should i consider reloading? what do i need?

[Rogueone]

Hi,

I'm fairly new to guns, and shoot regularly with a friend who has many guns, and his Daughter. We normally buy Blazer Brass at Wal-mart which has been running about $6.50 a box of 50, but seems to have jumped to over $8 this week.

I chatted with someone at MidwayUSA last week about loaders, and was given what seemed some decent advice. It was suggested I start with a simple kit such as this http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=820810, in order to get used to reloading and all that is needed to be done. A multi stage press was suggested for after I'd learned to do it right with one of these single stage types.

But while trying to figure out the costs of reloading versus buying from wal-mart, it was looking like the savings weren't going to be very big for 9mm reloads (well, until this price jump). So, could some of you here that reload regularly give me an idea of how much one would expect reloads to cost per bullet, and how long to expect it to take to make 200 for an outing, etc.?

We both just joined a local Izaak Walton league that has an indoor range we can use 24/7, so our ammo consumption is likely to increase, and perhaps reloads are going to become a more viable and necessary thing for us.

Thank you for you input in advance, I expect you'll overwhelm me and have my head spinning with more information than I can process right away

[Ifishsum]

Welcome to TFL!

Reloading is a fun and rewarding hobby, and I'm very happy I started a few years ago. Honestly, in 9mm it won't save you a lot of money, but if you get into other calibers it may pay off sooner. I figure I can make a box of pistol rounds for about $4-5, a little less if I use cast bullets and buy components in bulk. More expensive rounds like .45 colt and most rifle rounds save me a lot of money, and I can tailor the load to fit my needs. But the main reason I reload is because I enjoy it, I can explore different loads, make better than average ammo and I'm not dependent on the local Wal-Mart having what I need in stock. If you're doing it simply to save money I think you'll probably be disappointed.

The kit you're looking at would get you started nicely and is the same one I started with - in fact I'm still using much of it. I'd suggest you read the book completely before you start loading anything, and if you have any questions there are lots of helpful folks on this board.

[rwilson452]

there are a couple of stickies at the top of this forum. I suggest you start there.

[HJ857]

In my area the Blazer Brass runs around $11 a box.

My local indoor range does not allow handloads, you may want to double check the range rules just in case...

I use range brass only, I've never had to buy brass ever. 9mm brass is pretty much the easiest brass to find at a range. Using Winchester jacketed bullets from Midway, I can load for a tiny bit under 9 cents per round. I'll be moving to plated bullets when my current supply runs out and that will drop the per round cost a little.

No matter what, my cost is half vs. cheap, factory loads. So in the case of the Blazer at $22 per hundred, and my loads at $9 per hundred, I made up my costs pretty fast. I made up my cost for the dies in the first session.

More importantly, I really like the ability to build loads that suit my needs.

[Rogueone]

cool, nice to know there is a reasonable savings to expect. It would be a group effort basically if I did this, as my friend and I would be shooting together most of the time, and with his daughter, so needing 300 or more rounds per outing would be very normal. And I'll get to reading those stickys as well.

oh, how many times can a brass be reused, and how long will it typically take to make 100 rounds once I've gotten used to the process?

[.45 Vet]

I would think that once you master the single stage press, 75/100 rounds per hour should be quite do-able. You may also want to find out if your range permits you to use reloaded ammo. (some do not)

[CrustyFN]

Welcome. I load 9mm for $3.50 per box of 50, $70 per 1,000. I also load 223 for $75 to $100 per 1,000 depending on the cost of bullets at the time. I own a Lee classic turret press and can load 200 per hour. You can buy the classic kit at Kempfgunshop.com for $149. If you are going to load mostly pistol I would suggest to start with at least a turret press.
Rusty

[HJ857]

I also use the Lee Classic 4 hole turret. But I do not use the auto index, but just turn the turret plate by hand. I like to check OAL on every round, so I pull the handle more than once for bullet seating and the index just messes up the process.

If I weigh every charge I can do a bit over 50 per hour, if I check OAL only, then it's around 100 per hour.

I inspect all my brass just before priming, I throw anything that looks remotely suspicious, even things like nicks, dents and deep-ish scratches. I figure that I'll throw out the case well before it's actual useful life is up.

That's the beauty of 9mm, it's so easy to scrounge brass that throwing away cases is not painful at all.

[ZeroJunk]

All I load now are a few hunting rounds.But,this thread reminded me have college days back in the early 70's.We would buy a 4 pound keg of Unique cause you could shoot on it forever.We melted tire weights,lead shower liners,lead ingots for cast iron pipe seals.Whatever we could find that would come out of the mold with some reliability.None of us had any money.You could really do it on the cheap back then.

[dairycreek]

Let me suggest that a very, very good place to begin reloading is by doing some reading. Get a couple of modern reloading manuals such as those by Lee or Speer (take a look at Midway and both are for sale there). The manuals will have an absolute wealth of information and are an excellent place to begin.

[SDC]

Realistically, you probably never REALLY "save money" by reloading, but it DOES let you shoot about 30% more, since you're saving on the cost of the brass case (which accounts for around 30% of the cost of a loaded round).

[copdills]

Save some money and make alot of great friends, its a great hobby

[GUGS]

I started reloading in Jan 2007. What I purchased was based on some research and the fact that I have a very good friend that has been reloading for 30+ years who was able to take me step by step.

What I ordered:
1. the Lee Loadmaster in a 45, came with carbide dies
2. Lyman autoflow tumbler, to clean brass
3. Digital scale to measure powder
4. Digital scale to measure case, OAL of round produced

The Lee dies will come with recommended loads and powder for the various bullets you choose to load.

start slow, and eventually you will be mass producing rounds. The load master can be used for rifle which I just finished loading 223 rounds one at a time.

this is a very versitile press.

[shepherddogs]

45s @ Walmart have gone up to 28.00 per 100 WWB. Primers cost me about .02 each. A pound of Unique powder will load over 1000 rds and cost about $20.00 so figure another .02 per shot. Bullets are the biggest cost. I usually load lead bullets to save money at about 25.00 per 500. So figure .05 more per shot. Total cost .09 per shot or $9.00 per 100. Bullets have been rising steadily so I am going to start casting my own again. I just bought 125 lbs of wheel weights for .15 per pound and will get 30 230 gr. bullets per pound. That equals 1/2 cent per bullet. Now the cost per round drops to 4 1/2 cents per shot or 4.50 per 100. Its a lot of work but I enjoy reloading. If you are a lawyer and make $300.00 per hour you'll probably want to keep shooting factory ammo. But if you're like me you will see a huge benefit to loading your own.

[shepherddogs]

Oh PS where I shoot people leave their brass laying everywhere. Its free.