Stocking Up 9mm: What FMJ?

[Ocraknife]

For the price of 1000 rounds, you can buy a Lee Pro1000 set up for 9mm and all the components to load 1000 rounds.

While I keep a few boxes of factory ammo around, reloads are a lot less expensive, allow you to shoot more if you want and in reality, to keep a larger stock of ammo than you would otherwise be able to.

With all due respect, my math (and credit card statement) says otherwise. I just got into reloading with the hopes that I could save money, so far my hopes have been unfounded when it comes to 9mm at today's prices.

I agree that reloading (as part of a list of its benefits) can be an economical way to stock up and shoot for less in certain chamberings it 9mm is still cheap enough to make the difference between handloaded and factory ammo pretty small.

From several different places I can source factory FMJ 9mm for .20 a round or less. This works out to $200 per thousand. The Lee Press is about $180 by itself.

I personally have not seen unfired 9mm brass for less than .10 a piece and the cheapest I've seen once fired brass was .5 cents a piece I've never seen it actually in stock for that price. Still, lets go with .5 for 1000 pieces which makes it $50

The cheapest I've seen FMJ bullets is about .10 a round, most are a bit more than that but let's go with .10 which makes for $100 per thousand.

Small pistol primers, in my experience can be had for between .04 and .02 a piece. Let's average .025 so that makes it about $25 for primers.

Powder is harder to quantify because you'll probably not need a full pound of powder to make 1000 9mm, in that way, let me amortize the powder to get a real "as loaded" price.

Let's use 3.8 grains of titegroup as a good charge for practice FMJ ammo.

3.8 x 1000 = 3800 grains of powder. 1lb = 7000 grains so we'll be using just over a half pound of powder to make 1000 rounds. We'll go conservative and call it half a pound. The cheapest I've seen a pound of titegroup for is $16 so half of that would be $8

By my math, the components alone about about .18 cents around.

The above doesn't even consider haz mat charges and extras like scales, bullet pullers, calipers and other things that are important to have. It also assumes you have a suitable place to load and you won't need to purchase a loading bench.

All of that said, you can realize substantial savings on reloading other, more expensive and less available rounds like .41 mag for example. I can make it for less than half of what it costs to buy equivalent rounds.

You can really save money on 10mm, .357 sig and other magnum cartridges as well.

My point on all of this is that reloading is great but if you're getting into to save money on 9mm cartridges it might take a long time and a an awful lot of ammo to make up the difference between handloaded and factory ammo at today's prices.

[Onward Allusion]

You may want to invest in reloading equipment and components. Maybe spend half of what you would spend for ammo and the other half for raw materials and equipment.

Also, it took me a long time but reloading isn't about saving money.

[FrankenMauser]

I personally have not seen unfired 9mm brass for less than .10 a piece and the cheapest I've seen once fired brass was .5 cents a piece I've never seen it actually in stock for that price. Still, lets go with .5 for 1000 pieces which makes it $50

Who buys 9mm brass?

It's so abundant that I don't even have to go to the range to find it. It's lying in the gravel at every pull-out, scenic overlook, historical marker, rest stop, and stop sign around here; not to mention camping areas, dirt roads, and gulleys/ravines that lend themselves well to safe shooting.
Heck, I found 3 cases lying in the gutter in front of my house a couple months ago (and I live in a subdivision!).

Over my entire life, I have only ever bought 9mm brass by buying loaded ammunition.
Everything that I have/had was purchased as factory ammo (rare), given to me, or picked up as someone else's trash.

I have enough 9mm brass that I don't even bother trying to clean the muddy cases any more. I just toss them in the scrap bin.



And, bullets...?
FMJs are a waste of money, if you're trying to save money.
Buy cast bullets. Buy in bulk.
Even a 'medium' sized order from, say Bulletsdirect.com, for their .356" 122 gr FP (it's a conical FP, not a truncated cone) will get you to 6 cents per bullet. Fill one shipping box for the $15 flat fee with 3,000 bullets at $55/1000 and 500 at $29/500. You end up at $209 shipped for 3,500 bullets, or $0.0597 / bullet.

Looking at it another way... It would cost $40 less per thousand rounds, than the cheapest FMJs.



That being said...
9mm is one of the 'ultra-common' cartridges that can be difficult to reload for significantly less than the cost of budget factory ammo, unless a good supply of brass and cheap (cast) bullets are available.

