Cost of 45acp vs 9mm

Roland Thunder · July 27, 2015, 05:56 PM

Most people compare the cost of reloaded ammo vs the cost of factory ammo. The savings no doubt is greater for 45acp than for 9mm. How about comparing the cost of reloaded 45acp vs reloaded 9mm. I figure the cost of the primers is the same, the cost of shipping the same and the cost of the powder is negligible. Most of the difference is in the bullets themselves. So, if I can get 500 9mm's for $30.00 and 500 45acp for 39.00, the difference is $9.00 for 500 rounds. So, if there are 50 rounds in a box, the difference is about .9 cents per round, probably with the difference in powder, it would be an even 1 cent per round.

Sound about right?

burrhead · July 27, 2015, 06:43 PM

I shoot with a couple of guys once a week. They each shoot around 20,000 rounds of 9mm a year and they tell me their cost is about 10 cents per. I shoot +/- 8,000 45 ACPs a year and it runs me about 18 cents per. All three of us are using jacketed bullets. I use 230g FMJ Zeros for the most part and they're shooting Zeros or GD pull downs from Rocky Mountain Reloaders for the most part.

I shot lead for more years than I can count but moved to FMJs because they run through my progressive so much better. Tried a few thousand plated and don't like them at all.

Nick_C_S · July 27, 2015, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Sound about right?

Well, yes and no.

From my personal experience, lead slugs are much - much - better suited for 45ACP. I have never had good luck with lead for 9mm. All I get is flyers and barrel leading. I could live with the lead clean up; but the bullets flying everywhere - not so much. Gave up on it entirely. Jacketed and plated only for 9mm these days.

45ACP on the other hand, shoots lead with no problems. Barrel leading is next to nothing, and they shoot with "gnat's eyebrow" accuracy.

Apples n oranges.

Net result: 45ACP is much more economical to reload.

WVMountaineer · July 27, 2015, 09:22 PM

In this cycle of brass for both the 9mm and 45 acp, each are on their second reloads. I deter that cost from them as brass is something that depletes itself after the first reload when comparing to factory loads. My cost are as follows.

9MM:

Bullets: I shoot Missouri Bullets 124 grain small ball round nose powder coated bullets. I have about .06 cents/bullet in them.

Primer: I shoot whatever is cheapest to buy at the time but have a touch over .03 cents/primer in them.

Powder" Lets say .01 cent/loaded round

My 9MM rounds cost me a touch less than .10 cents/shot.

45 ACP"

Bullets: I shoot .452 Missouri Bullets powder coated truncated cone 230 grain bullets. Or .452 Penn's bullet lead bullet. Both come in a 10.2 cents/bullet.

Primer: A touch over .03 cents/primer.

Powder: Lets say a bit over .01 cents/loaded round

My 45 ACP rounds cost me a touch over 14 cents/shot.

None lead. All are very accurate. When compared to factory offerings of White Box Winchester sold by the hundred, which is the cheapest we have around here, I'm saving about $20/hundred rounds on the 9MM (versus the Winchester at $30/hundred round) and, about $23/hundred rounds of 45 ACP (versus $38 on the Winchester/hundred rounds). I'm showing about 4 cents difference in the 9MM versus the 45 ACP reloaded rounds and, about 8 cents difference on the factory loads between the two. Big time savings for a better shooting round. I'll take it.

What I really want to know is where are you getting 45 ACP bullets for 6.6 cents apiece. God Bless

jag2 · July 27, 2015, 11:32 PM

Like Burrhead, I shoot Zero brand bullets in 9mm and 45. The 230 grn 45 is only about 20% more than the 115 9mm. Never did understand that since it is twice as much material, but I'm happy. Every other cost is almost identical so 45 ACP isn't that much more, not for a reloader anyway.

Brotherbadger · July 28, 2015, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Jacketed and plated only for 9mm these days.

Have you tried powder coating? I'm about to get into reloading 9mm and that seems like the way to go, imo.

dds51968 · July 28, 2015, 09:09 PM

I use Berrys 115 gr that cost me .07 each, Xtreme 230 gr round nose cost .12 each, kind of a small price difference, as OP mentioned, primers are th same and powder difference with Titegroup indeed is negligible. I enjoy shooting both calibers, but I don think in terms of cost since they're two different animals to me.

