9mm reload Is it worth it?

[swjr72]

Just wondering if it is worth it to reload 9mm. Considering I can get a val-pak for around $11 a 100.

opinions appreciated

[knightkrawler00]

I reload 9mm slightly cheaper than I could buy it in bulk, with free brass from the local range. If you add in the time to make the reloads on a single stage press, it would be better to just buy the stuff, but I enjoy reloading enough that I don't mind the time. Plus, I get to tailor the rounds for the gun.

[tjhands]

I think it depends on what you mean by "worth it." I'm pretty sure we're talking financially here, in which case I don't think it's worth it. You can buy factory ammo pretty cheaply for the 9.
A lot of people reload as a (in their minds at least) totally separate hobby from shooting the ammo. It's relaxing, and requires attention to detail, etc, so they enjoy the act of doing it. For them, reloading 9mm is probably well worth it.

[Poygan]

From a strict dollars and cents stand point, its not worth your time. However, if you enjoy reloading like KK00, its a fun past time. The point about tailoring the ammo to your pistol is also valid. I have three 9mms, the two with rifled bbls are different bore diameters and the third (Glock) supposedly doesn't like cast. So, I have three differing loads for the three. Personally, I find reloading and casting an excellent extension of the shooting hobby. If I didn't reload, I doubt I would shoot much.

[HSMITH]

I can reload 9 for less than $70 per thousand, loads comparable to the value packs that would cost you $110 per thousand. It takes me 2 hours to reload 1000 rounds, so YES for me it is worth it to reload 9.

[Russ5924]

What no one has said is if you have all the reloading equipment just for a few bucks more you can reload 9MM.Now if you have to start from scratch and buy all the reloading stuff it wouldn't pay to do it.I had just ordered stuff to reload 9MM with the Lee dies and bullets was about $50.00 so will break even fast. But then I just enjoy reloaded to me is relaxing and fun to work up a good load that shoots great.

[maxwayne]

I can buy 1k Blazer for approx $85.00. At that price, I will spend my time reloading 45 acp, 45 Colt and 41 and 44 mag. I will shoot Blazers and leave the empties on the ground.

[gschwertley]

If I ever had any thoughts about saving time or money, I would never have started reloading anything.

That said, yes, I piddle around with 9mmP but not to save anything. It's just a hobby. Mostly with 9mmP, I use components that I have gotten free or next to free from others who have given up loading it for reasons of economy.

I suppose I could spend my "free" time doing something else besides shooting and reloading. Like sitting on a barstool, drinking my money and time away. Or gambling down on the Indian Reservation. Or doing drugs, or worse. From this point of view, reloading seems downright healthy.

[unclestu]

Across the South, Academy Sports sells CCI Blazer 9mm FMJ(aluminum case) for $3.86/50, & steel cased 9mm Russian/Eastern European for the same price. Winchester white box 9mm(brass case) sells for ~$4.95/50. I think Wally World sells the Win white box for ~$8-9/100. Just to put this in perspective: that's less than .22 rimfire magnum, & even less than some .22 lr loads(CCI Velocitors, .22 LR HP "super-duper" hunting load(40 gr, ~1400 fps), local wally world price: $3.99/50!).

If you wanted to try our hand at working up some "Uber-Carbine" load or something, OK. If you just really love to reload, fine, have fun! But for general practice & plinking, just remember that primers, powder, & bullets all cost $$. For 8-10 cents a shot, why reload?

[G56]

You can reload 9mm for about a nickel each, far cheaper than you can buy it, and since I use a Dillon progressive reloader I don't get much time tied up in loading, running about 500 per hour.

[Sturm]

One thing worth considering about the 9mm. If you start loading high performance defense type loads, factory equivelant will cost you about $20 for a box of 20-25 rounds and it still won't match what you can do at the reloading bench. Powder selection and OAL are very key issues. You don't want to try this with Bullseye or W-231 and an OAL at 1.095". Ball powders slower than HS-6 with very low flash signatures and a good 124 gr. JHP loaded to 1.142" or 29mm as recommended by companies like Vihta Vuori (and others from Europe) who also make excellent powders to achieve the results, i.e. 3N37 N340, or N350 and you are likely to build loads the factory can't touch. Some with 100% load density to boot and no worries about bullet setback. AA#7 was developed for this very purpose!

Want something truly exotic? How about a supersonic 147 gr. XTP at 1200 FPS. Hold on Boys! this is right from the latest VV handbook using the new competition powder 3N38 and loaded as it must be at 1.142", pressure is under 32,000 PSI (CIP) or under 34,000 PSI by the SAAMI Piezoelectric transducer system. I don't like 147 gr JHP's for the 9mm ordinarily and it seems that only Cor-Bon ever had the correct solution to prevent overpenetration until the latest generation of 147s arrived, load it it super-sonic and it will expand reliably and will not overpenetrate.

.45 ACP +P and .40 S&W can be bought from Federal, SPEER, or Remington, as effective as it needs to be for defense loads. 9mm can not. There are powders when incorporated to longer and proper OALs that will make your handloads outperform factory +P without venturing into +P pressure at over 35,000 PSI.

Hopefully, I haven't carried this too far, but it does illustrate that for defense purposes, 9mm is the one that must be reloaded. Forty and .45 +P will get it done from a factory box. Also worth mentioning; I never buy FMJ bullets, I mainly shoot the Remington 124 gr. JHP, their standard JHP. It only costs pennies more when you buy them in quantities of 1000 or more in bulk and unlike FMJ, there is no exposed lead at the bullet base. IDPA, Plinking at tin cans, or even if you are licensed to kill Gophers by the United Nations, they work and airborne lead is reduced. If you are like me, I just load up to 1250 FPS or better and use them as defense loads. No wonder bullets required!

[caz223]

Not this again!

[Sturm]

Oh yeah, I forgot about Rambo! He'd load the 10mm with what, a 170 gr. JHP at 1500 FPS from a Glock 29?. Never shot with Rambo, but I'd like to see his groups! Kind of like what Warren Zevon said about Werewolves of London, AOOUUU!

[Zekewolf]

G56: I'd like to know what kind of bullets and at what price you're paying, such that you're reloading 9mm @ $.05 each?

[Sturm]

I haven't figured the cost lately, but if using the same components or even using Remington bulk JHP's instead of FMJ, I would be surprised if you couldn't still beat the cost of Win. WB by handloading. Corrections are welcome!

[Zekewolf]

Not including the price of brass, but using premium, bulk fmjs, I'm figuring around $.08 each for my 9mm reloading. That's still below WWB.

[Sturm]

And higher quality ammo. Thanks Zeke!

[goalie]

I can reload 115g FMJ bullets in cases that I already had on hand with 6.2grains of Power Pistol and CCI primers for about 65 dollars a thousand. It shoots more accurately and cleaner than WWB as well. The time is not a big factor since I recently bought a Dillon 550B.

[Oct_97]

A commercial reloading company charges $160.00 per thousand for 147 grain, plated Hollow Points. I reload 147 grain, Jacketed Hollow Points for less than half that, so yes, it's worth reloading 9mm to me as that is what I use for IPSC & IDPA.

[Crosshair]

It is probably worth it if you are loading +P loads.