ok,so it is straight math here.the cheapest 9 mm I can find ,with brass casing ,goes for around 280$ per 1000 rounds.is reloading that caliber even cost effective ,not including the time ,or even press which I'm not planning to spend more than 200$ on it,just raw cost of bullet,powder and primer.
Is reloading 9 mm Luger cost effective
- Thread starter Gunggeek
- Start date
- Location
- West Quebec
Depends how much you shoot and if your happy with factory quality the accessories to load will drive the capital out lay to about $500-$600 before your done.
Hard to get a progressive press for $200 and if you reload for pistol / revolver with a single stage or even a turret press it will get old quickly.
I haven't costed it per round, plenty of GN's have that at their finger tips. I "know" that I save money since both wifey and I shoot weekly, but I enjoy the relaxation, the experimentation and my grand boys love it. Intangibles.
I haven't costed it per round, plenty of GN's have that at their finger tips. I "know" that I save money since both wifey and I shoot weekly, but I enjoy the relaxation, the experimentation and my grand boys love it. Intangibles.
- Location
- The Orion Arm
Hard cost for reloading.......you're looking at ~ $180/1000. I do it for slightly less, but all my components were bought a few year ago when they were a bit cheaper.
When you consider you're saving $100 per thousand (using the number you supplied above, although they tend to be more than that nowadays), after roughly 7,000 rounds you've paid for a Dillon 650 just on the money you've saved.
You will save even more money if you reload for more than one caliber; especially if you go into the larger pistol ones (.45, 10mm, .44mag, etc..) or into rifle calibers.
For that amount of money, you get to tailor the load to your gun and shoot better quality rounds. If you just want a gun to go "bang", buy whatever ammo you can find. If you constantly are trying to improve and get personal satisfaction from becoming more accurate or by shooting accurately, reloading is the only way to go.
When you consider you're saving $100 per thousand (using the number you supplied above, although they tend to be more than that nowadays), after roughly 7,000 rounds you've paid for a Dillon 650 just on the money you've saved.
You will save even more money if you reload for more than one caliber; especially if you go into the larger pistol ones (.45, 10mm, .44mag, etc..) or into rifle calibers.
For that amount of money, you get to tailor the load to your gun and shoot better quality rounds. If you just want a gun to go "bang", buy whatever ammo you can find. If you constantly are trying to improve and get personal satisfaction from becoming more accurate or by shooting accurately, reloading is the only way to go.
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Unless you're reloading other calibers along with 9mm, or are a high-volume shooter, then I'd say don't do it.
With that said I just got a sweet 550b set up yesterday and I'll never look at factory ammo again! I haven't broken it down yet, but not counting all the reloading equipment, it works out to about $200/1000 with plated bullets. I haven't really shopped around for bullets, but the last couple thousand I got worked out to about 12c a piece after shipping and taxes. I'm sure you could lop a few cents off somewhere. I picked up a case of the DA small rifle primers from CanadaAmmo from one of their sales a while back. Interchangeable with small pistol, so-said the manufacturer, I had to try a case for $125/5000. Wish I'd have picked up a few more cases at that price.
Reloading is a ton of fun, you can customize your loads to your guns, you can save money, lots of money if you're reloading some of the bigger bore pistol calibres, or any rifle calibres...but the initial investment is usually a fair chunk of change. Also, loading pistol cartridges on a single-stage press sucks.
With that said I just got a sweet 550b set up yesterday and I'll never look at factory ammo again! I haven't broken it down yet, but not counting all the reloading equipment, it works out to about $200/1000 with plated bullets. I haven't really shopped around for bullets, but the last couple thousand I got worked out to about 12c a piece after shipping and taxes. I'm sure you could lop a few cents off somewhere. I picked up a case of the DA small rifle primers from CanadaAmmo from one of their sales a while back. Interchangeable with small pistol, so-said the manufacturer, I had to try a case for $125/5000. Wish I'd have picked up a few more cases at that price.
Reloading is a ton of fun, you can customize your loads to your guns, you can save money, lots of money if you're reloading some of the bigger bore pistol calibres, or any rifle calibres...but the initial investment is usually a fair chunk of change. Also, loading pistol cartridges on a single-stage press sucks.
Phat Eagle
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Fraser Valley, BC
^^^ yup!
...and don't mind being "that guy" smoking up the indoor range Lol.
Really though... If cost was so important mist of us wouldn't be in this sport/hobby.
Reloading frees you from being at the mercy of the retail ammo chain.
