MoNsTeR
Member
For the reloading skeptics, there about about a zillion "is it really worth it?" threads in the archives here, at TFL, rec.guns, and indeed just about every internet gun forum.
Buying components in bulk, and using a good progressive press, you can turn out a hundred rounds of 9mm in 20 minutes for about $7 (or less). That 20 minute estimate includes filling primer magazines and setting your charge weight. If you use cast bullets or make your own it can get cheaper still.
So the question is, is your 20 minutes, plus the cost of equipment, and the time spent learning it and developing loads, worth $4 per hundred rounds plus control over your loads? For me the answer is, "sometimes". If I up and decide to go shooting and I'm low on 9mm, I'll hit Wal-mart. If I know I'm going tomorrow, I'll load some rounds myself. It's also nice to be able to produce 9mm loads that feel like .22's.
If you're at the point where you can outshoot crappy ammo, then handloading is no longer an option, it's a necessity. Buying premium rounds for $12-$25 per 50 sucks compared to loading equivalently accurate ammo for $6 per 50 or less. But, this is not a concern for all of us (certainly not for me!).
Buying components in bulk, and using a good progressive press, you can turn out a hundred rounds of 9mm in 20 minutes for about $7 (or less). That 20 minute estimate includes filling primer magazines and setting your charge weight. If you use cast bullets or make your own it can get cheaper still.
So the question is, is your 20 minutes, plus the cost of equipment, and the time spent learning it and developing loads, worth $4 per hundred rounds plus control over your loads? For me the answer is, "sometimes". If I up and decide to go shooting and I'm low on 9mm, I'll hit Wal-mart. If I know I'm going tomorrow, I'll load some rounds myself. It's also nice to be able to produce 9mm loads that feel like .22's.
If you're at the point where you can outshoot crappy ammo, then handloading is no longer an option, it's a necessity. Buying premium rounds for $12-$25 per 50 sucks compared to loading equivalently accurate ammo for $6 per 50 or less. But, this is not a concern for all of us (certainly not for me!).