# Average Costs?



## Azermiath (Dec 20, 2011)

What are your average costs for reloading .380, 9mm, and 45 ACP. I'm thinking of starting to reload in a few months when I get a 45 ACP for all three guns and I'm wondering what your average costs for these calibers are without buying brass. Thanks


----------



## ponzer04 (Oct 23, 2011)

45acp hornady bullets about $22 for 100 bullets, $20 for 1lb of powder or about 7000 grains, $30 for 1000 primers

If you do around 7gr of powder thats 1,000 bullets

so that is about .22per bullet+.02per 7gr of powder +.03per primer = $0.27per 45 acp. and 9mm is cheaper still and would guess .380 to be less then 9mm

I'm factoring in the price of my hornady press for my price per bullet and at around 2,000 bullets made i will have my price per bullet below average wal-mart 45acp prices


----------



## prof_fate (Jan 2, 2012)

I'm starting the process of learning what I need to start reloading.
From what I can gather there are many variables - the first decision is what are your objectives? If you shoot a lot and low cost is the primary goal then you can use Bayou bullets, any brass you can find, pick a powder you use less of and load light...if you do that you can probably do:
9mm:16c/round = bullet 7c ($69/1000 bayou), 5g powder at 1.5c, primer at 3c plus 1c for brass (free to maybe 10c per for new winchester brass). Plus shipping of course.
45 ACP: 22c = bullet 9.1c ($91/1000 bayou), 7g powder at 2c, primer at 3c plus 2.5c for brass (free to maybe 25c for new winchester brass).

I have a price for brass as I"m told you'll get about 10 reloads out of a new, good, case.

You can of course choose bullets at triple these prices and choose a powder that uses 20 to 30% more grains. Googling brought up this page *9mm Luger Reloading Data - 9x19 Handloads Information* and it shows powder loads in 9mm can be as little as 4.2 to 8.9- a big spread.

Cabelas has russian 45 acp for what works out to be 36c each. I assume we can reload as well or better than 'cheap imported ammo' - or at least you can load something specifically for your gun for accuracy's sake.

I've always wanted a 1911...but a 9mm of some kind is going to be cheaper to buy and a lot cheaper to shoot. I'm leaning towards a 9 and the reloading equipment and later getting a 1911 when that's all I have to get (ok, a die and bullets and brass...). Figure a progressive loader and the die and book and such will likely be $400, 500 bullets,powder, primer, brass another $250 or more there's a bit of an investment up front.


----------



## recoilguy (Apr 30, 2009)

Reloading is a great way to spend time in the winter months. It makes great bullets for not much money. You can't buy cheap crap bullets for as little as you can load very good consistant and clean shooting ones. 

I have shot and reloaded for a real long time and I have no idea how many times you can reload brass. I loose it before I find bad brass. I have found probably 20 bad brass in all my time reloading. I am sure I get more then 10 on a lot of brass.

If you load liteand use cheapest of stuff you will still have way better bullets then if you buy crap bullets online. If you don't load lite and buy better powder your price per round might go up 1 cent, probably not but it might. Cheaping out so you get 1450 round rather then 1400 is ok but I would rather have 1400 great rounds then 1450 bullets in my stash.

It is so much fun and so rewardinhg I can't believe shooters push back on it. If I was pressed for time, I would understand but my kids are gone and the ice isn't too thick yet.

RCG


----------



## LeoM (Jul 7, 2011)

I buy my supplies in bulk. I buy 5000 primers at a time and buy my powder at least 4 lbs at a time. Not only is there some discount due to quanitity, but if you mail order there is always that $25 Haz Mat fee. I further divide the haz mat and shipping charges by going in with buddies and we order together so each man pays for his items and one third or one half of the haz mat.

Bullets will be the biggest expense per round. I have had really good luck with the Berry's or Rainier plated bullets. They are NOT jacketed bullets, but lead bullets with copper electroplating. They shoot very clean at target velocities, and are almost as cheap as the plain cast bullets. MidwayUSA.com has them on sale this month. 

My loads are generally about $8 per 50 for 9mm and .38 spl, a little over $9 per 50 for .40s&w and a little over $11 per 50 for .45acp. People report cheaper than this, but I use quality American components like Hodgdons TiteGroup powder and winchester or CCI primers. I do not use surplus commie "pull down" powder or foreign primers. I also include shipping, hazmat and any taxes I pay getting the components. As you can see, the savings are a lot more for the more powerful calibers.


----------

