Cost for reloading 9mm vs. buying new ammo

TheTinMan said:

Handloading 9mm Luger on a single stage press is a waste of time. However, I firmly believe that a single stage press (or a turret press used that way) is the safest introduction to reloading.

A progressive press is a big investment. Learning how to use one safely and effectively to produce consistent ammo is not a trivial endeavor. Plus a production run of less than at least 300 - more likely 500 - isn’t very efficient because of setup and debugging time. Many high volume reloaders seem to have a press set up and dedicated to one specific cartridge. If you’re active in shooting competitions, that makes sense but only because of the production volume and efficiency.

All that said, there have been times in the recent past when you could not find ammunition for sale. Having the components and equipment to make your own at those times is kind of priceless IMHO.

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When I started reloading in 2013 I bought a single stage press. People told me I'd evetually change to progrssive. I still haven't.

I'm not a high volume shooter. I weigh every powder charge. 50 rounds takes me about 20 minutes. I do a batch of 50 at a time to stock up. I have no plans to ever get a progressive. I know it's much faster. I'm just not in a rush and I prefer the safety aspect of a single stage.

reddog81 said:

You can buy 9mm for under $.25 a round. Reloading will be at least $.15 a round. So you save some but a cheap single stage press will knock out 100 rounds an hour if you go at full speed. So you’ll spend an hour or more to save less than $10. How much does he shoot and how free time does he have?

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Even if you aren't going very fast, though, you'll knock out 400 rounds in an hour on a Dillon 650/750, closer to 600 rounds an hour if everything is working smoothly. So, spend an hour to save $50? That's better than I thought!! I'll continue reloading 9mm! And if your math is correct, in only 40 hours I've recouped two grand of my investment in the equipment.

toad67 said:

... I have got my neighbor into shooting and he has a 9 that he is shooting fairly often and is coming down to the end of his ammo stash.
If he was to buy some used equipment and start reloading for his 9, would he be saving enough to make it worthwhile, or should he just continue to buy factory ammo?

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Will he be a high volume shooter? Shooting weekly, monthly and doing local competitions? Over the years I got friends into reloading and most did not last a year or two. Even the ones who were shooting PPC with me.

kbm6893 said:

When I started reloading in 2013 I bought a single stage press. People told me I'd evetually change to progrssive. I still haven't.

I'm not a high volume shooter. I weigh every powder charge. 50 rounds takes me about 20 minutes. I do a batch of 50 at a time to stock up. I have no plans to ever get a progressive. I know it's much faster. I'm just not in a rush and I prefer the safety aspect of a single stage.

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Now you're talking. I've been reloading for 53 years, probably 50 of those years with 9mm. Being a semi-poor college kid I started out with a Whackamole and kept adding more as I added calibers. When my Dad got his .41 Mag and they didn't offer a Lee Loader, then and only then did I get a single stage. And then a second one and a third, so I can reload without having to change the dies in one station.

"Safety Aspect"...that's a big yes. Regardless, the cost of a progressive, to me, is not justified.

toad67 said:

Since I don't own a 9mm, I don't reload for it, but do for many other chamberings.
I have got my neighbor into shooting and he has a 9 that he is shooting fairly often and is coming down to the end of his ammo stash.
If he was to buy some used equipment and start reloading for his 9, would he be saving enough to make it worthwhile, or should he just continue to buy factory ammo?

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No, but he should do it anyway. All through the recent dilemma, I had plenty of 9mm (and all other) ammo. I got caught short on primers and remedied it at a high price. Also learned to re-make primers and produce black powder.

Self reliance is priceless.

9mm Luger Ammo | SGAmmo.com

Right NOW factory ammo is cheap enough to just buy FOR MOST PURPOSES. As others have pointed out reloading allows you to tailor your ammo for what you want it to do.

9mm subsonic factory loads are still fairly expensive. I shoot them for IDPA and out of my suppressed 9mm AR. I load 147 gr flat point coated bullets for about $225/1000.

Until the price of factory subs comes down I'll still load

I stick with standard pressure factory ammo in my Hi-Powers. I don't see a need for +p and will never use the new U.S. military load (M1152?). 39,000 psi? I reloaded 9mm in the past before I understood its pressure and bullet seating depth effects. All 9mm bullets of even the same weight but different manufacturers are not created equal! Eventually, my lack of understanding led to a broken barrel cam; beautifully repaired by Cylinder and Slide (thank you!). The last time I tried reloading 9mm, years ago, I used SAAMI specs as a guide. I worked up until I got 100% function, then stopped; well short of a maximum load.
For me, taking into account how frequently (or infrequently) I shoot 9mm, factory range ammo is not really detrimental cost-wise.

