reloading 9mm cost effective?

[Johnny Lightning]

I just started buying the components to reload 9mm shells and find the cost to be about the same as buying the 100 round packs of winchester at wally world. I purchased cci 500 primers for around $37 (1000 pack), bullseye powder $21, and have not bought the bullets yet but they are not cheap at $15 per 100 each. Wally World Winchester bullets are $.25 each and for the price that I found the supplies to reload it would cost about the same if not slightly more. Please help me find cheaper components which would be greatly appreciated. Another question is how many 9mm loads do you get out of 1# of powder. Wasnt quite sure on that one figuring out the math on price per round. Thanks for the help.

 

[Wildbillz]

You can do way better on your bullets. Try this place for plane jane FMJs.

http://www.goldenwestbrass.com

Spend at least $100. and shipping is included. This might mean finding someone to split a bunch with or buying a couple of K at a time. Gets your bullet price down to $0.09 ea.

Primers and powder will kill you with the Hazmat fee unless you buy a 8# keg or two at a time. I just picked up 8# of Unique for $90. (Plus shipping and hazmat) If you buy in volume you will get better prices but will have lots of supplys sitting around un less you load a lot.

WB

 

[ruger1228]

Johnny,
Here is a website that may help you calculate the price of reloading.

http://handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

thom

 

[Quoheleth]

Shoot cast lead.

http://www.missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=51&category=5&secondary=8&keywords=

$25/500

Using your prices and plugging into this cost calculator (http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp), you can make a box of 50 rounds for just over $5.

Literally, it cuts your cost in half.

Also, shop around for better component prices. If you want to shoot jacketed or plated, check out longdayjake here - http://www.shop.rmrbullets.com/product.sc?productId=6&categoryId=12
Even with these FMJ in bulk, you cut your cost to ~$7/100.

$3 doesn't sound like much, but it'll add up fast, especially if you shoot a bunch.

I encourage you to consider cast lead for max savings.

Q

Q

 

[RustyFN]

You will never save buying primers 1,000 at a time, powder one pound at a time and bullets 100 at a time. You need to go to places like http://www.grafs.com/ and http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/ and buy in bulk. They will ship powder and primers in the same order for one hazmat fee. If you know any reloaders that live close go in on a order together. A max order for a single hazmat is 70 pounds of primers ( 50,000 ), 48 pounds of powder or 48 pounds of powder and primers mixed.

 

[zxcvbob]

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=00051402 (you can do better buying direct from a bullet caster, or by casting them yourself)

Bullseye is a good powder choice. If you're willing to sacrifice a little performance, use Promo powder; it will cut your powder cost in half, and it shoots very well in 9mm It measures a just little better than corn flakes though

Wolf primers are a lot cheaper than CCI's, and the ones I bought 2 years ago have worked perfectly. (they are brass-colored, some folks have reported getting duds in Wolf small pistol primers that are nickel-colored)

 

[LiveLife]

To save on reloading 9mm, you REALLY have to buy in bulk. Many will say you save more on 40S&W and 45ACP and that's true.

Since primer/powder charge cost per round is essentially the same, it is the price of bullets where the price difference is. I can generally load 1000 9mm lead for around $100 ($5/50 or $0.10 each) or about half the cost of retail boxes. For 40S&W lead 180gr TCFP/45ACP lead 200gr SWC, about $130 ($7/50 or $0.15 each).

Here's the break down for me per thousand:

Bullets:
- $74/$80 115/125gr FMJ (Montana Gold - case price of 4000/3750+$5 residential delivery)
- $56 125gr Lead (Missouri Bullets - Small Ball Bundle price of 3000+$12 S&H). You can also use THR 5% discount from Brad.

Primers:
- $25 for Wolf primers (Powder Valley) and $30+ for CCI/Winchester when you can get them (MidwayUSA had them recently). I buy by the case of 5000, so the $25 HazMat/S+H gets divided by 5. So, let's say with 5000 case price plus the HazMat/S+H = $35 - $40.

Powders - I can usually load around 1400 rounds per pound (so around $10/1000). Powder Valley carries several 8 lb powders in the $100 range + HazMat/S+H.
- HP38 $108, Titegroup $104
- Bullseye, Red Dot, Green Dot, Unique $98
- Promo $82

Final total:
9mm 115 gr FMJ = $74 + $35 + $10 = $119/1000 or $6/50
9mm 125 gr FMJ = $80 + $35 + $10 = $125/1000 or $6.20/50*
9mm 125 gr Lead = $56 + $35 + $10 = $101/1000 or $5/50
* Since you use less powder for 125gr bullet (for me it's 4.3 gr vs 4.8 gr of W231/HP38), your final cost may be less than 115gr over time.

40S&W 180 gr Lead = $76 + $35 + $10 = $121/1000 or $6/50
45ACP 200 gr Lead = $80 + $35 + $10 = $125/1000 or $6.20/50
45ACP 230 gr Lead = $90 + $35 + $10 = $135/1000 or $6.75/50

 

[Johnny Lightning]

Thanks for all the info!! I am going to try out some of the sites you gave me.

 

[Johnny Lightning]

Are the lead cast bullets safe in a glock 17? and how about the barrel will it dirty faster then the brass coated bullets?

 

[dashootist]

My local wallymart is always out of the cheap 9mm ammo. My friends who only buy commerical stuff are always bitching about not in stock. If you reload, you'll never have a shortage. Even after Apocalypse.

 

[Johnny Lightning]

also if loading the lead bullets should you wear gloves because of the exposure to the lead - i know this sounds stupid but i have heard of people getting sick from over exposure to the lead.

