Crunching Numbers.

greg11

greg11

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I'm just wondering what you guys think about the cost/benefit of loading the following calibers:

.45acp
9mm
.223Rem

I'm asking because I'm crunching the numbers and am asking myself if there is much point in reloading 9mm and .223

I see the benefit in reloading .45acp as it is pretty expensive. But so far as plinking goes, I don't think there is too much point in reloading 9mm in terms of money saved. Unless my calculations are way off. I'm factoring in shipping, tax and materials for 9mm and it doesn't seem like enough savings to warrant the trouble of reloading 9mm.

To me, .223 is approaching that threshold as well, especially for plinking inside 250 yards. Of course, if I want sub MOA consistently, reloading is the best route, but I think maybe the groups would be good enough for me within 250 for me not to notice the difference with Bulk AE stuff.

I'm also reloading 2.75 Slugs and 2.75 Buckshot and .300sav, which all definitely make sense financially for me. I figure I'm saving a full dollar or more per round in those. But .223, I figure I'd be saving about 0.13 cents a round and 9mm about the same vs buying the AE bulk stuff.

Just looking for your guy's thoughts on reloading from a financial perspective. Yes, I think it's fun and it is a valid hobby on its own, but I'd just like your guy's opinions on the money side. Also correct me on my numbers where you see fit, and let me know of any deals/cost saving methods I'm not seeing.
 
Get the moulds and cast your bullets for 9mm and you will see much more of a saving and a lot more options for loading. As long as your barrel can shoot lead, it is well worth it.

I buy my supplies locally and load 124gr jacketed 9mm for 9.50 per box. The cheapest I can get here is 115gr steel cased for a little over 10.00 per box. My 125gr cast rounds are aprox 4.25 per box so loading 9 can be worth while.

I can't comment on .223 but a friend reloads it for a few dollars less than the cheapest stuff found locally per box and about half the price of the name brand ammo.
 
Definitely reloading .45 ACP saves money. 9mm might be a bit more "iffy" given the cost savings aren't as great, depending of course on how much you shoot them. The small pistol primers for 9mm are the same cost per 1,000 ($32) as the large pistol primers for .45, but I use considerably less powder... perhaps 20% less for 9mm. My reloaded 9mm aren't that much cheaper than my reloaded .45 ACPs, but the 9mm cost a heck of a lot less for factory ammo than 45.

I cast my own bullets, so apart from powder and primers, other reloading supplies are "free". I recently graduated from my 2 cavity mold to a LEE six-banger for 9mm, and I can produce thousands of bullets during a nice Sunday afternoon.

So even reloading 9mm is cheaper for me than buying factory rounds, but I'm not saving a ton of cash by doing so, even shooting 300 rounds of them a week. I'm just having fun and producing ammo that I can't buy commercially.
 
cheapest box of 9mm i've seen was $13 but that was via the EE. retail wise i think 15?

according to a cost calculator reloading will cost me sub $9 per box. (50 count)

.45 is pretty much cut in half for me.
 
All this is calculated using virgin Rem brass. and hollow point bullets. One can obtain once-fired brass and fmj's for less.




The first 1000 rounds of .223 costs me about $14/20. The next 1000 cost about $8/20. (because my brass is free the 2nd time around :) ) Or, the average on 2000 would be $11/20, on 3000 would be $10/20 etc... until you have to buy new brass.
 
Okay, this begs another question. Shipping kills my equations. However, I'll find myself relocating to Fredericton this summer so, are there any (WELL STOCKED) gun shops with primers/powder ect. in that area for decent prices?

As of now, I'm stuck shipping it onto the rock since no one stocks powder and primers. When they do, 1lb of powder runs 40 bucks ($29 tax incl. online for bullseye). So basically I'm eating the shipping (and markup) if I buy locally anyway. In fact, if I buy enough, I'll be paying MUCH more than if I ship it in myself.

[edit]
how many turnarounds can you squeeze out of .223?

5? 6?
 
Buddy up with some fellow reloaders - that'll get your order of sufficient size that the shipping costs are managable. Thats what a bunch of us do here in rural Ontario.
 
I think I'm loading 9mm for about half what it costs for factory ammo. I buy locally so no shipping involved for the supplies. Yesterday I just paid $170 for 1000 9mm brass, 1000 primers, 1000 124grn bullets, and 1lb of Tightgroup. The brass is reuseable and the powder will do about 1750 rounds. Someone might want to check my math.
 
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