Cost

[bwswanson]

I'm thinking about start reloading for 9mm. It will only be for practice. 90% will be for a CZ PCR. The rest will be Glocks.

I'm trying to figure out what the cost per round will be. I've been keeping my brass. I'm interested in 124 and/or 147.

What loads would you suggest? Thanks for you help.

[eern]

Depends on how many components you are willing to get at a time and where at. Primers are $.04 or less, powder $.01-.02, and bullet is anywhere from $.06 to .10. If you can find federal small pistol primers I would go with that, especially if you are running a light striker spring other wise Winchester. I run Titegroup for all my ammo and light it. Bullets you can with any of the coated bullets (bayou, blue bullets, black bullets, etc) So with range brass my cost for 9mm is under $.11 as I run the cheapest of everything and buy in bulk online.

With Bayou 124s I run 3.5 grains of Titegroup and it makes power with any gun.

Edited April 19, 2016 by eern

[rooster]

If you go with premium bullets, mg's, or precision delta you can expect to pay arround .15 cents per rnd. Coated bullets might bring it down a little.

[Sarge]

Even using top quality bullets you can reload for 1/3 to 1/2 the cost vs off the shelf. If you shoot even a small amount regularly you'll pay for the press etc in a year or two

[rustybayonet]

I figured out, I saved enough reloading that my dillon 550 was paid for after the first 2000 rounds.

[vinceislander]

Here is my breakdown for 9mm:

Retail cost per round $0.25.

Cost per handload round minus brass $0.12.

Invested $700ish in reload hardware

Return on investment for me took me 6k rounds.

As already discussed, bullets are where you can cut costs. Don't get wrapped up in powder prices, using powder like N320 may bump up price per round additional $0.02.

Personally, I plan to move from plated to coated once I switch powders. May save me $0.02 per round but I'm hoping for better accuracy.

[inspector1999]

Remember reloading will not save you money. Reloading will allow you to shoot more for your shooting budget. That said, as most have stated above my cost is around 9¢ per round. My reloading set up will be paid for in 7000 rounds. Once you decide your recipe, buy in bulk. Shoot, reload, repeat, enjoy!

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[mikeyjones]

Remember reloading will not save you money. Reloading will allow you to shoot more for your shooting budget. That said, as most have stated above my cost is around 9¢ per round. My reloading set up will be paid for in 7000 rounds. Once you decide your recipe, buy in bulk. Shoot, reload, repeat, enjoy!

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This.

There are ways to save on costs too.

I buy pulled bullets as my practice ammo. Its cheaper and does a fine job when accuracy doesn't need to be 100%. So my practice ammo is around 7c for 9mm. Much better than store bought.

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[lefty o]

never buy into this bs about saving money by reloading, its not true!!! LOL on the surface, yeah you will save some money on a per round vs component cost basis, but you just end up shooting more, and buying more reloading gadgets, etc.

[Sandbagger123]

my 9mm ammo with 124gr coated bullets are about 11 cent each. going to 147 adds another 2 or so cents. for the guy that only shoot 1k rounds a year its cheaper to buy it at the store.

if you load 10k a year everything pays for itself really quick

[Hi-Power Jack]

I'm thinking about start reloading for 9mm. It will only be for practice.

Once you get started reloading, you'll quickly determine that you

will make BETTER ammo than you can buy - and then you'll

be using the reloaded 9mm ammo for practice and for comp.

[tanks]

My savings per 1000 are $91 for 9mm and $148 for 45 ACP. I have been shooting 3-4K rounds a month. My Dillon 550B already paid for itself.

[bwswanson]

Thanks everyone

[Hammer1]

Reloading cost a fortune.

After you buy the reloading equipment, then you have to get a

• chronograph
• more precise reloading equipment to produce more accurate ammo
• higher production volume reloading equipment
• hydraulics for your reloading machines
• better guns to test your ammo
• pressure measuring equipment
• more guns to test your ammo
• new truck to haul all your stuff
• RV for the shooting tournaments
• land for your private shooting range
• building for your equipment
• CNC 5-axis lathes
• personal gunsmith for special projects
• airline tickets for Africa
• bigger office for trophies
• personal plane for weekend trips to the prairie dog towns
• a ranch in Wyoming
• alimony
• trophy wife

Best to just shoot factory ammo.

