Newbie here: Reload 9mm or Factory Buy

DarcyM

DarcyM

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Hi all. I'm new to handgun shooting and am looking at getting a 9 mm pistol. 9 mm Luger ammunition...if I want to shoot regularly am I better off reloading my own (I'd have to buy all the equipment and learn how), or just buy factory load? I'm also planning on getting a .22lr pistol, for the fun, less expensive shooting as well. How many shots will I take before the reload equipment pays for itself approximately?

Or, best place to get 9 mm Luger ammo? Looks like it's about 30.5 cents a round and up in the Calgary area.

Thanks and happy shooting!! :sniper:
 
Long time to pay back just 9mm, you only save 10-15 cents per round and you really need a progressive press to do 9mm practically. I reload more expensive calibres but buy 9mm on sale which I can usually find for 25 cents or so.
 
You can reload 9mm for about $0.17/round once you’ve amortized your equipment. Brass is free if you pick up. You only need to pay for powder, primers and bullets. Factory or commercial reloads can be had for about $0.25/rd if you shop wisely. $250/1000 for 9mm is not uncommon. Western Metals and Tenda, site sponsors here, have good deals frequently.

Comes down to 2 things. How much is your time worth? How much do you want to shoot?
Most reloaders will tell you that reloading doesn’t save you money. It just allows you to shoot more rounds for the same amount.
 
Depends on how much you plan on shooting. A friend of mine a few years back was looking at a progressive for his 9mm and figured with the amout he was shooting it wasnt worth the money or time go buys one (1-2k a year)... I met a couple shooting IPSC and they where telling me i would be stulid not to have one with the amout they shot a year (20k i think they said). Im looking at one as i shoot 45acp, but alsow want to use it for other calibers.
 
In all reality, if you don't have a progressive press, just pay the extra + - $100, at these prices it's not feasible to reload unless you shoot comp and have your load dialed in
 
That's pretty much where I am as well. I already reload for rifle and shotgun, although shotgun is a false economy for 12 and 20ga target loads.
It's more of a matter of convenience for a low volume shooter, IMO. You can build what you want, when you want it.
You can look at the equipment as a poor investment, in one sense. You're unlikely to lose all your investment if you decide to sell it at some point, but you won't make any money either unless you get a great deal on everything.
If you pretty much break even on your equipment, your ammo will cost you about 17 to 20 cents per round plus your time.
One more thing to consider and research is your health. Handling lead if you use cast, non-jacketed or non-plated bullets, and primer residue from a tumbler if you're not careful can be a problem. Many of the reloaders I'm familiar with have elevated lead levels in their blood. Whether that's a result of careless handling of components or something else I can't say.
 
It took me 3000-4000rnds to pay off a Lee Pro-1000 press which is the most inexpensive progressive you can get. For me though that was half a season of shooting and I load for a specific velocity/power factor which is below most factory ammo. I shoot both IPSC and IDPA so go through thousands of 9mm a year. For me it's a no-brainer to reload as I do save hundreds with the volume I shoot.

If you aren't practicing regularly and going to competitions it can be difficult to save enough to justify reloading. In that case buying factory is often best.

I'd say if you plan on shooting 5000rnds+ a year on a regular basis, start reloading. Less than that, don't bother.
 
For 9MM, I'd say buy, it's fairly inexpensive as others have said. Many sponsors are on sale right now, about 25Cent. tax in per. Buy $300 = free ship. for other common calibers like .45 & .308, even on a Lee Anniversary Kit {is a great beginner reloader} its one at a time/slower to reload, but its worth it, as they are allot more pricey to shoot.
 
You can get 1000 rounds of X-Metal 9mm for $229 at most sponsors on this site....IF you can pick up(saving shipping)you cannot load for that cheap IF you factor in time it takes to reload(even with a progressive it still takes a few hours to load 1000 rounds).

I just ordered 1000 from Wolverine and it was $260 with shipping and taxes...

If you save your brass and resell I doubt the savings is much at all.

X-Metal is top notch I went through 1000 last year without a hiccup or complaint and accuracy was more than acceptable. Coated lead bullets are added bonus too.
 
You can look at it as a chore, or as a money saving function only - or you can see it as another hobby within a hobby. Other than price, reloading 9mm opens up different options such as power level, fine tuning a load for your specific pistol, using it as a learning curve to loading other calibres etc. etc. Just be careful, it's a deep rabbit hole once you jump in - ask me how I know LOL.

P.S. still loading anything and everything on a single stage, but then I enjoy it and yes I shoot a lot - but winter is a good time for loading lots to shoot the rest of the year lol.
 
