Inexpensive .45ACP ammo?

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PirateRadio

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I'm looking into getting my 3rd handgun in the next couple weeks and was thinking of getting some bigger than the 9MMs I have. Most likely a 1911 in .45ACP. The only thing that has stopped me from going .45 so far is the cost of ammo.

Are there any companies that make a decent .45ACP thats on the inexpensive side?
 
Walmart Winchester or Remington Bulk packs is about as "inexpensive" as you will find. If you plan on shooting the .45 much and want to cut your cost per round then assembling your own handloads is the way to go.
 
Picked up 'American Eagle'( .45 230gr FMJ )at a gun show a few months ago. $12.00 a box. No problem with them.

I have fired Eagle in .357, 9mm, .380- no problem with any.
Did find in .380 a little dirty.
 
man, just a month ago Wal-Mart raised their price on the inexpensive CCI from 11 to 15 .... wish I had bought all they had before that, oh well.....
 
I think I saw a big pile of that at Cabela's last night. For some reason I thought it was reloads...
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Yeah, Cabela's usually has a large stock of it. I picked up ten boxes last time I was there and payed like 13.00 a box.
 
Primers at $0.02 each, 5 grains of red dot or 700X costs $0.015 bullets, cast from wheel weights cost $0.00 or you can buy 2000 200gr cast at $0.035 each for a total cost of $3.50 a box of fifty maximum or as little as $1.75 a box. Get a good progressive (mine's a Dillon 550B) and go for it.
 
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PirateRadio
Really?

Reloads I take it? Hmmm.... any info on how to get started on that?
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The best way to start reloading is to sit down with an experienced reloader for a couple hours.
I can have a person safely reloading on their own in a couple hours or less.

It's really just a few mechanical steps and a few safety rules that most anyone can learn and understand very quickly.

The initial cost can be from a couple hundred dollars to about a thousand.

In reloading, MONEY is SPEED. The more costly your equipment the less time it takes to complete a loaded round.

My main reloading press is a old Dillion I bought back in the 80's for $350. There's no telling how many hundreds of thousands of rounds it's loaded. It's fast but not the fastest. The average time per loaded round is 10 seconds.

Some people advise buying a good (expensive) press immediately. Some advise getting a good "C" press to start and saving up for the fast machine.
Personally I say it just depends on how much you want to shoot and how much money you can spare.
 
PirateRadio,
About 1960 I had a couple 38's and a GI 1911A1 and no money for ammo.

I bought a $14 Lyman 310 Tool called the nutcracker. Lee makes a tool similar today for about $30.
I used a powder dipper, a fired case case soldered on a brass rod, for a handle.
I bought bricks of primers, Bullseye (pistol) powder and cast bullets.
The nutcracker was slow but kept me shooting all the 38 and 45 I wanted for several years until I sold it for $10 and bought a used "C" press for $10 and a new powder measure.
I used the "C" press for years until I could buy a Lyman "turret" press.
I sold the "C" press for $10.:)

The point being, if a fellow wants to shoot bad enough there's ways to reduce the cost.
 
Thanks M2!

I'm going to have to do some further research on this reloading thing. I shoot often enough for this to save me some good $$.
 
PirateRadio,
You will find a wealth of information on the Handloading and Reloading forum right here on THR. Over the past few months there have been several discussions on what to but to get started. All were very informative.
Here is a VERY GOOD thread on buying reloading equipment. I think he got the best bang for the buck on his stuff.
Here's another and there are more. There are also many threads on which powder is best for different calibers too. Also, at the top of the Reloading forum there is a locked thread which is aimed at new reloaders you should read.

Read everything you can find and if you are still confused all you need to do is post the question and you will get a ton of help in a short time. Good luck!!!
 
Its a no brainer to make your own .45's. The current thousand I am in for will end up being about a hair less than 9 cents a round.

Sure beats .26 to .34 cents per round when buying them at WalMart.

Takes time to make them, but I consider making them enjoyable so the time is free.
 
I like the Winchester White Box better than CCI Blazer, Wolf, or Remington UMC. I like the Sellier & Bellot as well.

I reload now, but if I was going to buy cheap bulk ammo, it would be the Winchester white box.

Just got the new Midway catalog. Bullet and ammo prices have gone way up.

I got 100cnt of 230gr FMJ bullets for 12.50, and 100cnt of 230gr JHP bullets for 18.50 locally 2 weeks ago. But the catalogs are $4 more, plus shipping.
 
Depends on pressure levels and individual firearms. I've got 45acp cases that have been fired and reloaded over thirty times and you can't even read the headstamps any more. My 10mm loads are only good for four or five trips around the press and they are discarded or set aside for practice low pressure cast bullet loads. The first four or five are at max pressure with jacketed bullets.
 
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