Low cost ammunition

L

lakings

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Does anybody know of a reliable source for inexpensive reloads? I recently purchased a S&W 45, and ammo is becoming quite costly.
 
What kind of 45? How often do you fire it?

There are several kinds of 45's; Colt 45; 45 ACP; 45 Auto Rim and possibly some more that I'm not familiar with. If you're talking about 45 ACP, you used to be able to get boxes of 50 rounds of UMC (yellow box; black writing) 230 grain full metal jacket for reasonable prices, and I've always found it to be pretty good shooting ammo. It seems like I've seen 50 round boxes of it selling in the $20-$25 range recently. Maybe that was on sale, so look for sales. But, if you're planning on shooting as much as some of these guys do (some keep 1,000 to 5,000 rounds on hand all the time) you can probably buy the equipment and handload your own a lot cheaper than you can buy it.
 
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you can probably buy the equipment and handload your own a lot cheaper than you can buy it.
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Absolutely. Even considering the initial cost of equipment, you are way better off loading your own. Components, however, are becoming hard to find in some cases. Lots of buying pressure nowadays.
Example of savings - a extreme and fortunate example - I was gifted with a few thousand .44 cal bullets and powder and primers. Because I had brass and equipment on hand, I can load .44 Mags literally for the cost of my time only (until the bullets run out). Same person gave me a factory case of 9mm bullets.
The point is, yeah, I'm a lucky guy but I wouldn't be able to use any of this stuff of I didn't have the equipment.
I shoot a lot of .45 ACP. I cast my own bullets. Reloading the .45s then costs me only for the powder charge and the primer....maybe five cents a shot ($2.50 a box/50 rounds).
Pete
 
My local Dicks Sporting Goods sells boxes of 150 .45 ACP reloads, I think from UMC for $59.

I prefer Winchester White box from Wal-Mart, 100 rounds for $25
 
The only reloads I've seen on store shelves are made by Ultramax. I've had decent luck with their .40 and .223. I bought about 500 rounds of each for the brass a while back, but haven't purchased any more since.

If you don't mind mail order, www.mastercast.net sells .45acp reloads for $8 a box if you return your brass and $12 if you don't. I buy bullets for all of my handgun loads there and have good results.
 
Look for specials on the CCI blazer, either brass or aluminum. But everyone has to bite the bullet, ammo, components, guns etc. are going up. You had no idea of ammo costs before buying the gun? I for one, do not like to shoot other peoples reloads. And there are alot less once fired 45 cases around for loaders to use as compared to 9MM, 40 Smith, .223, etc.
 
These prices look pretty good to me.

This is a hyperlink to one of the sources where you can buy 50 round boxes of new factory UMC 45ACP ammo. I think UMC is Remingtons economy brand. I've never tried UMC's 185 round Golden Saber 45 ACP, but I have fired a reasonable number of UMC's factory 45 ACP 230 grain FMJ ammo over the past 15 years, and I've never once had a round fail to fire. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I've seen good things written about UMC 45 ACP by other folks too. Anyway, I don't consider these prices to be unreasonable for this day and age. Don't forget to figure in freight though. Sometimes when you add freight for an internet buy, you find that buying local isn't so bad after all.

http://www.the-armory.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/rem.html
 
And I just got this killer deal:http://rguns.net/ammo.shtml
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From their site:
FMJ, boxer primed, brass case, mostly 1980's production. This is surplus military ammunition; dates and types of manufacture may vary. A few rounds may not be IMI as the IDF used ammunition from a number of sources.

At $12.50 per box of 50, this seems like a great deal (depending on shipping) for 45acp.
Please once you receive it let us know how is shoots (clean / accuracy / etc.).
 
www.mastercast.net sells .45acp reloads for $8 a box if you return your brass and $12 if you don't.
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So, a little confused about how that's a savings.

WWB 100rd is ~$28, so $14/50. FMJ.
Mastercast is $8/50. Cost of shipping the empty cases, I'm guessing ~$5, depending how much you send.
Shipping BACK to you is $12-13 up to 70#.

Now unless you buy a TON of the stuff, how is it saving any money?

It's like reloading, unless you shoot a boatload, it won't save you a dime and actually COST you money. Just like buying a 22 rifle to 'save' money. Or purchasing a Prius to save gas only to get the $400 car payment every month.
 
I highly recomend Fiocchi ammo if you can find it.

Around here they are FAR cheaper and as common as American Eagles.

They cost $16.99 a box and the American Eagles (next cheapest) cost $20.99 a box.

Accurate, seem reliable and the like. I also use their 230 grain XTP bullets. They seem to feed good in my High-standard .45 (200 rounds of HP ammo and no complaints). Good ammo for the price.


(That was awhile ago. I ain't looked recently, but I assume the price gap is still about the same. I ain't had to ;) I bought 400 rounds of factory, and since then dad has reloaded those brass and our old stuff to the sum of about 1200 rounds of .45ACP 200 grain hardcast LSWCs).
 
Pogo2's suggestion on the Blazer aluminum from Natchez is a good one. They ship fast and rates are reasonable, especially if you order at least 10 boxes. (Their site allows you to see the estimated freight on whatever quantity you want and determine how much to buy to offset the freight costs).

The Blazer aluminum shoots fine - just can't be reloaded.
 
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