The best argument for reloading is to stay off the radar screen of the control freaks. At this point in my life, working full time and spending about 12 hours of each day on dialysis (home/PD), there simply isn't the time and I have enough money to get ammo in bulk when I want to. It does not look enjoyable to me, but it might be a good use of time after transplant and retirement. I am saving brass as I can just ... in case.

I wish you good luck with the transplant. Afterwards...reloading is a great hobby. and you get a great sense of accomplishment when you find a load that works well...and you know you did it!

I started reloading 9mm on a single stage press. I have since moved on to .45 acp and various revolver cartridge. To me, reloading is as much a part of the firearms hobby as shooting. Its not primarily about saving money. If that was your main goal, you wouldn’t buy guns or fly rods.

If you are loading for pistol, I recommend you start with a turret press. It takes a lot of patience to reload 9mm on a Rockchucker. Currently using a Harrell’s turret press for pistol.

.

ppeeks said:

Even if you aren't going very fast, though, you'll knock out 400 rounds in an hour on a Dillon 650/750, closer to 600 rounds an hour if everything is working smoothly. So, spend an hour to save $50? That's better than I thought!! I'll continue reloading 9mm! And if your math is correct, in only 40 hours I've recouped two grand of my investment in the equipment.

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That's probably about right assuming you want to sink that much money into reloading on top of learning the ins and outs of the process. I've had a couple of friends want to replicate my setup. Once I go through the $$$ outlay and the time it takes even with a progressive the excitement quickly dissipates.

There is a steep learning curve and even once you have the process down, reloading still requires you to pay attention and be acutely aware of what you are doing and why at all times. There are lots of people out there who love this type of hobby, conversely there are many people out there who would find the process tedious and would loose their mind pulling a handle for an hour.

GypsmJim said:

Now you're talking. I've been reloading for 53 years, probably 50 of those years with 9mm. Being a semi-poor college kid I started out with a Whackamole and kept adding more as I added calibers. When my Dad got his .41 Mag and they didn't offer a Lee Loader, then and only then did I get a single stage. And then a second one and a third, so I can reload without having to change the dies in one station.

"Safety Aspect"...that's a big yes. Regardless, the cost of a progressive, to me, is not justified.

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I just use the Hornady Lock N Load bushings so I don't have to reset my dies. Twist out the seating die, and twist in the crimping die. I load in 50 round batches so I seat 50 bullets, twist out the seating die and twist in the crimp die.

kbm6893 said:

I just use the Hornady Lock N Load bushings so I don't have to reset my dies. Twist out the seating die, and twist in the crimping die. I load in 50 round batches so I seat 50 bullets, twist out the seating die and twist in the crimp die.

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I simply hate those bushings. In fact, I pinned one in my press and then JB welded it in place. One of my objectives is to save a few bucks, so I don't need to add an extra cost in the equipment every time I buy a new die set.

For every caliber I load I have more than one type boolit I use. So, they need to be readjusted every time anyway.

Just my way of doing things.

Irreguardfless of cost........Iffen there's none on the shelf to buy.....I can still load my own using my cast bullets.

GypsmJim said:

Now you're talking. I've been reloading for 53 years, probably 50 of those years with 9mm. Being a semi-poor college kid I started out with a Whackamole and kept adding more as I added calibers. When my Dad got his .41 Mag and they didn't offer a Lee Loader, then and only then did I get a single stage. And then a second one and a third, so I can reload without having to change the dies in one station.

"Safety Aspect"...that's a big yes. Regardless, the cost of a progressive, to me, is not justified.

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You have a progressive. You just don't realize it. You use multiple presses to speed things up. Same thing. A Dillon 550 is just four presses in one. You could duplicate your process with a Dillon 550 and just have one press. Your method takes up a lot more bench space. But I get it's not worth it to change once you are where you are.

GypsmJim said:

I simply hate those bushings. In fact, I pinned one in my press and then JB welded it in place. One of my objectives is to save a few bucks, so I don't need to add an extra cost in the equipment every time I buy a new die set.

For every caliber I load I have more than one type boolit I use. So, they need to be readjusted every time anyway.

Just my way of doing things.

