Reloading .40 - What does it actually cost

[jtc2162]

One of my co-workers is hooking me up with a good deal on his reloading equipment. Also, I've been picking up brass each time I shoot. So far I've got about 1200 pieces of brass between what he gave me and what I've collected...

So here's my real questions: how much will it actually cost me to reload? I'll be shooting the ammo down a glock 23 so there's that whole cluster-F of a debate, but I'll probably wind up shooting lead and jacketed down a drop in barrel.

So assuming 98 bucks shipped for 1K .40 s&w Precision Delta bullets, how much am I looking at for 1K primers and 1K worth of powder?

How much can I save on lubed lead bullets? How much savings can I expect from casting my own bullets?

Thanks in advance!

[abber]

Of course this is dependent on what kind of powder you use, because charge weights will vary quite a bit. Also, it depends on how much you will have to pay for the primers, provided you can find them. That said, ballpark figure to complete the first thousand is 50 or 60 bucks, figuring 20 bucks for a pound of powder, and 40 bucks for the primers. If you spec out a powder which uses less than 7 grains per round, 1 pound will do.

[Foxbat]

Precision Delta makes great bullets at wonderful prices... if you can get them. I have several orders with them, don't expect delivery for months. So they are pretty much out of picture for now.

Next best source is Montana Gold, their .40 bullets are 11-12 cents ea.

Add roughly 1 cent for powder, and say, 4 cents for the primer.

If you don't compete, then you bring back all your brass, so there is really no cost associated with it. Bottom line - 16 cents per round.

[webhead]

Rainier LeadSafe 40 S&W bullets on sale for $98.99 at Midway. I've been shooting them for months and they work fine for my IDPA matches. I've bought a bunch of Federal primers at $33 for 1000.

[Foxbat]

Presicion Delta and Montana Gold prices include shipping, Midway charges separately. Last time I bought Rainiers there they cost $132 per 1000 delivered.

I have also shot thousands of Rainier, but there is big difference in quality between them and the jacketed ones. Especially if you try to pull one using the collet puller...

[chris in va]

Here's a calculator that might come in handy. It's a real eye opener.

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

You already have free brass that will get re-used after you shoot them up. All you need to worry about is powder (cheap), primers (availability) and bullets (which can be cast later on to save even MORE money).

For example, I can load 9mm lead bullets for $6/50. I'm looking at casting my own from bullet weights, and the cost will drop to about $3.50/50. Current FMJ factory ammo right now locally is $13/50.

But I'm really new at reloading, and I'll say this...don't reload for cost savings. Reload for FUN and so you can shoot more for the same cost. It's like you can make your own gasoline, but find yourself taking that cross country trip instead of down the road to the local park.

[ADIDAS69]

The only thing not yet mentioned is YOUR TIME, to make quality ammo of the type that you could sell, lets say, but don't without an FFL you will spend more on time and that is something that can't be clawed back in savings per round. The axiom i have also found to be completely true is that reloading makes things soo cheap that you shoot just that much more so the savings for most re-loaders ends up being burnt up because we all shoot twice as much. I am personally alright with shooting more so here is my advice never buy less than 8 pounds of powder at a time, never less than 5000 primers at a time always buy bullets from a source that sells in a quantity that allows for free USPS wideners.com is a great source check it out and go nuts. The more you shoot the more accurate you will become.

HEad shots only

[rc]

If you don't consider your time, primers can be had for between $30 and $50 per $1000 and powder for about $20-$25 per pound with regularity. 7 grain loads make 1000 rounds (approxmately). If you load 14 grains which you would not for a 40 then you can get only 500 rounds per can. If you load 5 grains which is a more typical number for faster powders like 231 then you can get over 1200 or so+/-. If you are loading 3.5 grains you'd have loads that probably would not function but could get 2000 rounds per pound. 1500 is probably about what you'll get with 231, bullseye etc. per pound of powder. So on top of your 1000 bullets add $60 for other components assuming you own the brass already. Then divide by 20 to get your per box price. $160/20= $8 which is not too shabby if those are plated bullets. Lead works ok but tends to oxidize if you plan to store the ammo for more than a year. rc

[webhead]

That's good info to know. Shipping and taxes are the great equalizers for online ordering. Sort of like airline fees. Heard Southwest was selling seats for $29 one way but the reports are that when the fees are added, the cost is over $90. Seem wrong to me that someone can advertise a price that is less than 1/2 what the real price is.

Thanks for the recommendation. Will look at them for my next purchase and see which is cheaper.

BTW, I'm not affiliated w/ Midway nor did I get any product or fees to make these statements. That is, my recommendation is not coerced in any way. No troller here. ;-)

[jtc2162]

Went to the local place yesterday to ask some questions and inquire about powder and primers.

Powder is going to cost me 18-20 bucks per pound.

Primers are 30 bucks per 1000 and are touch and go in terms of availability. I'll have to call every day to get my hands on them and they will only sell 1k at a time.

Rounds will cost me 98 per 1K. Eventually I plan to cast my own lead bullets, hard stuff so leading is reduced. From what I've read on here that will significantly reduce the costs.

My first batch of 1K will cost me $144 + time, which I'm ecstatic about since right now I'm paying about $320 for 1K at walmart (hate them but they're the cheapest place i can find!).


Edit: What is your favorite powder for .40 S&W??

