ColoradoNick Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 Currently buying remanufactured 9mm 147gr for $0.25/round with a power factor of 139. I'm getting remanufactured 135gr 9mm with a PF of 128 for 32 cents a round shipped. I can't tell a noticeable difference between the two and both have been flawless for a 4-5000 rounds so far. My plan has been to use the lower power factor for matches only, and I'm trying to do 3-4 events a month. Then using the 147gr for practice and bowling pin matches as well as a backup if I run out of the 135gr. I usually shoot 2-3 times a week including matches. I'm trying to decide in todays gun climate how much is enough to keep on hand. Right now I have about 5000 rounds of the 147, and 800 of the 135's. What do you guys keep on hand and what's your lower limit before you reorder? Lately I've been ordering twice a month and I can save some money on shipping if I start to order more quarterly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nazzy Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 I think this answer is determined by your wallet and how much you want to keep playing if the prices spike again. I asked this question to the friends I usually squad with and answers range to “at least 10k” to “I don’t remember because I haven’t done inventory in several years” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoNick Posted March 3, 2023 Author Share Posted March 3, 2023 12 minutes ago, nazzy said: I think this answer is determined by your wallet and how much you want to keep playing if the prices spike again. I asked this question to the friends I usually squad with and answers range to “at least 10k” to “I don’t remember because I haven’t done inventory in several years” I've got the wife convinced to let me hang on to half that.... I'm going to try and at least double it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nazzy Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 22 minutes ago, ColoradoNick said: I've got the wife convinced to let me hang on to half that.... I'm going to try and at least double it Is Mrs ColoradoNick into shooting also? If you get her to participate you likely will get the greenlight to bolt a press to the dining room table and stack components as deep as you want, but then your consumption rate will at least double. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoNick Posted March 3, 2023 Author Share Posted March 3, 2023 51 minutes ago, nazzy said: Is Mrs ColoradoNick into shooting also? If you get her to participate you likely will get the greenlight to bolt a press to the dining room table and stack components as deep as you want, but then your consumption rate will at least double. Lol Hahahaha yes she is but we also have an 18 month old that consumes most of our free time! She's shooting her first bowling pin match next week and I'm trying to get her to watch a uspsa event on Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHicks Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 If you're going to shoot any major matches where they chrono your ammo the 128pf is cutting it close. Also how much do you go through in a years time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoNick Posted March 3, 2023 Author Share Posted March 3, 2023 (edited) 7 hours ago, MHicks said: If you're going to shoot any major matches where they chrono your ammo the 128pf is cutting it close. Also how much do you go through in a years time? agreed, and I am doing to level II matches with Chrono later this year. Currently using about 1500 rounds a month. Edited March 3, 2023 by ColoradoNick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnipTheDog Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 You can make about 1,000 rounds an hour on a Dillon 1100 if you're properly set up and prepared. If you have more money than time, this won't save you money but will allow you to knock out what you're shooting fairly quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHicks Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 If I was shooting 1500 rounds a month and could afford it I'd want a years supply. Meanwhile see if deals improve and stock up further. At some point if prices looked like they were headed up, stock up before ot gets out of hand. Of course that's a guessing game. But I reload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkresho Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 (edited) I'll preface with the point that I'm a lower level shooter with high ambitions this season. Unclassified but shooting in the b arena based on the scores last season. Hundreds of hours of dryfire in the off-season with lots of focused range time as well... My recommendation is to look into reloading as a viable and financially responsible option is to roll your own. I will elaborate on what it costs me to load: Thrown down the change for a decent progressive press. Get a decent case and bullet feeder and figure out what your annual component cost will end up being. I kinda want to say I spent may be $2k on my press (locknload AP, with case feeder and added the mr Bullet feeder). You'll get lots of dillon recommendations (or fancier), which is totally a viable option also. For me, i plan out a weekly range trip at about 250 rounds a pop. A bit more some days and a bit less others. I do twice a month tactial classes (at my local range to work on movement and reloads) at maybe 50 rounds each. That gives me an off-season round count of 1100. Annually, offseason yields 13,200 by itself. Then we get to the matches, so montly 1-2 matches between march and october for me (northeastern US) at maybe 200 rounds each so a high of 1600 with a low of 800. Round up, so i'm at about 15,000 a year. I do like the RMR 147 grainers so 15000 x 10.3 cents is about $1600 in just bullets, then we need to move to primers. At the current market rate, you're looking at about $90 per k, so 15000 is gonna