9mm and 45 not worth reloading?

[AnthonyB]

Fellas:
I see a lot of posts about particular caliber not being worth reloading given the current cost of components and the CURRENT availability of factory ammo at a certain price level. That level seems to be around .26 per round for 9mm, haven't seen many numbers on 45 ACP.

My question - are people who feel this way just loading FMJ or RN cast for blasting ammo?

I don't load much FMJ or RN cast at all. I figure since I'm going to the trouble of casting the boolits, I should at least cast something more effective than a RN. A 9mm loaded with an MP 35-135 (HP or solid, your choice) should be a whole lot more effective than a RN, so that is what I load. The RCBS 45-230 CM is my favorite 45 ACP bullet, and will certainly be more effective than a 230 ball profile. The BD45 is probably even better; BD thinks so and I trust him but some of my pistols won't run it as well as the 45CM. I don't have the experience to judge between the two, and hope I never do.

These are just two examples. My point is that we don't have to replicate the standard cheapo ammo; we can tailor our loads to do what we want. If I'm loading ammo, I want it to be as effective as I can make it. Loading my own boolit allows me to do that. That also allows my "practice" ammo to be exactly the same as my zombie apocalypse ammo.

Apparently a lot of people don't think the way I do, but I'm curious about how you would feel if your "practice" ammo suddenly became zombie apocalypse ammo. Things are too expensive for it to make sense to separate the two, IMO.

Thoughts?
Tony

[michael.birdsley]

9mm is a tough call with plated bullets as cheap as they are. you can get 500 plated bullets between $35-$55 depending on brand and what type of bullet you desire. extreme also makes plated hollow point bullets. I can buy 100 hornady xtp HP’s to reload that are guaranteed to expand for $30.

For me personally at some point you have to factor time into the equation. plus i’m only using a single stage press to load my 9mm. by the time i cast and load 500 boolets i’ve got some serious time invested into it.

it’s up to the individual whether or not it’s worth the pursuit. i’m currently on the fence my self. i have casted for 9mm in the past but, it just takes a lot of time when i’m personally just making blasting ammo. it’s just the time vs money equation. there have been certain period of time when casting your own 9mm makes sense and why i keep my 9mm molds around.

45’s i could see would be worth the time to cast for.


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[justindad]

I load for the curiosity more than the savings. Think about what I have been doing, consider a change, predict the result, find out my prediction is wrong, then ask why. I also like making perfect ammo. Work is too fast paced with high risk tolerance to allow for much perfection. I can be slow and considerate when I make ammo after the kids go to bed. It’s relaxing, and then I get to blow stuff up!
*
That being said, I make all my .45 ACP ammo. I have made some 9mm ammo, but that caliber just isn’t a whole lot of fun to shoot. I’ll still load 9mm before I buy it. The only ammo I have ever purchased in 9mm was a box of hollow points in case my wife ever wants it.
*
Since I make all my own ammo, I do not make weak target loads… except wadcutters.

[dverna]

Some folks need to justify their hobby.

I reload using progressive presses for pistol and shotgun ammunition. The ..223 and .308 are done on a Co-Ax but volumes are much lower.

Casting is iffy for me. I can make more money processing firewood than what I save by casting pistol bullets for plinking. But my situation is unique. IMO the effective production rate for 9mm and .38 bullets is 250-350 bullets an hour…casting, lubing, sizing…depending on what a person has. In my case, using a Master Caster, and Star, I produce 1000 bullets in about 3.5 hours. The cost of alloy and lube is $25/k. I can buy cast bullets for $75/k. In 3.5 hours, I can save $50 casting or make over $100 processing firewood. No brainer.

I use XTP’s for “serious loads”. I plink and train with purchased bullets.

It takes me an hour and a half to reload 1000 rounds on the 1050. I can buy 9mm for $225/k. Cost to reload is about $175/k. IMO reloading 9mm plinking ammunition on a single stage or turret press is silly.

[charlie b]

It just depends on what you want to do with your time and money.

