Reloading Costs?

[Nolacopusmc]

Could some one who does this please advise.

If I wanted a very simple setup to load only 9mm practice rounds, what is the minimum price and list of equipment I would need? Thanks

How much more would it be to do 9mm and .223?

 

[dzelenka]

Do a search on the site. This has been discussed a number of times, including yesteday.

 

[Nolacopusmc]

http://cgi.ebay.com/DILLON-SQUARE-D...ryZ71120QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Is this a good deal?

 

[goodburbon]

As of 2 months ago the price of reloading supplies had increased so that it was barely profitable to reload your own. Add in time it takes to reload and your hourly wage and It was around 15000 rounds loaded before you break even. Prices have been jumping in leaps and bounds recently though so I don't know where it stands right now.

 

[Nolacopusmc]

But I am thining along the lines of while it is more expensive now, it will get more expensive later. Also, I would just like to have the capability and knowledge.

 

[Chained Lightnin']

Stonewall Bullet Company, Stonewall,LA

www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php?PHPSESSID=it28tg9kg36j1vvs00s786c554&topic=23847.0

Great guy, Robet helped me start from scratch. Never loaded a round before in my life. He sold me everything I needed to get started. Still runnning my Lee setup I bought from him nine years ago.

 

[dzelenka]

As of 2 months ago the price of reloading supplies had increased so that it was barely profitable to reload your own. Add in time it takes to reload and your hourly wage and It was around 15000 rounds loaded before you break even. Prices have been jumping in leaps and bounds recently though so I don't know where it stands right now.

Bull

 

[dzelenka]

http://cgi.ebay.com/DILLON-SQUARE-D...ryZ71120QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Is this a good deal?

Good loader for pistol only. Does not use standard dies. Rifle ammo cannot be loaded on it. That said, the buy it now price is retail so it isn't a "deal".

 

[dmiculek]

Once you start loading.......you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner. Most of my pistols have never seen a jacketed bullet much less a factory round.

Gonna get a reloader think Blue (Dillon)

 

[goodburbon]

Bull

Our calculated break even point on loading .40 S&W without including costs for any of our labor was around 10k rounds. We had to purchase powder, bullets, brass, primers, media for the tumbler. I will admit that the bullets we purchased for loading were JHP and the price we compared to were the cheapest .40 practice ammo we could find (FMJ). Our costs were what they were, I don't appreciate being called a liar.

If you know of a much better deal then point us in the right direction, don't just call "bull". Tell us how to get more for our money and time.

bullets
https://secure3.mooseweb.com/montanagoldbullet.com/pricelist.tpl

brass, primers and powder
http://www.waggenspackguns.com/products.htm

 

[dmiculek]

If you gotta have jacketed bullets, try these folks Zero bullet company and Black Hills Shooters Supply. Shipping is the bitch when buying bullets. Sometimes Widners, Graf & Sons and Natchez have specials.

Then there is the cast bullet to consider.

 

[SKYWLKR]

For you Lead shooters and reloaders do you watch you lead levels?

Dont forget Precision delta FMJ bullets. They are some what local and ship flat rate. I got 20K rounds a bit speculatively last year about 2 months before LSP did.

Tried to talk several of ya'll into buying with me but no one bit!!!

As a result I recently sold 12000 of the bullets at market price and ended up with a free 8K.... er sorta... I sold them and bought some guns.

 

[Nolacopusmc]

What about frangible? Is there and savings in reloading with frangible bullets?

 

[jmcrawf1]

Once you start loading.......you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner. Most of my pistols have never seen a jacketed bullet much less a factory round.

Gonna get a reloader think Blue (Dillon)

Why? Just cheaper?

What type of bullet are you using?

 

[dzelenka]

Goodburbon,

I am not calling you a liar, I just think you are not providing accurate information. First, I don't believe that you are properly amortizing your equipment or your brass. When you calculate your brass cost, you need to take into consideration how many times you will use it. If you use your brass 5 times (which is not very much for a pistol), you need to divide the cost by 5. Also, the OP asked about 9mm and .223. If anyone is paying more than $40 per 1000 for 9mm or $60 per 1000 for .223 brass, they are paying too much. You are also probably counting the cost of the entire reloading set up as capital costs. Remember that reloading equipment has a pretty good residual value - at least 60%. Also good equipment lasts a lifetime (mine is already 30 years old). It is great to say that it takes you 15,000 rounds to begin saving money, but if you loaded 15,000 rounds then sold your equipment, you would come out way ahead. In addition, you are not comparing apples to apples. Compare handloaded Gold Dots, Silver Tips or Golden Sabres with their factory counterparts. Compare FMJs to their factory counterparts. JHPs to FMJs are not a proper comparison.

