So I could crunch the numbers myself to find out if a reloading bench all that goes with it and the supplies would save me alot of cash for a relatively cheap bullet or I could get on here and ask. Reason why I dont crunch the numbers? I dont know what cast is, I dont know the lingo..I just learned what the primer is and how much they are per 1000. So to save some time and effort...

If I bought a 100 dollar bench and spend lets say a year reloading my 9mm, giving the variables that I cannot produce and including the fact I can buy in bulk and save more...

I shoot around 400 rounds a month..when the wife lets me.
At 11 dollars for 115gr federal target fmj per box of 50 how much could I save?

Is 9mm gonna save me only 10% annually or 30% I think thats my question.

Somewhat depends on what you want to do. If you are content reloading cast lead bullets and buy your powder & primers wisely, you should easily be able to build 9mm target loads for $5/box. As long as you keep your press/tool investment to $150-$200, You'll be in good shape.

If you want/need to reload jacketed bullets and or get choosy about component brand, your savings go fast. Spend more on equipment and they can go away all togeather for a long time.


Assumptions:
Primers -2.5 cents/round based on $25/1000
Powder-1.2 cents/round based on $22/pound
Bullets- 6 cents/round based on $60/1000
brass-free range pick-ups

In short: Approx 10 cents/round or $5/50.
That's about 60% savings not counting the costs of your press, dies, scale , calipers and (of course) time.

All that said, you might shoot allot more if ammo is cheap :-)

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Dave

I think Wee Hooker gave a excellent estimation of cost.

You have to look at it more than just saving some money although that of course is important. If all you shoot is a few boxes of 9mm and have no other calibers maybe reloading is not for you. If you can afford the ammo you shoot now and probable increase in the future (9mm is just coming down a little but of course will go up) Then maybe it's not worth the investment of dies, a press and the misc stuff.

If you think of it as a hobby and something you be interested in and possibly load different calibers, then yes it is worth it.
You can get a basic turret price and some dies without breaking the bank and be reloading in no time.

Here is a recent thread:

Thinking of reloading. How much would I save?

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Still Running Against the Wind

I doubt if I've saved anything by reloading. However I shoot more than I would if I was committed to factory ammo. I'm able to shoot some calibers that ammo is usually not available and I'm not dependent on what the local store has in stock. 9x19 is one of the caliber I load for and I cast my own bullets, so my cost is even less. One recent lesson about reloading is pick your time and stock up when the price is right.

I don't shoot enough 9MM to make it worth my while (yet) to reload it but I do shoot quite a bit of 38 spl. Here how I figured it.

• One case of commercial ammo = $299/1000 (Speer Lawman brand from Ammoman)
• Reload each case at least five times
• Powder @ $20/lb (7000 gr)
• Primers @ $30/1000
• Bullets @ $110/1000 (Berry's 158 gr RNFP)

For 5000 reloads my component cost is
Powder 85.71 (6 gr/each)
Primers 150.00
Bullets 550.00
Total 785.71

Add the initial cost of $299 and 6000 rounds comes to $1084.71 or $0.18/round or $181/K. That's about a 40% savings.

The above capitalizes the equipment and does not include things like depreciation, electricity and such because I'm too lazy to figure it out tonight.

To me, Wee Hooker's numbers are spot on. Now I would probably say $70 shipped for 1000 boolits, but they will be of the cast type. But my powder costs are lower.

Powder 3.6 grains (bought 8lbs @ $135), so that's $0.0087 cents per shot
Boolit 125 Gr LCRN $0.07 per shot (will be casting my own soon and expect the price to fall dramatically)
Primer ($35 per 1000, includes sales tax) so $0.035 per shot.
And I get all of the 9mm brass that I'll ever need by picking it up, now I did buy the Lee buster kit (all of $15, have crimp die anyway) to ensure Glock cases aren't an issue.

So my costs are $5.70 per 50 or $114 per thousand, even round up a tick to include tumbling costs and what not. But I think it's well worth it, compared to even the cheapest 9mm, which is what, $12 per 50 which is $240 per thousand?

Lastly, consider that shooting lead cast boolits (which I don't have any leading problems with my load) is much easier on your barrel. It's estimated (this is just what I've heard and it makes sense to me) that the standard lead cast boolit needs to be shot 4 times to equal the equivalent wear of just 1 shot copper jacketed bullet at the same velocity.

Well, that is alot to digest. Thank you all who have given their 2 red cents. I do appreciate it. So, if I pick the right times to buy, and buy in large quantities its expected that I'd only pay 114-125 in reloading.
I need to look up a few lingo words to make everything connect..for instance how come everyone uses the word boolits, when did they change the spelling from bullets? Still learning guys. Thanks again!

