[dcook22]

Hi all,

With the scarcity and price of ammunition becoming more of a problem as time goes on, I started thinking about loading my own ammo. I only shoot 9mm for now so that's all I'm looking at.

A box of winchester white box 115 gr is about $15 to $17 at the ranges where I shoot. If I extrapolate that to 1000 rds, the cost of that ammo comes to $300 to $340. Let's take that out to 10,000 rds. That's $3000 to $3400.

To get started loading my own ammo, I'd need to buy the equipment, and the components. If I'm firing about 150 rounds/week, does it make sense to reload?

Also, any tips on where to get equipment and what to buy?

Thanks.

Dan

 

[SuperTrkrE2812]

I'm wondering why you are buying your ammo from the gun shop?
I buy my ammo from Natchez and the last time i looked they had Blazer 9mm FMJ aluminum case for $8.59 per 50 round box.
My Glock eats that stuff like candy!!! I am buying it by the 1k rounds.
Have you been saving your spent brass or letting the range have them?
If you are thinking of reloading, you need to police your brass at the end of practice.
I have done the figues for me, and right now it does not pay for me to reload my own, i would have to buy brass, and bullets.

 

[SwampRat]

Jumping into the deep end Dan?...9mm cost about .20 per round..1000 rnds=$200 store bought .you wont save any money reloading but you will shoot more.:dancingbanana ..Right now I think you could probably reload 9mm for around $.12 ea scrounging used brass..Find yourself someone who knows what they are doing or take a class from an NRA instructor on reloads..buy the books and get a Dillon 550..Research and study all you can..It is a hobby all unto itself but a rewarding one. There's a couple of guys on here who do it and I'm sure they'll kick in with better info..

 

[dcook22]

I'm wondering why you are buying your ammo from the gun shop?
I buy my ammo from Natchez and the last time i looked they had Blazer 9mm FMJ aluminum case for $8.59 per 50 round box.

Actually I try not to buy my ammo from a gun shop, ever. Unfortunately several of the shops around me REQUIRE you to buy at least one box of ammo to use the range.

No, I've pretty much bought all my ammo at Wal-Mart, and it was around $9.00/box like you said. But we all know how hard it is to find Wal-Mart ammo right now.

As of this writing Natchez is basically out of 9mm ammo

So is midwayUSA and Able. Cabelas only has ammo that, after shipping, costs $15 a box anyway.

Belive me, I've looked around. I actually just "won" 500 rounds of Silver Bear on gunbroker.com, but again, after shipping and tax (store is in FL) it was $15 a box as well. And there aren't any gun shows coming up in my area soon, not that those guys are any kind of "deal".

Right now I'm down to my last 100 rounds of winchester white box, so I needed ammo. Also, since my wife is not exactly a fan of me owning a gun, I can't drop $200 on ammo every time I see it.

But I'm on the lookout.

DAn

 

[DRB68]

Yes

I re-load my 44 Mags.

It is cheaper, but the amount saved depends on the bullet you load.

All Pb wad cutters are the cheapest.

I have 3 Ruger 44 mags, and can load them up to the limit.

Ruger's are tough.

 

[Baldy]

Here's a tool for you that will tell you what you spend. http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

I reload .45ACP at about 2,000rds a month, and it is costing me $109.00 a Thousand. I buy all my supplies in bulk and I shoot LSWC's, plus I use range brass. If I made my own bullets you could take off another $25.00.

I am getting rid of the that Glock barrel one day so I can shoot lead in it all the time, and I will save a bunch on them.

 

[Rvrctyrngr]

Actually I try not to buy my ammo from a gun shop, ever. Unfortunately several of the shops around me REQUIRE you to buy at least one box of ammo to use the range.

No, I've pretty much bought all my ammo at Wal-Mart, and it was around $9.00/box like you said. But we all know how hard it is to find Wal-Mart ammo right now.

As of this writing Natchez is basically out of 9mm ammo

So is midwayUSA and Able. Cabelas only has ammo that, after shipping, costs $15 a box anyway.

Belive me, I've looked around. I actually just "won" 500 rounds of Silver Bear on gunbroker.com, but again, after shipping and tax (store is in FL) it was $15 a box as well. And there aren't any gun shows coming up in my area soon, not that those guys are any kind of "deal".

