ArchAngelCD
Member.
He does now since we both discussed it and did it civilly. I hope it helps the OP make an informed decision.
Feasibility of saving money on 9mm with handloading/reloading
- Thread starter kcmarine
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tightgroup tiger
Member
So do I.
Average Joe
Member
I will cost you less than half to reload your own. Plus the fun of reloading is priceless...
I just started out myself last year.
Bought a $75 Cabelas tumbler kit then the Lee Hand press kit, a die set and scale. Already owner a caliper so I was under $250 in tools.
I'm right at 50% the cost of factory using whatever components I find on the shelf (no bulk buys). I invest very little time as I do most of it sitting on the couch with the hand press. Only time I sit and dedicate time is when I actually add the powder and bullet.
Bought a $75 Cabelas tumbler kit then the Lee Hand press kit, a die set and scale. Already owner a caliper so I was under $250 in tools.
I'm right at 50% the cost of factory using whatever components I find on the shelf (no bulk buys). I invest very little time as I do most of it sitting on the couch with the hand press. Only time I sit and dedicate time is when I actually add the powder and bullet.
Lost Sheep
Member
Gloob (Post 75) is absolutely right
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=7760989
Reloading Cost by the Box
When many people look at the price of ammunition, the thought, "I could save a lot of money if I rolled my own." often occurs.
When you look at the cost of the equipment to get started, that thought often evaporates.
The amount of money to get set up is large. The amount of money to get one box of ammo is relatively small. So, one keeps buying retail.
Consider this, though.
A decent gun costs about as much as 20-25 boxes of ammunition.
A decent reloading setup costs about as much as 12 boxes of ammunition.
Adding a new chambering to an existing loading setup costs about as much as 2 boxes of ammunition
Loading your own saves you about 10% (for ammo that is really cheap to buy retail) to 80% or more (for ammunition that is hard to find or very expensive).
Putting it another way, if you take a given amount of money you can buy
1) 20 boxes of ammunition
or
2) 2 boxes of ammunition, a reloading setup and enough powder, primers and bullets to make 18 more boxes of ammunition.
Either way, 20 boxes of ammo for the same money, but the difference is, going forward, cheaper ammo is behind door number 2. But the rub is that you have to work at keeping the quality of your ammo. The silver lining is that your ammo can be of MUCH higher quality. if you want it to be. And still cheaper.
Consider the cost of getting into handloading by comparing the cost of retail boxes of ammo to the cost of that same amount of ammunition bought as components and including the cost of the reloading gear.
For comparison purposes, I will stipulate that a typical box of (50 count) handgun ammunition costs about the same as a typical box of (20 count) rifle ammunition.
If you take enough money to buy 12 boxes of ammunition and apply it to the purchase of;
A) 2 boxes of store-bought ammunition (so you have the brass which you will re-use) and apply the remaining money to the purchase of
B) A decent press, dies, scale, a few extra small implements necessary to the activity
C) enough powder, primers and bullets to make 10 more boxes of ammunition, (500 handgun or 200 rifle)
you will have spent the same amount of money for the same amount of shooting (12 boxes worth - 600 handgun or 240 rifle) and you may well have some powder left over.
After that, all your ammunition is a fraction of the cost of store-bought (excluding your time, of course, but for some cartridges, you can amortize your time, too and still be saving money; depending on if you count your time as worth $20 per hour or $100, of course. The bonuses of satisfaction, better quality ammo and the independence from retailers are not even addressed here).
This rough estimate applies equally well to bottlenecked rifle cartridges as to handgun cartridges.
The exact figures will depend on local prices, but I expect counting by boxes will be more universal than counting by currency, even in different countries.
Lost Sheep
For more on this approach to the question, see this thread.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=7760989
Reloading Cost by the Box
When many people look at the price of ammunition, the thought, "I could save a lot of money if I rolled my own." often occurs.
When you look at the cost of the equipment to get started, that thought often evaporates.
The amount of money to get set up is large. The amount of money to get one box of ammo is relatively small. So, one keeps buying retail.
Consider this, though.
A decent gun costs about as much as 20-25 boxes of ammunition.
A decent reloading setup costs about as much as 12 boxes of ammunition.
Adding a new chambering to an existing loading setup costs about as much as 2 boxes of ammunition
Loading your own saves you about 10% (for ammo that is really cheap to buy retail) to 80% or more (for ammunition that is hard to find or very expensive).
Putting it another way, if you take a given amount of money you can buy
1) 20 boxes of ammunition
or
2) 2 boxes of ammunition, a reloading setup and enough powder, primers and bullets to make 18 more boxes of ammunition.
