First Caliber? .45acp or 9mm?

L

Lee6113

New member
Hi there! I've done a lot of research prior to starting reloading, and I'm finally getting everything in order to begin. Collecting prices from different stores and manufacturers, putting together my shopping list, etc.

But should I begin with .45acp instead of 9mm? My next pistol is going to be a 1911 and I have a few other guns I wish to buy chambered for .45acp as well. I will be buying a Lee Classic Turret, and I know the dies are only $40-$50 to add another caliber so I WILL eventually reload multiple calibers, but I'd have to buy the components for the second caliber also, and I intend to buy in bulk. It all adds up on the front end. So if I'm buying powder, pistol primers, and bullets, it'd probably be awhile that I'd get another large batch of the other sized primers and bullets plus the dies.

I currently have two pistols chambered in 9mm. Both are subcompacts, and I shoot them both as much as I can. I will likely buy a full size 9mm after my 1911.

I can buy Perfecta 9mm at Wal-Mart for about $11 out the door ($0.22 per round), and based on current estimates and pricing I have found, it looks like I'd be able to reload my own 9mm for about $0.15 per round. Potentiality it could get cheaper, but not by much. That would equate to a about $7-$8 per batch of 50, saving me about $3-4 per box.
Great! A little saved is awesome. I'm going to point out however that I AM NOT STARTING TO RELOAD JUST TO SAVE MONEY. I am very interested in it as a hobby, the savings is just a perk.

So my question is this: would you start up with the 9mm or .45acp?


Lee
 
As you're already aware, you save more percentage-wise with the .45 ACP given the wide availability of 9mm. Also, .45 ACP is a very easy round to reload. Be aware that your .45 brass will likely include a small percentage (3-5%) that take small pistol primers, so you might want to go ahead and get some that you can use later on the 9mm too.
 
The 9MM and 45ACP load about same . I load a lot of 44 Mag and 44 Special. Really makes life easy all in need is different brass .

No one ever was making a mistake loading 9MM .
 
Cost of reloading is based on bullet weight, the most expensive component. Twice as many 9mms as .45acps.
 
Well if you had both calibers in front of you right now, I would say start with the .45 since they are more user friendly to load. But since you don't and probably want to get started asap, then the 9mm would get the nod. They may turn out to be more finicky to reload to start with before settling in to perfection. So it's kind of a coin toss, willing to wait or get started right away. Should you be getting a 1911 and loading dies at about the same time, start with the .45.
 
Another thing is I already have 1000+ empty brass for 9mm versus maybe 30ish for .45acp. I have an unopened box of factory ammo so that'd add a hundred...

And it wouldn't be simultaneous purchases either. I figure I'll spend $750 on my 1911 including maybe a nice holster... My shopping list for reloading setup is probably about $300-$350 and then another $200-$300 for bulk orders. Based on that I'll have to stagger them out...


Here's a random question: if I purchased a C&R license would that give me any discounts on components?
 
I reload both and the 9mm is a little cheaper to reload because of the price of the lead. I also shoot more 9 as I have 2 target guns and I carry a G26.

There are places you can get brass that is all the same head stamp or sorted as large or small primer. Leobrass, SouthernBellBrass, and sometimes people list brass on Armslist. If you rely on range pickup you can find yourself with junk sometimes. I do the range pickup and trade brass with some of my shooting buddies. The good thing about 45ACP is that the pressures are low enough that the brass can survive many years of reloading - I have brass that is 40 years old and has been reloaded at least once per year.

Look at local powder availability and see what you can buy that will work for both. I would also look at Unique, Universal, HS-6, and Blue Dot over some of the faster burning powders like TiteGroup or Bullseye.

Do a little of research on the various companies that sell bullets. Also check forums where people post about their experiences with certain bullets. I lost my supplier of target 45 bullets last year and I have been trying various bullets from coated WC's to plated to find something that works well for me. Keep in mind that my pet load may not work for you as you have different guns.
 
There truly exists one single handgun caliber that is better to start a handloading career on than all others! That caliber is .38 Special. :D But since it's not one of our choices, I suppose I would choose .45 ACP over 9mm simply so you reap some of the savings a little sooner.
 
Why .38special, Sevens? I actually just purchased a model 10 S&W in .38 and I'm super excited to take it out. Of course I'll be saving all my brass, but I wasn't thinking of starting with .38 for reloading...
 
I started with .38/.357, very satisfying even after 20 years. Getting the .45 auto to shoot straight with handloads was my next challenge, very fun. Still enjoy that.

Loading 9mm was beneficial during the last 2 shortages, but loading 9mm just isn't as satisfying as the other 2. They go bang, but loading 9mm seems more like a chore than a hobby.
 
The process is mostly the same on both. On 9mm range pickup brass crimped primer pockets is a little more common. On .45 ACP as mentioned sometimes cases are LP primer sometimes they're SP so you have to sort them.

Other than that - process is the same. I'd say to start on whichever one you feel like SHOOTING more.

All in all too the reloading dies aren't the most expensive part of the package anyways (at least per set) so its not too expensive to add an additional set of dies for a new round.
 
You may not see the savings so much in 9MM as you will in 45ACP, but you should see more accuracy in both once you get the loads dialed in with either one.
 
My opinion only: I've been reloading for many years and started reloading 45 ACP 19 years ago. I picked up a 9mm and started loading for it 12 years ago. For me the 45 ACP is much more forgiving and easier to load. Started with store bought 230 LRN bullets and Bullseye. Rarely a problem. For the 9mm it took me quite a while to get non-leading ammo with nearly any combination of LRN and powders and accuracy was harder to achieve with any bullet, jacketed, coated, or plain lead. But I had few problems with jacketed 115 to 124 gr bullets...
 
My next pistol is going to be a 1911 and I have a few other guns I wish to buy chambered for .45acp as well.
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Am I to understand that to mean you do not have a 45 right now ???

If you don't have a firearm in the caliber you want to reload . The answer seems like a simple one to me .
 
Assuming you get a 45 gun soon; this pretty much covers it . . .

you save more percentage-wise with the .45 ACP given the wide availability of 9mm. Also, .45 ACP is a very easy round to reload.
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Am I to understand that to mean you do not have a 45 right now ???

If you don't have a firearm in the caliber you want to reload . The answer seems like a simple one to me .
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That is correct. I will be buying a Springfield Mil-Spec within the next several months unless I purchase reloading gear for 9mm first.

So basically my options are:

1) Buy 1911
2) Buy reloading gear for .45
3) add 9mm

Or:

1) Buy reloading gear for 9mm
2) Buy 1911
3) add .45acp

It makes more sense for me to do the second one, but I keep thinking, I really like .45s! I want a .45! I want to shoot more .45s! And if I start with 9mm I'll have to buy factory ammo for the 1911 for awhile, whereas 9mm factory isn't that expensive (I could deal with it...).
 
If you are 25, wear camo, and drive a super bike, then the 9mm is for you.
If you are 65, wear a plaid shirt, and drive a pickup truck, the 45acp is for you.

If you read Future Shock in the 1960s, you know that wing tip shoes do not meet the dress code requirements for the Hell's Angels.
 
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