I shoot 9 MM plated and the cost breakdown is:
Berry's Bullets $95 per thousand.
CCI primers $30 per thousand on sale.
Powder .015 per charge or $15 per thousand.

Total cost is about $140 per thousand or $7 per 50. If you need numbers to take to your wife, then the above will be accurate

- theoretically -

Because in reality you will shoot much more than you do now - we all do.

It's not an addiction, I can quit any time I want to.

Really.

No seriously, stop laughing, I can.

Hey Guys, that's not funny, cut it out.

Boolit is internet lingo that is used in some forums to differentiate between a cast bullet and a jacketed bullet...the cast one referred to as a boolit...bullet is the proper English word for either projectile.

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Have .44, will travel

TheHobbiest, sorry for the boolit lingo, I am a member of the cast boolit forum and have used that spelling ever since.

First off a disclaimer, I hate reloading 9 mm, that small stubby case is a PITH (pain in the hand) to seat bullets in. To me 9 mm has not reached the price point to make reloading worth it. I have brass and bullets saved for the day when it does but at $10-11 a box it is no way near there yet. Now if 9 mm is your only caliber and you want to use it as an entry into reloading go for it, it may prove useful as you acquire more S&W's in other calibers more suitable to reload for. ;-)

Blujax01 is spot on.
Another reason to get into reloading as a hobby is the occasional scarceity of ammo. As ammo runs/hording happen the price goes up and supply dwindles. If you reload you can keep enough components on hand to weather the run.
I also enjoy reloading as a hobby. I started with an old Herters press and some Green Dot powder I got from my dad. Now I am getting setup to cast my own boolits As someone else said in the forumn " I don't reload to shoot - I shoot to reload"

Handloading Cost Calculator

Even with today's prices I came up with 4.78 per box of 50 using that. Purchase in bulk and you could trim that down.

I put a few things away before prices went so high. If I'd had any idea.

My costs mirror what's reported above.

Using precast lead, local cost for 9s typically are under a nickle each. Using jacketed version doubles that cost. All the other costs of building your own reloads remain pretty constant, regardless of which projectile you use.

I too do not care for loading 9mm OR 40 S&W. They aren't hard to do, just not as satisfying as say, 38 special.

Hand loading 380s, for some unknown reason, is more enjoyable than 9mm....although very similar in most physical aspects, they seem to be "more enjoyable" to *me*. YMMV.

In the end, learning to build consistent, reliable, accurate reloads, is a fascinating hobby which helps to clarify the mind, sharpen the eye and steady the hand.

There are rewards far beyond the mere cost of the ammunition, IMHO.

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Dum vivimus Vivamas

I'll stand by my #'s. Buy inexpensive Wolf Primers, common brand powder by the #, and cast (Missouri brand) bullets by the 2000 lot and you'll keep it under $5/box.

I'll also agree that reloadign becomes more then just saving $.

That said, Stick with something like a Lee Turret press kit and you'll keep you press costs to what can be recouped in just a 3-4 months.
Search here and you'll find all the equipment info you'll ever need.

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Dave

Thanks, thats the kinda infor I was looking into just now. Glad I read here first. Cheap brands and such to get started. I wont say that It wont become a hobby reloading, but I will try to keep this "hobby" as a means to be cheaper with my 9mm habit...although I can see myself getting into it more later on down the road.

Honestly its quite scary, for lack of a better word. The thought of making bullets, smokless powder under high pressure, dealing with explosives. A little hesitant. I guess I'd be crazy not to be cautious.

I am setting up to run a batch of 1000 380s this weekend and here are my prices:

1000 cast bullets purchased on-line, $70 delivered.
1000 Wolf Primers $18.50 delivered
1000 charges of BE @ 3.0 gns $5.18
Total $93.68 per 1000 or <$5.00 per box.

9x19 I cast my own boolits but use 0.50 gns more powder, so about $25 per 1000 of 9x19. OK, that looks too cheap but I don't see my math error.

Back when I saw the way the 2008 election was going I bought SEVERAL 1000 Wolf primers @17.50 a 1000 and a couple 8lb kegs of my favorite powder including an 8lb keg of BE for $90. So even factoring shipping that skews the numbers a little. But even at todays prices casting my own it should be easy to stay under $40 per K. Of course I could have taken the money I spent on powder and primers at that time and invested in the stock market. The net loss would have been about the same but I would not have had near as much fun.