If a person is satisfied with the performance of cheap FMJ ammo, then they should probably stick with it. (More brass for me!)
But if they also shoot other cartridges where it's notably easier to save money (rifle cartridges, in particular - other than .223/5.56), then it's probably worth looking into reloading.

[seeker_two]

I already have reloading equipment. What I don't have is time due to family and work issues. And the reason I'm looking at FMJ over JHP is purely economic....more bang for the buck, so to speak.

[gunnre]

Upon the recomnendation of a local LEO at the local LGS I began to shoot Magtech 115gr., replacing the usual Winchester bulk 115 gr at Walmart.(for target) Learned after a few hundred rounds that Magtech was more consistent and a helluva lot cleaner than Winchester. Blazer's and Federals less consistent and much more dirty. My SD is Remington HTP 115 gr. Yes many think it's too light but age and T1 diabetes makes me slight of build and heavy shots take more of a toll. I've learned to discern what works for others may not work for me. Be open minded and experiment.

[Ocraknife]

Who buys 9mm brass?

It's so abundant that I don't even have to go to the range to find it. It's lying in the gravel at every pull-out, scenic overlook, historical marker, rest stop, and stop sign around here; not to mention camping areas, dirt roads, and gulleys/ravines that lend themselves well to safe shooting.
Heck, I found 3 cases lying in the gutter in front of my house a couple months ago (and I live in a subdivision!).

Over my entire life, I have only ever bought 9mm brass by buying loaded ammunition.
Everything that I have/had was purchased as factory ammo (rare), given to me, or picked up as someone else's trash.

I have enough 9mm brass that I don't even bother trying to clean the muddy cases any more. I just toss them in the scrap bin.

There must be a market for 9mm brass because Starline and Remington make it and lots of places sell it. I haven't had to buy any myself because I have quite a bit that I've saved from shooting factory ammo.

Anyway, I wasn't saying that reloading wasn't a good idea, what I said was that I did not agree that purchasing reloading equipment and components to make 1000 rounds of FMJ 9mm was less expensive than buying commercially available FMJ 9mm ammo at today's prices.

[alancac98]

The link below has some of the cheapest prices I've seen, 1000 rounds for as low as $159 (115 gr FMJ). I've never bought anything from there, so I don't know what shippingis or the quality is like, but they have ammo from nearly every manufacturer imaginable.

http://www.sgammo.com/catalog/pistol...sort=round_low

[Ocraknife]

The link below has some of the cheapest prices I've seen, 1000 rounds for as low as $159 (115 gr FMJ). I've never bought anything from there, so I don't know what shippingis or the quality is like, but they have ammo from nearly every manufacturer imaginable.

http://www.sgammo.com/catalog/pistol...sort=round_low

Thanks for posting this site. The prices look better than any I've seen so far.

[Spats McGee]

Originally Posted by alancac98

The link below has some of the cheapest prices I've seen, 1000 rounds for as low as $159 (115 gr FMJ). I've never bought anything from there, so I don't know what shippingis or the quality is like, but they have ammo from nearly every manufacturer imaginable.

http://www.sgammo.com/catalog/pistol...sort=round_low

I bought from them one time. In fact, it's the only online ammo purchase, I've ever made, so I can't compare them to anyone else. However, it was a very satisfying transaction:
1. I placed the order about 11:00 on a Thursday;
2. I had a tracking number by close of business that day; and
3. I had my ammo in hand on Monday.

The one oddity is that there's no telephone number for you to call. They work strictly by email. Even with that, though, I'll buy from them again in a heartbeat. And for the record, I have no affiliation with sgammo, except for the one above-mentioned purchase.

[CajunBass]

If I was buying practice 9mm ammo, I wouldn't worry about which brand. I'd just stock up on whatever is least expensive that week. I've never seen all that much difference in the stuff I buy, which is usually WWB, Federal Eagle, Blazer Brass...Probably some others.

But I mostly reload. I buy plated bullets from Berry's, and save my brass. At the range where I shoot, they sweep it up for me, and dump it back into my bag. They usually sweep up about two or three times what I've shot, so my brass stock of 9mm grows every range session.

[Auto5]

My smallest 9mm carry gun prefers 124 or 147gr loads, so I've been gradually replacing my supply of 115gr practice ammo with 124gr, which works well in ALL of my guns.

[mannyCA]

You can find wolf steel case for a great price right now, .17 cents a round delivered. I've shot this through my glock with no problems, good for plinking.

[drobs]

SG Ammo as linked above is my go to place for buying bulk ammo online. I like their 124gr Geco ammo and would recommend you buy a couple thousand.

