Why does .45acp ammo cost twice as much as 9mm?

[albanian]

Does it really cost twice as muc to make .45acp as 9mm? I know it doesn't. Why is .40S&W less than .45acp and more than 9mm? .45acp has been around forever so I would think people would have all the R&D and tooling costs out of the way and they could just produce this stuff for little more than the cost of the componets and overhead. I can't see why it cost $15 a box for .45acp and only $6-7 a box for 9mm.

BTW, where is a good place to buy .45acp ammo?

 

[RRTX]

For just general range use, Winchester white box at Wal-Mart, $19.97 for 100 rds

 

[Valkman]

.45acp has a much bigger bullet, more brass in the case and uses more powder so yea I can see why it costs so much more. But it's also the reason alot of us reload - I can load 100 rounds for less than half of WWB costs at Wal-Mart.

 

[yesterdaysyouth]

if the 1911 was still the main service pistol, 45 would be cheaper than it is.. maybe still not as cheap a 9x19...

save your brass, and reload...

 

[twency]

It costs more because people are willing to pay more for it. It's a premium product, relatively speaking. It doesn't have to cost 3x as much to make a Big Mac as a hamburger, for McD's to charge 3x the price. Some people will pay more for the premium product. Maybe it's because they feel the premium product is, despite the price, a better value (no 9mm vs. .45 arguments please). Maybe it just costs more because people think it should. It's the enigmatic invisible hand of the market at work.

-twency
_____________
To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.

 

[Zach S]

I think Blazer Brass is about $10/box at walmart.

 

[The Rabbi]

BECAUSE ITS WORTH IT!!

Actually it is an issue of what the demand is for the product at that price point. Just for an analogy: the best computer you can buy today (OK I havent bought one in a while bt it used to be like this) cost about $2500. That was true 10 years ago. That was true 5 years ago and its true today. It is because $2500 is about what people expect to pay for a state of the art computer.

If you look at the small calibers the cost is enormous. A .25acp is very expensive because not many people shoot it. .40 S&W is cheaper because a lot of PDs use it. It used to be quite expensive. Same with .357SIG. It has nothing to do with cost of manufacturing. Those are about the same for any bullet.
I'll add that 9mm has more manufacturers since most of the world uses it in their sidearms and has for some time so competition among manufacturers in the 9mm market is more.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

Because it's twice as good!



(ROTR ducks for cover)

 

[MAURICE]

What ROTR said.
I shoot A LOT of the WWB .45acp, and it works well. I dont know that for the price you can beat it. Maybe if you are lucky enough to find a deal online.

 

[Billll]

Based on component costs, I'd say some of that is due to the bullet weighing nearly twice as much. I know the bullets are the biggest factor when I reload.

 

[HSMITH]

I can buy 9mm 115FMJ component bullets for about $35 per thousand, I can buy 45 230FMJ component bullets for about $65 per thousand. 45 acp brass is about double the cost of 9mm brass. It makes perfect sense that it is about double the cost at retail for 45 acp when compared to 9mm. You want to try expensive? Go buy some 'cheap' 45 Colt or 44 special.

 

[roo_ster]

HSMITH wrote:

Go buy some 'cheap' 45 Colt or 44 special.

My wife got me into reloading...because she bought a Rossi 92 in .44mag/spl. I had been used to getting her $4/box 9mm Blazer to feed her 1911. I about choked when I saw how much .44 ammo costed.

 

[Mulliga]

The brass is the biggest cost associated with making ammuntion. A .45 has a much fatter case, so it's more expensive.

 

[Bruce H]

It is twice as big therefore costs twice as much.

 

[Zundfolge]

Based on component costs, I'd say some of that is due to the bullet weighing nearly twice as much. I know the bullets are the biggest factor when I reload.

The brass is the biggest cost associated with making ammuntion. A .45 has a much fatter case, so it's more expensive.

Whenever these types of discussions come up (regardless of the product) it always surprises me that most people look at the cost of manufacture as what should be the guidelines for retail price.


Whats wrong with this thinking is that it doesn't take into account the full effects of the market.

Supply, Demand and Competition usually have a greater impact on pricing then material and labor costs.


So as for the original question, I'd say its because for every .45 out there I bet you'll find 2-3 9mms

 

[BluesBear]

Most common 9mm bullet weight = 115gr
Most common .45acp bullet weight = 230 gr
gee exactly double the weight therefor double the cost of raw goods.

Same for the casing. The .45 case has almost twice the brass content of a 9mm case.

This is an over simplification but it's a start.




I buy Wolf .45 by the case for $6.50 per 50. (NOT per 100 as I mistakenly posted earlier).
Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Jim Watson]

That is way oversimplified, most of the cost is in labor; man and machine hours, not material. Mostly the cost differential is economics and marketing. 9mm is the current military cartridge for the US and much of the rest of the world, EVERYBODY is tooled up to make it and are willing to sell it cheap to keep their plants running.

 

[The Rabbi]

What Jim said.

Those looking at raw materials cost are barking up the wrong tree. A box of .25acp costs at least as much as a box of .45acp and there arent nearly the same amount of materials in the little bullet.

 

[MrAcheson]

Former Manufacturing Engineer here. Jim Watson and others have it right. Raw component costs are not what sets retail prices for good. The price is set by market forces and other manufacturing costs like labor (which is a huge piece of the pie) and tooling/capital costs. These are much higher than the price for raw materials.

One thing most people don't know: the price to make a car is about the same no matter what car it is. A small car might cost $9000. An SUV Mothership might cost $11000. The reason they sell for prices that are so different is because people will pay it.

I don't think its a coincidence that 9mm firearms tend to have higher capacities than .45acp and therefore 9mm ammo costs a lot less. .40 S&W is in between and (surprise!) prices out in the middle somewhere. Its a demand thing.

 

[MoNsTeR]

A typical 9mm bullet weighs: 115gr
A typical .45ACP bullet weighs: 230gr

Twice the lead, twice the price, seems reasonable to me.

 

[Werewolf]

I buy Wolf .45 by the case for $6.50 per 100.

Uhhhhh... Could you be persuaded to tell us where you get that price.

Heck! My reloading costs not counting brass are around $8.00/100 and that's using plain ole Remington 230gr FMJ's.

 

[dmftoy1]

.45 acp Hardball isn't that much more expensive than 9mm if you watch for the "sales". Around here they have sales pretty much once a quarter at both the big sporting goods chains and the small gun dealers. If I wait until it goes on Sale the 9mm sells for around $7 a box and UMC .45 ACP runs me $8.98 a box. (If you buy a case). It sucks to drop $200 for 2 cases, but for the savings I do it.

It also has the advantage of giving you the same case lots for the brass if you decide to reload.

Have a good one,
Dvae

 

[Black Snowman]

Supply and demand with a small bump for component costs and shipping weight. Try ordering a thousand rounds of 9mm and a thousand rounds of 45 ACP and see what the weight difference translates into shipping costs. Lots of factors.

 

[taliv]

werewolf, if you're actually looking for good prices for reloading, let me know. over the past few years, i've done a lot of shopping and gradually found good sources for bulk components. right now, the best i've found

hornady xtp 200g
vhitavouri n320
speer nickel cases
for $8 / 100

and
win FMJ RN 230g
s1250
speer nickel cases
for $5.84 / 100

that includes shipping for components

 

[BluesBear]

Sorry for the mixup Werewolf.
Lack of pain meds clouds my thinking some days.

I meant to say $6.50 per 50.

If I could get it for $6.50 per C I could easily pay off all of my medical bills.