Made a decision: No more .38 Specials for me.

[CAS700850]

There is nothing to fault here. We heard from some people who enjoy reloading, and that's great for them. At the same time, we hear from people who would rather not reload, and use the time for something else. Again, great for them.

So, thatguy, you've thought it out, made a decision, and it's a logical, well reasoned conclusion. If you've got something else you'd rather be doing than reloading, go do it with our blessing.

 

[whm1974]

I can go to Sports Authority and get CCI Blazer for 3.99 a box. Even WalMart white box is probably like $4. You want to spend your time saving .99 a box of 50 9mm, go to it, bubba.

The nearist Sports Authotity is 20 miles from me. Walmart WWB FMJ 9mm is $6.50 after tax. The range I go to sells 9mm and .38 SPL for $9 a box.

If I could get 9mm/.38SPL for $4 a box I wouldn't reload.

-Bill

 

[Ross]

When I got my first SKS there were no Boxer primed cases available, and Chinese stuff was $45.00 per can of 550, much cheaper than bullets alone.
I found some Bell brass for $20.00 for 20 cases and bought them to reload because I wanted to tinker with the loads.
I guess I shoot so that I can reload. If it were work, I'd hire it done, or as the old joke says, order an enlisted man to do it.
Cheers from Darkest California,
Ross

 

[caz223]

I've personally had bad luck with 9mm blazer.
Case failures.
If you shoot enough of it, you may eventually have them, too.
It's $4.00 a box for a reason, the aluminum cases aren't as expensive, or as durable as brass.

 

[Jayman]

Hrm, I've gone through somewhere north of 10,000 rounds of CCI Blazer with no problems. It's been some of the most reliable factory ammo I've ever used. Not that I've had any real issues with most of the stuff out there. Notably:

PMC: noticeably different powder levels across the same box. Like bang BOOM pop bang bang pop...

Federal AE: more failures to fire from the primer getting hit but not going bang than anything else I've tried.

I reload 9mm. If there were a factory offering with 147gr bullets right at minor PF, I'd buy if I could get them for 7-8 cents a round. The closest thing I can find to that is Cor Bon Performance Match, and that stuff is approximately 29 cents a round. So, looked at from that perspective, I'm saving over twenty cents for every round I reload. I can load around 500-600 rounds an hour, so that means I'm saving $100 for an hour's worth of reloading. IMHO, good sense!

For those of you not competing, I don't see any real need to reload 9mm. If I were doing it on a single stage, I'd probably rather hit myself in the head with a hammer than bother with the reloading.

 

[entropy]

I am just getting back into reloading after about a 15 year hiatus. I will be reloading 9mm, because I can get cast lead for free, and that is about the only reason. I will be reloading 7.62x54R to build some accurate as well as light plinking loads for my Mosins; don't get me wrong, I shoot milsurp and plenty of it. I like Czech silvertip, hard to beat the accuracy at the price. I might get dies for 7.62x39, but maybe not. I got several sets of dies with my press that I don't have guns for.(I know, go out and buy them. ) I will probably load .30-30, too since I got those with the press, too. But it's hard to justify reloading some calibers when the bullets for reloading cost more than the loaded cartridges.

 

[lawboy]

You are not wrong. I make about 100k annually and I cast bullets, and reload a lot of ammo on both a Dillon 650 and on single stage equipment. I love it and I love the savings even though I load a lot of calibers I can afford to shoot factory fodder only in. Different strokes. Wife and kids don't seem to mind. In fact, they probably like me out of their hair!

 

[NoahFN]

I just started reloading and have only reloaded for .38 special so far. One thing I noticed that makes reloading even more worthwhile for me is that my reloads are significantly cleaner to shoot than factory ammo. Cleaning goes much more quickly since I started shooting my reloads. This isn't a big deal...but an added bonus. This could also change depending on the load, but loading your own gives you the option of developing a cleaner shooting load.

 

[The Bushmaster]

SAY...Thatguy...Can I have all your reloading stuff???

 

[P95Carry]

SAY...Thatguy...Can I have all your reloading stuff???

WHAT!! I heard tell your whole living room (and bedroom) were already full of reloading gear!

J/K!

 

[The Bushmaster]

P95carry...One can always use more. It's like the old adage..."One never has enough guns" you know... And if he isn't using it he might as well send all of it to me and I will care for it and use it.

This forum is a reloading forum...That makes this string an oxymoron.

 

[whm1974]

For those of you not competing, I don't see any real need to reload 9mm. If I were doing it on a single stage, I'd probably rather hit myself in the head with a hammer than bother with the reloading.

I reload with a Lee single stage. I also shoot 200 rounds of .38 SPL everytime I go to the range. I rather spend $12 instead of $40. Now that I have a 9mm, I'm going to reload for that too.

Yes it is time comsuming, but if I didn't reload I couldn't afford to shoot very often. Aside from .22s.

-Bill

 

[P95Carry]

Good point Bill - leaving aside the time issue - it is in fact how I managed all my shooting in early days. I bought consumables when I could afford them - scratched around for alloy to cast bullets (most came from range berm!) - all to save and so be able to afford the shooting.

Add to that - reloading as I am today - 45-70 rounds for BFR and Ruger #1 - 2 quite different loads that I can't buy - apart from the cost factor being excessive if I could.

P95carry...One can always use more.