As you see there are a lot of us who like to crunch the numbers! lol

Here is a great Cost Calculator so you can do the Math easily. You are probably surprised at how much less it costs to reload than buy factory ammo. (now that is) About 5 years ago it was almost not worth reloading for the .38 Special or especially for the 9mm. The last case of .38 special ammo I bought was Remington 130gr UMC ammo and it cost me only $4.29/box when I bought the case. That was only about 3.5 to 4 years ago!!! Now the cheapest .38 Special ammo I've seen is $17.99/box. I can reload a box of 50 .38 Specials with current component prices for $4.55/box. With the components I bought before the "shortage" I can load a box for $4.02/box. Your savings will be similar with the 9mm. (4.52/box for lead, $5.82/box for FMJ)

Back when I bought those .38 Specials 9mm ammo was even cheaper. If I can remember correctly it was $3.49/box with the case. Like I said, not really worth reloading and at the time I can't remember anyone reloading 9mm ammo unless they wanted something very accurate or with less recoil for competition. You can probably save $10/box on your 9mm ammo which means you will save $80/month on ammo. That will add up quickly although if you're like the rest of us you will shoot more because you can make more ammo for the same price as when you were buying factory ammo!!

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Good point ArchAngleCD, I didn't reload 9x19 or 38 Special either when they were <$5 per box. Those days I was reloading 32 WCF and 41 Mag because even then it was not inexpensive to buy factory ammo in those calibers. Or odd stuff that factory ammo was usually not available for.

YES, you should be cautious. This is why a turret press is a good choice. it slows the process down just enough for you to watch everything that's going on. Yet, it's fast enough to meet your 400 rd/mo needs without marrieing you to the machine. Pretty much all the info you need can be got right here. Just stick to known recipies (without waiver) and pay attention and you'll be fine.( AND get allot of satisfaction out of it. )
Enjoy!

p.s. It should be noted that if your reloading for a glock with factory barrel, you'll need to use plated vs cast lead. Otherwise lead is the way to go IMHO.

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Dave

Two points about 9 mm, factory loaded ammo is available for around $10 and most lead bullets are not very accurate in this caliber. I recall an issue of Handloader magazine where they had a heck of a time getting good lead bullet loads. Had to go with a larger than normal sized bullet to get them to group OK.

I actually enjoy reloading. but have never had much luck with lead in the 9mm. I just loaded 1k rounds of Berry's plated bullets, but have not tried them yet. I can get Blazers locally for 9 to 10 per 50 and have been stockpiling those.

Would be happy to load lead 9's if I could find a good load that didn't lead the barrels. I shoot Smith, BHP's, Glock and Sig 9's.

For 9x19 I size my bullets to .358 and have no leading issues. On the surface this is contrary to conventional wisdom, but in the 9x19 loads in my Lyman book they also use .358 cast projectiles. I suspect a lot of people that feel they are successful loading cast 9x19 are using .357-.358 bullets.

That's what I was thinking. I don't want to start a cast vs. jacketed war and be the recipient of all the outrage, but I have never seen a cast load that shot as well as a good jacketed load in 9mm. Up close, the cast load may be sufficient. At any distance, 25-50 yards, they suffer and jacketed seems to do much better. JMHO and if you disagree, I can live with it.

Some other observations:
1. My time is worth something.
2. A new Dillon 550 will cost about $600.
3. Right now, you can usually buy good quality 9x19 for $9-$10 per box if you order it in quantity and watch prices. I cannot make much better 9mm ammo than some of this $9-$10 per box stuff. It is excellent.

I figure my 9mm jacketed loads cost about $7.50/box with good quality jacketed bullets (and free brass). It's going to take roughly 15000 rounds to recover the cost of that Dillon. If you put even a nominal price on your time, correspondingly more.

Handloading saves the most money in the big calibers, and the less popular ones - 44 Magnum, for example. The real oddballs, like 41 Magnum, even more so.

I am pretty sure I would not bother with handloading if I mostly shot 9mm. The current cost of jacketed bullets is much higher and the cost of good quality factory ammunition is much lower than they used to be, comparatively. Junk factory ammunition is not worth buying at any price, unless all you intend to do with your shooting is make noise.

About the cheapest online prices I see are at Natchez for Blazer Ammo (aluminum) for $10 a box. For brass 10.49.
I put 20 boxes in my cart and estimated shipping is $22.38 plus their little $4.00 fee so lets call it $238 for a case.

$238/20=$11.90 a box of 50 for Blazer brass.

Yes, there may be somewhere a few bucks cheaper but Natchez has some of the lowest price.

Reloading even 9mm will save you 50%! Do the math. So one case of 9mm will save about enough to get a simple Lee Turret press KIT (not the classic press which is a little better) which is $100. Buy a set of dies and a better scale and you are reloading.

