Reloading 9mm cost effective?

[chubbena]

Don't care if reloading 9mm saves money. I tailor loads to my CZ SP-01 Phantom and I appreciate the accuracy increase over factory
Ringing the 100 yard Gong at my range consistently with my hand loads.
If you shoot 7 to 15 yards, factory ammo is fine.

I have no knowledge of reloading whatsoever but am getting interested in the subject: how much experience and what kinds of component and equipment does it take to make re-loads more accurate than an average factory load e.g. Blazer Brass? do you cast your own bullets?

 

[yomomma]

I have no knowledge of reloading whatsoever but am getting interested in the subject: how much experience and what kinds of component and equipment does it take to make re-loads more accurate than an average factory load e.g. Blazer Brass? do you cast your own bullets?

Not much.

Any manufacturers have a basic starter reloading press kit. Lee anniversary kits for instance. Buy some dies, a good scale and BOBs your uncle

Casting is even easier, Mold, cheap goodwill hotplate, pot and a good ladle

 

[alpining]

I have no knowledge of reloading whatsoever but am getting interested in the subject: how much experience and what kinds of component and equipment does it take to make re-loads more accurate than an average factory load e.g. Blazer Brass? do you cast your own bullets?

Agreed with yomomma. It's very easy to make ammunition that is more accurate than economy-grade factory loads. Use economy-grade equipment and components. No need to cast.

But I have to add that I think "better accuracy" is not one of the more common reasons for reloading handgun rounds.

 

[chubbena]

Not much.

Any manufacturers have a basic starter reloading press kit. Lee anniversary kits for instance. Buy some dies, a good scale and BOBs your uncle

Casting is even easier, Mold, cheap goodwill hotplate, pot and a good ladle

Very tempting even if there's not much in saving money. Will look more into it. Thanks

 

[B]

You need to work smarter, not harder.

Yup, that's my kind of thinking. There was a guy not far from me selling one a while ago, or something very similar at least. If I found as much free lead (or any at all) as some seem to I'd think much harder about it. Unfortunately everything around me is already being picked up by others...

 

[chubbena]

Agreed with yomomma. It's very easy to make ammunition that is more accurate than economy-grade factory loads. Use economy-grade equipment and components. No need to cast.

But I have to add that I think "better accuracy" is not one of the more common reasons for reloading handgun rounds.

Understood. If I were to go that route other than as a hobby and forementioned accuracy, reliability would be a factor also because I had experience of defective casing (a visible crease on two rounds in a box of 1000) from a name brand which might have messed up the chamber or worse and have heard of squibs from another.
I service my own vehicles for the same reasons.

 

[Somerset Bar]

I should add that you're very likely not loading "better" ammunition than factory, especially at the start. However, what you ARE doing (and this is more apparent on rifle cartridges) is finding a powder/bullet mix that your firearm works well with, and that you can shoot well with.

I've found the process fascinating over the years. Grandpa taught me to reload just for the $ factor, but it didn't take long to realize that I shot BETTER with different bullets.

For example, I used to compete with .22LR. Until I was maybe 30 it NEVER occurred to me that different weights and types of .22 would shoot differently. I bought the cheapest bricks of .22 and had a good old time. Right until I tried to compete, and guys were doing MOA at 100y(!). I wasn't hitting 2MOA at 50. Switched to ELEY and started getting fanstastical results.

Well same goes for every gun. They like what they like. I've got a .223 rifle that likes 35 grain, and I've got .223 that only shoots well with 75 grain. My Shadow 2 really sings with 147gr, although I shot it for quite a while with 124gr until it missed taking down a couple of steel plates in a match. It's just a way to make shooting even more of a hobby I guess I'm saying.

You can either buy a go kart and just drive it, or you can BUILD a go kart, AND drive it.

 

[alpining]

...I service my own vehicles for the same reasons.

Same here (as much as I can, at least).

But honestly, the biggest reason for me doing the various types of reloading I do is so that I better understand how my guns and ammunition are working as more complete systems. Before I got serious about reloading, I really didn't have a clue about how ammunition affects function. I knew that there was "good" ammo and "less good" ammo for particular purposes, but that's about it. Knowledge is power

 

[ted_dent]

Those things aren't relevant so yeah, don't count it. It seems to be a #### measuring thing for guys to get a lower number yet nobody works for free. Casting 5-10,000 9mm bullets is time consuming and becomes a chore every time for myself.

You need to work smarter, not harder.

One of the smartest things I did was switch to 6 cavity Lee moulds. They aren't terribly expensive and with two on the go I can easily cast 600-700 bullets an hour. A buddy of mine pumps up his production even higher by getting three moulds going at once although that pace is a little hectic for my taste.

Even if I shoot 10,000 rounds per year that only involves about 14-16 hours of casting which spread over 12 months is not much more than an hour a month. Considering I'm getting range lead basically free that's a huge dollar savings. I bought the moulds stateside for about $40 US each so even with handles i might have $150-$170 into them which I basically recouped after casting my first 1000 bullets.

 

[calmex]

One of the smartest things I did was switch to 6 cavity Lee moulds. They aren't terribly expensive and with two on the go I can easily cast 600-700 bullets an hour. A buddy of mine pumps up his production even higher by getting three moulds going at once although that pace is a little hectic for my taste.

Even if I shoot 10,000 rounds per year that only involves about 14-16 hours of casting which spread over 12 months is not much more than an hour a month. Considering I'm getting range lead basically free that's a huge dollar savings. I bought the moulds stateside for about $40 US each so even with handles i might have $150-$170 into them which I basically recouped after casting my first 1000 bullets.

MP-Molds sells 8-cavity moulds that use Lee Handles. I have a couple of the 135-grain RNFP MP-Molds and using the Lee-20 lb. pot, you really can crank out those bullets.

 

[Brassman66]

I enjoy reloading for handgun and rifle, but if I am truly honest about the total amount of time I spend doing everything associated with it, the cost savings are usually a minor part of the equation.

Thanks for suggesting some real numbers, that provides useful context. They do seem a bit on the optimistic side (for most people), but I have no trouble believing that a talented and organized person could get there: You've got your techniques and equipment dialed in, and maybe you have a dedicated space to keep your equipment set up and have components easily accessible. For somebody starting out, that's not likely to be the case.

I think it's very easy to underestimate how much time is actually put in to reloading. You almost never hear about time spent doing the behind the scenes stuff - Those things that are not directly related to "production reloading". It takes time to research, choose, and then shop for equipment and components. Then there's time spent learning basic techniques and setting up your equipment and reloading area. And time spent researching load data and then testing loads. There are probably other points I'm missing. Oh, and how about time spent collecting and processing brass? How many times have you seen someone write that they use "free" range brass?

And yes, casting sounds like a great way to save. But again, there's not typically any mention of how long it takes in production terms. And almost never any discussion of how much time is spent behind the scenes.

If you love reloading, and that's a hobby that you choose (like I do), then great. You'd probably make a different cost/benefit calculation from someone who loves shooting and is indifferent to reloading (or someone who dislikes reloading). Or someone who, on a good week, maybe only has two hours per week available for their shooting hobby (and everything associated with it).

100% true because I enjoy reloading and anything associated with it which destresses me from Business duties. Also I like the fact it made me largely unaffected by shortages because i purchase wanted components when I find them.

Cheers