does anyone reload 9mm?

[ns3v3n]

does anyone actually reload 9mm? is it worth reloading it?

[1911whore]

I really enjoy reloading for 9mm. It is cost effective. You gat far better ammo for about the same price. I found that my beretta likes lasercast 115 lead and is deadly accurate with it but my cz 75 likes the montana gold 124 jhp. It allows you to really find a load your gun likes and that way you will see your true potential.

[ns3v3n]

i see because i just took a trip the the range and came home with like 750 9mm brass, i was looking for .45 but i only found like 8 of them hehe. i guess i'll save them for future uses.

[1911jerry]

When loading 115 gr bullets, the cost savings are not that great - but you can get superior ammo built to your specs.

When loading 147 gr bullets, you save quite a bit of money.

JS

[rix]

Yes, I reload 9mm , usually 115 gr. but, I'll use whatever I can get my hands on. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it ,being that WallyWorld has fairly cheap ammo. But I figure it's part of the hobby/addiction . I use Win231 for both 9mm & 45 acp and 9mm brass is pretty plentiful at the ranges. I guess it depends on if you want to take the time to do it .

[gobabygo]

Yep, I load 9mm for a variety of reasons. I started loading it because I started shooting 9mm major in an open gun for USPSA. Obviously there isn't any other way to get that ammo.

Since I had everything I needed, there weren't any other costs to reload 9mm for my Glock 17 to shoot production and GSSF and a 147gr Titegroup load is my and many other people's favorite for a minor load.

There is still a reasonable amount of cost savings if you watch your costs and buy in bulk.

[ocabj]

This question was already asked:

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=47509

[11Z50]

I used to load 9mm, but you can buy 9mm ball cheaper than you can load it, without factoring in your time.

[Bolt2Bounce]

I load the 9mm quite a lot as I have a lot of 9mm's to feed. It's easy and fun to stock pile. 147 gr save a lots of money and you can tailor your load to your gun. B2B

[Sheldon]

I load....might as well if you already have the equipment. Currently low on bullets. Will probably start using lead hardcast now that the FMJ stuff has really gone up in price.

[randy]

I used a figure of $64.00 for 1000 115 grain fmj bullets.

$15 for a pound of powder.

$15 for a 1000 primers.

Total $124.00

If you can buy 1000 rounds of 9mm for $150.00 it's cheaper than reloading.

You save $26.00 reloading but you have to spend the time finding, sorting, cleaning your brass then the time to reload it. When or if something goes wrong your costs go up. I'm betting nobody gets a 1000 rounds of ammo from a 1000 primers.

Other calibers yes by all means reload the savings is worth it.

[gose]

I used a figure of $64.00 for 1000 115 grain fmj bullets.
$15 for a pound of powder.
$15 for a 1000 primers.
Total $124.00
<snip>


How can 15+15+64 total 124, isnt that more like 94? ;)

$70 for match JHP 147gr bullets
$25 for primers
$15 for powder (slightly over 0.5 lbs)

Thats $110 (brass not counted) for match ammo, which is something like $40/1000 cheaper than the cheapest 9mm plinking stuff you can buy. So if I shoot 10k rounds of 9mm / year, I've pretty much paid for my 650 and I get better ammo.

I also reload .38s and my HBWCs cost less than the 9mms to reload. The cheapest decent 148gr HBWCs you can buy are somewhere in the $300/1000 neighborhood, so add 5000 rounds of .38 to my yearly total and the press is payed off in less than a year.

Now, all the numbers are just that, numbers... When you get cheaper ammo you'll probably shoot more, so the cost of your hobby might not go down if you start reloading, but at least you get more bang for the buck ;)

[randy]

I work nights. I won't be taking any math tests at night.

[TMC]

Reloading cost vary depending on the quantity of components you buy. A sleeve of 5000 primers is $75 or $15.00 per thousand at the local range, 8 lbs of powder is about $100 delivered and at 3.5-3.8 grains per thats 14,700 rounds per keg or $6.80 per thousand and Zero 125's are $352 for 6K delivered or $58.00 per K so we've got $80.00 per K in components (brass is free). That seems cheaper than any store bought 9mm.

All of that said for me its a convenience thing, when I need ammo I go out in the garage and load up what I need, plus I can taylor the load as I choose.

[NRAhighpowershooter]

It's cheaper for me to relaod.. I usually load 3-4K at one time with my Dillon 650 I buy the 124gr FMJ's from Jeff Bartlett and I 4.8gr of 231 powder...

[Jicko]

Altho I still reload my 9mm..... it is ALL because of I want to customize my load....

Financially, it doesn't really make sense.... with all the time you would need to put into making the ammo.... you would need to reload couple 10s of thousands before you break even with your investment (reloader etc...)

[chunger]

I reload 9mm. . . but probably would not if I didn't also load .45 ACP. It made economic sense to just buy the extra dies since I already bought the press and accessories.

[PLINK]

Yep, I load 9mm for a variety of reasons. I started loading it because I started shooting 9mm major in an open gun for USPSA. Obviously there isn't any other way to get that ammo.


I did not know you can load 9mm to be above the 165 major power factor floor.

Please tell I am interested.

[gobabygo]

You definitely can load 9mm to make major. Though this is not for a novice reloader, many people are now doing it. Just go to any USPSA match. I bet at least half of the open shooters are shooting 9mm major.

Of course you need to be careful. As always, make sure that you start with a lower charge and chrono your loads, checking for pressure signs, etc. Also make sure that your gun can handle the pressures, as I'd bet that these are way above max suggested pressures. There is a lot of load data on the brianenos.com forums here: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12740

I believe all the loads are at least slightly compressed, usually using 125gr bullets going over 1320 fps. I use Vihtavuori N350 pretty close to the top of the case (at least I know that I'll never have a double charge :) ). I haven't looked at that thread in a while, but it looks like other powders are becoming more popular (HS6, 3n37, etc.)

[Franksremote]

You definitely can load 9mm to make major. Though this is not for a novice reloader, many people are now doing it. Just go to any USPSA match. I bet at least half of the open shooters are shooting 9mm major.

I believe all the loads are at least slightly compressed, usually using 125gr bullets going over 1320 fps. I use Vihtavuori N350 pretty close to the top of the case (at least I know that I'll never have a double charge :) ). I haven't looked at that thread in a while, but it looks like other powders are becoming more popular (HS6, 3n37, etc.)

That's why you don't pick up 9mm brass from a USPSA range :p