.45ACP - Is It Viable On Cost Grounds ?

M

Mike H

New member
I have never really looked seriously at .45ACP as an all round caliber, target/competition work, personal defense, plinker, whatever. Indeed I have only fired one .45 caliber gun, a Sig P245 that jammed non-stop and refused to let the last round into the magazine (why are tolerances SO tight in sub-10 round magazines). The round was not the brute I expected it to be, and whilst it had a firm "shove" it was not snappy like a .40 or downright manic like the .357 Sig I tried in a HKUSPc, it was, well, reassuringly stout.

So lately I've been paying a little more attention to this tennis ball in a soda can round, but I'm always conscious of ammo costs. Fancy JHP prices don't really concern me, noone shoots more than a trial batch unless your name is Rockerfeller, nor do lead rounds attract me, I don't like the health implications if you shoot a lot of them, especially indoors no matter how good the ventiliation is. So I started looking around at plain vanilla FMJ rounds in any 160-230 grain weight offering, and I discover that they average 80% higher per box than 9mm, say $7 versus maybe $12-$13. Now that's a lot if you shoot 4 boxes a session once a week. You're looking at anywhere upto $100 extra per month, and that has to be a consideration.

So am I missing anything, or is .45ACP a reloaders dream, and an off the shelf buyers angel of debt ?

Mike H
 
Most ranges also sell local commercial reloads. Often these companies specialize in SWC rounds with light charges and they go for less than the ball. The downside is that the range probably charges more than a place like CTD for ammo. My local place, for instance, charged $9.95 for these.

Then again, there's always reloading. Just don't think you can drop it at any time; it ain't that kind of habit. :)

Buying stuff for .45 in relatively small amounts (and thus at slightly high prices) I paid about $14.00 for 1000 primers, $16.00 for enough Unique powder for at least a couple thousand rounds (one pound; if you buy an 8 lb. container you basically save enough to make the eighth pound free) $17.00 for 500 185 gr. LSWC bullets, and of course, scrounged brass for nothing. Just start saving your brass when you start shooting commercial loads, while you accumulate equipment and components. If somebody else leaves his brass (and the range allows it) take that too!

Anyway, that makes $37.00 for the components for 500 rounds. To make the next 500, I need 500 more bullets. Assuming I don't make a bulk purchase (and I will) that adds another $17.00 to make the total $54.00 for the first thousand. Now, that doesn't include the press, calipers, scale, loading block and dies, all of which you'll have to have. It also doesn't include the tumbler I bought or the powder measure I'll buy on my next paycheck, but you don't really have to have those to start.

And honestly, if you're going to be a real American gun nut, rolling your own is an essential part of the experience.
 
You don't like the health problems associated with shooting lead bullets.........I think you are going to get far more airborne lead from the lead staphinate priming than from the bullets. Washing face and hands after shooting jacketed is just as important as after shooting lead.

Sam....definately open for correction here.
 
It is a rare day when I can buy more than one or two boxes of ammo at a time due to budget constraints, so I purchased a 9mm to be able to get more shooting time in.

.45 can be a bit costly to shoot, especially if you don't order your ammo. Reloading brings down the cost per box down somewhat, but you really don't save any money, you just end up getting more for your money.

Even though I do most of my lengthy range sessions with my 9mm, I make sure to put a box through my .45 G36 carry gun. It's hard to argue with the effectiveness of the .45 for defense.

Good Shooting
RED
 
Reloading has changed the economics enought that I now think nothing of shooting 200 rounds of .45 each weekend.

M1911
 
Hi, my name is ZeusOne and I am a reloader....

Reloading .45 ACP will certainly allow you a lower cost per round (and all the other advantages). Of course - if you're like me - you just end up shooting allot more so your overall cash outlay can still be high.

But then, shooting allot more is OK, right???
 
Mike,

I've been shooting lead bullets for years, and have done the vast majority of my shooting indoors over the past 10 years, averaging between 5,000 and 20,000 rounds a year.

I also worked in a gunshop for a couple of days a week for several years.

