bullets about $120

• Box of Primers about $35

• Powder about $20

So a thousand rounds is about $175.

About the cheapest reliable source for OTC .45 is good Federal 230gr at my gun club. It goes for about $20/box or $400 per 1,000. I save about $225 for every 1,000 rounds.

 

[WrongHanded]

I started.



This is the ONLY one so far. COAL is at 1.269, which seems acceptable.

I'm using an SNS polymer coated LRN of 230gr and .452" diameter.

Powder is W231. Now here I ran into some issues and stopped. The data I have for a 230gr FMJ says starting load is 5.2gr, and Max is 5.8gr. For a LRN of 225gr the starting load is 4.3gr, with a Max of 5.8gr. Lyman 50th has no data for a 230gr LRN, but I understand that polymer coated bullets behave differently to uncoated lead.

I was concerned about starting too low, and about starting too high. So I began with 4.9gr. But then I checked Hodgdon's site, and found data starting at 4.3gr with a Max of 5.3gr. I'm not looking for fast, just safe and functional target loads. Accuracy would be a bonus, but I'm not good enough to tell the difference.

So should I pull this bullet and start lower than 4.9gr? If so, can anyone recommend a good place to start?

 

[WrongHanded]

 

[Engineer1911]

To cast bullets and reload ammo for 1 caliber takes an initial investment of $300 to $800 for equipment. My cast lead 9 MM, 38 Spl, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP reloads cost me less than 22 LR ammo at Walmart. I have 500 pounds of mined bullets in the shed and 300 pounds of ingots. 357 mag is $3.50, 44 mag is $5.00 per 50 because of heavier powder charges.

You don't save any money, but you shoot a whole lot more. Center fire rifle ammo is $0.15 to $0.30 per round. My $0.30 round match ammo sells for $25 for box of 20. I have a RCBS RockChucker and 2 Dillion 550 progressive presses.

 

[Skgreen]

The data I have for a 230gr FMJ says starting load is 5.2gr, and Max is 5.8gr. For a LRN of 225gr the starting load is 4.3gr, with a Max of 5.8gr. Lyman 50th has no data for a 230gr LRN

Non-applicable.

I checked Hodgdon's site, and found data starting at 4.3gr with a Max of 5.3gr.

Applicable (230 LRN)

I began with 4.9gr.

Others may differ, but at 1.269, passes the plunk test,,,, as long as it's in a modern firearm in good working condition, I wouldn't think twice about pulling the trigger.

 

[WrongHanded]

Others may differ, but at 1.269, passes the plunk test,,,, as long as it's in a modern firearm in good working condition, I wouldn't think twice about pulling the trigger.

I was doing some more reading, and realized why you mentioned the COAL here. My previous experience has been with .357 and .44 mag, where the bullet is seated to the crimp groove. And in addition to that, the cartridges (and so space for the powder), are longer and narrower. But with .45acp a slight difference in how far a bullet is seated can have a larger difference in case volume, particularly as a percentage. And therefore, I would assume, a greater effect on pressure.

Having not reloaded any semi-auto cartridge before, I've never considered this when looking at data.

 

[Walkalong]

So should I pull this bullet and start lower than 4.9gr? If so, can anyone recommend a good place to start?

While 4.9 isn't what I would consider a starting charge for coated which behave closer to lead than jacketed, 4.9 will be just fine at that OAL. In fact, I would shorten it up a hair to 1.260 to 1.265 OAL. 1.269 +/- might be problematic in some mags.

Loaded round looks real good.

 

[Blue68f100]

Some guns have problem ejecting live rounds if too long, another check. . I would shorten them up to around what Walkalong said if not shorter.

 

[Texas10mm]

If you want to start reloading the key is to buy in bulk.

Way back when Cabela's had S&B primers for $17.50 a brick I stocked up, 30k of large pistol.

My price point for powder is $18 a lb or less. I've got around 30 lbs of WST that I've picked up over the past few years.

Recently when a place was going out of business I picked up Ramshot Competition really cheap. Under $13 a lb delivered. I got 36 lbs.

I cast my own bullets. I use a mix of 50% pure lead, 50% wheel weights with 1% added tin. My running cost per pound is $0.52 I either powder coat or Hi-Tek.

Brass I pick up everywhere. Normal trip to my club I come home with way more than I left with. I've been picking up a bunch of 9mm that I really have no use for so I either sell it for scrap or sell it to other reloaders. I recently picked up a bunch of indoor range once fired brass for $0.04 each. However brass lasts almost forever in the .45 so I don't even consider it a cost.

Here's how my costs are breaking down right now.

Primer $0.0175
Powder $0.011 for WST $0.007 for the Competition
Bullet $0.015

Total $0.0435 per round for WST or $4.35 for a box of 100, $3.95 for the Competition.

With the amount I shoot I can pay for a new Dillon 650XL in less than 6 months. Now if I could just quit buying bullet molds I'd be golden.

BTW, my goto load is 4.4 gr WST under a 200 gr SWC or 3.9 gr Competition under the same bullet. Both are very soft shooting loads.

 

[Skgreen]

Using plated, and not really buying anything en masse', my consumables run about 15 - 16 cpr.
Having said that, I don't shoot a lot of 45. Hardly any when compared to 9 mm.

I don't ~make~ any money reloading. Probably never would have started if it weren't for wanting more accuracy than I was finding with inexpensive (and some not-so-inexpensive) commercial rifle ammo.

As I already had the majority of the equipment. branching out into pistol didn't require a whole lot of extra investment.

 

[Charlie98]

Just FYI, crimp in an autoloading round can be critical as well... primarily because the round headspaces on the case mouth. Case length can factor in here, too, but I've never had a problem with case length in the .45ACP... and in fact have never trimmed a .45 case in my life. Having said that, and reading that you are coming off revolver cartridges, I would investigate a taper crimp die for your .45ACP. A roll crimp, most likely built into your seat die, will work, certainly, but too much roll crimp could possibly give you ignition problems, among other things.

Looking at your second photo, of your loaded round, it almost looks like the case mouth is still flared out (it may be the lighting or something else.)

 

[Walkalong]

Recently when a place was going out of business I picked up Ramshot Competition really cheap. Under $13 a lb delivered. I got 36 lbs.

Good stuff, and nearly the same as WST (More nitro content). When my pound of WST and my pound of Competition ran out it was during the craziness so I picked up four pounds of Competition because WST was nowhere to be found. (Now we know where some of it went. )

 

[Walkalong]

Some guns have problem ejecting live rounds if too long, another check

Good point.

 

[Walkalong]

I would investigate a taper crimp die for your .45ACP. A roll crimp, most likely built into your seat die, will work,

Never say never, but I've never seen a ,45 ACP seater with a roll crimp built in, they have all been taper crimps.