I suspect 9mm prices are reaching a low point again. PreCOVID it got to a point I just bought the ammo since I only saved a few cents per round by reloading. As pointed out above the plated bullets aren't that much more expensive than lead alloy. But, I don't shoot pistol much, maybe a few hundred rounds a year.

[AnthonyB]

I must not have communicated my point very well.

I can buy 9mm 115 FMJ for .26 a round. I get that. I can load 9mm with MP 35 for less than that. Your value for your time is yours, not mine to decide.

I would rather have 1000 rounds of the MP bullet loaded when the time comes I need it instead of 1000 rounds of a plated RN.

Apparently I am in the minority. I'm not talking about "plinking" ammo. Why should all your ammo not be zombie apocalypse ammo since you control what boolit gets loaded?
Tony

[Wheelguns 1961]

I started casting and loading 9mm because it seems like every 9mm that I ever had, never shot factory ammo worth a darn. I have had much better results with a fatter bullet. I am retired now, so I have the time, but can relate to only so much time.

[dverna]

I must not have communicated my point very well.

I can buy 9mm 115 FMJ for .26 a round. I get that. I can load 9mm with MP 35 for less than that. Your value for your time is yours, not mine to decide.

I would rather have 1000 rounds of the MP bullet loaded when the time comes I need it instead of 1000 rounds of a plated RN.

Apparently I am in the minority. I'm not talking about "plinking" ammo. Why should all your ammo not be zombie apocalypse ammo since you control what boolit gets loaded?
Tony

I have never used a pistol for serious work. Probably fired over 200k rounds. All plinking, target, and practice.

I carry premium jacketed bullets and have over 2000 bullets in stock to reload if the Zombis come. You are trying to justify casting but it does not makes sense for everyone. And for many, even reloading 9mm may not make sense.

Using time and resources to produce Zombie ammunition when over 99% will be fired at paper or steel is difficult for me to justify. But if it works for you….go for it.

Also, your spare time may have no value, but that does not apply to everyone. One size does not fit all.

[michael.birdsley]

I must not have communicated my point very well.

I can buy 9mm 115 FMJ for .26 a round. I get that. I can load 9mm with MP 35 for less than that. Your value for your time is yours, not mine to decide.

I would rather have 1000 rounds of the MP bullet loaded when the time comes I need it instead of 1000 rounds of a plated RN.

Apparently I am in the minority. I'm not talking about "plinking" ammo. Why should all your ammo not be zombie apocalypse ammo since you control what boolit gets loaded?
Tony

1 i don’t have that kind of time or money. 2 the right tool for the right job. I don’t need a $100 hammer to pound in a 1 cent nail to hold a picture frame. however, if i was building houses for a living than i’d buy the $100 hammer

i’m not loading up to fight zombies but, if that paper or steel plate looks at me side ways than i’m stacked and loaded.

You do you


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[gc45]

When shooting Action Pistol I reloaded all my ammo with cast and using a progressive Dillion Press; now I just buy what ammo I do shoot, same with 9mm. These are defensive calibers so I no longer see the need for tiny groups when 3+or- is good enough in my case.

[405grain]

I take a different point of view: I cast bullets and reload ammunition because I like doing it. The economics of cast loads vs factory ammo never enters my mind. I try to spend my free time doing things I like, and it is restful and restorative to craft my own ammunition. Shooting is fun, but reloading is also fun. I don't reload as a necessity to go shooting; casting & reloading is a goal within itself. I reload lots of calibers, 45 acp and 9mm included, and even if it cost more to cast my own I'd still do it.

[rbuck351]

I have very little factory ammo and reload everything except rimfire. I have one load for my 45acp guns, a 230gr TC home cast and loaded to around 900fps. I see no reason to use different loads for different targets or for using a different load for practice than the load I use for hunting or defense. I'm retired and enjoy reloading and casting and have enough components to shoot and cast for the rest of my days without having to buy at current prices. I still load 45 and 9mm at less than 5 cents per round. I don't load much 9mm as only my wife shoots 9mm and she doesn't shoot much. I do cast 9mm as well because I enjoy it and I already have the components so I might as well use them.

[Bigslug]

I must not have communicated my point very well.

