9mm worth it to load?

By the way, during the ammo scare of 2008 - I had the range to myself. ;) Nobody could imagine shooting CAST bullets in 7.62x39mm, so I did it and giggled all the way down the firing line.
 
Well lets look at fixing your math a little.
Does $5.77 per 50 include amortizing your reloading equipment and account for other consumables like lube and cleaning media.
Also $14 is a pretty good stretch on the other end I can easily get good quality brass cased commercial reloads shipped for under $200 per 1000 or less than $10 per 50.
And as for time are you including all the time picking up brass, cleaning and sorting?
No the reality is you're probably not even making minimum wage loading 9mm.
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Where are you getting brass cased 9mm for less than $10.00 per 50 shipped? I've heard those stories before and they end up as unicorn chases.

All of my reloading equipment was paid off in a very short time of reloading. Some stuff I already had. What I did buy was paid for in Cabela's points on top of it but I still figured it into my cost at first. No lube for 9mm with the loads I'm making. I use an ultra sonic cleaner. My solution is home made from products in the house already. I'm not about to try to figure the minute amount of cost of these items nor the 6 cups of water and the electric to run it. I have to clean up my brass when done shooting and walking 5 more feet to dump it into my bag has no cost. I can also deduct the brass I get other I ask for it to dump in my bag or leave next to mine on the floor when they are done shooting.

Since 9mm usually runs for $14.00 per 50 in my area unless it's on sale and the volume I can reload in an hour. It's a conservative 50.00 per hour reloading the 9mm for me.
 
During the panics...how much time do you spend looking for affordable ammo?
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Oh don't get me wrong I reload so in 2008 I spent that time looking for primers now I'm looking for powder.
Where are you getting brass cased 9mm for less than $10.00 per 50 shipped? I've heard those stories before and they end up as unicorn chases.
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Ammoseek.com took me a minute to find several listings under $10.

It's a conservative 50.00 per hour reloading the 9mm for me.
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Tell yourself whatever you need to but please stop insulting my intelligence, I've been reloading for 35 years I'm well aware of the benefits and costs.
 
Where are you getting brass cased 9mm for less than $10.00 per 50 shipped?
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If you want to pay for 9mm brass. The only brass I buy is the oddball calibers I have.

Southern Bell brass 9mm $55+10 shipping/1k
Allison Supply 9mm $32.85+4.85 shipping/1k
Sage 9mm $22+14/1k 1.5k is $47 shipped
 
I can reload a box of 50 for under $6. I can also get better accuracy from my reloads than any manufactured ammo. Reloading time is relaxing and rewarding. I load over 1500 rounds a month. That would be a lot of factory ammo.
 
BTW, if you frequent a range where LE practice, you can get oodles of once fired 9mm brass free. ;) I doubt I will ever run out.
 
If I applied my last pay rate to anything not considered "earned income", like Hobby time rate, I wouldn't do anything. The last wage I earned was $46.75 per hour, and I couldn't afford to just "give my time away"...:rolleyes:
 
Tell yourself whatever you need to but please stop insulting my intelligence, I've been reloading for 35 years I'm well aware of the benefits and costs.
Ammoseek.com took me a minute to find several listings under $10.
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What intelligence! I have not checked ammo seek in a while. When I was, noting was that cheap and what was cheap was always sold out. I did manage to find one brass cased reman load from Rush Creek for 19.3 cents per round shipped, which is fairly cheap.

That's still 7.76 cents more per round over reloading. At a 1,000 rounds that would work out to closer to 26 bucks an hour. Hardly minimum wage as it would equate out to around to 54 K a year.

Since I'm reloading 6,000 rounds or so a year I get to shoot significantly more than had I bought even cheap ammo. It's also nice to be able to crank out as much as I need in a short notice. I've at times went through more than a 1,000 rounds in a weekend when it was more of a spur of the moment deal.

If you don't think the 9mm is worth loading fine, don't reload it. Don't disparage others who are smart enough to make it worth their while.
 
I'm sure that it has come up a few times already. Plated bullets are about a dime a round, lead a penny or so cheaper, about two cents for a primer, power pistol works out to about a penny or two, with others being cheaper. It's worth a trip out of town to get these things, saving shipping costs, and these prices are for local trade, more or less.

