9mm Worth Reloading?

[Bear_B]

I have been shooting for over 20 years, but have never reloaded. I can get 9mm ammo from walmart for 10.94/100 rounds... since this is pretty much the only cal I shoot would it be worth the investment to reload 9mm ammo?

Has anyone done the math as to how much it costs to reload 100 rounds of ammo?

[GoGators]

For 1000 rounds from Walmart, it costs me $116.

Reloading on a buddy's press, I get 1500 rounds for $106.

If you compare it to other calibers like 40/45, it's not really worth it. I'm in school though and getting %50 more ammo for the same price is worth it to me. Plus, I can tailor the loads to my specs.

[Decguns]

Costs me about $75 to reload 1000 rounds of 9MM using bulk Remington or Winchester FMJ's. Fifteen years ago, when a box of 9MM FMJ ammo was $10 or more, reloading made sense. With so much cheap Russian and surplus ammo out there right now, I pretty much quit reloading for everything but Magnum rifle cartridges.

[cole]

IMHO

From a cost savings standpoint = No
From a time taken standpoint = No

For me the question is how much is my time worth. The answer is that my time is worth more than the savings reloading 9mm.

However, if you truly enjoy reloading, picking up brass at the range and get satisfaction from crafting your own ammo, go for it.

[dougader]

I load 1,000 rounds of 9mm for about $68.00; less if I cast my own bullets from wheel weights.

But saving a little cash isn't the main thing I like about loading my own. I find it relaxing. And I can custom tailor my loads for exactly what I want. The big companies simply can't be as diverse as I like.

I thought I was only going to load one caliber, too. Now I have dies for something like 15 different calibers.

Accomplishments mean a bit more, too. When I got a mule deer at around 400 yards with my own handload in .30-06, then finished the deer with a lower power (about .357 mag energy level) cast bullet load in the same '06 (thanks to Lyman 46th manual), it was just the perfect hunt.

[another okie]

The folks I know who reload 9mm do so to tailor the softest possible load their gun will cycle for IDPA or target shooting, not to save money. I reload .38, .45 and rifle rounds, but 9mm is not worth it to me. I'm not sure reloading a nice soft load for competition is all that smart, either. Most commercial target 9mm rounds are 115 g. and chrono at about 1100 to 1200 fps, which what they have to do to make a power factor of 125 for either IDPA SSP or IPSC Production, so to go any lighter would be to roll the dice on getting checked.

[Tusk]

I do it. Like Decguns, 1000 rds of 9mm runs me right at $75.00. With two smg's and three pistols to load for, I shoot a bunch of 9mm. With that said, I don't know that I would start to reload just for this. I've been rolling my own for better than 25 years, so I've got all the equipment, and have the process down to about a half hour a day putting out about 1500 rds a month on a single stage press. I reload for all of my pistol calibers and to be honest find it a relaxing hobby. Getting every fourth 1000 for "free" is just a bonus.

[Steve in Utah]

Regarding 9mm Reloading:

It is usually done as a hobby first because cost savings are minimal when compared to the following:

Winchester white box 100 round bulk packs for $10.96 at Walmart or the AmmoMan has a great deal on Speer 124 gr. +p Gold Dots for only $159.00 per 1,000 delivered to your door.

Most folks put a premium on their time even though reloading as a hobby can be enjoyable. I've done it both ways, but my time is too valuable right now.

[Snotty]

My first caliber to reload was 9mm. I have noticed I get better accuracy with my reloads than with that same Walmart stuff. But the question you asked was about cost difference. I've tabulated the per unit costs of each bullet. This is excluding our fixed costs (equipment, rent, utilities, etc.) and our non-existant variable labor costs (as mentioned before-the cost of your time). Here's what I came up with. A box of 500 good quality Ranier 115 grain jaketed flat points is about 23.00 (4.6 cents a bullet), a pound of AA #2 powder-my preference- 15.00 ( I put about 5 grains in each so this comes out to about 1.07 cents per bullet), and winchester primers run about 17.00 for 1000 (1.7 cents per bullet). The average bullet I produce in 9mm runs me approximately 7.37 cents. The average walmart winchester bullet runs (10.96/100=)10.96 cents. Your cost savings from reloading is (10.96-7.37=)3.58 cents per bullet, or about one third of your costs. I think it's worth it for the costs. I shoot more and it costs about the same. Or shoot the same adn it costs less. Or just enjoy learning more about shooting and get better quality stuff. Any way you look at it, it's great.

Snotty

[C9X19]

With my reloads, I agree, I can play around with how powerful I want it to be. Second, my rounds cost $.06 each. Almost half of what everyone else is paying for factory. So think about it as the 9mm being cheap,you reload, it's cheaper!

Ever since I got in to this dang sport all I have done is spend money, G17 here, 1911 there, reloader, holsters, belts, glasses, ammo, gas, range time, dues, membership fees!
If you don't want to spend money DON'T buy a gun.
IF you want to help the economy BUY a gun.
In fact owning a gun IS good for the U.S.A. because it gets you out, makes you become a better citizen, supports the 2ed amendment, you watch less T.V., forces you to think, gets you involved with politics, makes you vote.......
Oh and it's DANG FUN!

[kitchwb]

I haven't reloaded for quite some time. I had more time before I was married, and definitely before kids. If there's an Academy Sports and Outdoors near you, go check out their 9mm ammo prices. They had Blazers for $3.86 per box, and Winchester white box for $4.86 per box of 50 not too long ago. I don't know if I caught a sale, or if it's their regular price. That being said, I still pick up my spent brass. In the event ammo prices ever go up, I'll at least have brass for reloading.
BK

[JayAK]

Originally posted by cole
IMHO

From a cost savings standpoint = No
From a time taken standpoint = No

For me the question is how much is my time worth. The answer is that my time is worth more than the savings reloading 9mm.

However, if you truly enjoy reloading, picking up brass at the range and get satisfaction from crafting your own ammo, go for it.

could not agree more!!!!


I might reload somthing odd like .450 marlin or .500 S&W but somthing as cheap as 9mm or even .45 acp I would not waste my time....hell I wouldn't waste my time with reloading any semi auto gun......

[vafish]

I started reloading 22 years ago because I was 18 and wanted to shoot handguns. Couldn't buy ammo, but I could buy reloading components and load my own.

Now a days as a busy dad with 4 kids the time it takes me to reload isn't worth it (especially for the 9mm).

I still have all the relaoding gear packed away in the basement. Some day when the idsa re out of the house and I have more time I'll drag it out and start reloading again.

[Bear45]

you all so need to figure in what your time is worth..

[USMC_2674]

Used to. Don't anymore because I found a local source where I could buy American Eagle 115's factory 9mm for $60 per 1000 case.

Since then I just shoot it up & then I pick up the brass and sell it to others.