I can buy 9mm 115 FMJ for .26 a round. I get that. I can load 9mm with MP 35 for less than that. Your value for your time is yours, not mine to decide.

I would rather have 1000 rounds of the MP bullet loaded when the time comes I need it instead of 1000 rounds of a plated RN.

Apparently I am in the minority. I'm not talking about "plinking" ammo. Why should all your ammo not be zombie apocalypse ammo since you control what boolit gets loaded?
Tony

Considering that we've been fighting wars with FMJRN's for a very long time, I have a hard time NOT seeing them as "apocalypse" ammo, or only seeing them as "plinking" ammo. WWI, after all, was started with two well-placed rounds of ball .380. Mainly what you'd be seeking for that role is quantity and reliability. A hard copper jacket does give you considerable durability and cleanliness for transport, and it avoids a lot of the pesky bullet fit issues that define our casting hobby. While there's not a great deal of mystery to most .45's, we have enough threads on the difficulties of avoiding barrel fouling with 9mm to suggest that it is not nearly so generic when it comes to acceptable cast bullet and cartridge specs. Since 9mm has absolutely become the most sold, most common "coin of the realm" handgun chambering in recent years, loading with a bullet that works across all the guns makes solid sense from the prepping perspective.

[Thumbcocker]

I take a different point of view: I cast bullets and reload ammunition because I like doing it. The economics of cast loads vs factory ammo never enters my mind. I try to spend my free time doing things I like, and it is restful and restorative to craft my own ammunition. Shooting is fun, but reloading is also fun. I don't reload as a necessity to go shooting; casting & reloading is a goal within itself. I reload lots of calibers, 45 acp and 9mm included, and even if it cost more to cast my own I'd still do it.

Agree

[gwpercle]

That's like saying there is no sense baking a Blackberry Pie or making a batch of Fresh Peach Ice Cream ... Because you can go to Wally Mart and buy it cheaper !
Sure you can buy Wally Mart Ice cream and blackberry pies ...
But they ain't near as good as the recipes me and MaryB posted ...Trust Me !
I don't do things because of cost ... I do things because I can do it better !
Gary

[scattershot]

Reloading makes less and less sense from an economic point of view. However, I have been reloading for 50 years or so, and at times it makes great economic sense. One benefit, especially during time of drought, is that I had ammo to shoot when others did not. Besides, it’s an enjoyable hobby in itself.

[WRideout]

Now that I am officially retired, I do have more time than money. There are lots of aspects of the shooting sports that are cheaper if one just buys ready made ammo and equipment. However, I like to have things to tinker with. I recover my lead supply from the range backstop, make my own cases for certain calibers, and generally fuss with things that aren't actually that important. I simply enjoy working up a load and shooting ammo that I made. That includes 9mm and 45 ACP.

Wayne

[MT Gianni]

9 mm costs with me already owning a lead pot and mold. 125 gr bullet with lead cost of $1 a lb. 7000 gr/125 = 56 or $0.017 per bullet. 3.5 gr pistol powder bought at $38 a lb. 7000/3.5=2000 shots per lb or $0.019 powder costs. Primers @ $80 per K or $0.08 each. Total cost per 100 rounds $1.70 + $1.90 + 8=$11.60 per hundred rounds. Add 40 cents for powder coating, electricity and equipment failures. If you can buy bulk ammo for $6 per 50 you are equalizing costs. If you are like some of us and are still working on $20 powder and $35 per K primers you can only smile.
The given in this is that all costs will rise. Are you prudent and can budget ahead?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Besides, it's fun!

DG

[higgins]

I started reloading in the 1960s with .38 spl. and .243 Win. I added new cartridges along the way, but I've had my equipment so long it paid for itself decades ago. Reloading is not as much fun as it used to be; I now load to shoot, not to experiment much except when I change powder. I've even got jacketed rifle and pistol bullets on hand that I bought so long ago I can almost consider them free now. Whatever rounds I'm breaking even on, I'm coming out way ahead on rounds like .45 Colt, and centerfire rifle (using the bullets bought or traded for long ago).