prairiefire Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I haven't really figured out my cost per bullet - probably be depressed, but I enjoy doing it in the winter. What cost do you all have on your 9mm reloads these days? I know that I won't break even for some time as I just started loading and have all the upfront costs - even though I bought all used equipment. it's very comforting to know that with the supplies I now have on hand, I won't go "hungry" for ammo for a long time, if the market takes another dive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blairmckenzie1 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 (edited) Don't be depressed. Enjoy your time at the press. Just be smart and buy in bulk when you can. http://reloaderhub.com/calculator.cfm Edited March 5, 2014 by blairmckenzie1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtp Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 You might be surprised how quickly you can recoup costs. My 9mm loads run me between 12-18c/rd, depending on powder, projectile, primers and when I bought them. My .223 loads run me between 18-25c/rd. I shot ~6k 9mm and ~2k .223 in the past year, using 15c/rd for 9mm and 20c/rd for .223: 6k * .15 = $900 2k * .25 = $500 Looking at Gunbot today for brass ammo: 6k * .30c/rd = $1800 + shipping 2k * .40c/rd = $800 Savings based on right now pricing, let alone the 75c+/rd target ammo 9mm we saw not long ago or $1/rd .223... $1200. Pays for a progressive press, dies, tumbler, scale and case feeder in one year alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Buying black bullets in bulk, primers when they are on sale and reusing range brass, I can get it down to 13 cents per round. At current prices, that's not much more than .22 LR (if you can find it). Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBolt Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 MG 147gr bullet $.12/ea 3.4gr Bullseye powder $.01/ea Federal primer $.03/ea Once fired brass $.04/ea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 to make you feel better I live in australia. my 9mm minor production loads cost around 18-22c per finished round. that varies depending on type of projectile (either hi-tek coated lead, or frontier CMJ, stuff like hornady HAP etc are way too expensive here - around 20c per projectile!) primer cost varies from about 4c a primer (murom) up to 6c a primer these days for federal (just gone up from 4.5c to 6c now that there is something of a shortage). so for a nice CMJ round with federal primer it looks like this: primer 6c projectile 10c amortize the brass cost at say 2c per loading and powder is about 4c per round worth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 but as many people have mentioned, the big benefit about reloading (especially in 9mm where factory ammo in the US is not too $$$) is that you can tailor the round the way you like it. the primer you like, the powder characteristics you want, the amount of powder you want, type of projectile you want. overall cartridge length you want etc. it is by far worthwhile to reload for anyone shooting even a couple hundred rounds a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmbaccolyte Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 BeerBaron- D*mn! That sounds like California, Illinois or the New England States! I feel for you. Can we donate components through the Red Cross? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman00 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I haven't really figured out my cost per bullet - probably be depressed, but I enjoy doing it in the winter. What cost do you all have on your 9mm reloads these days? I know that I won't break even for some time as I just started loading and have all the upfront costs - even though I bought all used equipment. it's very comforting to know that with the supplies I now have on hand, I won't go "hungry" for ammo for a long time, if the market takes another dive. Reloading for me isn't about the cost. This is a hobby for me. I enjoy it immensly - almost as much as I enjoy shooting. I'm probably not saving a ton of money. Hell I'm probably spending a little more, i have'nt actually figured it out. But if I wasn't spending at or on my reloading bench, I'd be spending it elswhere - or worse...my wife would! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiefire Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 I haven't really figured out my cost per bullet - probably be depressed, but I enjoy doing it in the winter. What cost do you all have on your 9mm reloads these days? I know that I won't break even for some time as I just started loading and have all the upfront costs - even though I bought all used equipment. it's very comforting to know that with the supplies I now have on hand, I won't go "hungry" for ammo for a long time, if the market takes another dive. Reloading for me isn't about the cost. This is a hobby for me. I enjoy it immensly - almost as much as I enjoy shooting. I'm probably not saving a ton of money. Hell I'm probably spending a little more, i have'nt actually figured it out. But if I wasn't spending at or on my reloading bench, I'd be spending it elswhere - or worse...my wife would! Couldn't agree more!! I also like working up different loads, using different bullet weights and trying out different calibers. I crank up my 60's music and while a couple of hours once or twice a week - for me it's relaxing as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ammo Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I cast the bullets too! lots of saving. and I always have bullets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffJ99 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I use lead for practice and have got it down to about 9-10 cents per round, depending on how much I paid for the particular lot of primers that I'm using - I don't really keep track of it that much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I tried the calculator above and it worked out to 12.5 cents per round for the 9mms I load. Looking at it in comparison to factory loads, mine only cost $2.50 per box of twenty, which is a considerable saving, even over the Tulas I saw @ WallyWorld yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dkrad1935 Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Yeah. I'm with you Steve. Every time I do the math I can almost pay for a 1050 from 9 alone (assuming 10k rounds). If you look at 45 the dollars add up even faster. I haven't bought a press yet but if you shoot more than 4-5k rounds a year I think you should ignore the costs of a press. Just buy the one that matches your round count and you should pay it off in year 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djeffers Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 As one guy said to me.....you won't "save" money but you can shoot a lot more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 147 plated from xtreme 8c winchester spp 3c 3.2 titegroup 1c range brass free so i'm making 9mm for about 12 a round. seems cheap internet reloads are about 30c a round at best for 115gr 9mm. so i'm getting the round i want, the pf i want and normally better qa/qc. and saving 18c a round each time. say you spent 2 grand on getting into reloading. you'd need to make about 11 thousand rounds to recoup the cost. i shoot about 1,500 rounds a month so that's only 7 months to get to where i'm ahead on the deal. i only spent 1,500 getting into reloading so i recouped my savings much quicker than in the above example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prebaned Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 As the mantra goes You won't save a dime, you'll shoot more for the same cost. My 650 is like a pusher, without actually speaking I look at it and it makes me want to use it more. The first few hundred rounds were relatively cheap to produce. Then I needed more, so I bought more components. Made a few thousand, then I needed more calibers to produce, more money for conversions/dies. Now I am making more than I shoot. I am running out of money buying components in bulk just so I have enough to make more rounds than I can shoot. I have the monkey on my back so bad I have to buy gift cards with cash to order supplies so the wife doesn't find out how bad my habit is. It would of been cheaper for me to by cases of ammo for $500.00 a pop. I need help. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 BeerBaron- D*mn! That sounds like California, Illinois or the New England States! I feel for you. Can we donate components through the Red Cross? yes please! us battlers in this little convict colony will take as many federal small pistol primers as you see fit to donate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimitz Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 124 Xtremes. 6.7 CCI timers. 2.7 WST. 1.1 Brass. Free Total. 10.5/rd I have $2,0000 in my setup . Buying ammo is around 30 cents each so I'm saving 20 cents a rd so after 10,000 rds I covered the press and now I save about $200 per thousand .... At 25,000 rds/yr it adds up .... I would never be able to train the way I do without reloading and I get to tune my load to my gun/shooting style .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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