Last time I had blood drawn (about a year ago) I asked for a lead-level check.

Even after all those years, and all that exposure, there was no measurable lead in my body.

And, as CR notes, elemental lead (the kind found in bullets) really isn't the problem unless you're eating the bullets. It's normally expelled from the body before it can really be absorbed.

Organic lead compounds, such as the lead styphnate in primers, is something of a different story. Organic lead is much more readily absorbed by the body, but it still takes time.

Washing hands and face after shooting, laundering clothes, and taking a shower will deal with the organic lead.

Of course, if you have young children in the home, this becomes a MUCH MORE SERIOUS CONCERN.

Lead poisoning in children is absolutely devastating, becuase it interferes with how the "wiring" in the growing brain is routed.

In an adult this isn't so bad, because the brain has stopped growing by about age 16, and you're starting to move backwards.

Lead and kids don't mix.
 
Shooting .45 ACP for ANY reason is a good idea, IMO. :D

You ought to be able to get it for $10 a box from almost any mail order place.
 
Guys,

Thanks for the responses, the info. on lead was especially useful. I had always (mistakenly) assumed that vaporised lead from the exposed bullet base was the main area of concern, hence the trend towards TMJ - total or enclosed jackets.

I would really like to explore the possibilities of regular .45ACP shooting, I think it makes for a great club/competition round as well as a primo self defence round, 9mm can be a little restrictive - pin shooting for example.

$13 a box would be too heavy, but the prices mentioned above on Cheaper Than Dirt make it a possibility.

Regards,

Mike H
 
If I'm working on technique, I'll do my practicing with a similar functioning 9mm to get the basics, and then do my refining in a .45 ACP. (Hi-Power 9mm to 1911-A1 .45)

I would like to get a progressive reloader for handgunning, but the initial outlay of cash for a Dillon is a bit prohibitive for now.
 
Can't you get good .45acp surplus ammo at even lower prices? Like $5-6/50? I thought I had seen some while shopping for 9mm and .308, but I could be mistaken.
 
Boy, shooting 100rds of .45cal a weekend is alot cheaper for me than playing paintball every weekend.Paintballs cost $60/case of 2000 and with my $1000 electronic paintball gun I shoot through the whole case in one day at the field.Even more in tournements.I was pleased to to see the prices of ammo and handguns when I first started getting into shooting.
 
45acp- is it viable on cost grounds

I used the "Wolf" ammo and it was filthy dirty and it jambed. There is this laquer coating on the steel casings and if you go faster than say 1 every 2 seconds it heats up and sticks to the barrel. It caused ejecting problems in my Springfield Armory Loaded model.
I would be hapy to find a reliable shell for $10 per 50.
If I line all 5 clips up and run through them it is $9.91.
Per about 30 seconds. That is expensive fun in my books, but fun non the less.
 
Lee Anniversary reloading kit.....90.00
Lee 45ACP Carbide Dies............30.00
Lee Shell Holders for Primer......10.00/set
Lee Crimping Die..................25.00
Powder (whatever brand)...........18.00/lb...7000 grains/lb.
1000 Primers......................20.00
230 FMJ bullet 500 ct.............30.00
Odds & Ends & Doodads (Trays,etc) 50.00

You only need to buy the equipment and doodads once. Consumables are cheaper at gun shows.
You can load your brass over and over again...look it over for bulges and strain marks. Load it light and you'll save wear and tear in the gun, and save powder, too!

Some brands of powder will have you use about 3 grains per load, some 4 or 5. Think about what you want to save this way vs. cleanliness, availability, repeatability in the powder measure. Accurate #2 is a good powder to start with, or TiteGroup. Reloading is FUN for most people...relaxing and challenging enough to be interesting without being overbearingly technical.

Look long and hard at a Glock 30. It is rapidly becoming the .45 ACP of choice for many shooting communities, including some state police agencies. It is a superb weapon, with a larger capacity than a 1911.(11 vs 8) Mine is a far better shooter than I am. It is rugged, durable, and almost maddeningly reliable....vastly less "quirky" than the 1911's, ready to rock for years right out of the box.
 