DarcyM said:
Hi all. I'm new to handgun shooting and am looking at getting a 9 mm pistol. 9 mm Luger ammunition...if I want to shoot regularly am I better off reloading my own (I'd have to buy all the equipment and learn how), or just buy factory load? I'm also planning on getting a .22lr pistol, for the fun, less expensive shooting as well. How many shots will I take before the reload equipment pays for itself approximately?

Or, best place to get 9 mm Luger ammo? Looks like it's about 30.5 cents a round and up in the Calgary area.

Thanks and happy shooting!! :sniper:
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Reloading is an enjoyable hobby as well. Reloading for 9mm isn't going to save you much as others noted. If your just looking at economic's, save yourself the hassle.
 
Just bought myself a Dillon Square Deal to reload 9mm, total new to reloading but between the wife and myself we went thru about 20k rounds last year so I think it will be worth it for me just based on volume, saving even a little bit per 1k will add up for me I believe. Also ,as BillD said above, it's a new hobby within a hobby and learning a new skill is never a bad thing.
Plus, the wife keeps going on about shooting .45 because she can see the holes better than 9mm,lol, so I want to be prepared for that :)
 
I reload for my rifles on a single stage and tried reloading for my handgun and found the time and effort just wasn't worth it, and that was reloading for .40S&W. I bought a 9mm specifically so I would have a calibre (other than .22LR) that I didn't have to reload for, and so far I've stuck to that. Although a recent interest in IPSC may have me changing my tune come winter time. Also, X Metal ammo is going for $229 for 124gr 1000rds, and it's Canadian ammo I do believe, so a win-win there. I've also just been stockpiling whenever it comes on sale, whether I know I'm going to be shooting or not.
 
Thank you. I was wondering about that, since I can seem to find ammo in Alberta for 26-30 cents (hopefully can buy at 26 most of the time).
 
Hi there. That's an interesting point about the health aspect. I live in a condo with no garage, so any reloading would have to happen inside my condo living room. We have a campsite, but then I'd be reloading outside when weather permitted. I'm not sure if that's a good idea, either. I would be very careful inside, clearly, but with no access to a heated garage I'd have all the stuff in my home.
 
DarcyM said:
Hi there. That's an interesting point about the health aspect. I live in a condo with no garage, so any reloading would have to happen inside my condo living room. We have a campsite, but then I'd be reloading outside when weather permitted. I'm not sure if that's a good idea, either. I would be very careful inside, clearly, but with no access to a heated garage I'd have all the stuff in my home.
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I live in a condo and do my reloading inside. It's fine, just no casting (obviously), use fully plated bullets, and wet tumbling only.

You won't save much reloading only for 9mm. Same for plinking 223. Any other calibre and the savings can be huge. A whole reloading setup, consisting of a progressive press, dies, tumbler, etc... it cost about 1000$. At 10¢ of saving per round of 9mm, even if you don't count your time, and don't account for the fact that you can sell your brass, then it'll take 10k rounds just to break even.

Reloading for 9mm is worth it only if you reload for another calibre (which pays for the equipment), shoot a ton, or want a specific load. Most people who shoot a ton also shoot other calibres and want a specific load, so, you'll know if the shoe fits...
 
VinnyQC said:
I live in a condo and do my reloading inside. It's fine, just no casting (obviously), use fully plated bullets, and wet tumbling only.

You won't save much reloading only for 9mm. Same for plinking 223. Any other calibre and the savings can be huge. A whole reloading setup, consisting of a progressive press, dies, tumbler, etc... it cost about 1000$. At 10¢ of saving per round of 9mm, even if you don't count your time, and don't account for the fact that you can sell your brass, then it'll take 10k rounds just to break even.

Reloading for 9mm is worth it only if you reload for another calibre (which pays for the equipment), shoot a ton, or want a specific load. Most people who shoot a ton also shoot other calibres and want a specific load, so, you'll know if the shoe fits...
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Agreed, as an add-on to an existing set up the incremental cost isn't too bad and can be easily justified. But unless there is huge volumes involved starting from Zero makes less financial sense given the deals around lately.
 
Reloading's benefit is cost but you actually spend the same amount but shoot more. But reloading is also for shooting 'dependable' ammo if you are a competitive shooter, or for rifle a hunter. But it also becomes a whole other hobby/madness. Lol
 
Buy yourself a case of 9mm, and see how fast you go thru it (save the brass). If you only go thru one or two in a year, I wouldn't bother. Bulk reloading isn't a hobby, been doing it for 40 yrs. and the charm wore off long ago. If you decide to move to another caliber, and you probably will, then reloading pretty much becomes a no brainer. If you shoot 45 it's pretty much a must.
 
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