9mm reloading

Here's how i look at it. With reloading my own ammo, i'm never dependent on the store having some in stock. And have you seen 9mm prices lately? Value pack 9mm winchester 115gr are 30 bucks a 100, up from 26 last year.

I reload a few hours here and there, and i like tinkering will the reloading press until everything works just fine. I find it relaxing to trouble shoot and problem solve.
 
VanMan said:
I get mine from Shooter Ready http://www.shooterready.ca/product-category/campro-bullets/9mm/. If you buy over 25,000 rounds at a time, he'll give you a discount. I'm fortunate in that I can pick up directly from him as shipping costs on 600lbs of bullets would be pretty costly.
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5k and 30k are actually the discount steps, but close enough :D

I also don't ship, but I am happy to and have often worked with groups to put together group buys. I'll even deliver if there is an IPSC match in the area that I can make it to, but then I'm unable to do the discount as I end up losing money with costs factored in
 
I reload 9mm, 38spl, 40S&W and 45 ACP.

Cost saving varies with the least benefit on the 9mm. It costs me about 15c per 9mm with free brass vs $280-300 per 1000 from the store. I use a Dillon 550 and produce about 350 rounds per hour.

In pure cost terms I don't think it is worth setting up to reload 9mm only. The setup cost is about $1,500 for my type of rig. That is a lot of 9mm cartridges to break even, over 10,000 rounds. You need a dedicated place to reload and appropriate storage for the powder, primers and loaded cartridges. All need to be locked in separate containers etc etc. So you need a significant amount of space which needs to be kept free of spilt powder etc for safety reasons. In addition there are significant safety issues with reloads. It is very easy to double charge some pistol cartridge cases, although this is tough with the 9mm due to its small size. Your gun may survive a double charge but it may not and you can badly get hurt by this. I have seen the result of a gun blow up. Not pretty. So care and attention to detail is vital. Personally I have switched to bulky powders to make the double charge much more obvious. A lot of modern powders are very efficient so the case can hold up to a triple charge. Case in point, 38spl and 357 mag (pun also intended).

The big advantage with reloading is that you can optimize the cartridge for the gun. A second advantage is that if you start reloading other cartridges the cost of setup is much smaller at $200 or so per cartridge so you get much better bang (pun intended) for the buck. I save about 20-25c a round on the 38, 40 and 45. That can mount up quickly.

Personally I enjoy developing a cartridge and then the reloading itself. I love making things so for me reloading is fun in its own right. Lots of others find it a chore. I am now upgrading my reloads for improved accuracy which you can do relatively economically with reloading it just takes more time and care rather than more cost.

In summary lots of things to learn and some inherant risk and you will spend the same money overall, you will just shoot more.
 
I don't buy into the "you'll just shoot more" argument. The time I have available to go shooting didn't suddenly increase as a result of reloading,. If anything, I've just taken away from my personal time by adding yet another related hobby to my many interests.

So how am I possibly going to shoot more? Just shoot faster? lol.
 
G-Man_Quagmire said:
I am in the research stage of reloading so all of these opinions and experiences are invaluable. Thanks!
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If shooting will be a life time pursuit for you, you will want to get into reloading. Especially for any rifle rounds you decide to shoot.

I've only been into it for 25 years but I can tell you if I didn't reload I wouldn't be shooting anything other than rimfire and the occasional shotgun or .223 Rem. rounds. I probably wouldn't own any more than 3-5 firearms either.
 
G-Man_Quagmire said:
I am in the research stage of reloading so all of these opinions and experiences are invaluable. Thanks!
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You should check out Custom Reloading Services in Maple Ridge. I was using their stuff for years and it's really great quality reloaded ammo at ~ 2/3rds the cost of factory ammo. Between them and the Norinco 45acp deals from CanadaAmmo, I didn't feel the need to get into reloading until last year when I got into IPSC. I can burn through 2,000 rounds a month pretty easy now so reloading is a definite cost savings as well as being able to develop rounds to hit specific power factors.
 
2bad4u2 said:
If shooting will be a life time pursuit for you, you will want to get into reloading. Especially for any rifle rounds you decide to shoot.

I've only been into it for 25 years but I can tell you if I didn't reload I wouldn't be shooting anything other than rimfire and the occasional shotgun or .223 Rem. rounds. I probably wouldn't own any more than 3-5 firearms either.
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Oh I plan on reloading, just a matter of getting set up to do it and acquiring the equipment. I plan to get the Dillon xl650.
Starting with 9mm and going from there.
 
VanMan said:
You should check out Custom Reloading Services in Maple Ridge. I was using their stuff for years and it's really great quality reloaded ammo at ~ 2/3rds the cost of factory ammo. Between them and the Norinco 45acp deals from CanadaAmmo, I didn't feel the need to get into reloading until last year when I got into IPSC. I can burn through 2,000 rounds a month pretty easy now so reloading is a definite cost savings as well as being able to develop rounds to hit specific power factors.
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I have bought from them before and been very happy with their product and service.
 
How else could a person afford to shoot rounds from .17 Rem up to .460 Wby without reloading :)
The savings really add up once you get the initial investment paid. Almost 30yrs for me, and the knowledge amassed is priceless.
 
G-Man_Quagmire said:
Oh I plan on reloading, just a matter of getting set up to do it and acquiring the equipment. I plan to get the Dillon xl650.
Starting with 9mm and going from there.
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You are going to love the XL650. I got a great deal on a used one from Murray Gardner and getting fantastic support from Dillon. Their warranty dept sends me up replacement parts at no cost (not even shipping charges) for parts that were worn out, and parts I broke during my learning curve.
 
VanMan said:
You are going to love the XL650. I got a great deal on a used one from Murray Gardner and getting fantastic support from Dillon. Their warranty dept sends me up replacement parts at no cost (not even shipping charges) for parts that were worn out, and parts I broke during my learning curve.
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That's an impressive warranty. The hardest part will be the custom bench I want to build.
 
My oddball 9mm's are 'Special needs' lol. Want a slow push and a mild primer; I can't buy anything that fulfills that requirement.
I reload anyhow, of course. But the 9's; I wouldn't run ' Off the shelf ' through anyhow.
 
Factory ammo is fine, but nothing beats tailored ammo for rifle accuracy.
That's why I reload.

For pistol it's mostly about money savings.
After Ransom Resting many factory and handloads you're sometimes chasing factory ammo for the same level of accuracy.
 
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