Confused about prices

[bonzaiii]

I am/was pretty sure I was going to start reloading in the next week or two and have been researching everything I can, I have picked out my reloading kit and everything I need except for the product itself and now is where I got confused. I went to Midway and was looking at the supplies I'll need (brass, bullet, primers, powder etc.) I planned on starting off just reloading .40 and then moving to other calibers so I was looking at the prices for .40.
These are the least expensive they have available
36.00 for 250 bullets
34.99 for 100 brass36.00
so that alone is 48.00 for 100
That does not include primers, powder etc. and already cost MORE that just buying the factory ammo.
Other than buying in bulk what am I missing, I don't expect to save much or any buying in small quantities but I never expected it to cost more.

[Bill Steele]

First, paying $.35 a round for 40S&W brass would not be a wise choice. But if you were bound and determined to start with new brass, I would recommend Starline brass, that runs about $.17 each direct from Starline. 40 S&W is probably the most popular police caliber in the country, you can buy "once fired" 40S&W brass at auction on Gunbroker all day long for .04 a case.

Second, you are going to be reloading this brass multiple times (if you are not too lazy to bend over and pick it up). You need to divide the cost by the number of reloads you get from the brass.

Third, there are many options for projectiles depending on your needs and the type of barrel in your gun, Powder Valley sells Berry's plated in your caliber for under $.10 ea and there are lead options for even less.

In the end, if you don't buy "in bulk" you will save a lot less than the hobby offers.

[XDRoX]

If you don't order in bulk and recycle your brass you will pay more than just buying factory rounds.

However if you do recycle and buy in bulk then you'll be able to shoot for half the cost.

[rsrocket1]

The nice thing about used 40 SW brass is that it is very plentiful and cheap. Look in the classified section of this or other forums to get an idea of the prices. Locally, the projectiles are $35-$50 for 500, powder is $17/pound which is good for over 1000 loads and primers are $30/1000 so the reload cost ought to be about $0.18 /shot for the first loads (paid for used brass), then $0.14 for reloads and 4 to 6 cents a shot if you cast your own lead.

[joelogic]

It is called reloading, not loading.

The point is to use brass that you got for free.

[grant22]

When I first looked into reloading, I saw the price of new brass and thought, WTF!

Then I slapped myself upside the head and realized you spread that over 6-10 reloads and it becomes very affordable. Try to aim your reloading budget around half of the new rounds and you should be GTG.

Don't be afraid to look on gunbroker dot com and look for bulk amounts of 'once fired' brass. You can get most brass in the 5 -6 cents area.

[Linkpimp]

1000 pieces of brass + 40 – 60 dollars here in the reloading for (sale section) you really don't want new brass do you? Hell if your local to me I’ve give you a few hundred rounds of 40 free, I’ve got plenty to spare


500 165gr bullets is $48.95 X 2 = $90.00






1000 primer is $30.00

1 pound of powder will get you approximately 1000 rounds of 40 = $24.00

So it should cost around $150 to load up 1000 rds of 40 = 0.15 per round

Hope that helps

Link

[bonzaiii]

When I first looked into reloading, I saw the price of new brass and thought, WTF!

Then I slapped myself upside the head and realized you spread that over 6-10 reloads and it becomes very affordable. Try to aim your reloading budget around half of the new rounds and you should be GTG.

Don't be afraid to look on gunbroker dot com and look for bulk amounts of 'once fired' brass. You can get most brass in the 5 -6 cents area.

Yea, As soon as I saw the first reply I smacked myself on the head , I don't have to buy the brass every-time, scary how some things just fly right over my head.
And I had no idea where to find used brass or even better prices on the primer, powder, bullets etc. Seems like the bullets will be the biggest expense but things sound much better now, thanks so much for all the responses you really managed to put this back into perspective

[Clownpuncher]

I just went to a gunshow so, prior to that, I researched everything on the net. I ended up purchasing at the gunshow because it was the same price as online. Honestly, I will most likely buy online from now on since I won't pay tax for components. As for powder and primers, I'll wait for a group buy from Powder Valley. Anyway, here are some costs from my .40 S&W research.

Bullets:
165 gr plated Berry's: $100/1000 from powder valley plus shipping.
165 gr plated Berry's: $116/1000 from Berrys, shipping included.

For Plated, Extreme bullets were cheaper than berrys but their website is down so I don't know what happened to them.

For FMJ rounds:
165 gr FMJ (not plated): $111/1000 from Precision Delta, shipping included.
180 gr FMJ: $115/1000 from Precision Delta, shipping included.

As for Brass, I bought mine from Brassman.com. I don't mind once fired and I like that he separates it by head stamp. I like having one kind of brass, just a preference I guess. Anyway, it's $61-65 per 1000 of non mixed head stamp. Shipping is included.

I probably won't buy anymore brass since I always come home with more than I go with.

Good luck in your quest.

[22popnsplat]

I have never been able to keep track of how many time i can reload straight walled pistol brass but i know its a bunch , I am sure there is some one around here that keeps good records and loads 40 S&W . Brass will also last longer if you dont load hot .

[zfields]

I stopped counting at 18 on some .45acp. I load very light on .45, and just barely to power factor on 9mm.

9mm I lose the casing or it gets mixed in with other range brass.

[Fyathyrio]

Midway is usually pretty good for equipment, but there's better places to shop for components. Powder Valley, Natchez, and Widener's, are but a few that come to mind. One trick is to try and find the cheapest place for both powder and primers combined so you only have to pay the $25 hazmat fee once.

[noylj]

Don't waste your money on plated bullets. Go to Montana Gold or Precision Delta for excellent jacketed bullets for the same or slightly less money. You can go to Powder Valley or Roze Distribution for Zero Jacketed bullets.
I found last year that even if I bought virgin R.P. cases, top-of-the-line jacketed bullets, I still saved money over comparable factory ammunition and only 9x19 steel case ammunition came close to the cost of all new components.
Buy once fired brass, unless you are into benchrest or long-range rifle target shooting. Buy primers by the sleeve--Grafs had an excellent sale on CCI primers.
For any cartridge larger than 9mm/.38, I only buy lead bullets or cast my own. For 9mm, I look to the jacketed bullets I referenced above.
For 9mm, buy 124gn JHP or FMJ. For .45 Auto, buy 200gn L-SWC. For .40A&W, I buy 155gn L-SWC.
I look to MasterCastBullets.com or Missouri Bullets for lead. There are many other companies, but these two make an excellent product and their prices are excellent.
Buy 231 or HP38 powder to start.
For .40S&W, you either want accurate loads, full power loads, or action pistol loads. For accuracy, the 155gn L-SWC and 231 or HP38 will serve to start. For full power loads, you might want to get 165-185gn jacketed bullets and HS6, Silhouette, or 3N38. For action pistol, you need to be very careful. For a minor load, you would use a 185-200gn bullet and a very fast powder. Again, 231/HP38 would be a good and safer place to start, particularly as the .40 is a cartridge that will bite the hand that feeds it over any mistake. If you want Major power factor, you will need to ask for specifics, but again any reasonable powder from 231/HP38 to Silhouette will get you there.

[ns3v3n]

Midway usually have higher prices unless they are on sale, try other sites as other suggested. And yes try to combine your powder and primers together to save shipping/hazmat fees. Also buying in bulk will help. If new brass is too much, try buying once fired brass, they are usually cheaper.

[Justintoxicated]

For rifle I don't save much money, I just make better ammo.
For pistol well you already have responses above.