Moonman
Member
Save Components, you never know what the future may hold.
Reloding 9mm and .40S&W... make sense?
- Thread starter JJEH
- Start date
scattershot
Member
Good points above. I can reload 9mm and .40 for around $6.00 - $7.00 a box of fifty. That may not be worth it to you, but when ammo was in short supply a while back, I was shooting when others weren't.
I've been reloading for 40 years or so, so my equipment is amortized by now.
I've been reloading for 40 years or so, so my equipment is amortized by now.
Moonman
Member
Reloading equipment and stored components let you keep on shooting no matter what the current market and supply of ammo is.
Besides, I find reloading is a solitary and relaxing event.
After reloading, look into casting your own bullets.
Besides, I find reloading is a solitary and relaxing event.
After reloading, look into casting your own bullets.
OP
JJEH
Member
Guys... you all make me really curious...
Is it too much to ask if someone could put together a "starter kit" on machinery, tools and supplies needed to start reloading for the own family? Or maybe recommend a good book?
I would really appreciate it.
Is it too much to ask if someone could put together a "starter kit" on machinery, tools and supplies needed to start reloading for the own family? Or maybe recommend a good book?
I would really appreciate it.
There a gazillon threads on the subject. A good book to get is the ABC of reloading. Go to the RCBS website and watch the videos and guide to reloading,Click on the top Guide and there is all kinds of free info, call and ask for a catalog and the the guide (free) I think Hornady has the same.
RCBS - Precisioneered Shooting Products - Guide to Reloading
Most companies have a "Kit" with everything (except a few things) you need to start reloading.
OP
JJEH
Member
Thank you Sir 
NicholasDM
Member
- Joined
- May 11, 2012
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It absolutely makes sense to reload 9mm (and I would assume .40 and all other calibres as well). I've loaded either just over, or just under, 1000 rounds of 9mm so far in my Lee 4-Hole Classic Turret Press and I do have to say, there is something very satisfying about not only firing your handloads, but reclaiming the brass and doing the whole thing over again. It's awesome to see the finished product.
If you have the chance to get in to reloading, I'd say do it. If you like working with your hands and like shooting, then you should get a kick out of reloading. I use it as "me" time and to save money, which I do indeed do. Every $6-8 I save on a box of ammo is another 2 gallons of gas in the car, or another 3 slips of primers, or goes directly back to breaking even on my equipment costs.
Currently in California (I'd think in most other parts of the country as well) ammo prices are going up, and up, and up, just like they did before the last election. 9mm ammo here is about $14-18+ for a box of 50, usually CCI, Blazer or Fiocchi. All three good ammo. You can sometimes find sales for $12-13 per 50. Sales of 250 and 350 counts for $60-80 are also not uncommon, but I've also seen "sales" of 350 count for $120 before. As recently as this past weekend, in fact.
In contrast, I currently reload 50 9mm rounds at a good, strong load (Ramshot Zip load of 4.2gr, which is at or near the max load depending on your bullet and load data, but still comfortably below safe limits), using a 115gr X-Treme PRN bullet into reclaimed brass for about $6 per 50. If I were to use JRN or JHP, it'd bump the cost to about $8/50, but the X-Treme bullets are plated so thickly that you can treat them like JRN (except for the crimp... just a light one).
Even once-fired brass is cheap at $35/1000, already cleaned, deprimed and graded.
Your biggest costs are initial entry, powder and primers. Bullets and brass are cheap.
If you have money falling out of your rear that you just don't know what to do with, you can invest in a Dillion or something like that where it's assembly-line style production which goes very quickly but you have to deal with progressive turret quirks, focus all of your attention on the machine to make sure primers seat correctly (right side up and not sideways), make sure bullets seat straight, that none of the multitude of arms, levers, chains, cables, gears, etc... become fouled or damaged and you're performing 2 operations at the same time (loading an empty case and placing a bullet) unless you spend a bunch more money to upgrade and make it more complex than it needs to be, or... if you want to enter it inexpensively, get a Lee 4-Hole Classic Turret which is great to learn on. They're simple, reliable, robust, and being that you're loading 1 case at a time you can more easily spot mistakes before they become serious (such as an upside-down primer; a common problem on the more "progressive" and complex presses).
And because someone will invariably say it, the time spent reloading is not wasted and while most reloaders won't factor it in to their costs, reloading time is fairly minimal anyways. I can comfortably load shy of 250 or so rounds per hour with my turret without rushing, without tripping over my own feet (so to speak), without needing to adjust any of the dies.
Good luck!
If you have the chance to get in to reloading, I'd say do it. If you like working with your hands and like shooting, then you should get a kick out of reloading. I use it as "me" time and to save money, which I do indeed do. Every $6-8 I save on a box of ammo is another 2 gallons of gas in the car, or another 3 slips of primers, or goes directly back to breaking even on my equipment costs.
