How is .45 ACP relaoding cheaper then 9mm factory? I don't get it

[BattleRife]

Primers, powder and cases for .45 auto are cheap, cheap, cheap. The only cost that matters is the bullets.

I think you people who claim to be getting bullets under 10 cents each are living in a fantasy world, or, more likely, the past. Going rate right now is $160-200 per thousand, assuming you don't make your own. Sure, some mail order places in Ontario might have them $20 cheaper than that, but by the time you ship them anywhere you are right back up at $0.20 apiece.

 

[p210sig]

Bullets that i'm getting is from a manufacture that is a 30 minute drive from my place. No cost for shipping & no tax. The cost of shipping is a killer,that brings the cost up for most people in general. Cost of powder per pound is 25-30$ average now days. I'm fortunate to get my powder from a friend's dad who owns a gun store that I get at his cost price, other wise i'd be paying full retail price.

 

[ampegor]

I purchased 1000 DRG .45 200grn swc for $95 and 500 180gr flat point .40's for $45. In the last two weeks. local shop and I don't have to pay shipping
Andy

 

[pdubois64]

Primers, powder and cases for .45 auto are cheap, cheap, cheap. The only cost that matters is the bullets.

I think you people who claim to be getting bullets under 10 cents each are living in a fantasy world, or, more likely, the past. Going rate right now is $160-200 per thousand, assuming you don't make your own. Sure, some mail order places in Ontario might have them $20 cheaper than that, but by the time you ship them anywhere you are right back up at $0.20 apiece.

I wasn't including any shipping costs as I can buy locally. If you live in the sticks obviously that would be a consideration.

 

[medicstimpy]

Um, what is this obsession with $$$?

Any reloader will tell you that a customed tuned round that is tuned for your particular gun and use is something you can't put a $ on. And it's still cheaper than factory 45's.

I don't know about you guys but pay for brass??? I got half a bucket of free range pick-ups alone. Mind you it took plenty of trips to the range to get that much, but...

 

[pdubois64]

Whatever. When it's all said and done reloading is pretty much half price as factory. Then shoot twice as much and it's all even. A few pennys here and there is not worth worrying about.

 

[bclinehand]

Whatever. When it's all said and done reloading is pretty much half price as factory. Then shoot twice as much and it's all even. A few pennys here and there is not worth worrying about.

The only problem is that when you start to shoot that 1/2 price ammo you don't stop cause you need to go buy more you just keep shooting till you've just about gone through the 1 or 2 thousand you have loaded and then realize you need to order mor components..........probably costs me 4 times as much to shoot reloads but I have put 8 times as much lead downrange

 

[Walter Hornby]

I am working on a supplier for Lead bullets for around $75 per thousand. BDX FMJ bullets run about $150 to $160 a thousand. Ramshot zip willrun you %88 per four pounds.

 

[harbl_the_cat]

I keep hearing about people claiming that you can load 45.ACP as cheap as factory 9mm, but now matter who I look at selling components or break it down, .45 is still more expensive then 9mm.

45 ACP w/o brass cost: $0.26/round (wholesale sports: IMI powder, CCI primers, Winchester bulk bullets)
9mm CCI blazer: $0.24/round (wholesale sports)

When you throw brass costs, it's $0.36 / round (once fired brass from marstar).

Then you toss in the start up costs of reloading ($600 for a progressive loader + tumbler)... how is it cheaper?

Don't factor in the cost of brass.

Brass is the second most expensive component, and by reloading you're reusing it you're effectively dropping the cost of brass by the number of times you've reloaded it. If new brass is about $0.25 per case and you reload it 10 times (not unreasonable if you don't do hot loads).

Brass costs you 3 cents per round.
Primers for about 3 cents a pop,
Bullet for about 10 cents a pop,
Powder for 3 cents =
19 cents per round = $9.5 / 50 rounds (cheaper than 9mm)

Depending on your setup though, you have to factor in time spent.

I used a Lee Turret Press and was frugal with my scale, tumbler, etc. and my entire setup came up to less than $300. I've reloaded over 1000 rounds of .45ACP (and about 2000 rounds of 9mm) so I imagine the initial cost of my setup has paid itself off already.

Man; I have to start reloading again

Doing the math, I think 50 rounds of factory .45ACP is $35 ($0.70 per round). Using a generous estimate of $0.25 per round (on account of screwups, lost primers, deformed bullets, unused brass, etc.) - after 1000 rounds, my savings is $450.

 

[joe-nwt]

Bullets should be a lot cheaper!

Yeah, but we haven't finished buying up all the stock that was bought a year ago when the price was triple and shipped when the price of oil was almost 4 times what it is now.

Or, Hurricane Katrina!

 

[Colin]

I get my cast SWC for $45 for 500

At around 4.4gr of titegroup, a pound of powder will load close to 1500 bullets, so you can reduce your powder costs to less than the full pound. Primers I buy at the gun shows to which shaves a bit off of retail.

 

[VooDooMan]

Who the heck is WSS?

What do you all reckon 45 acp with FMJ 230gr round would cost, 20 cents?
Thats with bought brass.

 

[Cerdan]

WholeSale Sports.

