reloading a 9mm

M

matthewmia1

Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Location
ohio
I'm thinking of starting to reload my own ammo.Does anyone known any good site to order from and maybe what site to say away from
 
Register to hide this ad
Most of the folks who reload recommend Powder Valley and while I can find stuff decently priced locally, if I had to order, this would certainly be worth checking out.

Realize that there is such a thing called hazardous material handling fee (hazmat) that adds $27.50 to your order whether you order 1 primer or up to 48 pounds of powder and primers so your costs get reduced if you order in bulk.
 
If you are going to load 9mm, that is probably the round you can buy for the closest to reloaded ammo prices. Reloading offers many benefits of being able to create a load you cannot buy. To me, reloading adds to the shooting experience.

But, reloading equipment costs money. Reloading takes time. To produce the lowest cost reloads, you need to buy in quantity. So as long as you have the time and money to obtain the equipment that is best suited for you, go for it.

Reloading also requires attention to detail and care to avoid issues. It is best done without the distraction of kids, TV, and other competing activities. It is always best to know what you are getting ready to dive in to.
 
What are you planning on ordering, equipment or components?
 
jepp2 makes a good point. I've beeen a reloader for 45 years but recently componants have risen dramatically in price and good reloading equipment has done the same. I'm still using bullets (.270) that I bought for a nickle but I noticed last weekend they are now twenty eight cents each! If 9mm is the only caliber you are plan to reload, check componant costs in the quantity you will buy and cost of all the equipment you will need, to see if it makes economic sense. It's a lifetime hobby and I enjoy it but 9mm and .223 are often on sale at prices that limit savings obtained by reloading. This is not so true with other calibers.
 
Using plated bullets from Berry's I can reload 9mm for about $6.50 for a box of 50. I can't even come close to that buying the cheapest ammo on sale in bulk. Actually I just redid my math. Since the price of primers has gone up it now costs me $6.75 per box of 50. Still about half of the cheapest 9mm I can buy across the counter or in bulk online.
 
Last edited:
Powder Valley is a good place, see if you know anyone who reloads, go in together to split up the shipping and hazmat fees, if not, try local, gun shows, Gander Mountain. Precision Delta, Bayou Bullets are two inexpensive bullets to reload, I've had good luck with both. The PDs are JHP, the Bayou Bullets are coated LRN. I bought/got a Lee 4 hole turret press for Christmas, loaded 1,000 rounds, (500 38 special, 500 9mm), compared to Wal Mart prices, saved enough to nearly pay for the press and dies.
 
You got to do your homework. Where one site is a few bucks cheaper on its item, it may be a few bucks more on shipping. I use many sites.
 
I've ordered equipment and reloading items from MidwayUSA, Natchez Shooters Supply and Mid South Shooters Supply. I also have a local sporting goods store that carries a good selection of reloading supplies to avoid the Haz mat fee.
 
Last time I looked X-treme bullets (plated, good stuff) had free shipping on 1K or more bullets.

Scrounge brass. No real reason to buy the stuff new. Maybe a batch of used to get started. Check the Swap & Sell board on Castboolits.com
 
Welcome to the Forum, really great info to be found here. I load for 9mm too and as some of the others have said, it's one of the cheaper rounds to buy "preloaded". You need to be shooting alot to make it worth it. I go thru about 300 rounds a month myself. The kids love to shoot and the wife is a good shot too. I also reload for .380acp, which I use the same powder for. It helps to offset the cost of powder if you can use it for various calibers. If your not shooting that much, buy a box or two of factory ammo. Save your brass, it doesn't go bad sitting on a shelf. You can build up you brass supply as you build your know how on reloading.
Do you have any friends that reload? If so, ask them if you can try out their set-up. It would be ideal to try several different companies equipment out if you can. If you don't like it, your not going to use it. Start out with a simpler press. It's easy to make a mistake and someone can get hurt. The single stage and turret presses are a good place to start. You can watch what your doing with each round. If reloading is for you, then you can move up to something bigger, badder, faster(read more money). The Lee 4-hole turret is where I started and it acts as a single stage or an auto-indexing turret. You can get Lee products at a good price at FSreloading.com. You can get (complete) kits there.
Like Geno44 said, this is a life time hobby. Once you get going,it's hard to stop.
 
Not sure why so many guys say it's barely worth reloading 9mm. True, you don't save as much as with a magnum caliber but if you plan to shoot a lot the savings can add up fast. Allowing for the cost of the equipment I broke even at about 2000 rounds. From that point on I started shooting quality 9mm for about half the price of the cheapest bargain ammo. If you only plan on shooting a couple of boxes a month it could take a couple of years to break even. However, you can still tailor your loads to the type of shooting you do and to what's most accurate to shoot in your pistol. In the past year I've put over 6000 rounds downrange so it has saved me quite a bit.
 
1sailor said:
Not sure why so many guys say it's barely worth reloading 9mm. True, you don't save as much as with a magnum caliber but if you plan to shoot a lot the savings can add up fast.
Click to expand...

How quickly people forget. During the Great Ammo Drought of '09 the problem was finding ammo at all. Except for Walmart the people who had it were gouging our eyes out. I have a couple boxes of .45ACP WWB under the bed for which I paid $55/100 at Big 5. Never used it because I started reloading.
 
try to purchase your powder and primers in a local gun store for a couple of reaseons:
1) good advice on a specific load instead of digging it out of a reloading manual, BUT the advice of getting a copy of The ABC's of Reloading is good advice, just as a refresher.
2) You will save a lot not having to pay the shipping for powder and primers. The premium is costly. If you live in an area without a gun shop, or big box sporting goods store, you'll have to bite the bullet (sorry) and order.
 
You usually get what you pay for. If accuracy is not a priority, cheap commercial ammo will work fine, but you can handload better ammo, particularly if you are experimentally inclined and pay attention to detail.
This holds true regardless of whether you are loading rifle or handgun cartridges. It takes a while to learn the process and to do everything right, something many today have little interest in doing. However, most who expend the effort find the results are well worth it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top