run you about $1350. Bullets and primers are up to $2950 powder is going to be the other non-flexible cost here. Figure in 3.4 grains (my current load of N320 behind 147gr projos... You get 7000 grains to a pound of powder, so 15000 rounds is gonna need 51000 grains. That's 7.2 pounds of powder. At about $30-$40 a pound, that's $240-$320 (gotta get the 8# jug) So yeah, to me, reloading is a no-brainer here if you're invested in it. Weigh the numbers above against what it'd cost you to buy 15k (or more) outright I didn't even get into brass, but i want to say i spent maybe $100 per K of fully processed (roll sized) brass too to keep a steady supply of ready-to-go brass on hand also. All that said, the real answer to your question (even though i reload) is about 6,000 loaded rounds for me. I keep components on hand and have a constant supply of maybe 4000 clean and ready brass anbd bullets. As i shoot, each month, i replinish my stock with new ammo. If i were buying rather than reloading, i think (for me) i'd keep maybe 5k+ on hand and get antsy if it dipped under 3k. All that said, you can't really get commercially available 147 grain 130 pf ammo for a reasonable price these days. After a season of shooting I've easily played for the hardware Edited March 4, 2023 by nkresho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoNick Posted March 4, 2023 Author Share Posted March 4, 2023 1 hour ago, nkresho said: I'll preface with the point that I'm a lower level shooter with high ambitions this season. Unclassified but shooting in the b arena based on the scores last season. Hundreds of hours of dryfire in the off-season with lots of focused range time as well... My recommendation is to look into reloading as a viable and financially responsible option is to roll your own. I will elaborate on what it costs me to load: Thrown down the change for a decent progressive press. Get a decent case and bullet feeder and figure out what your annual component cost will end up being. I kinda want to say I spent may be $2k on my press (locknload AP, with case feeder and added the mr Bullet feeder). You'll get lots of dillon recommendations (or fancier), which is totally a viable option also. For me, i plan out a weekly range trip at about 250 rounds a pop. A bit more some days and a bit less others. I do twice a month tactial classes (at my local range to work on movement and reloads) at maybe 50 rounds each. That gives me an off-season round count of 1100. Annually, offseason yields 13,200 by itself. Then we get to the matches, so montly 1-2 matches between march and october for me (northeastern US) at maybe 200 rounds each so a high of 1600 with a low of 800. Round up, so i'm at about 15,000 a year. I do like the RMR 147 grainers so 15000 x 10.3 cents is about $1600 in just bullets, then we need to move to primers. At the current market rate, you're looking at about $90 per k, so 15000 is gonna run you about $1350. Bullets and primers are up to $2950 powder is going to be the other non-flexible cost here. Figure in 3.4 grains (my current load of N320 behind 147gr projos... You get 7000 grains to a pound of powder, so 15000 rounds is gonna need 51000 grains. That's 7.2 pounds of powder. At about $30-$40 a pound, that's $240-$320 (gotta get the 8# jug) So yeah, to me, reloading is a no-brainer here if you're invested in it. Weigh the numbers above against what it'd cost you to buy 15k (or more) outright I didn't even get into brass, but i want to say i spent maybe $100 per K of fully processed (roll sized) brass too to keep a steady supply of ready-to-go brass on hand also. All that said, the real answer to your question (even though i reload) is about 6,000 loaded rounds for me. I keep components on hand and have a constant supply of maybe 4000 clean and ready brass anbd bullets. As i shoot, each month, i replinish my stock with new ammo. If i were buying rather than reloading, i think (for me) i'd keep maybe 5k+ on hand and get antsy if it dipped under 3k. All that said, you can't really get commercially available 147 grain 130 pf ammo for a reasonable price these days. After a season of shooting I've easily played for the hardware I really appreciate this post. Makes a lot of sense and it's what I'm going to work towards. What are your thoughts on the hornady press? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkresho Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 I ran a lee loadmaster for about ten years before upgrading to the LNL. It was a little finnicky but got the job done. I'd estimate i maybe loaded about 30k-50k over that time on the Lee. Loaded 9, 45, 357, 10mm, 300blk, 44 mag, and some 223 on it. Toward the end of it's usefulness, the Lee had a really hard time priming 9. Tried all the usual fixes with no sustained success. I ended up single stage sizing, then hand priming my 9, 1000 at a time then running it through the Lee press for all the other functions. Last year i shot my first few matches and realized a need for a higher volume loader. The Lee was just not going to cut it. I settled on 9 for my load of choice and shopped around, reviewing the offerings from dillon (specifically the 750) as well as the LNL ammo plant. I knew i wanted a case feeder and both were basically the same in that aspect. I also wanted a bullet feeder but the hornady had pretty bad overall reviews online. Mr Bullet feeder was to be included in my calculations either way. One issue was with my impatience, the dillon (the conversion kit for 9 and the dies) was not in stock when i was looking but the hornady was. Adding all the items to cart, the hornady was a few hundred dollars less too. Obviously i went with the hornady, got the base model and aded the case feeder, as i wasn't interested in their bullet feeder. Out of the box it loaded the first few thousand rounds with little to no issues. After that i had a few minor annoyances i was able to easily resolve: I added the ultramount, roller