Buy brass cased ammo and save your brass. If you do get into reloading you will be glad you did.

I reload and stocked up on all the components - the problem is the lack of time and location where I work.

[wingman]

Over the years I have settled on 124gr as the correct weight for 9mm, it works
in all my 9mm's, I've found it's best to be consistent with ammo as many things in life.

[JBigs]

http://www.sgammo.com/product/surplu...-germany-men9b

That's what I have been stocking up on. It's quality ammo at a good price I buy a box or two a week from my local FFL.

I don't shoot 115 grain that often anymore. I shoot 124g almost exclusively

[pblanc]

I prefer 124gr to 115 gr by a fair margin. I don't shoot 147gr simply because it is rarely available as cheap target ammo, and it would be my last choice in 9mm self-defense ammo.

I have had good luck with quite a few brands including Speer Lawman, Blazer Brass, Federal American Eagle, Magtech, and others.

If I was looking to buy a thousand round case of 9mm Luger, I would look for Winchester 124gr Nato. I have often found it for just a buck or two more per 50rd box than the very cheapest brass-cased ammo. Since it has recoil characteristics closer to that of the 9mm SD ammo I select, I feel that it has better value for training purposes.

I have seen a significant difference in POI of 115 vs. 124gr 9mm ammo at 25yds.

[rightside]

SGammo is good to go. They have good service and great prices. I'm mad at them though because I live close and they don't allow walk-in buying. Insurance reasons I guess. Costs me as much in shipping for 20 miles as it does for 300!

[Don P]

I'm planning to stock up on 9mm FMJ for possible shortages.

Here we go again, better buy 10,000 rounds ya never know how long the shortage will last for

[drobs]

Yeah it's much more fun to have no ammo put back and then pay exorbitant prices for it at gun shows.

[P5 Guy]

My preference is 124grain. Sellier & Belloit is my favorite. Their loading is full power like the NATO spec.

[smee78]

I also perfect a nice 124grn bullet for my 9mm's. Its better to have extra ammo than to need ammo later. Yall remember when you could get a case of 223 or x39 for $99? I would of bought all I could afford if I knew prices were going to go up like they have. I miss the Winchester 100 round value packs for $11.97 at Wal-Mart!

[Don P]

Yeah it's much more fun to have no ammo put back and then pay exorbitant prices for it at gun shows.

That is why they produce reloading presses and sell reloading components.

[MarkCO]

Yeah, the Pro1000 has gone up, but you can get $15 off at Midway with a coupon.

I personally have not seen unfired 9mm brass for less than .10 a piece and the cheapest I've seen once fired brass was .5 cents a piece I've never seen it actually in stock for that price. Still, lets go with .5 for 1000 pieces which makes it $50

Now you have seen it for $24.

https://m.facebook.com/AmmoBrassLLC/

Bayou Bullets for about $65/k, Xtreme plated for about $85/k. Both are excellent quality coated.

Primer and powder for about $40/k. So even if you buy brass, $149/K and it will be better quality than anything you can buy for under $200/k. Less susceptible to shortages as well.

[Worc]

I've not had any issues with any factory FMJ from the manufacturers I've shot through all of my 9mm's. 115 gr are more available in FMJ factory ammo around my area. That's the weight I've mostly shot even though I carry 124 gr loads for SD.

Reloading is a good option and one I chose to do myself. No reason to shoot FMJ's if you reload. Part of the benefit of reloading is that you get to pick the type of bullet you want to use.

I use 115 gr Plated RN bullets from several manufactures. I by powder in bulk from a local supplier close to work. Primers from a local supplier on my way home from work.

I'm at 11.54 cents per round or $115.40 per 1,000 for components. My press, scale, ultra sonic cleaner, and bullet puller have all been paid for in the first few thousand reloads. I already had a caliper and a few other Misc things I use for reloading. I dug out factory ammo boxes from the garbage cans at the ranges. I print labels at work for free for the load info. My cleaning solution is home made from products already in the house.

Brass is free from years of keeping it and being a brass whore at the ranges. I can get once fired brass for $39.00 for 1,000 if I wanted from Everglades.

If you don't want to get into reloading, just buy what you can find the cheapest that works in your gun/s.

[jr24]

I always suggest matching the weight of your carry ammo. If you carry 124s, practice with 124s.

Agreed. That's exactly why I started loading. Can get 147 grain practice ammo that more closely resembles my carry HST's.

That and its cheaper than buying factory.