NEWBIE question....9mm economy

Northernfly said:
Lots of good feedback already, but I'll throw in a few comments since I'm in YYC as well.
Here's a spreadsheet I made a while back. The reason I posted this is because it clearly shows one thing: You need to either find a good deal on brass, or collect your own!


Cost of Loading 9mm
With collected brass = $0.16/rnd
Brass = Free
Bullets = $0.09
Primers = $0.05
Powder = $0.02

With purchased once shot brass = $0.27/rnd
Brass = $0.10
Bullets = $0.09
Primers = $0.05
Powder = $0.02

With Purchased New Brass = $0.55/rnd
Brass = $0.39
Bullets = $0.09
Primers = $0.05
Powder = $0.02

Factory 9mm Ammo = $0.35/rnd when purchasing 1000 rnds.

1lb = 7000gr = ~$35
1rnd = 5gr powder on the high side = $0.03
Bullets are CamPro

You can get 9mm plated CamPro or Berry's bullets in 115 or 124gr at Proline or Western Metal or even The Shooting edge, typically for less that $100 per 1000. Powder should run you $30-35 per lb, and casings you can either collect yourself or find someone on the forums who cleans and sells brass. For example: I picked up ~5000 stainless tumbled/polished and deprimed 9mm casings for here on cgn for ~$200, but that's mainly because I like working with nice shiny brass.
I'm perfectly happy to collect and tumble my own 9mm, but ever since I started in to 45ACP that's where most of my tumbling and case prep energy gets spent.

Another comment I will make is that you really need to do A LOT of realoading before you would actually get to the point where you'd start to save money, or even pay off your initial investment. There are two main reasons I reload:
1. My dad passed down his reloading gear to me, so it was very inexpensive for me to get in to the hobby.
2. I REALLY enjoy getting out in the garage and experimenting with different loads. It's a really good, productive way to spend free time and it gets me out of the house (both loading and shooting).
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot Northernfly!!
And others as well.
Really helpful information.
Hopefully one day I get to know people around in YYC !!!
All info that everyone if posting in here sharing their experiences and time to type in..... I am very very great full!!!
It opens my eye and to be responsible with finance before jumping into a place without knowing.

Happy wife happy life, right!
So saving all the “extra” money toward this new “expensive” hobby!!!
Will take close attention to deals and EE
For anything that I can grab ahead of actual reloading.

Trying to find a used XL650 seems mission impossible.

Cheers
 
WWW226 said:
Thanks a lot Northernfly!!
And others as well.
Really helpful information.
Hopefully one day I get to know people around in YYC !!!
All info that everyone if posting in here sharing their experiences and time to type in..... I am very very great full!!!
It opens my eye and to be responsible with finance before jumping into a place without knowing.

Happy wife happy life, right!
So saving all the “extra” money toward this new “expensive” hobby!!!
Will take close attention to deals and EE
For anything that I can grab ahead of actual reloading.

Trying to find a used XL650 seems mission impossible.

Cheers
Click to expand...

I actually just took the plunge (After much encouragement from the guys I shoot with) and picked up an XL650. Planning on reloading 9mm, .38/.357, .40 S&W, and .223 on it. Maybe .45 ACP eventually.

And a little further down the road a single stage for .308, 300 win mag.

Also in Calgary :)
 
Scotty454 said:
I actually just took the plunge (After much encouragement from the guys I shoot with) and picked up an XL650. Planning on reloading 9mm, .38/.357, .40 S&W, and .223 on it. Maybe .45 ACP eventually.

And a little further down the road a single stage for .308, 300 win mag.

Also in Calgary :)
Click to expand...
Wow!!


That’s great !!!
Congrats!
If I may ask,
Did you purchased the Dillon directly from USA or you bought it via Canadian retailer?

We should create a local MeetUp group so we could get to sit down and share and learn!!!
 
WWW226 said:
Wow!!


That’s great !!!
Congrats!
If I may ask,
Did you purchased the Dillon directly from USA or you bought it via Canadian retailer?