Brass: Free at the range
Primers: $0.03/ea: https://www.canadaammo.com/product/...-arms-non-corrosive-boxer-small-rifle-primers
Bullets: $0.10/ea: http://fasttoys.net/ca/CamPro-9mm-124-GR-RN-Bullets-1000-Box/
Powder is the tricky one to find, but 9mm only needs a few grains of powder. Even at $40/lb, its only a couple pennies worth of powder.
Total for my handloads is $0.16/rd. Cheapest factory ammo is $0.30/rd here. I can handload 2 rounds for the price of 1 factory round.
Cost effective? Yes.
Time effective? No, but thank god its a hobby.
Primers: $0.03/ea: https://www.canadaammo.com/product/...-arms-non-corrosive-boxer-small-rifle-primers
Bullets: $0.10/ea: http://fasttoys.net/ca/CamPro-9mm-124-GR-RN-Bullets-1000-Box/
Powder is the tricky one to find, but 9mm only needs a few grains of powder. Even at $40/lb, its only a couple pennies worth of powder.
Total for my handloads is $0.16/rd. Cheapest factory ammo is $0.30/rd here. I can handload 2 rounds for the price of 1 factory round.
Cost effective? Yes.
Time effective? No, but thank god its a hobby.
9mm is the least cost effective one to reload, but it's still upwards of a 50% savings.
And if you start reloading you will get into all of that neat stuff like 45acp, 357magnum, etc, which is very cost effective to reload.
You will always be poor, however
And if you start reloading you will get into all of that neat stuff like 45acp, 357magnum, etc, which is very cost effective to reload.
You will always be poor, however
1000 primers 42 (federal)
1000 bullets 100
.7 of a lb powder 40
1000 brass 35
to reload all in cost 217 per thousand
vs 280$ - 35 (brass has a value even though everyone ignores it doing their calculations) 245$ per thousand
a savings of 32 per thousand.
Now for the equipment
mdgardner sells a Dillon square deal setup for 998$ you could go cheaper with a single stage lee, but as someone mentioned that would get old quick.
So if you kept reusing your brass the first 1000 will save you 32$ after that you would save 67$
After 15,000 rounds your equipment the savings would cover the cost of your equipment.
If you shot a 200 rounds a month it would only take 6 years to start enjoying the savings.
Also if you value your time it takes 3 to 4 hours to make a 1000 rounds on a square deal.
Another factor to consider is the resale value of reloaded ammo. If I change guns and no longer shoot 9mm anymore how much
is my case of factory 9mm worth vs how much can I sell a 1000 rounds of handloaded ammo.
I do reload for 9mm, but if I can get a great deal on factory ammo I will buy it. However I already have a press, and components all bought much cheaper than presently available.
1000 bullets 100
.7 of a lb powder 40
1000 brass 35
to reload all in cost 217 per thousand
vs 280$ - 35 (brass has a value even though everyone ignores it doing their calculations) 245$ per thousand
a savings of 32 per thousand.
Now for the equipment
mdgardner sells a Dillon square deal setup for 998$ you could go cheaper with a single stage lee, but as someone mentioned that would get old quick.
So if you kept reusing your brass the first 1000 will save you 32$ after that you would save 67$
After 15,000 rounds your equipment the savings would cover the cost of your equipment.
If you shot a 200 rounds a month it would only take 6 years to start enjoying the savings.
Also if you value your time it takes 3 to 4 hours to make a 1000 rounds on a square deal.
Another factor to consider is the resale value of reloaded ammo. If I change guns and no longer shoot 9mm anymore how much
is my case of factory 9mm worth vs how much can I sell a 1000 rounds of handloaded ammo.
I do reload for 9mm, but if I can get a great deal on factory ammo I will buy it. However I already have a press, and components all bought much cheaper than presently available.
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I only reload 9mm because I already justified the outlay for a turret press for a different calibre so the incremental cost to be able to reload 9mm was only another $100 or so. Using HP-38 powder, 115gr Campro TMJ and Winchester SP primers, my per round cost is about 17 cents. Federal AE is running 34 cents here, so a whole $8.50 per box difference. Considering the time to decap, clean, resize and load, no, it's not worth it financially. But the satisfaction and ability to customize makes it worthwhile for me. As I get more experienced and maybe (oh gawd, pleeeeeeeeze) become a better shot, I might consider a progressive press.
Great advice all of you.i do want to shoot better ,more acurat.and if i can save some $ in the proces than great.but i still dont understand what's the deal with pistol powder? Guys here say they can't find any.i looked online and there is plenty of choice.