 

[Walkalong]

If you reload, you'll never have a shortage

Assuming you [strike]hoarded[/strike]..er.. "stocked up" in advance like all the folks (like me) who went through the Klinton primer shortage did. This one was much worse though.

 

[W.E.G.]

I just shoot cheap Russian 9mm ball for practice.
Wolf or Silver Bear.
http://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.aspx?groupid=46

The only gun-related activity, more boring than reloading 9mm, is reloading shotgun shells.

 

[NuJudge]

Regarding Glocks' ability to handle Lead or Plated bullets, there's been a lot written both ways. Here's a lengthy thread on the subject:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=33855

I cast my own bullets in 9mm, .40, .45, and other calibers. Plain based bullets may cost me less than 2 cents apiece.

 

[LiveLife]

Are the lead cast bullets safe in a glock 17? and how about the barrel will it dirty faster then the brass coated bullets?

I use Lone Wolf barrels to shoot lead bullets in my Glocks (they have conventional land/groove rifling more compatible with lead bullets). If you shoot lead bullets in factory Glock barrels, you gotta keep the barrel clean so barrel fouling won't cause excessive pressure build up (that may lead to well feared KaBoom) in the tighter polygonal rifled barrel - I clean mine after about 200 rounds.

also if loading the lead bullets should you wear gloves because of the exposure to the lead - i know this sounds stupid but i have heard of people getting sick from over exposure to the lead.

The lead has to be absorbed into the body in large enough quantities to cause illness. It is often inhaled/ingested lead in quantity that's the concern. The commercial lead bullets we shoot are not soft pure lead, but are hard cast lead alloy bullets mixed with other metals. You should take whatever protective precautions that makes you feel comfortable. For me, I use bare hands to handle very liberally lubed Missouri Bullets and notice virtually no lead rubbing off onto my hands. Heck, I live in top 10 worst air quality city in the US so I'll probably die of air pollution long before anything else.

 

[Afy]

I just loaded 1500 cartridges for about 285 euros.. it is about 1/4th the cost of the cheapest factory ammo around here.

 

[NuJudge]

I love the Lavender bullets. You have to tell us where you got them!

 

[oneounceload]

also if loading the lead bullets should you wear gloves because of the exposure to the lead - i know this sounds stupid but i have heard of people getting sick from over exposure to the lead.

You don't need gloves - you DO need to wash your hands very thoroughly afterwards with soap and water

 

[1SOW]

Yes sir, it's well worth it if you shoot regularly. Roughly 1/2 the price of the stores +/- your bullet & powder preferences.

Jacketed Bullets: 10 cents each or less. Precision Delta 9mm 124 gr FMJ still about 7 cents ea. mailed, I believe.

Powder: I mostly shoot light comp. loads, MG 124gr JHPs. My Vihtavuori n320 loads give me about 1842 rds/lb, Win 231 maybe 2-300 less.

Cases: free

Primers: ouch!

 

[chieftain]

Take it from a retired Medical type.

If you handle lead of any sort, or shoot, on a regular basis. When ever you see your Medical folks, have them do a serum (blood) lead level on you. Real heads up for folks who cast lead, particularly indoors.

Ignoring the situation will not make it better or go away. AS stated, washing your hands is one of the best defenses for handlers and shooters both. For handlers I recommend gloves.

Even folks who only shoot FMC/FMJ etc..., are exposed, usually by the primer and the open base of the bullet too.

Many shooters believe this doesn't apply to them too . It does, just like you ain't bullet proof, neither are you lead proof.

Keep shooting fun. Just like the four rules of the gun, do not ignore the lead factor. If you showed low lead levels on your last visit doesn't mean it isn't up today. Particularly if you don't take basic precautions.

Good luck.

Fred

 

[evan price]

Using my own cast bullets made from range scrap, Promo powder and Wolf primers, I can load 9mm for $2 a box of 50.

You need to buy in bulk to maximize your shipping & hazmat costs. As said above, buying 1 pound of powder, 1 brick of primers and 100 bullets is the expensive way to do it.

3000 9mm bullets is a flat rate box.
10000 primers and 8# of powder is a Haz-Mat ticket.
9mm cases are darn near free if you start scrounging at the range.

 

[germ]

7,000 grains in 1 lb of powder. If you figure an average charge of say, 5 grains that's: 7000/5 = 1400 charges per lb. 9mm charges are usually less, roughly 3 - 4.8, depending on the powder.

 

[mongoose33]

WWB here at Wally World, after tax, is over $25/100, or 25 cents apiece.

Using Missouri Bullet's 125gr Smallball, I'm loading 9mm for under 10 cents per round.

I can load, conservatively, 300 per hour on my LnL AP. A production of 300 per hour times 15 cents savings per round means I'm "paying" myself about $45 per hour spend pulling that handle. How many people have a part-time job that rewards them at that rate?


BTW, everyone who has commented about buying in bulk is absolutely correct. I pay attention to sales and such, and I know what things cost. When I see a good deal I pounce on it, in essence ordering ahead. When Missouri Bullet had their Tax Day special (10 percent off), out went a check and back came 3000 smallball bullets. I haven't even touched them yet, but they're there when I need 'em.

My unit cost on that bullet was under 5.2 cents. Add primers I bought in bulk at 2.7 cents each, powder for under 1.5 cents per round (8# jug) and it's 9.4 cents per round.

 

[Johnny Lightning]

Is there anywhere in Eastern Pa that I could pick up the supplies at a good price to avoind all the Hazmat charges and shipping?

 

[Johnny Lightning]

Oh and after reading the links about guys that shot the lead bullets out of their glocks, I think i will avoid it and be safe. On that subject is it safe to fire lead bullets from a Rock Island 1911? I assume so since I have seen lots of guys at the range using the lead bullets in their 1911's.