David

skizzums · July 28, 2015, 09:59 PM

i am trying to undertand your math. if the cost is 9$ more per 500, then your talking 18c more per round. right? 18$ more per 1000K=18c per round. that's a substanstial difference in my opinion.

Sevens · July 28, 2015, 11:26 PM

There is another angle to consider... and this varies wildly across any sample of us you might poll. It has to do with where you typically shoot, how much of your own brass you recover and how much other/extra brass you find & return home with.

I think my 9mm brass is reproducing-- I swear there is more and more of it every time I look.

Anyway, I will have to agree with David as much as anyone. Since I have vastly different handguns in 9mm and .45, they are two different experiences for me and I enjoy 'em both, so I load and shoot 'em both!

jag2 · July 28, 2015, 11:41 PM

According to my calculator, $18 per 1000 is .018. That's 1.8 cents a piece.

skizzums · July 28, 2015, 11:58 PM

geez, duh. if i paid only 18 bucks for a thousand rounds, that'd be a heckuva lot less than 18c a round. obviously i was doing 100 in my head. and here i thought adderal was supposed to make me smarter.......

g.willikers · July 29, 2015, 09:38 AM

Good accuracy for lead bullets in 9mm can be had.
Try the 147 grain truncated cones, sized .357, at around 1,000 f/s or so.

Don P · July 29, 2015, 10:39 AM

My cost for 9 mm is .11 per round-.067-.07 per per bullet .03 for primer, and .01 for powder and for 45 acp .1085-.11 per bullet and the primer, powder cost is the same. So $110 per 1K for 9 mm and $150 per 1k for 45.
At today's prices I can shoot 9 mm cheaper than 22 lr.

TimSr · July 30, 2015, 07:55 AM

The most significant component cost is the bullet, and 9mm bullets typically cost less than .45 bullets. My SW439 9mm has no issues with shooting lead at any velocity.

WVsig · July 30, 2015, 08:01 AM

9mm cost me $.11 and 45 ACP cost me $.16 I am using HP-38 powder, mixed brass and S&B primers.

I use RMR Plated bullets or Precision Delta FMJ.

rtpzwms · July 30, 2015, 08:11 AM

I shoot Berry's for both and my costs are already computed in this thread. With that said I have a son who is casting his own. According to him his cost for 45acp is about 8 cents per round. about 1/2 of my cost. I was wondering if more bullet casters would chime in. He pays 75 cents per pound for wheel weights.

hbhobby · July 30, 2015, 08:21 AM

For me reloading 9mm just isn't worth it. It costs me about $0.15 / rnd and that is not figuring in my time at all (which I do not have much of). And I can buy them for about $0.18 / rnd. So the $30 savings per 1000 rounds just doesn't make sense when I make more than that an hour and I can use that time not reloading shooting

skizzums · July 30, 2015, 09:19 AM

Everyone seems to only think about costs to the cheapest degree. I do at least half of my practice with hornaday xtp or whatever premium bullet I am carrying. I can load most of those for around 15c a round compared to almost a dollar a round at the store. I can't telll you how many thousands of premium hollowpoints I have loaded up at the moment. And I still feel a huge cost savings on plinking, but I cast my own

**44 AMP** · July 30, 2015, 10:12 AM

Quote:

the cost of shipping the same

On what planet??? 500 .45 slugs are approximately TWICE the weight of 500 9mm slugs. Even in zero gravity the cubage is different so the cost to ship has to be different.

Unless some one else is paying the freight, and the cost to you is zero, they cost of shipping is NOT the same.

WVsig · July 30, 2015, 01:02 PM

Quote:

On what planet??? 500 .45 slugs are approximately TWICE the weight of 500 9mm slugs. Even in zero gravity the cubage is different so the cost to ship has to be different.

Unless some one else is paying the freight, and the cost to you is zero, they cost of shipping is NOT the same.

Everyone I buy bullets/slugs from ship for free. Most of the time it is shipped via USPS flat rate or via UPS ground. If there is a cost difference it is built into the price per thousand which has already been accounted for in the cost difference of the bullets.

745SW · July 30, 2015, 10:00 PM

45ACP is comparatively about the same cost to 9mm for me because I can use lead. Most likely there are combinations of arm and handload that would yield low leading but I prefer simple. Ammo must work for all chambered for that round.

skizzums · July 30, 2015, 11:51 PM

although i disagree with the lack of savings in 9mm, the cost of shipping is not an issue. alot of "bullet centric" online stores do flat shipping. like graf's, mine and alot of peopes go-to, is a 8$ flat rate no matter the weight.