Either way, 20 boxes of ammo for the same money, but the difference is, going forward, cheaper ammo is behind door number 2. But the rub is that you have to work at keeping the quality of your ammo. The silver lining is that your ammo can be of MUCH higher quality. if you want it to be. And still cheaper.
Consider the cost of getting into handloading by comparing the cost of retail boxes of ammo to the cost of that same amount of ammunition bought as components and including the cost of the reloading gear.
For comparison purposes, I will stipulate that a typical box of (50 count) handgun ammunition costs about the same as a typical box of (20 count) rifle ammunition.
If you take enough money to buy 12 boxes of ammunition and apply it to the purchase of;
A) 2 boxes of store-bought ammunition (so you have the brass which you will re-use) and apply the remaining money to the purchase of
B) A decent press, dies, scale, a few extra small implements necessary to the activity
C) enough powder, primers and bullets to make 10 more boxes of ammunition, (500 handgun or 200 rifle)
you will have spent the same amount of money for the same amount of shooting (12 boxes worth - 600 handgun or 240 rifle) and you may well have some powder left over.
After that, all your ammunition is a fraction of the cost of store-bought (excluding your time, of course, but for some cartridges, you can amortize your time, too and still be saving money; depending on if you count your time as worth $20 per hour or $100, of course. The bonuses of satisfaction, better quality ammo and the independence from retailers are not even addressed here).
This rough estimate applies equally well to bottlenecked rifle cartridges as to handgun cartridges.
The exact figures will depend on local prices, but I expect counting by boxes will be more universal than counting by currency, even in different countries.
Lost Sheep
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thump_rrr
Member
I have a friend who doesn't reload.
Whenever he goes to the range he will buy a few boxes of 9mm a box of .45 and maybe a box of 357 Magnum.
He just spent nearly $100.00 on ammo for a couple of hours of fun.
I buy my reloading components when I find deals so one month I may buy 5,000 primers and another month I may buy 5lbs of powder.
In total I may spend about $800.00 to get the components needed to make 5,000 rounds of 9mm.
When I want to go shooting I grab a few hundred loaded rounds and go so I don't associate shooting with spending money every time I go.
Whenever he goes to the range he will buy a few boxes of 9mm a box of .45 and maybe a box of 357 Magnum.
He just spent nearly $100.00 on ammo for a couple of hours of fun.
I buy my reloading components when I find deals so one month I may buy 5,000 primers and another month I may buy 5lbs of powder.
In total I may spend about $800.00 to get the components needed to make 5,000 rounds of 9mm.
When I want to go shooting I grab a few hundred loaded rounds and go so I don't associate shooting with spending money every time I go.
silicosys4
Member
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Lets see..
I reload 9mm for about $50/1k, or $0.05/rd.
With 124gr. cast bullets using 15lbs of lead purchased for $1/lb
And Clays powder at 3.3gr. per charge
With primers at $27.00 per 1k
In brass long since paid for.
Total time on press: about 2 1/2 hours
Total time casting: about 3 hours.
Reloading equipment that I used to do so cost about $650 (Hornady LnL progressive)
Casting equipment cost about $200.
This setup has run about 8k rounds of various ammo the last two years, probably 3k of that 9mm.
Cost to purchase freedommunition.com reman 9mm fmj 115gr.; $194/1k
My rate of shooting did go up dramatically when I started reloading. However, prior to reloading, I was spending about $400-$500 a year on ammunition already. I'm at the point now where I have pretty much broken even on cost, and from now on everything I shoot will be much more cost effective.
I reload 9mm for about $50/1k, or $0.05/rd.
With 124gr. cast bullets using 15lbs of lead purchased for $1/lb
And Clays powder at 3.3gr. per charge
With primers at $27.00 per 1k
In brass long since paid for.
Total time on press: about 2 1/2 hours
Total time casting: about 3 hours.
Reloading equipment that I used to do so cost about $650 (Hornady LnL progressive)
Casting equipment cost about $200.
This setup has run about 8k rounds of various ammo the last two years, probably 3k of that 9mm.
Cost to purchase freedommunition.com reman 9mm fmj 115gr.; $194/1k
My rate of shooting did go up dramatically when I started reloading. However, prior to reloading, I was spending about $400-$500 a year on ammunition already. I'm at the point now where I have pretty much broken even on cost, and from now on everything I shoot will be much more cost effective.
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silicosys4
Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2012
- Messages
- 3,680
From a similar thread running on 9mm reloading costs;
If you count the other 8 or so calibers I reload for, in the last 2 years I have not only saved money in the long run, I've gotten much more enjoyment out of the guns I own by being able to shoot them much more. I have been able to buy more guns instead of ammo, lol
If you count the other 8 or so calibers I reload for, in the last 2 years I have not only saved money in the long run, I've gotten much more enjoyment out of the guns I own by being able to shoot them much more. I have been able to buy more guns instead of ammo, lol
Thats high end on the cost though. I have at most $250 in tools, oops 272.94.