[Polaris13]

IF you decide to reload, you need to jump in with both feet. Always looking for deals on components and buying them in bulk will be the way to save real money. Yes, I do agree that you might shoot more (and better), but isn't that the ultimate goal?

The other part of reloading is the geekiness of developing your own load. I've done this with shotshells and had fun doing it. I'm in the process of developing my own 9mm load with a friend, and it has been a great experience as well as enhancing a friendhship.

Good luck with your decision.

[b1gcountry]

I still don't shoot nearly add much as I would like,and I really don't think I would shoot any less if it was 3x the ammo cost.

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[blindshooter]

My wife (loves shooting and forgets she shoots 200+ rounds a session) says I shoot to reload.

I like having a system that allows me to load a couple of range sessions for us both quickly then I have time to work on new loads to test because of new components etc. Having multiple presses makes this go so much better, keep the 1050 setup the same for as long as I can while using a couple of LnL's for short/test runs.

I'll admit I like troubleshooting and fixing problems, its kind of therapeutic for me.

[warpspeed]

Like others have said, you can make better ammo and more of it for the same cost.

Ammo that runs best in your gun for the intended purpose that is more accurate is the best reason to reload.

But don't do it to save money - that just won't happen. You will shoot more.

[LeviSS]

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

[perttime]

Depending what ammo and components you can get easily, and how much your time is worth, the cost difference can be pretty negligible.

[Hi-Power Jack]

Hammer1, I have to completely disagree with you ...

Instead of shooting factory ammo, I say we skip down to the

bottom and get the trophy wife ... :roflol:

[DenverDave]

Not only do you save a bunch of money in ammo cost.
At least for me.......in reloading I found a "hobby" that I truly enjoy (aka my version of fly tying, model building...etc.)
Great enjoyment in working up loads for different guns.
And I even enjoy cleaning my brass. (there is just something about shiny brass when it comes out of the wet tumbler )

[MyWifeShootsBetter]

Buy once, cry once

Brian Enos, Ez-buy package NR (never reloaded) 550b, your choice of Top Notch (includes strong mount, roller handle and bullet tray, empty and complete rounds bins) about $1222 or Basic package $1039, add bullet puller, extra decapping pins and a chronograph.

approx. cost of supplies,

1000 124gr bullets=$85

1lb powder $20 to $25 (contains 7000gr, powder dependent but about 4gr is a charge, 1750 rounds per lb)

Primers $28 to $35 per 1000

you can figure your break even point with those numbers,

Keep your supplies up and you will always have ammo

my 9mm reloads $13 per 100 (rounded up)

Winchester white box at Chinamart, if they have any, last time I looked 200 rd. box $48.80, savings $22.80

The wife and I shoot about 200 rds weekly, $22.80 x 4 = $91.20 x 12 = $1094.40 per yr savings (does not include sales tax)

I got the top notch package for the strong mount, because of the videos I watched most people were standing, they spoke that for ergonomics the handle should be lower than your shoulder, needed the height the strong mount gave the machine mounted on my bench and I'm glad I did, just love the bullet tray, empty case bin and completed rds bin.

P.S. You will also need the "Inline Fabrication Sky Light", gives an excellent view into a charged case before you set the bullet

[rowdyb]

primer 3 cents.

powder 1 cent.

bullet 7-13 cents. (moly vs cmj)

your material cost for components, for 9mm, per round will be 11-17 cents per round.

if you can make say, from absolute nothing done to 600 rounds in boxes and inspected in an hour and your personal time is worth $50 an hour then your time is worth 8 cents a round. so 19-25 cents a round if you value your time.

spend 2,000 dollars to get started loading and if you're saving 10 cents a round over factory you need to make 20,000 rounds to recoup your initial investment. and 2 grand buy in is not a crazy price to get started.

my load currently is

147 grain Black Bullets International

2.90 gr Titegroup

Federal Match small pistol primer

mixed range brass

[perttime]

primer 3 cents.

powder 1 cent.

bullet 7-13 cents. (moly vs cmj)

your material cost for components, for 9mm, per round will be 11-17 cents per round.

I'd be at about 20 (euro) cents in 9mm components (plated bullets) - and get bulk packed rounds for around 22 (euro) cents.