[SL1]

jtc2162,

It depends on what you want to use the loads for. Self-defense, plinking, IDP competition?

Also, you would probably get a wider range of responses if you posted that question as the subject of a new thread. A lot of people aren't going to read a thread about costs.

Also, be advised that the .40 S&W is an easy round to get yourself into trouble by reloading. I would recommend that you do NOT try to reach maximum power until you have developed your techniques to the point that you have virtually eliminated mistakes and have rounds that do not suffer set-back or have feed problems. Also, you will need to develop an understanding of how cases can become weakened when fired in a Glock barrel, which may contribute to their probability of failing circumferentially at the wall just above the web, instead of just splitting axially near/at the mouth. (Failures in the web/wall intersection can hurt the gun and YOU.)

SL1

[Foxbat]

"I would recommend that you do NOT try to reach maximum power until you have developed your techniques "

That is always an excellent advice for ANY new reloader, regardless of caliber. Truth be told, most applications will be served well with middle of the road loads, often even lower.

[jtc2162]

It depends on what you want to use the loads for. Self-defense, plinking, IDP competition?

Target plinking. Basically I want to send a lot of rounds downrange as cheaply as possible.

As far as the loads go I'd prefer to be a little on the lighter side so I can shoot 300 or so rounds in an outing and not be fatigued or annoyed with the recoil.

[Foxbat]

Then you should consider heavy bullets - 180 or even 200 grains, using either the Titegroup or WST powders. Both will give very nice accurate and soft shooting loads.

I have made some wonderful loads using 180 grain bullets with 4.5 grains of Universal - and even 4.3. They shoot like a dream.

[SL1]

To make your loads "as cheap as possible" you would want to use a little bit of a very fast powder. But, fast powders can get you into trouble with small errors in charge weight. So, I would suggest that you try for more safety at a little more cost. That would be a medium-fast powder. At twice the charge weight per round, it would cost you less than 1¢ per round at most.

Example would be Hodgdon's "Clays" (just "Clays", NOT "Universal Clays" or "International Clays") vs Hodgdon's "Universal" (actually "Universal Clays" on the label). With a 155 grain XTP bullet, Hodgdon's data showes:

Clays:      3.6 grains, 854 fps, 23,300 psi
            4.0 grains, 942 fps, 30,900 psi

Universal:  6.0 grains, 1082 fps, 25,700 psi
            6.6 grains, 1186 fps, 33,300 psi

As you can see, Clays takes less powder and would be cheaper for that reason. But, it would also probably take something like 3.8 grains to reliably cycle your pistol, so you would need to be getting the pressure up there to make the gun work right. It would have light recoil, but you need SOME recoil to make the gun work properly. With that small charge, it is easy to get over-max by making small errors in throwing charges, or even weighing them if you aren't experienced with how you can get errors with your scale. And, it is harder to see that the case is fuller if you accidentally throw a double charge of fast powder into one case. Also, note that the data for Clays stops at about 31,000 psi, even though the SAAMI pressure limit is 35,000 psi. That is usually an indication that the power gets pressures spikes above that charge weight, so it is not safe to extrapolate a charge weight to the SAAMI limit.


Universal will probably cycle your slide with a smaller fraction of the max charge weight, so it will give you more margin for error because it takes more powder to reach maximum from your intended charge due both to the smaller increase in pressure per grain and the fact that you can operate your slide at lower pressure with that powder.

I don't load the .40 S&W much, so I will let others suggest the best powders. Just remember, some of those suggestions will be from reloaders that have a lot of experience and have reason to be confident that they are not going to mis-charge a case or have a bullet set-back during the feed cycle. So, they may be putting a higher priority on cleanliness or velocity than on margin for error when they decide what suits THEM best.

SL1

[mongoose33]

1. I reload for much less than half the price of commercial ammo, and I produce better ammo.

2. How much you save will depend on what prices you get for components. To really save you have to buy in significant bulk (powder, primers, bullets). That means bullets in the thousands (at least 2k), primers in the thousands (if you buy online you need to spread the hazmat fee over enough primers), and powder in 4# or 8# kegs (though powder is the least pricey in terms of savings per round).

3. You can save a lot, too, if you cast your own bullets. I don't, but many do.

4. The argument about valuing your time is, IMO, largely bogus. Once you get to the level of using a progressive to produce rounds, and you buy components in sufficient bulk to get the price down, you can essentially pay yourself the equivalent of from $30-50 per hour in savings.

I just reloaded some .45 ammo--cost per round is 13 cents. I can buy it from Wally World for in the low 30-cent range per round, for their cheapest stuff.

If I can produce 300 rounds per hour on my progressive--which I can and do--then saving 17+ cents per round times 300 per hour equals...$51 per hour of savings.

Not many people I know have part-time "jobs" this enjoyable which also pay them $50 per hour.

The "pay" will vary by speed and caliber; I am in the $30s per hour for .223 and 9mm. Sad.

And when people talk about the value of their time, rarely does it seem that they include the value of the satisfaction of reloading, the relaxation (I find it very relaxing), the sense of accomplishment, the enjoyment of learning and exploring new things--all of that, when added on to the monetary savings, is quite significant to me. Maybe not others.

[Foxbat]

BTW, another highly recommended powder is VV N320 - perhaps the best one according to many, but more expensive and harder to get.