Bucket Lowes $2.78
Lid Lowes $1.28
400 Tumbler Cabela's $74.99
Case Lube Cabela's $8.99
Ammo box Cabela's $13.99
Lee Hand Press Kit Lee $49.99
Lee Funnel Lee
Lee Resizing Lubricant Lee
Lee Ram Prime Lee
Lee 9mm Die Set Lee $47.99
Lee Primer Cleaner Lee
Lee Primer Cleaner Lee
Lee Powder Measure Kit Lee $10.99
Lee Bushings Lee $8.99
Loading Tray MTM Case Guard $7.99
Lee Safety Powder Scale Lee $24.99
Case Cutter with Ball Grip Lee $9.99
9mm cutter bit Lee $5.99
Chamfer Tool Lee $3.99
Bucket Lowes $2.78
Lid Lowes $1.28
400 Tumbler Cabela's $74.99
Case Lube Cabela's $8.99
Ammo box Cabela's $13.99
Lee Hand Press Kit Lee $49.99
Lee Funnel Lee
Lee Resizing Lubricant Lee
Lee Ram Prime Lee
Lee 9mm Die Set Lee $47.99
Lee Primer Cleaner Lee
Lee Primer Cleaner Lee
Lee Powder Measure Kit Lee $10.99
Lee Bushings Lee $8.99
Loading Tray MTM Case Guard $7.99
Lee Safety Powder Scale Lee $24.99
Case Cutter with Ball Grip Lee $9.99
9mm cutter bit Lee $5.99
Chamfer Tool Lee $3.99
Interesting posts, fellas. The way I think about it is...
I could buy one box of ammo at W mart for $20.00. If I shop around, I could maybe buy a case of those exact same boxes, say 1000 rounds, at a slightly lower cost. If I shop around some more, I might find a deal on that amount of ammunition, bulk packed as loose rounds in one single box/container. And I might save a little more. If I buy old milsurp in spam cans, I might save a little more. The difference is, now I don't have nice little 50 round boxes. And I have to spend more, at one time. And in the case of a spam can, now it takes 5 minutes to open the thing, and you need to use the key.
Reloading is sorta like buying spam cans of ammo. But now you need to use a special 30 pound key to extract every single round of ammo, and it takes an hour and a small workbench to open a 50 round box, if you buy the entry level key.
It's not really comparable to "saving money" unless you're reloading for a very expensive caliber, IMO. Because to save money in 9mm, you have to shoot a lot. And to shoot a lot, you have to spend a lot of time in front of the press, opening that huge spam can of ammo that you bought to save money, one round at a time.
If you take the expensive calibers out of the equation, manual reloading (of handgun plinking rounds, at least) becomes very much a hobby and a time sink. They guy you pay to mow your lawn makes more money in an hour than you will save in 10.
I could buy one box of ammo at W mart for $20.00. If I shop around, I could maybe buy a case of those exact same boxes, say 1000 rounds, at a slightly lower cost. If I shop around some more, I might find a deal on that amount of ammunition, bulk packed as loose rounds in one single box/container. And I might save a little more. If I buy old milsurp in spam cans, I might save a little more. The difference is, now I don't have nice little 50 round boxes. And I have to spend more, at one time. And in the case of a spam can, now it takes 5 minutes to open the thing, and you need to use the key.
Reloading is sorta like buying spam cans of ammo. But now you need to use a special 30 pound key to extract every single round of ammo, and it takes an hour and a small workbench to open a 50 round box, if you buy the entry level key.
It's not really comparable to "saving money" unless you're reloading for a very expensive caliber, IMO. Because to save money in 9mm, you have to shoot a lot. And to shoot a lot, you have to spend a lot of time in front of the press, opening that huge spam can of ammo that you bought to save money, one round at a time.
If you take the expensive calibers out of the equation, manual reloading (of handgun plinking rounds, at least) becomes very much a hobby and a time sink. They guy you pay to mow your lawn makes more money in an hour than you will save in 10.
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Dudedog
Contributing Member
Yes
Between $6 and $7 a box for 9mm.
I don't save anything because I shoot twice as much but I enjoy reloading.
I get more accurate ammo and the pride of "making" my own.
I have a Lee turrent press and I feel that is a good place to start if you are loading 9mm. Decent speed, not real expensive.
There are many threads here on what you will need to get started.
Check them out!
I like both RMR and MIssouri Company bullets. Both offer THR members a 5% discount.
While all the powders you can load 9mm with may not be the ideal one for your load or need there are a lot of powders that will work, so you should be able to find something.