We should create a local MeetUp group so we could get to sit down and share and learn!!!
Click to expand...

Got it through tenda out of Ontario.
 
I am not lying when I say it is not really worth it financially for me I live in Rural N.B. so everything I buy has to be shipped powder is shipped and requires a 30$ hazmat fee. The other guy he may live somewhere that he can just drive to great gunstore with great pricing on components. Your situation is your situation. You can use a handload calculator and get your shopping list figured and shop for it locally and online. There was a time it was a no brainer reloading saved money. Now not so much. With 9mm it is marginal as you can often find deals on cases of factory and remanufactured nine. Then you add in the capital cost of the 650 the math sucks even more. Then you add in an opportunity cost to your free time then you are definitely going into the negative.

Your free time you at the worst you rent it out for minimum wage and use the money to fund your shooting addiction.
 
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Tenda’s 9mm deals make you wonder about reloading 9mm sometimes. However for IPSC being able to load for powder factor is a plus.

And huge when I go 40.

Plus for ICORE there is the ability to use different bullet sizes for a 929 for instance. Coated lead .358 160gr.

Plus reloading is plain fun.
 
I think bottom line should be:
If I do rifles as much as my 9mm then yes
If 9mm Luger are on sale less than $.30 per round stock up and recover the brasses
If hobby goes cold, then XL650 has very good resell value
If I stay only in 9mm........ Just buy massive bulk with some shooters from the club to get lower than $.25 per round
And mean time, work over time and other jobs at my free time to equalize the reloading time so $12.5/h x4 per weekend minus income tax I'll get $40
And if lucky to get $.25/round then that equal to 160 rounds.
Hahahahaha
Been funny here......

Great great Infos!!!
Ha.... And need to buy an ultrasonic cleaner for $100 2.5L capacity
Costs keep adding up.......
 
Reloading, like everything else to do with shooting, isn't cheap. It's been so long since I had a minimum wage job that I forget how difficult it can be to save "extra" cash. If you can't swing the reloading equipment right now keep buying ammo until your situation is more comfortable.
 
I have an Excel spreadsheet showing cost per round, equipment payoff times, etc. PM me with yoir email address if interested.
 
Reload only if you have the time and like (or think you like) to do it.
It's almost a hobby itself.

I just started but it seems to me it never stops; single stage, progressive, brass prep stuff, dies, etc etc etc.
Now I am thinking "do I need a chrono" lol.. seriously there is no end and to me that is part of the fun.

Forget about the "what's your time worth" arguments. If you are concerned about this then don't even start.
If someone goes turkey hunting (buys a tag, goes scouting a few times, hunts a few times, bags the bird and cleans it)
he is not going to figure out how much per pound the meat has "cost" calculating tag, gas, ammo, and time used at for instance minimum wage.
Do it for the fun or for being able to customize your ammo or something.

I bought most of my equipment used and know that I will recoup pretty much most of the investment when (if I ever.. lol) I sell it,
so no need for me to calculate for equipment cost in the cost per round.
 
bertn said:
Reload only if you have the time and like (or think you like) to do it.
It's almost a hobby itself.

I just started but it seems to me it never stops; single stage, progressive, brass prep stuff, dies, etc etc etc.
Now I am thinking "do I need a chrono" lol.. seriously there is no end and to me that is part of the fun.

Forget about the "what's your time worth" arguments. If you are concerned about this then don't even start.
If someone goes turkey hunting (buys a tag, goes scouting a few times, hunts a few times, bags the bird and cleans it)
he is not going to figure out how much per pound the meat has "cost" calculating tag, gas, ammo, and time used at for instance minimum wage.
Do it for the fun or for being able to customize your ammo or something.

I bought most of my equipment used and know that I will recoup pretty much most of the investment when (if I ever.. lol) I sell it,
so no need for me to calculate for equipment cost in the cost per round.
Click to expand...

yah, I guess you have the point....
if it is viewed as another type of hobby, I guess it is to enjoy it and not to see the cost side of things..
 
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