July 27, 2015, 05:56 PM	#1
Roland Thunder Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Gwinnett County Georgia Posts: 1,136	Cost of 45acp vs 9mm Most people compare the cost of reloaded ammo vs the cost of factory ammo. The savings no doubt is greater for 45acp than for 9mm. How about comparing the cost of reloaded 45acp vs reloaded 9mm. I figure the cost of the primers is the same, the cost of shipping the same and the cost of the powder is negligible. Most of the difference is in the bullets themselves. So, if I can get 500 9mm's for $30.00 and 500 45acp for 39.00, the difference is $9.00 for 500 rounds. So, if there are 50 rounds in a box, the difference is about .9 cents per round, probably with the difference in powder, it would be an even 1 cent per round. Sound about right? __________________ Do not follow where the path may lead, go, instead where there is no path and leave a trail - Ralph Waldo Emerson

July 27, 2015, 06:43 PM	#2
burrhead Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 1999 Location: Chihuahuan desert, Texas Posts: 1,148	I shoot with a couple of guys once a week. They each shoot around 20,000 rounds of 9mm a year and they tell me their cost is about 10 cents per. I shoot +/- 8,000 45 ACPs a year and it runs me about 18 cents per. All three of us are using jacketed bullets. I use 230g FMJ Zeros for the most part and they're shooting Zeros or GD pull downs from Rocky Mountain Reloaders for the most part. I shot lead for more years than I can count but moved to FMJs because they run through my progressive so much better. Tried a few thousand plated and don't like them at all. __________________ Join the GOA, SAF and the TSRA I'm offended by people that are easily offended.

July 27, 2015, 09:22 PM	#4
WVMountaineer Senior Member Join Date: January 11, 2015 Posts: 330	In this cycle of brass for both the 9mm and 45 acp, each are on their second reloads. I deter that cost from them as brass is something that depletes itself after the first reload when comparing to factory loads. My cost are as follows. 9MM: Bullets: I shoot Missouri Bullets 124 grain small ball round nose powder coated bullets. I have about .06 cents/bullet in them. Primer: I shoot whatever is cheapest to buy at the time but have a touch over .03 cents/primer in them. Powder" Lets say .01 cent/loaded round My 9MM rounds cost me a touch less than .10 cents/shot. 45 ACP" Bullets: I shoot .452 Missouri Bullets powder coated truncated cone 230 grain bullets. Or .452 Penn's bullet lead bullet. Both come in a 10.2 cents/bullet. Primer: A touch over .03 cents/primer. Powder: Lets say a bit over .01 cents/loaded round My 45 ACP rounds cost me a touch over 14 cents/shot. None lead. All are very accurate. When compared to factory offerings of White Box Winchester sold by the hundred, which is the cheapest we have around here, I'm saving about $20/hundred rounds on the 9MM (versus the Winchester at $30/hundred round) and, about $23/hundred rounds of 45 ACP (versus $38 on the Winchester/hundred rounds). I'm showing about 4 cents difference in the 9MM versus the 45 ACP reloaded rounds and, about 8 cents difference on the factory loads between the two. Big time savings for a better shooting round. I'll take it. What I really want to know is where are you getting 45 ACP bullets for 6.6 cents apiece. God Bless Last edited by WVMountaineer; July 27, 2015 at 09:31 PM.

July 28, 2015, 09:59 PM	#8
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	i am trying to undertand your math. if the cost is 9$ more per 500, then your talking 18c more per round. right? 18$ more per 1000K=18c per round. that's a substanstial difference in my opinion. __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

July 28, 2015, 11:26 PM	#9
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	There is another angle to consider... and this varies wildly across any sample of us you might poll. It has to do with where you typically shoot, how much of your own brass you recover and how much other/extra brass you find & return home with. I think my 9mm brass is reproducing-- I swear there is more and more of it every time I look. Anyway, I will have to agree with David as much as anyone. Since I have vastly different handguns in 9mm and .45, they are two different experiences for me and I enjoy 'em both, so I load and shoot 'em both! __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

July 27, 2015, 11:32 PM	#5
jag2 Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2009 Location: dallas Posts: 773	Like Burrhead, I shoot Zero brand bullets in 9mm and 45. The 230 grn 45 is only about 20% more than the 115 9mm. Never did understand that since it is twice as much material, but I'm happy. Every other cost is almost identical so 45 ACP isn't that much more, not for a reloader anyway.