C
Factory in brass, by the box, for a big three brand is normally fifteen a box, thirty a round, making quality handloads betwee1/2 and 2/3 of the price of factory quality rounds. If you want steel are Transylvania made brass cases, yes, the gap is a bit smaller.

Are you a guy who enjoys farting around at a desk? With a good system it takes about five to ten seconds per round in bulk. You can load HUNDREDS of rounds in an hour nonce you get the system learned.

I'm one who enjoys sitting at my bench. I even enjoy tumbling and sorting. What little time I spend at my bench is as good as shooting think about it. Find someone who will let you use his equipment to learn

The questions is, are you going to drop hundreds of dollars in advance for the equipment when it will take up to a few thousand rounds before it is paid off? But also remember, thus about .357 or rifle rounds? The savings are ENORMOUS.


Btw, I strongly suggest buying your own combat rounds. I keep factory ammo on hand because I will not let another person fire my loads. I use my own hunting loads because they are perfect.
 
I started off reloading for 9mmL when prices went up to around $16-$18 a box during the great shortage of 2012. At that time I think it was worth it if you burn through 1000 rnds a month. I reloaded 125gr lead with range brass. Used a progressive Lee press with bullet and case feeder. Cost savings was minimum and I dont think that there was any great improvement on performance. Now that prices are back down to $10 a box in quantity its not worth it. If you want to spend time doing "gun stuff" then its fun. Personally I am waiting for a delivery from SGAMMO.
 
I cast and powder coated 200 bullets today. Prepped about 300 brass. Killed time I might have spent lazing about on the internet. :) had fun. No regrets.
 
I was just wondering this same thing earlier, so I added it up. I can reload 9mm for about $0.10 per round. Cheapest I could find to buy it was $0.18, most of the time near $0.22-$0.25. That answered my question pretty quickly.

However, I also cast my 9mm bullets, so that cuts the cost significantly. If I had to buy bullets, I don't know that it would be much cheaper than factory.
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I buy coated lead bullets and my cost is .10 per round for all components. I scrounge brass whenever possible. Folks back in 2006 and 07 would laugh at me for picking up 9mm brass when new ammo was averaging $7-7.50 a box of 50 and telling me I was a fool for reloading 9mm being factory was so cheap at the time. Yep who's laughing now.

Now that prices are back down to $10 a box in quantity its not worth it.
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I'm still loading for half your cost at $5.00 per box in quantity averaging 400 rounds per hour. Just my opinion, I'll reload $5 bucks is $5 bucks. Money saved reloading means more money for components
 
@briandg- $10.99 a box for geco 124gr, Aquila 124gr sometimes others including speer lawman 124gr. I have never had a problem with any of the stuff. I would also never fire the aluminum or steel ammo. I'm guessing that's what your thinking. To be fair I'm not adding cost of shipping back in. So 1000rnds s&h comes to $17. That adds about $0.80 onto the cost per box.
 
I've calculated the cost of reloading 9mm and the savings are honestly negligible most of the time. The therapy I get from sitting there, creating something is really hard to put a price on. I just love the process. Even the mundane parts of it. Case prep, case inspection, it's just fun to me. The tactile nature of it. I honestly don't reload to save money. I reload to decompress and so I can shoot more. Saving money is just a really nice bonus.
 
It can be relaxing. However I just don't have extra time. For the 460s&w that's low volume high cost or rifles I shoot for group the advantage is huge. However I'm not cranking the press to save $10 an hour. I own my business. Those hours are worth a lot more to me. Just my opinion. I'm glad many of you spend the time with it. You create fantastic data for when I need advice.
 
just remember.. dies are cheap. In a few years when the next shortage hits.. having the dies keeps you shooting when everyone else is holding empty guns.
 
I just started reloading and even if I buy all of my components in small quantities at Cabela's the savings are there:

Bullets (Berry's 124 gr Plated) $25.99/250 =$0.10396
Primer $32.99/1000 = $0.03299
Powder $24.99/lb = $0.16422
Total = $01534 per round x 50 =$7.67

(I'm ignoring brass cost here because most of us can find free brass. If you can't just add $0.02 per round and buy some once fired online.)

The cheapest factory ammo I saw at Cabela's today that I'll actually shoot was Blazers at $13.99. That's a savings of $6.32 a box. Imagine cranking out 400 rounds an hour and that's $50.56 saved. It's even less if you buy in bulk or cast your own projectiles. Hell, I wish my real job paid what my "Hobby Labor" is worth.
 
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