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I hate the various bushings too. I mean, how much time do they save you? Screwing a die out and a die in? 15 seconds? On a single stage that's not a big savings in time. The bushings are just a profit center.

6GUNSONLY said:

If 9mm was all I shot, I would not reload.

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Yes and no at the same time from my perspective. I had not been reloading when covid was around, and a few times I was ‘lucky’ to buy two boxes of range 9mm ammo at $50/50 rounds. Eventually I put together reloading kit and components and the wife and I shoot much more economically.

Fast forward to today: At this time reloading 9 is only a few pennies less per round than purchasing commercial range ammo….I’m retired so time is free to me. BUT we have accumulated a generous inventory of both commercial rounds and reloading components (powder bullets primers).

So depending on how future economic winds blow, I think my reloading inventory is a good back up to the stock of commercial ammo I have in storage (and visa-versa).

Burned once. Have a plan B.
Best

I know this is an old thread, but wanted to add my 2 cents.
I've reloaded 9mm since I started shooting it back in the 90's for my 39-2. Through the years (decades actually) I've learned to buy cheap and stack it deep! I still reload 9mm @ $5/box; $10/100. Cheapest factory is $12/box; $24/100.
Primers now are about $65-$75/1,000 and powder about $45/lb. Not sure it would make sense to load at those costs and have to buy the equipment too. But when ammo isn't available off the shelf, you can still shoot if you have the components.

There is soooo much more to this thread than what's been presented here. I have been reloading for more years than I care to count. I started my reloading career and it is a career, loading for 12 ga trap loads. That was the only way I could afford to shoot the number of rounds I was shooting in a week to keep my wife happy. Money was always an issue for us early on along with a couple of kids. Shooting always took a back seat to family expenses and matters. So reloading was my only way to keep shooting. Cops didn't make much back in the day and reloading and working overtime helped cover the expenses.

A few years later I started shooting bullseye pistol events in the winter months. Went crazy and bought a Model 52-2 and started reloading for that pistol to save money. I didn't care for the remanufactured ammunition that one could buy almost everywhere at the time due to the squib loads many experienced, so I bought a used single stage press and went to town. I was a self-taught reloader as there was no internet yet to look for guidance, but I learned early on there was no way to check my reloads performance without a chronograph. Using manuals is simply guessing at a dangerous hobby and I still feel that way today. A chronograph is absolutely necessary for safe reloading, but it doesn't make it completely safe.

Since that time so long ago I have added many more items to my reloading gear that I only dreamed about back in the day. I have a Hornady LNP press that I only use for handgun ammunition and I have a Redding Turret press that I use for rifle loads. All my powder drops for rifle loads get measured thru an Auto-Trickler and it works beautifully. It's very fast and very accurate. All told I load for about 15 different calibers and I even make my own 9MM reloads when I want complete accuracy with no guessing as to where the bullet will end up going. I never have to rely on store bought ammunition, but I will use it for some pistol use in certain situations. I don't re-use range or pick up brass unless it's my own.

I have to shoot an annual pistol qualification for my HR-218 permit and I shoot that with the same ammunition that I carry in my EDC pistols. It's one of the few times I willingly buy store bought ammunition, but I still cringe at the check out counter when I pay for that ammunition.

I have lived through some periods where shooters gave up or almost gave up the sport they loved, because they couldn't buy ammunition for their firearms, or it was ultra expensive when they did find it and couldn't afford it. I never had that problem because I bought components to reload when they were available and I "stocked up" when I could. I have reloading components that I don't touch unless absolutely necessary. Call it my security blanket if you will. Don't say to yourself "if" an ammunition shortage happens again that's when I will worry about it, the fact of the matter is it's only a matter of time when it WILL happen again. Will you be prepared to keep shooting for months or even years if the ammunition shelves are bare at the sporting goods store? Do you have the ability to pay a dollar or two per round or more for your firearms? If you do great than don't worry about reloading.

Even if 9mm ammunition is cheap I for one would still like to have the ability and knowledge to reload for it just in case things change which they no doubt will in the future. A wise man one said, "Don't be lulled into a false sense of security."

Rick H.

I still make all my own ammo. I very rarely if ever shoot new ammo. I use a Lyman Turret Press. I cast all my bullets for the most part. I do buy bullets from time to time if the prices are right (just had a friend gift me 2000 .45 bullets as he is getting out of reloading). Most of my powder and primers were bought years ago from estate sales, cheaply! So my cost to reload is still cheaper than buying new. Also it gives me something to do.