Next, you are probably paying retail for your primers, brass and powder. Your bullet prices seem pretty good if you are buying by the case. For powder and primers, Powder Valley is a good place (or you can buy surplus powder). Couple your order with others to spread out the hazmat fee or better yet become friends with an FFL holder and get him to make you and your friends an annual powder and primer order. If your order is big enough the seller will pay the freight. Personally, I shoot mostly rifle ammo and buy bullets in a large enough ammount to do a drop shipment from the factory. Wholesale prices and the factory picks up the shipping. I pay what Waggenspack pays. Sierra only requires a $1000 order to do a drop ship.

I shoot large quantities of match rifle ammo. Comparable factory .223 ammo sells for $.65 per round. I load it for @ $.21. That is a savings of $440 per 1000 rounds. .308 match ammo costs me about .33 per round at today's prices vs. .90 for factory. Don't even get me started on hunting ammo. My brother was shooting aome .270 Win federal factory ammo with Nosler partition bullets. He paid about $2.50 per round. I know that I can do the same for about .50 or .60 per round. The $2.00 per round ammo loaded with Sierra bullets can be beat by even more. Just calculating in my head, I am pretty sure that I can load 9mm for $112.50 per 1000 with 115gr FMJ bullets (and using the brass 5 times). The best that I could find on the web was $189 per 1000 plus shipping which came to $207 total. That is almost a $100 per 1000 savings. Use cast bullets and you will save even more. Any way you cut it reloading is cheaper.

The only warning that i have is that you will never actually save any money on ammo by reloading. You will, however, shoot much more for the same money. I have been reloading for 30 years and I am using the same presses and dies that I bought when I started. I have bought a number of newer items to speed up my loading - like a $375 trimmer (my time is worth alot to me), but my basic equipment is the same.

Dan

By the way, I just found once fired .40 brass for $28 per 1000. I assume that your prices used new brass? You need to save where you can.

 

[dzelenka]

By the way, if you get to be friends with an FFL and are looking to save some money on reloading components, he is much more likely to help you if you ask him to order 5,000 bullets or pieces of brass than if you are trying to get 100. When you buy the 100, you are probably taking business from him. Rarely do FFLs stock sufficient quantity to satisfy a really large order. Even if he is not your buddy, $25 or $50 will grease the skids. Just make sure you get everything you and your friends need at once (or at least as much as you can afford).

Dan

 

[flamatrix99]

I just bought 4K more 9mm bullets and primers, at current prices. My cost per cartridge at those prices is about fifteen cents, on the high side. That's less than eight dollars per box of 50.

I have been buying Winchester value pack of 100 9MM for $17.88. I just heard at Dicks SPorting goods Remington UMC are $16 for a box of 100.

Someday I might reload but currently I don't have the time or the room with a teenager at home.

I had two experiences with reloads where the powder was light and the bullet didn't make it out the barrel. I knew the guy that that loaded them from work but not really that well. Shame on me. You get what you pay for and they were free. Needless to say, I am learly of reloads somewhat.

 

[jmcrawf1]

By the way, if you get to be friends with an FFL and are looking to save some money on reloading components, he is much more likely to help you if you ask him to order 5,000 bullets or pieces of brass than if you are trying to get 100. When you buy the 100, you are probably taking business from him. Rarely do FFLs stock sufficient quantity to satisfy a really large order. Even if he is not your buddy, $25 or $50 will grease the skids. Just make sure you get everything you and your friends need at once (or at least as much as you can afford).

Dan

Or look into a C&R?

Doesn't Grafs and Wideners offer discounts?

 

[dmiculek]

Why? Just cheaper?

What type of bullet are you using?

I can't afford to buy jacketed bullets. I cast my own bullets, for .38, 9mm, .40 and .45 cal. in just about every weight and style. Been buying, mooching and saving lead for over 30 years and have a couple of tons on hand.
A good quality cast handgun bullet is very accurate. In my Bullseye 1911 I have fired several 1 3/4" groups at 50 yds. Not too shabby for a bullet that cost me about a penny or two.
As far as lead exposure is concerned, lead starts to give off dangerous fumes when brought to temps 900 degrees or more. All casting is done at approx 700 degrees. Lead has to be consumed via the mouth or lungs. It is not absorbed thru the skin. Use common sense and safety precautions, (good ventilation, no eating, drinking or smoking and wash your hands well) getting lead poison via bullet casting is extremely low. Shooting indoors is far more dangerous than bullet casting when it comes to lead inhalation. Another concern from lead is empting a case tumbler, the residue from the fired bullet and primer is in the dust of the tumbling media.

 

[flamatrix99]

Pardon my ignorance but why do you need a FFL for reloading?