The myth on not saving when hand loading 9mm ammo.

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CQB45ACP said:
I’m not a hunter but my wife and her family were. A couple of rifles they used were way too nice to take into the woods. But it was obviously worth it to them. Venison was good but duck and goose awesome and very expensive.
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Back when I lived in Maryland, I spent a fortune on duck hunting (which is common there, and I didn't even buy a boat!). One day I "ran the numbers", and it worked out to around $100 per duck.

Now I live in central KY, where access to duck hunting is extremely limited, and half my attic is full of duck and goose decoys, layout blinds, etc....new in box....my multiple sets of waders are slowly dry-rotting in the garage....
 
CQB45ACP said:
Don’t know about misrepresentation but certainly straying off original topic which was can you save money vs buying and not is it worth it to reload.

One can certainly enjoy a hobby while also trying to figure out how much it costs even if the end result is holy moly is this expensive.
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No sure why you think it was off topic I presented the case for just how much you can save reloading 9mm when using appropriate numbers. The misrepresentation is when folks pay 10 cents a primer when you can get CCI for less and Fiocchi or Ginex for .062 and trying to factor in labor costs. It's not a proper comparison to compare costs of a reloaded round when using an overpriced primer to the cheapest possible 9mm factory rounds you can find.

As previously stated, costs are around $9 (or less) per 50 compared to $12-$13 per 50 for very basic rounds. Not a huge savings, but clearly a savings. Reloading high quality HP expanding rounds costs $10 per 50 and that compares to $26+ ammo. That's a sizeable savings. So yes you save money.
 
packetloss said:
No sure why you think it was off topic I presented the case for just how much you can save reloading 9mm when using appropriate numbers. The misrepresentation is when folks pay 10 cents a primer when you can get CCI for less and Fiocchi or Ginex for .062 and trying to factor in labor costs. It's not a proper comparison to compare costs of a reloaded round when using an overpriced primer to the cheapest possible 9mm factory rounds you can find.

As previously stated, costs are around $9 (or less) per 50 compared to $12-$13 per 50 for very basic rounds. Not a huge savings, but clearly a savings. Reloading high quality HP expanding rounds costs $10 per 50 and that compares to $26+ ammo. That's a sizeable savings. So yes you save money.
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not sure why—guess I misread it. Sorry
 
CQB45ACP said:
Except for the clubs, greens and cart fees, and other supplies, golf is really economical except for the club membership and monthly minimum. But it’s a hobby so you don’t count all that, right?
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You count what you want to or not. I like all sorts of stuff myself, my wife has her “things”, we don’t disagree that we like different things…
 
reddog81 said:
I don't factor in a value of my time reloading but reloading is rather time intensive unless you have spent a decent amount of money on a good setup. You'd be better off getting a job at a local fast food joint and using the money to buy 9mm ammo versus loading it on a single stage press.

Most gun owners don't really shoot much at all. For someone who shoots a few boxes of ammo per year it doesn't make sense to devote 10+ hours of time to learn the ins and outs of reloading.

There is no definitive value that can be assigned to any random persons time but to act like reloading does take significant amounts of time is disingenuous.
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....sheesh!
 
I have a bunch of hobbies and if I put a dollar value on what I could be earning, I would not do them.

Besides reloading, we have horses and ponies. My wife likes to drive her ponies, my horses are seniors and are mostly pasture orniments these days. I interact with them daily and enjoy the spending time with them. you cannot put a price on that. They need shoeing and medical care periodically which takes my time and requires having trailer equipment on hand to transport the horses. Last week, I trucked off to middle Tennessee to get hay for the horses, six months supply for $2200.

I also race SCCA amateur road racing. Geez, if I worried about the cost of my time, I'd never set foot in a race car. Again, it is a hobby. I've been Southeast Divisioin champion in my class four times in past 15 years and usually finish in the top 5. I'm proud my championship trophies. Besides a "car on the stick" trophy, I only win a free dinner at the year end awards ceremony.

Of course, my 3/4 ton pick-up does triple duty transport horses, hay and race cars.

If you are wanting to make a business of reloading, yes, you need to figure in your time. If you are just trying to save costs, not so much.

