Is it worth it anymore?

[HesedTech]

5 hours ago, FlightMurse said:

Respectfully, I have reloaded for the past 10 years and my main motive was cost savings.

I've loaded a bit longer and it all started to save money with 30-06 loads. To save $$ I first had to buy factory (a lot of LC brass) shoot it and then process it. It was all done on a Single stage Lee press which I still use today. So yes, if I only load a few hundred rifle rounds a year then it will save money.

 

However, USPSA requires a lot of ammo so my investment in progressive press equipment to produce 20 - 30K a year is rather high $$. These days the primers alone average 8 cents, bullets 10 cents, powder around 2-4 cents, free brass and about .5 cent of lube and cleaning supplies each of my 9mm minor loads cost about 23 cents each (and that's with free brass). So for a few pennies do I save any money? Considering the press equipment and time the answer is a major NO. Which is why if saving money for USPSA style shooting is the motivation, then just buy factory ammo.

 

Now precision rifle rounds is a different story. For some reason I cringe when I spend $50+ for a box of 20 match grade 6.5 Creedmoor, so I reload it and get to play with different loads optimized for my rifle. 

 

Remember it's a hobby and we all figure out a way to enjoy it.

Edited November 4, 2022 by HesedTech

[FlightMurse]

2 hours ago, HesedTech said:

I've loaded a bit longer and it all started to save money with 30-06 loads. To save $$ I first had to buy factory (a lot of LC brass) shoot it and then process it. It was all done on a Single stage Lee press which I still use today. So yes, if I only load a few hundred rifle rounds a year then it will save money.

 

However, USPSA requires a lot of ammo so my investment in progressive press equipment to produce 20 - 30K a year is rather high $$. These days the primers alone average 8 cents, bullets 10 cents, powder around 2-4 cents, free brass and about .5 cent of lube and cleaning supplies each of my 9mm minor loads cost about 23 cents each (and that's with free brass). So for a few pennies do I save any money? Considering the press equipment and time the answer is a major NO. Which is why if saving money for USPSA style shooting is the motivation, then just buy factory ammo.

 

Now precision rifle rounds is a different story. For some reason I cringe when I spend $50+ for a box of 20 match grade 6.5 Creedmoor, so I reload it and get to play with different loads optimized for my rifle. 

 

Remember it's a hobby and we all figure out a way to enjoy it.

I completely agree! The cost savings still makes sense for .223 match loads and I will still continue to make precision rifle loads, but I don’t know if 9mm is worth the time at this point (even on a xl650, I’m at around 700 rounds per hour if I can keep from being interrupted by family. 

[Flea]

9 hours ago, Boomstick303 said:

 

Where is this?  I have yet to see 9 mm lower than 0.30/round.

For 115gr 9mm:

 

https://www.bestowtraininggroup.com/products/fiocchi-9ap-762344001623-762344001623-300-5560

 

https://sentryammo.com/norma-9mm-fmj-115gr-pistol-ammunition-1000-rounds-loose-pack-free-ammo-can/

 

https://southerndefense.com/norma-9mm-ammunition-fmj-115-gr-1000ct-no-cc-fee-plus-free-ammo-can-loose-pack/

 

 

[Don_B]

21 hours ago, Boomstick303 said:

 

Agreed!

I'm helping all I can. I stopped buying primers about 3 years ago!

But I will buy some more when prices get back to normal. 

[Boomstick303]

23 hours ago, Flea said:

For 115gr 9mm:

 

Have you purchased from any of these places?  That seems way too good of a deal to be true.  Especially when the rest of the world is around 0.30 a round.

 

Has anyone on this thread ordered from any of these places?

[HOGRIDER]

18 hours ago, Boomstick303 said:

 

Have you purchased from any of these places?  That seems way too good of a deal to be true.  Especially when the rest of the world is around 0.30 a round.

 

Has anyone on this thread ordered from any of these places?

@Boomstick303

Seems you can buy private label 115g for ~$0.205 a round according to AmmoSeek.  Have no idea as to the quality of the components!

 

https://ammoseek.com/ammo/9mm-luger

 

Browsing through this thread I have to agree with some of the long-term reloaders in that it's a hobby within itself.  And I'm sure that most veteran reloaders would have stocked their shelves heavily with primers, powder, bullets, brass, etc back in 2016 when all this BS started!

 

My PRIMARY reason for reloading is, as has been mentioned, I can tailor my loads for individual guns; and most times come up with a load that will shoot/function fine in several of my pistols!  As one that loads for ACCURACY along with functionality, I have yet to shoot any premium, name-brand ammo (9mm) that can match the results I can get with my reloads.

 

[warpspeed]

115gr Blazer Brass is $ 300 / K shipped to CA 

 

My cost to reload using range brass is about $ 175 

 

I'll keep reloading

[Sinister4]

Federal syntec 28.00 a box , my reloads aprox 24-25 cents a round or 13.00 a box   and I like my reloads better so yeah  i`ll always reload  

Edited November 6, 2022 by Sinister4

[Zachjet]

4 minutes ago, Sinister4 said:

Federal syntec 28.00 a box , my reloads aprox 24-25 cents a round or 13.00 a box   and I like my reloads better so yeah  i`ll always reload  

That’s a good point.  I haven’t seen syntec cheap(for the times) in a long time..  

[Sinister4]

2 minutes ago, Zachjet said:

That’s a good point.  I haven’t seen syntec cheap(for the times) in a long time..  