Be aware if you order powder/primers there will be about a $28 hazmat fee on top of the other shipping charges.
So if you order you want to try to find both a one place and order enough to make it worth the hazmat charge.
so
3000 MCB 125 bullets shipped $205
3000 S+B primers Widners $ 60
2 lbs of powder $ 50
Estimate Hazmat + shipping Powder + Primers $ 40
So $355 for 3000 rnds = .118 a round
Say $300 to buy the equipment to get started. (this maybe a little low)(Estimated using Lee equipment)
Lets call it $700 to get those 3000 loaded =.23 a round
So the first 60 boxes would cost you about $12 a box
after that yous cost would be $6 to 7 a box.
3000 rnds would be reasonable the break even point.
My time = $0, it is a fun hobby.
Joy of doing it +$$
Between $6 and $7 a box for 9mm.
I don't save anything because I shoot twice as much but I enjoy reloading.
I get more accurate ammo and the pride of "making" my own.
I have a Lee turrent press and I feel that is a good place to start if you are loading 9mm. Decent speed, not real expensive.
There are many threads here on what you will need to get started.
Check them out!
I like both RMR and MIssouri Company bullets. Both offer THR members a 5% discount.
While all the powders you can load 9mm with may not be the ideal one for your load or need there are a lot of powders that will work, so you should be able to find something.
Be aware if you order powder/primers there will be about a $28 hazmat fee on top of the other shipping charges.
So if you order you want to try to find both a one place and order enough to make it worth the hazmat charge.
so
3000 MCB 125 bullets shipped $205
3000 S+B primers Widners $ 60
2 lbs of powder $ 50
Estimate Hazmat + shipping Powder + Primers $ 40
So $355 for 3000 rnds = .118 a round
Say $300 to buy the equipment to get started. (this maybe a little low)(Estimated using Lee equipment)
Lets call it $700 to get those 3000 loaded =.23 a round
So the first 60 boxes would cost you about $12 a box
after that yous cost would be $6 to 7 a box.
3000 rnds would be reasonable the break even point.
My time = $0, it is a fun hobby.
Joy of doing it +$$
Taking your $20 a box, and during the height of the panic I paid that much myself as well. I tracked all the ammo I've bought and reloaded and am at 50% cost so I save at most $10 per box. I paid $272 for all my tools so I'll break even at 27 boxes. I don't shoot a lot, maybe one box a month so it will take me 27 months to break even.
So even not shooting a lot I still save. I've already been reloading for over a year so I'm half way to the break even point.
Vodoun da Vinci
Member
If the only goal is to save money and one is a casual shooter I'd skip reloading. If one likes reloading and likes the challenge and ego boost of shooting premium ranked ammunition ( my personal 9mm costs me about $6.50 per 50 rounds but is as good/better than premium SD ammo selling for $1 a round!) as practice fodder (and I do like to shoot the best all the time) then reloading is a must.
I shoot 400 rounds a month usually shooting 200 rounds at a range session where contemporaries and other Gun Buddies are shooting 50 rounds and heading home. I'm just getting warmed up at 50 rounds. I really enjoy shooting premium/high precision ammunition and being able to shoot til I am satisfied I have had a fruitful session.
It's a no brainer for me but for others maybe not so much if they are casual shooters and don't care if they shoot the cheapest junk ammo they can find.
VooDoo
I shoot 400 rounds a month usually shooting 200 rounds at a range session where contemporaries and other Gun Buddies are shooting 50 rounds and heading home. I'm just getting warmed up at 50 rounds. I really enjoy shooting premium/high precision ammunition and being able to shoot til I am satisfied I have had a fruitful session.
It's a no brainer for me but for others maybe not so much if they are casual shooters and don't care if they shoot the cheapest junk ammo they can find.
VooDoo
1SOW
Member
100% feasable to save 50% using better quality bullets with loads tuned for optimum performance for YOUR uses in YOUR pistols.
Picking the equipment that meets your ammunition needs will pay for itself in a year or less. The number and type of ammunition you shoot, drives the equipment you need to do so.
Just a final comment: MOST reloaders find they will shoot a LOT more as their reloading skills grow. Saving "money" in this case is NOT the gain. SHOOTING MORE for the same money now spent and having much better ammunition is the likely result for new reloaders.
Picking the equipment that meets your ammunition needs will pay for itself in a year or less. The number and type of ammunition you shoot, drives the equipment you need to do so.
Just a final comment: MOST reloaders find they will shoot a LOT more as their reloading skills grow. Saving "money" in this case is NOT the gain. SHOOTING MORE for the same money now spent and having much better ammunition is the likely result for new reloaders.
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