Right now I'm down to my last 100 rounds of winchester white box, so I needed ammo. Also, since my wife is not exactly a fan of me owning a gun, I can't drop $200 on ammo every time I see it.

But I'm on the lookout.

DAn

Dan, when shopping online at Natchez find the ammo you want, and click on the 'notify me' icon if they're out of stock. I've not gone more than a day or two before receiving notification of restock. Just bought 300 rnds of 9mm blazer brass last week.

 

[capngeo]

I just picked up 500 rounds of white box from Sportsman's Guide for just under $100 including shipping... it was here in 2 days!

 

[dcook22]

I just picked up 500 rounds of white box from Sportsman's Guide for just under $100 including shipping... it was here in 2 days!

You're lucky. This is what I got when I went there for 500 rounds today:

Description (Click on an item name to view details.) Qty Unit Price Club
Remove Winchester® USA Pistol 9 mm 115 Gr. FMJ 500 rds.
Product: WX2-12220
You must be 21 years of age to purchase this item.
Expected availability: June 15, 2009. *** $116.97 $116.97 $111.12

And the 50 rd boxes will be available on April 2nd.

Dan

 

[dcook22]

Thanks for the tips SwampRat. I'll look into what you're saying. And yes, even though I want to reload so i know I'll always have ammo, it is something I'd be interested in generally as a hobby as well.

dan

 

[dcook22]

Hey Baldy,

Thanks for that site. I'm not sure what the default of a 21.5 powder charge means. What should I type in there to make 115 gr 9mm fmj cartdiges? And when it says "case" do they mean the cost of brass? And for powder, is it about 1 lb. of poder for 1000 rounds? I know that depends on what I'm loading, but could you tell me what the answer is for the round I mentioned above?

Thanks a lot.

Dan

 

[dcook22]

Find yourself someone who knows what they are doing or take a class from an NRA instructor on reloads...

Any idea where I can find a local NRA class? I'm in Broward County.

Dan

 

[brownie]

1 lb of powder is 7000 grains. How many rounds you can load per pound will depend on what powder you use.

I use Winchester Super target. I use 4.9-5.0 grains per load on a 115 grain fmj bullet. That works out to 1400 rds per pound. 8# jugs of WST cost 118.00 plus shipping and hazmat charge for another 7.00 totalling 125.00 for 8 #'s.

That's 15.62 per pound for 1400 rds without the primer and bullet head. That's about 89.00 per 1000.

Hope that helps

Brownie

 

[Steve48]

Dcook, you can definitely save a lot of money by reloading. I load .38 special for a bit under $3.00 per box, depending on current prices of components. However, here are a few things to keep in mind.

First, autos tend to be fussier than revolvers. You may have to experiment to make ammo suitable for yours.

Second, to reload you need brass. Recovering your fired brass is trivially easy with revolvers. It's different with autos, which spit their brass out. How easy it is to recover it depends on where it's thrown and where you're shooting. If it goes forward of the line on an indoor range, you may be out of luck. On the other hand, you may be able to scrounge what's being spit out of other shooter's guns- with their permission, of course.

Third, the bullet will, in all probability, be the most expensive component. My cost is low because I cast my own, but your auto may not like plain lead bullets. And casting is pretty tedious.

Fourth, the primer is likely to be the next most expensive component. Shop around. I've recently gotten small pistol primers that worked just fine for $17/1000 at a gun show. At places like Bass Pro, the price is on the order of $30/1000. Midway is currently completely out of primers, and shipping charges can eat your lunch.

Fifth, you might want to check the Alliant site here: http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/default.aspx for loading data using their powders. I like Bullseye. Lot's of bang for the buck.

 

[greatdanes]

Natchez 9MM

Natchez is currently out of almost all 9MM. They do have an icon to click and it lets you enter your email address and amount of ammo and they will notify you as soon as it becomes available. I am waiting for 9MM and .45 as of today.
They have good prices on Blazer aluminum case (since you don't reload that might work for you) and also check out the NATO ammo:

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cf...dID=FAXM982&prodTitle=Federal NATO Ammunition

It is reasonable, loaded by a great company, Federal, and seems to work well.

Also check the price on PMC (but again, you'll have to wait on it)

http://www.natchezss.com/brand.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=PM&category=0&prodID=PM9A

As a note THESE PRICES DON'T INCLUDE SHIPPING COSTS!