Someone'll surely correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt you'll ever get the price of an FMJ-topped round down to 20 cents if you buy your brass.

As it happens, I loaded a bunch of .45ACP with Hornady 230gr. FMJ-RN just the other day. I used found brass. Came down to about 33 cents per round.

 

[ElmerFudd]

Reloaded 45acp lead cartridges should cost you less than C$10.00 a box, including amortizing in 1000 new or once fired cases at C$100.00 per thousand.

Amortized? You have to be joking. I haven't paid for 45 ACP brass since I started shooting and bought loaded factory ammo. There always seemed to be lots at the range after a match. The odd case might split on reloading but there doesn't seem to be much correlation to how old it is. Or how old it appears to be by looking at the case head. 45 ACP brass lasts a long time. Way more than "10 times". You've heard "it keeps going and going and going and going"?

May I ask where you get your bullets for 7 bucks per hundred? 230gr. LRN cost almost twice that at the bullet barn, and that's including their 15% discount!

The cost of lead tripled a year ago but has since dropped to what it was 4 years ago. The price I was paying from a local manufacture doubled. It used to be $35/500 box. Bullet Barn and others are going to have to drop their prices to compete.

your looking at buying an HK and your worried about the cost of re-loading

If you shoot much and especially if you compete the cost of ammo is much greater than the cost of the gun.

Bullets should be a lot cheaper!

Yep. Both lead and copper have backed down to what they were 4 years ago.

Cost of powder per pound is 25-30$ average now days. I'm fortunate to get my powder from a friend's dad who owns a gun store that I get at his cost price, other wise i'd be paying full retail price.

Ouch! Are you buying it by the one pound or eight pounder? I just bought an 8 lb. container for about $140 or $145. plus tax. About $18/lb. Also, obviously it matters how much powder you are using. One powder & bullet combination that uses 3.5 gr. could be much cheaper than the one that takes 10 gr.

Whatever. When it's all said and done reloading is pretty much half price as factory. Then shoot twice as much and it's all even. A few pennys here and there is not worth worrying about.

That "few pennies" can make a difference between going out to McDonalds or the Keg for dinner. And in just one reloading session. If you're shooting 5 to 10,000 rounds per year it adds up fast.

What do you all reckon 45 acp with FMJ 230gr round would cost, 20 cents?
Thats with bought brass.

Guess it depends on where and what brass you buy. Factory new stuff can be $150+/1000. But range picked up maybe up to $50. (don't know as I still haven't had the need to buy any.)

My load used to cost me 12.5 cents before taxes. Last 230 gr. LRN was about $65/500. And primers have gone up a bit too. So it would now be about 17.1 cents plus tax = 19.15 cents.

Time to start casting my own and get that down to about 4.1 cents.


Fudd

 

[Levi Garrett]

My cost is powder and primers(45 acp), I cast and got lead, lots a lead

 

[Grizz Axxemann]

I'm churning out 10mm for less than 20 cents a shot. factory 10mm, which isn't nearly as entertaining, is roughly 70-75cents a shot.

 

[Cerdan]

What do you all reckon 45 acp with FMJ 230gr round would cost, 20 cents?
Thats with bought brass.

My load used to cost me 12.5 cents before taxes. Last 230 gr. LRN was about $65/500. And primers have gone up a bit too. So it would now be about 17.1 cents plus tax = 19.15 cents.

VooDooMan did specify TMJ, though, which automatically makes things more expensive.

I'm churning out 10mm for less than 20 cents a shot. factory 10mm, which isn't nearly as entertaining, is roughly 70-75cents a shot.

What kinda components do you use? I load quite a bit of 10mm as well, but for hot loads I only use new brass and jacketed bullets (I came close to a kaboom the couple of times I loaded used brass hot), so in those circumstances I could never get the cost down to 20 cents per...

 

[VooDooMan]

Thanks for replying guys.

I think im going to go for the Lee turret press loader for my first time loading machine for my 45 ACP.

Then ill hop over to WSS and grab
1000 CCI primers 30$
Hogdon Tightgroup 1lb 19$
.451 FMJ RN 1000 130$

Then beg my local range for their 45 acp LOL
Thanks guys!

 

[adriel]

If you're going to shoot a lot over the long run and you don't mind the work, casting your own bullets drops that cost to almost nothing. I cast 200 grn SWC's with a Lee 6 cavity mold and it pumps em out like warp speed.

After you've fired a thousand rounds or so, your equipment is paid for and subsequent ammo costs 4 cents a round. As long as you don't mind the time it takes reloading, a big expensive progressive press setup is not required. I've moved thousands of rounds through my Lee anniversary kit press, and will probably keep moving thousands of rounds through it.

 

[harbl_the_cat]

One thing about WSS - Don't buy the Excel Brand of bullets under any circumstance that requires them to be fired from a gun. I bought 500 of their copper plated 230gn .45ACP bullets; but in actuality, 1 in every 5 is deformed at the base so they won't seat properly and the bullets actually weigh in from 200 - 230 at random (I literally had to rip my brass out of my Norinco 1911 with a pair of needle nose pliers). I had a similar nightmare with their 124gn 9mm lead LSWC (actually ended up being 130 gn)