Recently picked up a new Glock 19, after giving my old one to my son some 10 years back. We recently had a home invasion, and thought it was about time.
The price where I live in the world is $0.50 a reload from the local shop for 9mm (124g).
I'm told I can halve the price to about $0.25 if I reload myself (buying uncleaned brass, primers, and powder from the shop).
A whopping $0.70 for a new bullet
I shoot rarely (twice a year at the range at most) but have been doing so some 30-odd years. I really only want to stock about 3k-5k rounds. (I do have a bunker, am a prepper, and feel I 'should' know how to do this)
So, 5k new rounds at $0.70 = $3,500 (ouch)
Reloaded rounds from the store at $0.50 = $2,500
with reload press = about half that $1,250
But I also need to buy the press, lube, correct caliber die, digital scale, calipers, chamfer-deburr tool. Which would effectively bring the savings down to a couple hundred bucks saved (for the reloads).
I'm probably not going to be firing much, (unless zombie hoard comes over the hill), so it's a one-off purchase that could be done over the next year. Couple hundred bucks a month.
Would reloading my own be worth it? I also considered getting a super basic Lee reloader $42 and doing it by hand when I have down-time (I'm old, so basically the rest of my time on earth is down-time). would just need to get some lube, a better hand-primer, and a chamfer-deburr tool (or maybe not for 9mm shells?)
Learning how to reload sounds like a fun hobby, but I have plenty of those (woodworking, motorbikes, gin, family).. I also am not crazy about watching guys hammer those primer in with the tool that comes with the Lee.
Thoughts appreciated.