Reloading 9mm - worth it?

[Midtown Gunner]

am setup to reload EVERY pistol caliber I have as of the beginning of this year, and have components for same - but until I cannot buy practice ammo, it's a waste of time to reload for pistols.

But having the dies and expendable components, as well as knowing how to load it, is priceless.

[Malthusian]

I'm considering getting into reloading and I shoot 9mm a lot. I can purchase a decent brand of ammo for around $250 per 1000.

I'm very new to this, so I did a quick price check and I'm over $300 per 1000 rounds if I try to reload, and that's not including the powder.

And I just pricing it out using the high-end components?

Is reloading 9mm just not worth it?

Thanks

all units are 1k:

115gr winchester bullets ($85) + primer ($30) + used brass ($35) = $150 (before tax and powder)

obviously these figures are not exact as prices varies depending on your supplier; and if you buy online then there's shipping + bio fees. That being said, you can buy used brass from some dude on the forum... he ships 1k for $35. else, you can just save up the brass. Is it worth it? depends.... if you have a life then no, obviously reloading to save some pennies isn't time effective. on the other hand, if you dont have a life and you really enjoy reloading..then yes.

Using mnguyen84's info for components with about 6 grains of power at $25 per pound

I used $25 per 1K for the brass as some is new, some is free and some is recycled

I came up with

$161.43 per Thousand .16 per round

I would say it is cheaper

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

Also remember in Feb the new ammunition bill "will" affect ammunition prices in CA

[fsx]

If you enjoy the reloading experience, then yes.
If you don't or can't devote enough time, then buy at wal mart

[snowdog650]

Here in Sonoma County, the local Walmart charges $13.49 for Federal or Wichester FMJ 9mm.

That's the cheapest it gets around here. $9.97 sounds like a dream. Sigh....

Same with Sacramento ....

[Gryff]

Thanks for the info, I got some emails last night from someone I met locally at the gun range with much better pricing. I was putting my numbers together from big retailers and that's obviously not the way to go.

I plan on shooting a lot so I'm going to look into a Lee Progressive 1000.

I'm not surprised he got numbers like that. I was just at a gun shop, and they wanted $27 for 100 Speer 9mm bullets.

I think the big key to saving money through reloading is a) buy your bullets in bulk from one of the many reliable, less-expensive companies, and b) save your brass.

[Cowboy T]

It is worth it to do it if you enjoy reloading, as I do. For me, two factors are key: ammo availability and saving money. Even if I didn't save a lot of money, ammo availability is something I *do not* have to worry about anymore. That's also why I cast my boolits.

February is coming. Is it worth it to *not* reload 9mm? Consider that.

BTW, a Lee Pro 1000 would be a very good choice. I have two, and I like them a lot.

[zfields]

9mm you will save a little bit. But being able to tailor your rounds is the best part.

I personaly only reload for .45, but I make those babys as light as I can still get reliable action on to reduce recoil.

[Midtown Gunner]

The last election made a lot of ammo and loading supplies unavailable at any price. That is not to try to get your supplies or buy ammo.

[fsx]

Honest for me, it's worth the price if you count the "fun" factor. I literally "learned" reloading with 9mm.

[Rawdawg]

Yeah its about .28 and up per round to buy 9mm locally. I just ordered 1000 rounds of reloaded brass 9mm for $169 + $16.55 shipping. Under .19 a round and fmj. If it works out I will do a few more and have all the brass I need for a long time.
I figured my cost of making my own 9mm would be avg .12-14 per round..
As you can see, there are ways of making this more or less, but brass can be used over and over if its not overloaded, too. So I figured that in when I filled in the chart.....
If I buy a Lee Pro 1000 I can literally pay for the machine the first weekend I use it..!
Add more for Gold Bullets, though.. I dont think I want to start casting bullets, but I do have lead here and a bunch of molds for fishing lures and weights, so I guess one more mold wouldnt hurt huh? A Lee Pro Lead Pot and a 6 bullet 9mm mold... Now I can make em cheap..
Gotta go shopin....