I do not know where the "lead bullets are not accurate in 9mm" but I disagree with that completely. I shoot enough of them in 9, 40 and 45 and they are as good or better than plated or fmj.

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Still Running Against the Wind

One thing for me is I do not like to pick auto brass up off the ground. And at the range you are getting a mixed bag a lot of the time IE other folks junk etc . This being said I reload for revolvers all the time and get good value out of MY brass and I don,t have to be on my knees etc bending over.So for me I love .22 autos and revos of coarse but 9mm is the biggest auto I shoot and you my have my brass off the ground. I buy 1000 rds of decent practice 9 mm a year for what $225-$250 and its done. Just works for me Hip replacement- bad back etc.Its my logic for my needs.

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T. Johnson

You only shoot 9mm? Wow, you need more guns.

It was a lot easier to see the savings for me to start reloading.
Having 38 Special/357 Mag, 44 Special/44 Mag, 45acp, as well as 9mm, ammo costs are considerable. I never had more than 2 or 3 boxes of 44 revolver ammo on hand because of the high cost. Now having over 1000 44 Special and 44 Magnum rounds on hand, ready to go, gives me a warm feeling inside. Also 45acp is the cheapest large caliber handgun ammo available, but still, reloading brings the cost way down. Plus being able to load light 45acp target loads, that are easier to shoot than hardball, makes it so pleasant that I now shoot more 45 than 9mm at this time.

I do still load 9mm at about $5.00 per box of 50 115g FMJ. If ammo prices ever come down that low, I may go back to buying factory ammo but, I doubt it ever will.

Precision Delta has 115 grain 9mm FMJ bullest available for $74.00 per 1000 shipped, if you order 2000 at a time. I always look for good deals for bullets, powder, primers, and brass. Deals can be found at gun shows, the internet gunboards, craigslist, even posted at ranges.
Buy in quantity, whenever you find a deal.

Jessie, a member of this forum (NKJ nut) has some magic bullets that don't lead even when pushed hard. Take a look over at Tennessee Valley Bullets. You won't be sorry...

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Hello, Ive reached a decision.

I've looked into a cheap lee single stage and searched alot of good sites and some local stores for bulk ammo and what ive found out is....
You just cant beat walmart prices atm.

I went to walmart and found 100 jhp federal for 18 bucks. Ive found 50 115 fmj target BRASS for 9 bucks per 50.
If I was to do the intial cost and investment in a kit for 9mm and the press and a tumbler and such It would take me 9 months to make money back.

So what Im gonna do is...wait. I will just buy brass bullets for target shooting and save them, ill check with the range master when I go to the range and see if I can hands and knee my way some more brass cases. And when I have such a large stockpile of brass, then I think would be a great time to start investing in handloading.
I do like the idea of always having a supply. And the freedom that comes with handloading is alluring.

just a hint Missouri Bullet co. offers 115, 125, and 147 really good cast bullets for 9mm. $60.00 per K for the 115s, their service and product can't be beat.

Missouri Bullet Company

I read here that it takes 12 months ... 18 months ... 3 years to recoup your original cost.

That's called a long term investment.

Used to be a common concept here in America.

Think about it. Three years hence you're at this forum typing on the computer about how you wish you were only paying what you were way back in "Naught 11" and you still won't have a press, the price of which will no doubt also go up.

My advice is to invest some capital and get on it now.

If you're still on the fence about reloading at least buy the book "The ABC's of Reloading" and read it front to back, then read it again. You'll be ahead of the game if you decide it's a hobby you'd like to take up.

Reloading economics is very simple to understand.

You do not save money reloading ammuntion

Now get over it. What you do is search for the "GoldenLoad", have ammo available when you want it, have something to do on a 'non-range' day, have another hobby that consumes incredible amounts of time, and shoot a lot more.

How do you save money when there are Dillon 450, Dillon 550, (2) RCBS Rock Chuckers, and a Lee press in the loading room? Thirty-five die sets, 21 bullet molds, 2 Lymn 450 bullet sizers, 70 K primers, 75 # of powder, and a gun show next weekend -- now tell me how do you save money?? And you never say "No" to a good deal.

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S&WHF 366

Since I have been reloading for over 40 years I have amortized the amount of monies I have spend.
As I cast my own bullets Etc my cost for a box of 50, .45 ACP rounds is $2.71.

All costs are included except for my labor.

My reason for casting & reloading = What ammo shortage?????

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Semper FI

Besides the cost saving (BTW I have a Lee turret, a Lee anniversary, and a Lee hand press, which is the one I use for 9 mm), the real reason I reload is because it upsets so many people. Cast 'em, too.

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and what his trumpet saith