Why is Wolf 45acp so expensive?

[isaidme1]

Call me late to the party but ive been looking for alternatives to shooting $18 boxes of ammo. Never really payed much attention to the Wolf line until now. So im online trying to find Wolf pistol ammo only to find that the "bimetal" rounds are as expensive as your typical brass ammo. Whats up with that?

 

[Moonman]

Don't know, maybe it's time you learned to CAST and LOAD your own,

 

[isaidme1]

Idk about casting but im getting just about desperate enough to start re-loading.

 

[brucev]

Try Tula. The Tula .45 ACP 230 gr. FMJ's at Wal-Mart are $14.97 plus tax in my area. They work very well in my 625-2. Fully equal to domestic ball ammo. HTH. Sincerely. brucev.

 

[Dragon88]

If you want to shoot a lot of 45 ACP for a reasonable price, you need to roll your own. Factory 9mm is somewhat tolerable at Wal-Mart or online prices, but not the larger calibers...

 

[Steve C]

Why is Wolf 45acp so expensive?

The majority of the cost in making a round of ammunition is the bullet and the cost of the material to make the bullet. .45's are more expensive than .38's and 9mm's because the bullet is generally heavier (185gr to 230gr) and the price of lead and copper is a major driver of the price.

Tied to the demand for .45 acp ammo and you get high prices.

 

[isaidme1]

Thanks guys. Im going to give Tula a try untill I can get a reloading set up I guess. Been putting and putting it off! Just was a shock to me that Wolf ammo is so high, kinda defeats its purpose.

 

[whelenshooter]

.45 ACP is one of the easiest cartridges in the world to reload. You should get some gear and get started. One thing nice about the .45 ACP is that it is a relatively low pressure cartridge so cases last darned near forever and never seem to stretch enough to need trimming. I've never trimmed a .45 ACP case, and I have cases I've been reloading regularly since 1977! They have been fired in semi-autos so many times the ejectors have marked the head of the case until you can no longer read the headstamp, and these cases are still going strong!

If you have a good lead source, you can save the most money by casting your own bullets. Of course that takes more gear, and it also takes time. Before I retired I never had the time, so I bought ready made cast bullets. By buying cast bullets you can still save money over shooting jacketed bullets. Plated bullets are half way between the cost of cast and jacketed bullets and, out of the .45 ACP, can be fired as fast as the cartridge is capable without problems. (Most plated bullet makers say not to push them over 1200 fps. You would have to push a light bullet hard to hit 1200 fps out of a .45 ACP, and you probably don't want to use a light bullet out of a .45 ACP anyway.) I use a lot of plated bullets because they are cleaner than cast bullets, they work extremely well, and because they ARE cheaper.

Whelenshooter

 

[ArchAngelCD]

The majority of the cost in making a round of ammunition is the bullet and the cost of the material to make the bullet. .45's are more expensive than .38's and 9mm's because the bullet is generally heavier (185gr to 230gr) and the price of lead and copper is a major driver of the price.

Tied to the demand for .45 acp ammo and you get high prices.

While I won't disagree with you there I have to add not all the price increases over the past 4 years are due to component and material price increases. Some, possibly half the increases are ammo companies taking advantage of us because of the scare that followed the election of Obama. Half is due to materials and the other half is them taking advantage of the situation.

 

[photoman]

Call me late to the party but ive been looking for alternatives to shooting $18 boxes of ammo. Never really payed much attention to the Wolf line until now. So im online trying to find Wolf pistol ammo only to find that the "bimetal" rounds are as expensive as your typical brass ammo. Whats up with that?

Funny thing is... Those $18 boxes of .45 acp are rather cheap by today's standards. Even before the madness started six or seven years ago, a box of ball .45 was $13 or $14 plus tax.

 

[isaidme1]

Not to go into politics but im thinking ArchAngelCD is spot on. Wolf ammo should be at least $3 cheaper per box then any brass ammo.

 

[nipster]

You all know that Tula and Wolf is the same right? Made in the same factory, same parent company. Any difference in price is pure marketing.

Allegedly some indoor ranges with certain backstops are not letting people shoot wolf/tula because it's actually a copper coated steel jacket and is harder on certain backstops.

I tend to refuse to shoot at places like this, but keep it in mind. There was a guy who recently spouted off on a local shooting forum about not being able to shoot at a certain local range after they banned wolf/tula. This after he recently bought a few thousand rounds and cant shoot at the range he has a membership at. He wasnt too happy.

 

[Loy Loyola]

expensive and dirty too!

 

[RussellD]

Dillon to the rescue....You need to find a grumpy old man to teach you how to reload. 12.00 per hundred for match grade ammo using a 200 grain SWC. Less recoil, more accurate, and much cleaner to shoot..

 

[Frank46]

I was in a small local gun shop and was checking out prices. Estate box of 50 45acp 230 grain round nosed was $22 and change. The fiochii was 24 and change for the same weight bulet. So it would seem to me that $18 a box is a bargain. However I do reload and can pare those costs down considerably. get a Dillion square deal set up in 45acp for about $389 or so and start reloading as soon as possible. One tip, buy in bulk. Wether its for bullets, cases, primers,,,you do save money that way. I had a buddy who would only buy a brick of primers when he needed them, same with powder couple cans at a time, same for bullets. We used to hit up our favorite dealer and would walk out with 6-8000 hard cast bullets at a time. Even the corn cob tumbling media. Don't buy it in a ten pound bag. Go to the biggest welding supply shop and you should get a 50lb bag for about $25 or so.
Frank

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Buying in bulk is a very good idea. You can normally get a better deal when buying more at one time...

 

[isaidme1]

Thanks everyone! Reloading is in my near future.