I admit - yep - it is like guns - where ''more is less''

 

[Bullet]

thatguy Quote - "At work my time is worth $37.80 per hour, so why the Hell am I working at home for less than minimum wage? "

You must not be married or you wouldn't ask that.

 

[The Bushmaster]

L O L Like Minds. But if he decides to send his stuff to me I will not share...

 

[444]

I reload for pretty much everything I own.
That being said, I buy a whole lot of surplus ammo too.
And I shoot Wolf in several calibers: .223 and .45 ACP

I don't shoot a whole lot of .38s anymore. I sometimes get on a kick where I shoot a lot of them, a thousand or so in a month. But, I have two Dillon 550s to load them on and it doesn't take me anywhere near as long as it does you.

Money isn't a factor in any of this. I shoot a lot. But I have had paychecks this year that could pay for all my ammo for the next five years on one two week check.

 

[pangris]

9mm is available for $3.86 a box at academy. I don't reload that as a result... actually, I bought 9mm guns rather than buy or reload .45s.

Some question the logic of buying a $1000 9mm 1911 to save a few cents a round, but when time is hard to find, and 9mm is $6 a box less, it paid for itself in less than a year of USPSA.

My only question now is if I start shooting a lot of shotguns stuff, if it makes sense to reload for that...

Paul

 

[whm1974]

9mm is available for $3.86 a box at academy. I don't reload that as a result... actually, I bought 9mm guns rather than buy or reload .45s.

I can get 9mm FMJ 50 round box at Walmart for 6.77 after tax. .38 SPL is bit more then that. I can reload for around $3 a box of 50. That includes S/H when I order componites online. If I could get 9mm/.38SPL for under $5 a box, then I wouldn't reload.

-Bill

 

[armoredman]

entropy, we're loading the same calibers, or I will be when I get some rifle powder! Very cool - let me know what kind of loads your Mosins like.
Jayman, hit yourself in the head for me, will ya? I reload 9mm on a single stage. I also enjoy it.

 

[Steve Smith]

Good Lord this is why people buy progressives. Buy one and spend 10 minutes making your box of ammo instead of 90. That's $6.50 every ten minutes or $39 an hour savings.

 

[Jayman]

Armoredman: hey, different strokes for different folks. I started reloading for the express purpose of kicking out ammo in bulk, as I go through a lot of it. If that weren't the case, the single stage would probably be OK. But since I can go through 200 rounds in about 45 minutes at the range (including time to load mags) that means I'd spend 3 hours to load 45 minutes worth of shooting.

 

[mtnbkr]

I can go to Sports Authority and get CCI Blazer for 3.99 a box. Even WalMart white box is probably like $4

Not in Virginia you can't. If that's common in TN, I need to hit Wallyworld each fall when I take my vacation in Gatlinburg...

That said, I reload not so much for the savings, but to KNOW what's in my cartridge. I've also learned a lot about guns by reloading. As far as the time factor, I don't reload when I have other things I need to be doing. Because of that, I haven't reloaded anything in nearly 6 months...

Thankfully, I already have a stockpile of ammo from when I did have time.

Chris

 

[Deavis]

Two words: Progressive Press

I'm all about maximizing my free time and when it is all said and done for me, I can load 9mm with JHP bullets for $6.15 per 100 or $3.07 per 50. Even if I could buy Blazer for $3.99 per 50, or $8 per 100, don't forget tax which makes it $8.66 per 100, I wouldn't do it. The time I would spend driving to Academy, dealing with the clerk, and driving home would allow me to load at least 1200 rounds of 9mm. Not to mention, I don't like shooting Blazer ammunition anymore than I like shooting Wolf in a handgun (apparently neither do a few of my guns according to their instruction manuals )

Buy yourself a 650XL or a 1050 and buy in bulk if you want to save money when loading calibers like 9mm. I'll say it again, if you can't load 9mm cheaper than factory you aren't trying hard enough. Don't forget to factor in your shipping/driving costs to buy that ammo, to many people overlook that.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

Gotta fit your lifestyle and needs. If I had my daughter around and we were doing more activities as a family I would be more jealous of my time. Or maybe not--there is something to be said for those quiet meditation times. Would also be tighter on the money, come to think of it.

I favor copper plated bullets so the cost of factory ammo would be up over $10 per box. I reload to the velocity flavor of the week for less than $4 per box. When I was competing in action pistol events and when I get back into it in the near future, 1000 rounds a month is minimum requirements. That comes out to about a minimum of $120 per month that can be spent on family activities in exchange for about 3 hours quiet meditation time. That comes out to a minimum of $40/hour which is getting into a liveable wage.

Wall-Mart seems to have us red-lined around here even if they did carry the right loads.

 

[Jayman]

I have no Academy near me, and finding WWB at Walmart has become problematic, as people snap it up around here as fast as they get it in. I was reduced to ordering CCI via mailorder, and even in fairly big quantities, I was ending up paying between 9-10 cents a round. Now I order bullets in bulk, and buy powder and primers likewise. Means one semi big expenditure 2, maybe 3 times a year, depending on how crazy I get. I never have to go dredging for ammo, or waiting for it to show up. 500-1000 rounds is only as far away as me going down in the basement and kicking out a few hours worth of work. (Which I'd likely be frittering away at video games or TV watching anyway.)