July 28, 2015, 09:09 PM	#7
dds51968 Member Join Date: May 4, 2009 Location: Loganville, GA Posts: 36	I use Berrys 115 gr that cost me .07 each, Xtreme 230 gr round nose cost .12 each, kind of a small price difference, as OP mentioned, primers are th same and powder difference with Titegroup indeed is negligible. I enjoy shooting both calibers, but I don think in terms of cost since they're two different animals to me. David

July 28, 2015, 11:41 PM	#10
jag2 Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2009 Location: dallas Posts: 773	According to my calculator, $18 per 1000 is .018. That's 1.8 cents a piece.

July 28, 2015, 11:58 PM	#11
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	geez, duh. if i paid only 18 bucks for a thousand rounds, that'd be a heckuva lot less than 18c a round. obviously i was doing 100 in my head. and here i thought adderal was supposed to make me smarter....... __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

July 29, 2015, 09:38 AM	#12
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Good accuracy for lead bullets in 9mm can be had. Try the 147 grain truncated cones, sized .357, at around 1,000 f/s or so. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

July 29, 2015, 10:39 AM	#13
Don P Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2005 Location: Swamp dweller Posts: 6,187	My cost for 9 mm is .11 per round-.067-.07 per per bullet .03 for primer, and .01 for powder and for 45 acp .1085-.11 per bullet and the primer, powder cost is the same. So $110 per 1K for 9 mm and $150 per 1k for 45. At today's prices I can shoot 9 mm cheaper than 22 lr. __________________ *NRA Life Member, NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, NRA Certified Pistol Instructor,, USPSA & Steel Challange NROI Range Officer, ICORE Range Officer, ,MAG 40 Graduate* *As you are, I once was, As I am, You will be.*

July 30, 2015, 07:55 AM	#14
TimSr Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2013 Location: Rittman, Ohio Posts: 2,074	The most significant component cost is the bullet, and 9mm bullets typically cost less than .45 bullets. My SW439 9mm has no issues with shooting lead at any velocity.

July 30, 2015, 08:01 AM	#15
WVsig Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2010 Location: NC Posts: 5,309	9mm cost me $.11 and 45 ACP cost me $.16 I am using HP-38 powder, mixed brass and S&B primers. I use RMR Plated bullets or Precision Delta FMJ. __________________ -The right to be left alone is the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by free people.-Louis Brandeis -Its a tool box... I don't care you put the tools in for the job that's all... -Sam from Ronin -It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -Aristotle Last edited by WVsig; July 30, 2015 at 01:03 PM.

July 30, 2015, 08:11 AM	#16
rtpzwms Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 2010 Location: OTS Posts: 1,035	I shoot Berry's for both and my costs are already computed in this thread. With that said I have a son who is casting his own. According to him his cost for 45acp is about 8 cents per round. about 1/2 of my cost. I was wondering if more bullet casters would chime in. He pays 75 cents per pound for wheel weights. __________________ Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.

July 30, 2015, 08:21 AM	#17
hbhobby Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2013 Location: Payson Az Posts: 169	For me reloading 9mm just isn't worth it. It costs me about $0.15 / rnd and that is not figuring in my time at all (which I do not have much of). And I can buy them for about $0.18 / rnd. So the $30 savings per 1000 rounds just doesn't make sense when I make more than that an hour and I can use that time not reloading shooting

July 30, 2015, 09:19 AM	#18
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	Everyone seems to only think about costs to the cheapest degree. I do at least half of my practice with hornaday xtp or whatever premium bullet I am carrying. I can load most of those for around 15c a round compared to almost a dollar a round at the store. I can't telll you how many thousands of premium hollowpoints I have loaded up at the moment. And I still feel a huge cost savings on plinking, but I cast my own __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

July 30, 2015, 10:00 PM	#21
745SW Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2011 Location: California Posts: 776	45ACP is comparatively about the same cost to 9mm for me because I can use lead. Most likely there are combinations of arm and handload that would yield low leading but I prefer simple. Ammo must work for all chambered for that round.

July 30, 2015, 11:51 PM	#22
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	although i disagree with the lack of savings in 9mm, the cost of shipping is not an issue. alot of "bullet centric" online stores do flat shipping. like graf's, mine and alot of peopes go-to, is a 8$ flat rate no matter the weight. __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed