9mm and 45 not worth reloading?

[barnetmill]

Justindad is correct about there being a thread here on how to cast a dual alloy bullet.

It might be "fun" for people who love to cast but I am not one of those people. I bought 1000 XTP bullets for $200 and that will likely last me my lifetime for my carry guns. I also bought 1000 RMR bullets and plan to see how they work on coyotes out of my carbine. They seem very cost effective if they work as shown below.

https://www.rmrbullets.com/shop/bull...-jhp-mpr-nuke/

Today with shipping and taxes for $376.86 l just got 1000 9mm luger (+P+) 115 grain JHP 9BPLE. It says for law enforcement only. If you buy new primers they run with shipping $70 to $120 per 1000 (edit add 0) with taxes and shipping, plus powder it could cost more or the same to reload with new components. I also have a similar quantity Federal standard loads because some of the smaller carry guns are not ok with +P ammo.
With one ATF ruling after another, I wonder when the ATF goes after mail order of ammo and components. So if the price is right for I will buy some premium ammo for 40 cents a round that is attractive to me. The FedEx direct signature was a pain since I had to wait out on the road to meet for truck for a 4 hr time window. I only had to wait 2 hrs, weather was fine and with a pole saw got some work done while waiting.

https://usarmorment.com/nbsp9mm-luge...se-p-2969.html

[dverna]

Great to see many folks would rather cast bullets and reload 9mm.

Should help get prices for commercial ammunition even lower.

[barnetmill]

Great to see many folks would rather cast bullets and reload 9mm.

Should help get prices for commercial ammunition even lower.

I appreciate the good wishes, but the people responding here do not represent the majority of people owning 9mm and .45 caliber pistols. I think more of the 1911 owners will reload vs those that own 9mm pistols.
The price of commercial ammo is coming down I think due to a little lower demand in 9mm couple with many countries in the western world sending 9mm ammo for sale to america.

[BD]

I'm hoping you dropped a 0 here: "$70 to $120 per 100 with taxes and shipping,"

[barnetmill]

I'm hoping you dropped a 0 here: "$70 to $120 per 100 with taxes and shipping,"

Thanks fixed it with an edit to add a zero.

[Tall]

I don't have to mail order anything. All the stuff I need is available locally. Brass is about $120 for 500 if I had to buy more, but I have lots of 45 ACP so I don't need any of that. Bullets are the only thing I like to mail order, I buy Berry's and spent about $120 for 500 of those. There are powder coated ones available locally for a bit less.

Powder and primers I bought around 1990 when it looked like there might be a President Dukakis. Thank goodness there wasn't!

So anyways it costs me about $120 (including tax and shipping) to load 500 rounds. No where on earth can I buy ammo that cheap.

[fredj338]

I don't have to mail order anything. All the stuff I need is available locally. Brass is about $120 for 500 if I had to buy more, but I have lots of 45 ACP so I don't need any of that. Bullets are the only thing I like to mail order, I buy Berry's and spent about $120 for 500 of those. There are powder coated ones available locally for a bit less.

Powder and primers I bought around 1990 when it looked like there might be a President Dukakis. Thank goodness there wasn't!

So anyways it costs me about $120 (including tax and shipping) to load 500 rounds. No where on earth can I buy ammo that cheap.

If you are buying brass at that cost, 24c + 2c +1c + 24c bullets or 51c a round or $255/500 but I assume you pick up most of your brass. So amortized over 20 reloads, ABOUT 1.5c each. Casting & coating your own bullets is the saving. That & buying once fired brass or scrounging it at the range. I havent bought 45acp brass in about 40y. It last almost forever & I can always find it on the range when I am out for free.

[BD]

Not as common to find .45acp on the ground as it used to be. It's mostly 9mm and 40s that get left these days. Luckily I'm mostly still using brass that AnthonyB sent me from the military range years ago.

[technojock]

I would always rather reload all my center-fire rounds. Some day I'll have to try loading for my .17 Hornet but that's not going to be anytime soon.

Tony

[fredj338]

Not as common to find .45acp on the ground as it used to be. It's mostly 9mm and 40s that get left these days. Luckily I'm mostly still using brass that AnthonyB sent me from the military range years ago.

This is true, I see less & less at the range but I taught a class over the weekend, student had a G21 & left me 100 once fired PMC.

[muskeg13]

At the beginning of the summer, shortly after the snow melted and the ground was bare, I noticed almost a complete lack of spent cartridge cases in places that formerly were littered with hundreds of cases every week. This was after two or more years of ammo and component scarcity. As ammo and components began to return to dealer shelves, and prices began to moderate, I started seeing more cases left on the range. My last trip was just prior to the beginning of moose season in late August. I was able to pick up 1/2 gallon worth of fairly clean 9mm and .45ACP cases, in about a 2/3 to 1/3 ratio.

I was able to purchase 500 (all they had) Remington large pistol primers Monday at the local Sportsman's Warehouse for $5.14/hundred. These are the first LP primers I've seen in several years.

[Sig556r]

9mm subs are still expensive if you can find them, so I reload 147s & 156s with can.
I sometimes load 155s for 45acp light loads to stretch my lead stock.
So I guess it’s worth loading both

[fredj338]

9mm subs are still expensive if you can find them, so I reload 147s & 156s with can.
I sometimes load 155s for 45acp light loads to stretch my lead stock.
So I guess it’s worth loading both

Yeah few that quote cheap 9mm are even looking at the bullet weights. The 115 is the cheapest. So if you like or want 147, you will pay more. Yet casting my own, same cost to shoot 115 v 147. In fact, slightly cheaper shooting 147 as I use 1/2gr less powder for the same PF.

[dverna]

Yeah few that quote cheap 9mm are even looking at the bullet weights. The 115 is the cheapest. So if you like or want 147, you will pay more. Yet casting my own, same cost to shoot 115 v 147. In fact, slightly cheaper shooting 147 as I use 1/2gr less powder for the same PF.

Love numbers. Save .5 gr of $40/lb powder. Use 32 gr more lead worth $1.25/ lb. Have you worked the numbers?

Oh…I forgot….lead is free!! It has no value. Lol

[fredj338]

Love numbers. Save .5 gr of $40/lb powder. Use 32 gr more lead worth $1.25/ lb. Have you worked the numbers?

Oh…I forgot….lead is free Federal 147 gr HST +P

It has no value. Lol

Well yeah, my lead is free, i have to pay for the powder. You seem to conflate free with value, there is a diff. Let me help;
Free, not costing or charging anything.
Value, monetary worth.
Hopefully you have learned something today.

[trail troll]

I still load 9mm. I have NEVER paid for a case and probably have 5000 on hand, range pick ups. Small pistol primers are about 90ish a 1000. Unique powder running 50 a pound, I only use 4.7 maybe so that is about 35-40 in powder. Lead is always range scrap, never bought any. I water quench for 9mm and it seems okay, but might try powder coating soon. Lube is negligible. So MINUS my time I am into a 1000 for 150.00 tops. I even get boxes from the range can !!

But it is a bit of time involved. I run a six cavity mold and I think I can cast 500 an hour or a bit more, though it has been a while since I cast a lot. Oh yah propane for the burner(I ladle my lead no bottom pour for me) so twenty bucks a couple time a year. I run a Lee Classic turret with the index , I forget the time but maybe a box of 50 every 15 or 20 minutes ? I use an auto powder measure.

But for me the best part is I have control over my ammo, can reload when thing are scarce and it IS cheaper. I was the son of a depression era WWII vet, so we always did it the cheap way.

And the reloads can be tailored for bore size etc. I use a Lee 120 TC and I have an older Lyman round nose that throws a 144 grain. Only ammo I would buy would be carry ammo.

[dtknowles]

Sometimes it makes sense to just buy 9mm ammo, I don't have a 45. I do or have reloaded 9mm with cast bullets I cast. I have hundreds of 9mm bullets on the shelf, from 85 gr to 147 gr. I cast 130 gr. LRN. I have a progressive press and more brass than I can use, I have sold some but not anymore, I don't even bother to pick it up. I have thousands of rounds of loaded 9mm, factory, factory reloads and my own reloads. Not expecting zombies but I think anything that goes bang will work on zombies as you have to do head shots anyway. I am glad I can cast and load 9mm if needed but I will continue to buy cheap 9mm ammo when I find it. For self-defense I prefer JHP's. If I did not have higher priorities for my reloading time I would reload more 9mm but the press and pot are busy with other ammo.

[Beast of Burden]

I operate a lot like Trail Troll. I simply enjoy the reloading experience and tend to load everything I can, even if the cost to purchase is roughly the same. Just purchased a 10mm, so I think I will definitely be saving money by reloading this cartridge.

I load 9mm on a single stage and am not too concerned about volume production as I view reloading as therapy.