handle, and arm (all from inline fab) right as i got the press. I also shortened the overall height of the case feeder because my basement has low ceilings and i wanted to stand while loading. I did get a little bit of powder slinging when it indexed, which was fixed with a shim mod. Had some cases tip a little as they dropped so i 3d printed a new case drop tube. I originally overtightened the (pot metal) bracket that holds the case feeder assy to the press and started having some issues with them not feeding properly, so i called hornady and they sent me a new bracket (for free) that resolved the issue totally. I also printed a little ramp for the case feeder slider that aligns it better when it travels upward i started with the hornady die kit and found the seater was not aligning the bullet perfectly straight, so i upgraded that die to the redding competition. It 99% eliminated my issue of bulged cases with 147s. At this point, i have loaded about 12000 rounds of 9 on the hornady and it's going strong. I'd put it up against a dillon 750 any day. Never clocked myself, but i would guess i am doing maybe 500 rounds per hour give or take. I bought the LNL at the end of September 2022, so that's about 2400 a month, which is keeping pace with my practice schedule while building an inventory of 6000 (presently) with a goal of 10000 on hand. In my experience with the hornady and in reading others' with the dillons, i still stick by the opinion that they're pretty close in terms of overall quality and design. Had it been easier to get the Dillon in my hands when i was ready to order, i imagine i'd have sprung for it instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 All mine was in my boat when it sunk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoNick Posted March 4, 2023 Author Share Posted March 4, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Joe4d said: All mine was in my boat when it sunk Edited March 4, 2023 by ColoradoNick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoNick Posted March 4, 2023 Author Share Posted March 4, 2023 Just got a really good deal on a hornady AP loader from the local pawn shop. $400 brand new, couldn't pass it up. Committed now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkresho Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 This is the way. Congrats on the find. Feel free to message me if you get snagged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoNick Posted March 4, 2023 Author Share Posted March 4, 2023 4 hours ago, nkresho said: This is the way. Congrats on the find. Feel free to message me if you get snagged. Thanks I appreciate the push! Any idea the dimensions of your wooden table off the top of your head? I'm going to order the ultra mount as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkresho Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 It's an old butcher block. Top to floor is 32". depth is 18". I'm 5'6" and it could stand to be like 2" higher for me to load while standing. The handle at rest is at solar plexus level for me. All the way down is about two inches below my hand if I have my shoulders level and my back not bent at all. With my ceiling height at about 6'7" I'm limited by that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zachjet Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 (edited) Don’t fear the LNL. I just into dealing head first. I really have no complaints with my LNL. I haven’t been practicing much, but due to this mild winter we’ve been getting 3-4 matches a month in..I keep 800-1000 rounds of my match ammo on hand. And around the same practice ammo( different primers) that being said. I have enough to powder/primers/bullets/cases to load way more then my years worth of shooting. I just like to load in smaller batches. edit- I also deprime on a Lee app. so I try and keep a plastic shoe box of washed ready to load brass.. And a shoe box of deprimed brass ready to wash. This was even if I run out of ready to go ammo, it doesn’t take much to load a few 100 rounds All of my brass is range pickup, I’ve never bought any Edited March 5, 2023 by Zachjet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lock-n-load Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 10 hours ago, Joe4d said: All mine was in my boat when it sunk Ya Most of my firearms and ammo went down under a huge wave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nazzy Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 On 3/4/2023 at 9:14 AM, ColoradoNick said: Just got a really good deal on a hornady AP loader from the local pawn shop. $400 brand new, couldn't pass it up. Committed now! congrats and welcome to the primer hunt. Seems like they are coming back and staying on the shelves but at $90-100/k so hopefully it will go back to 2019 pricing soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicktater_Pete Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 How much 9mm do I keep on hand? All that exists - what I am able to steal. Life goals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzysights Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 Primer and 9mm ammo prices seem to go up and down as fast as gas prices! When it hits that valley buy,buy, buy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta6 Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 On 3/6/2023 at 8:34 PM, fuzzysights said: Primer and 9mm ammo prices seem to go up and down as fast as gas prices! When it hits that valley buy,buy, buy! I think this is good advice. Stack it deep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lock-n-load Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 (edited) When prices drop I buy cheap and stack deep. then my wife started shootings too……guess I better start Doubleing up on cases! LOL.. Edited March 25, 2023 by Lock-n-load Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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