Zanthope: I'm with you. convinced my brick wall buddy in the DEA agent ranks to pick up a G30 as his duty gun.

Love my G30.

And you can reload 45 ACP with quality JHPs for about $100-120 a case and save a good $100. Five cases and you've broken even on the Dillon 550 progressive setup.

Reloading is the way to go unless you shoo that caliber infrequently.
 
Yes, but RedLeg is right--I never shot so much when I bought factory ammo. Now I blow about 100 rds per session and that's starting to hold me back too. But be honest, if you buy a 9mm because it's cheaper, are you REALLY going to keep shooting 50 at a time to save money or will you eventually convince yourself that since it's cheaper you can go ahead and shoot 100 or 200 per session just like a reloader shooting .45? :)

If you shoot a 9mm better, the price is a nice bonus. And although you won't save quite as much, there's no rule that says that if you want to get into handloading later you can't do that with a 9mm just as well as a .45.
 
Mike H

Hello. Your post prompted me to do some figuring of my own. Remington UMC and Winchester USA FMJ ammo in 45 ACP is nearly 70% higher than 9mm Luger.
Premium ammunition like Silvertip and Golden Saber are 15% higher in the 45 Auto on average. Since the price often varies with the bullet weight or pressure rating (124 gr. Gold Dot, 124 +P GD, 147 gr. GD), the difference can be significantly higher. However, even when comparing the cheapest .45 to the most expensive 9mm, the 9X19 usually has an 5% cost advantage in equivalent styles.
Range ammo (as sold by Winchester) may be 50% higher.
New reloading brass and bullets tend to be 25% higher than 9mm Parabellum. The 9mm can also have a very, very slight edge in primer cost and powder consumption.
In my search, the 9mm always had the price advantage in factory new, remanufactured, or surplus ammo with one exception. 10-round packs of Speer/CCI shotshells were 19 cents cheaper in .45 according to a 3 year old wholesaler catalog I found. (I don't have current pricing, but suspect the difference is partly due to the use of a plastic shotcap in 9mm which the 45 lacks.)
The .45 may have advantages over the 9, but ammo cost is definitely not one of them. This should become very evident when buying in large quanities or purchasing from a limited selection
 
I am sure you are tired of hearing this, but, if you decide to get serious about this, reloading is the only way to go. And, reloading doesn't have to be expensive as far as the initial outlay for equipment goes. I started loading with a Lee Loader. They are currently selling for about $15. For that $15, you get everything you need to load for one caliber other than components. I have loaded many, many thousand rounds using that Lee Loader without incident. It is slow for pistol loading, but that is what seperates the men from the boys in pistol loading; speed. The quality of the loaded round does not vary with what press you are using, only the time it takes to load the cartridge. One nice thing about the Lee Loader is that you can start cranking out ammo with that $15 loader. Then as time goes on, you upgrade certain parts of the process. You buy a hand priming tool. You buy a powder scale. You buy a powder dispenser. You buy a set of dial calipers.... It allows you to get deeper into the hobby and expand your reloading process as you go, while allowing you to be actually loading ammo as you go. I have been reloading now for over 20 years, and I own a bench full of loading gear. But, the other day I was showing a coworker how to load for his .30-06. I demonstated on a Lee Loader. When I got done, I realized that for the rifle shooting I do, the Lee Loader is all I would really need. I recently purchased a .303 Enfield and a 7.62x54R; old military surplus rifles. I don't own reloading dies in those calibers so I got on the phone and ordered Lee Loaders for them. And, I will be perfectly happy with them. Unfortunatly, any time the Lee Loader is mentioned, someone will have to point out that they are dangerous. Really ? Again, I have loaded thousand upon thousand rounds of ammo on them and never had a problem. And, I have never heard from anyone personally that has. Just hearsay. I am sure that someone, somewhere managed to hurt themselves with a Lee Loader. Big Deal. Many people fall in the shower, people have lost fingers to kitchen knives, thousands die every year in cars. Live with it.
 
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