Currently in California (I'd think in most other parts of the country as well) ammo prices are going up, and up, and up, just like they did before the last election. 9mm ammo here is about $14-18+ for a box of 50, usually CCI, Blazer or Fiocchi. All three good ammo. You can sometimes find sales for $12-13 per 50. Sales of 250 and 350 counts for $60-80 are also not uncommon, but I've also seen "sales" of 350 count for $120 before. As recently as this past weekend, in fact.
In contrast, I currently reload 50 9mm rounds at a good, strong load (Ramshot Zip load of 4.2gr, which is at or near the max load depending on your bullet and load data, but still comfortably below safe limits), using a 115gr X-Treme PRN bullet into reclaimed brass for about $6 per 50. If I were to use JRN or JHP, it'd bump the cost to about $8/50, but the X-Treme bullets are plated so thickly that you can treat them like JRN (except for the crimp... just a light one).
Even once-fired brass is cheap at $35/1000, already cleaned, deprimed and graded.
Your biggest costs are initial entry, powder and primers. Bullets and brass are cheap.
If you have money falling out of your rear that you just don't know what to do with, you can invest in a Dillion or something like that where it's assembly-line style production which goes very quickly but you have to deal with progressive turret quirks, focus all of your attention on the machine to make sure primers seat correctly (right side up and not sideways), make sure bullets seat straight, that none of the multitude of arms, levers, chains, cables, gears, etc... become fouled or damaged and you're performing 2 operations at the same time (loading an empty case and placing a bullet) unless you spend a bunch more money to upgrade and make it more complex than it needs to be, or... if you want to enter it inexpensively, get a Lee 4-Hole Classic Turret which is great to learn on. They're simple, reliable, robust, and being that you're loading 1 case at a time you can more easily spot mistakes before they become serious (such as an upside-down primer; a common problem on the more "progressive" and complex presses).
And because someone will invariably say it, the time spent reloading is not wasted and while most reloaders won't factor it in to their costs, reloading time is fairly minimal anyways. I can comfortably load shy of 250 or so rounds per hour with my turret without rushing, without tripping over my own feet (so to speak), without needing to adjust any of the dies.
Good luck!
Fishslayer
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
Just about every gun forum on the web has a reloading forum & most of those have "getting started" stickies.
Here's the kit I started with just over 3 years & thousands of rounds ago. In addition to dies you'll also be needing a caliper ($10 from Harbor Freight) and a bullet puller (about $25-ish) The Lee Classic Turret is an outstanding bang for the buck.
Lee Classic Turret Press Kit, Presses & Dies, Reloading, Shooting : Cabela's
Beans
Member
Reloading????
Since I like many others on this forum cast their own bullets. For example within the last two years I understand there was an ammo storage.
I didn't notice it. There wasn't an ammo shortage at my house.
Since I like many others on this forum cast their own bullets. For example within the last two years I understand there was an ammo storage.
I didn't notice it. There wasn't an ammo shortage at my house.
I respectfully disagree.
I prefer to tune my SD ammo to my SD guns. While it does save money, that is not the primary reason. I want to know where the POA will meet the POI and only through much practice with a repeatable, reliable round can that be done.
And the court thing is an Internet myth.
A former coroner from the State of Illinois was on this forum not long ago and said that over his decades of experience and hundreds of gunshot investigations not once was he asked to try and determine if the bullet was "factory". He stated that he had not heard of any such evidence being introduced into court. He also said that he could not envision any way this could be accomplished. I have done a lot of searching myself (not that this qualifies me as any sort of expert) and have yet to find one case anywhere, anytime that the question was raised. Mas Ayoob is the perpetrator of this hogwash and while he may be the ultimate "Tacticool Dude", he doesn't walk on water.
To the OP, sorry for the thread drift. I just thought that I may help prevent any further spread of this nonsense.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming ...
As others have said "The ABC's of Reloading" is a great read and even if you do not choose to reload will provide a lot of knowledge on how and why your gun does what it does. And there are ready made kits from Lee, RCBS, Hornady and Dillon that will get you on your way. Set a price point and you will find a press that fits it!
Maybe there is someone in your area that reloads? We're generally a sharing bunch. It would be great if you could have a go at it to help you see if you're interested.
Last edited:
OP
JJEH
Member
You guys are awesome. Thank you for all this info
Don't feel sorry, it was perfect. I have 2 questions which came up when my wife was talking to 1SG. Please look at my other thread:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/reload...-warranty-question-reloads.html#post136519083
Thank you.
Don't feel sorry, it was perfect. I have 2 questions which came up when my wife was talking to 1SG. Please look at my other thread:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/reload...-warranty-question-reloads.html#post136519083
Thank you.