But, I'll agree reloading is not for everyone. Folks would rather spend their free time on something else than reloading. That is fine by me, more components on the market for me.

One just has to decide how they want to spend their free time, but there is no need to try to put a value on it unless you trying to build a business model.

Just remember, "Different strokes for different folks". I'll respect your decision to not reload if you respect my decision to reload.
 
dobedo said:
Depending on what you load you can save on loading 9mm. I have made a calculator in excel. Initially you save .16 cents per round then when you re use the brass already paid for you save .32 cents per round. Time is not a factor and if you get range puck up you also can save .32 cents per round.

View attachment 1184434
View attachment 1184436
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See the thing is YOU are in complete control of the loading process, what powder, how much powder, what bullet, seating depth, and all that jazz. That's what I find to be the best part of reloading. Knowing that once you figure out a load that Just Works™, it's going to be a good time.
 
jmr40 said:
I can get 9mm range ammo for $10-$12 for a box of 50 rounds. That is out the door including tax. Thats 20-24 cents per round. I haven't seen $30 powder in a long time, it's closer to $50-$60 per pound.

This is 30 cents/round buying from Midway.

www.midwayusa.com

Magtech 9mm Luger Ammo 115 Grain Full Metal Jacket Box of 50

Since 1926, Magtech has manufactured its own components, bringing their customers full quality control over every stage of the manufacturing process as...
www.midwayusa.com www.midwayusa.com
www.midwayusa.com

Magtech 9mm Luger Ammo 124 Grain Full Metal Jacket Case of 1000 (20

Since 1926, Magtech has manufactured its own components, bringing their customers full quality control over every stage of the manufacturing process as...
www.midwayusa.com www.midwayusa.com

The local indoor range sells it for $10/box if you spend $10 for an hour of range time. No limit on ammo. Another gun shop sells it for $12/box OTD. It would cost me more to load for 9mm or 223 than I can buy it.

I handload for my centerfire big game cartridges. I don't do it to save money, but to get more accurate ammo using premium bullets and I can often pick up a bit more speed compared to factory ammo costing about the same.
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So why aren't more accuracy using premium bullets worth it to you for 9mm? Those are reasons I load my own. Other reasons include dialing in the recoil pulse I like, using powders that have less muzzle flash, consistency, etc. IMO, you need to compare the price of reloads to the premium ammo out there, not the low end range stuff.
 
cfullgraf said:
I have a bunch of hobbies and if I put a dollar value on what I could be earning, I would not do them.
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Some it might be hard to put a dollar value on. What should .380 shot loads be worth? You can’t go out an buy them anywhere but I shoot them all the time because I can make them myself.

You get all of these poo poo on reloading cheap rounds, when they are available, and then a few thousand “were to buy“ threads every time a panic buy comes around and, we reloaders, don’t seem as stupid.…
 
cfullgraf said:
Besides reloading, we have horses
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Good lord, horses are a bottomless hole you just shovel cash into. My daughter rode and competed from 5 to 18.

gqeZGIc.jpeg
 
I think you "can" save money reloading 9mm, but I also think you would have to work at it for fmj target/plinking rounds. Jacketed hollow points would be easier to save money but it still wouldn't be as cost effective as some revolver rounds, and not even close to the big magnum pistol or rifle cartridges.

chris
 
Around here powder and primers are expensive and not always in stock. I saw 9¢ primers in Cabelas a few days ago and they weren't real deep on inventory. The powder situation was even worse with no selection and unbelievable prices.

OK. I realize that a person can save a few cents by loading 9mm but what about finding powder and primers. Last I checked there were hazmat fees to ship those. No hazmat fees with loaded ammo.

I don't buy any metal cartridge ammo, even 9x19. I load my own because I'm set up to do it and I have powder and primers to last for a very long time.

If I were just starting out with a 9x19 pistol I doubt I would bother with loading it myself. Have it shipped to your door for 0.20/rd. That's the easy button.

It's my opinion that companies that sell powder and primers have raised those prices to discourage people from buying components. It's just easier to build ammo, store it and ship it with a higher profit margin.

It's like the fast food phenomenon. Nobody has time to cook a meal anymore. Let someone else do it for you for starvation wages.
 
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