 And the other thing is I compare apples to apples,  ie I want 147/150 grain coated or plated, federal small pistol primers, good clean powder (N320) and name brand brass

[mrvip27]

Spiked power factors in PCCs are lame.

 

Tuned ammo is

[Farmer]

I remember when Blazer was the affordable practice ammo and now is the same price as everything else. 

[CC3D]

I'm loading .40 for around 20 cpr right now, I'd be loading 9 for like 17.. off the shelf prices are still like 30-40+ cpr most places. IMO reloading is worth it even if it costs the same as factory. Being able to tune ammo to my gun (especially shooting lim major) is a huge benefit. I'm spending about the same amount of time reloading 500 rounds as I would be to drive to and from bass pro to get factory anyway lol 

[Sinister4]

2 minutes ago, CC3D said:

I'm spending about the same amount of time reloading 500 rounds as I would be to drive to and from bass pro to get factory anyway lol 

Yup and you have to add in 2 gallons of diesel as well  as your time 

 

[Flea]

On 11/5/2022 at 8:48 PM, Boomstick303 said:

 

Have you purchased from any of these places?  That seems way too good of a deal to be true.  Especially when the rest of the world is around 0.30 a round.

 

Has anyone on this thread ordered from any of these places?

I have not bought from those places...I live in NJ and Bestrow won't ship there. For over two years I've bought stuff (thousands of rounds) exclusively online from places like Tactical Surplus, Shaw Armament, Saint Barbs and Recoil Gunworks. Anything is possible, but I've yet to be F'd over. And I'm referring to decent 9mm 115gr, 124gr, 147gr and 150gr. 115gr stuff was 22 cents to 28 cents per round before shipping.

[RudyVey]

Still worth for me, just opened a box of primers I got in 12/2018, I had loaded up with powders when Vectan's were on sale. Only bullets are now more than before. So, I think my loads for 9 mm are something like 16 cents a pop (bullet 12, primer 3 and powder 1 cent - Prima V gives me approx 2000 rounds per bottle, $20 a bottle at 500 gram weight). And .45 is about 23 cents (17 cents a bullet, primer 3 cents and powder 3). Should be good for a few years with my stash.

[Racinready300ex]

On 11/4/2022 at 9:20 PM, Flea said:

For 115gr 9mm:

 

https://www.bestowtraininggroup.com/products/fiocchi-9ap-762344001623-762344001623-300-5560

 

https://sentryammo.com/norma-9mm-fmj-115gr-pistol-ammunition-1000-rounds-loose-pack-free-ammo-can/

 

https://southerndefense.com/norma-9mm-ammunition-fmj-115-gr-1000ct-no-cc-fee-plus-free-ammo-can-loose-pack/

 

 

 

$70 shipping seems high on a case of ammo.

[Joe4d]

yeh, you gotta watch some of these discount places... Common scam from slimeballs.
Advertise a low price but then pad the snot out of  shipping and handling.

[Racinready300ex]

5 minutes ago, RudyVey said:

Still worth for me, just opened a box of primers I got in 12/2018, I had loaded up with powders when Vectan's were on sale. Only bullets are now more than before. So, I think my loads for 9 mm are something like 16 cents a pop (bullet 12, primer 3 and powder 1 cent - Prima V gives me approx 2000 rounds per bottle, $20 a bottle at 500 gram weight). And .45 is about 23 cents (17 cents a bullet, primer 3 cents and powder 3). Should be good for a few years with my stash.

 

I would probably calculate my price based on the cost to replace the primers I'm using not what was paid for them. Unless you don't plan to replace them and are just going to burn up your stock and stop shooting. The primers your using are worth 10 cents even if you paid 3. 

[Flea]

9 minutes ago, Racinready300ex said:

 

$70 shipping seems high on a case of ammo.

I've never paid $70 for shipping ammo. My last online ammo orders were for 300 to 450 rounds and the most I paid was $15.

[Boomstick303]

21 minutes ago, Racinready300ex said:

$70 shipping seems high on a case of ammo.

 

So we are in a sense still around 0.30 a round.

Edited November 7, 2022 by Boomstick303

[GigG]

I followed the link from ammoseek above and the cheapest had this at the bottom of the page.

 

© 2022, socalammo Powered by Shopify

 

Unless Shopify has changed their rules significantly that page should be taken down soon because Shopify doesn't allow Ammo or pretty much anything else firearms related.

[Sigarmsp226]

$299.95 shipped for Federal 124gr FMJ

 

https://aimsurplus.com/products/federal-american-eagle-9mm-124grn-fmj-ammunition-50rd-box-copy

 

But I will continue to reload for all of the reasons previously mentioned in this thread….

Edited November 8, 2022 by Sigarmsp226

[Zachjet]

7 minutes ago, Sigarmsp226 said:

$299.95 shipped for Federal 124gr FMJ

 

https://aimsurplus.com/products/federal-american-eagle-9mm-124grn-fmj-ammunition-50rd-box-copy

 

But I will continue to reload for all of the reasons previously mentioned in this thread….

That’s nice.   I literally just started reloading, and I can’t believe how soft  my 135g/130pf shoot compared to factory loads 

[JoeMKY]

I'm going to keep loading.  I just loaded up 1300 115g 9mm for 299.  I've bought factory 1k 9mm for about the same price recently, but I don't have to do shipping and I get 300 rounds extra.  This batch had the newer cost of primers on it, bought brass instead of free range brass and some blue bullets.  The powder is the only thing that was pre pandemic prices.  If I just used brass collected at the range, I could have saved 4 cents, or $52 total.