Is reloading really worth it for me?

[FMJ]

Hi all,
I'm completely new to the idea of reloading. I certainly find the concept alluring as most say I could stand to save 50-75 percent on ammo.
Like it so far. I've been doing a little reading up on the subject and maybe I'm missing something so lets break it down so I can see straight.
Aside from equipment, the materials I will need are:
1. Powder.
2. Primers
3. bullets
4. brass

Okay.. so I checked a few sites and chose a few "middle of the road" options.
Midway puts 1000 9mm bullets at around $160
1000 primers at around $30
and a pound of powder at $30
And of course my brass is free.
So there it is.. $220 for 1000 rounds excluding the presses, dies, etc.

I can buy 1000 rounds of Wolf or similar stuff for $240

So is reloading really only beneficial for other calibers? Saving twenty bucks for hours of work doesn't sound as attractive as first suspected.
What am I missing?
Thanks!

Mike

[LBaker]

Here I'll save ya another $60 per thousand. https://secure3.mooseweb.com/montana.../pricelist.tpl

And even more if you buy a case at a time.

[FMJ]

Okay... now we're talking!
Now I'm lookng at almost 40% cost savings. Getting better.
A case of 4000 would bring it up to almost 50%!

Let me ask this.. how far does a pound of powder go for loading 9mm?
I know theres a few variables that will change the estimate but just a ball park.. 500 rounds? 1000? 5000?
I have no clue so excuse my ignorance.

$290 for 4000 bullets
$120 for 4000 primers
possibly $120 for powder...
yeah.. this is getting its allure back....lol

[Howard Bullock]

Hi all,

So is reloading really only beneficial for other calibers? Saving twenty bucks for hours of work doesn't sound as attractive as first suspected.
What am I missing?
Thanks!

Mike

Reloading is a hobby to occupy your time and cut your shooting cost over the long term. You have hundreds of dollars in equipment to purchase to get started and then the cost of components.

Using your new tools your will craft ammo not just acquire it.

If you are a target shooter, tuning your loads, powder type and weight along with selecting the right bullet for the task at hand will enable you to shoot tighter groups than factory loads.

If you are a hunter you can make bullets for use in the same gun for different game. Select a very light bullet for groundhogs and something heavy for larger game.

There is always down time when you can load. The winter time when you are not shooting a good time to spend a few hours prepping for the spring and summer shooting season.

[Howard Bullock]

Let me ask this.. how far does a pound of powder go for loading 9mm?

There are 7000 grains to a pound. I use 4.0gr Winchester 231 in my 9mm loads which yields abot 1750 rounds. That is 1.5 cents per round for powder at $26/lb. Jacketed bullets can range from $.08 to $.26 each depending what your buy and in what quantity. Lead is cheaper yet.

[FMJ]

Thanks for the reply Howard B.
I do realize there are other benefits, pleasentries to reloading. I haven't gotten that far yet. I am still so new to shooting in general that I wouldn't know how to adjust the grains of my charge to improve accuracy for any particular gun. My objective at this time is to actually gain enough experience to know and feel these things by shooting and shooting some more.
The more money I can save by stretching the ammo, the more I can shoot.
There's little else I can cut costs on.
Yes, the investment of the equipment can be substantial but thats, for the most part, a one time cost. I just want to be sure that once I have invested that amount I can really start to rack up the savings.
After I've gained enough experience I can start tayloring to my needs.
Thank you for the powder estimates too. I didn't realize I would get so much from that single pound. This is all starting to come together nicely!

[Howard Bullock]

Thanks for the reply Howard B.
...
Thank you for the powder estimates too. I didn't realize I would get so much from that single pound. This is all starting to come together nicely!

W231 is a fast burning powder. If you select another powder that is slower burning such as Power Pistol you will use 25% more powder (5.0-5.7gr) per rounds.

My 7mm Rem Mag consumes 67-70gr of "Reloader 22" per round. That is only a 100 rounds per pound.

[Brick]

The real answer to your question is based on your answer to the question; How much do you shoot? Answer 200 rounds a year, reloading ain't worth it. Answer 200 rounds a week and reloading becomes the only way you can afford to shoot (unless you're independently wealthy). With the cost (and lack of availablity) of components these days reloading is no longer cheap. For example 1000 cast lead .45 cal. bullets that were $30 last year are now $70.

Before you decide yea or nay, or purchase any equipment, buy a couple reloading manuals and read through them. You won't lose on it because they are good references for information on cartridges.

[FMJ]

All excellent points from everyone. Truly.
How often do I shoot.. Well, I haven't been shooting long enough to know.
It's been now.. almost 3 months. Do you guys remember when you first shot a gun? I'm hooked instantly. I can't do it enough. So far I'm doing an average of 500 rounds a month.. give or take a few dozen. I'm buying rounds at the range. $15 for 50. I haven't bought bulk because I haven't had $250 in my pocket before running off to the range.. I know.. sounds stupid. lol
But it's just until I come up with a long term solution. I like shooting.. allot. I know how I am which means I won't be stoping anytime soon.
I guess I'm off to Borders for those manuals.
It's obvious that reloading is by far the better way.. initially, I wasn't thinking in the range of thousands of rounds, I was thinking in the hundreds. Now I see that with larger quantities, my original estimates compound exponentially.
Thanks for clarity!

[bennettgun]

Remember once you have your Press, scale, powder measurer and other accessories. If you deer hunt all you will need is your dies for other calibers for rifle and / or handgun. You will make a few mistakes but it is well worth it by being able to choose different bullet weights and configurations. Do you deer hunt with a rifle.