Wanna start

[oneeyebear]

So I am going to be shooting quite a lot and wanted to get into reloading ammo. Can anyone tell me about how much it would cost to get started in reloading? I am looking to reload only 9mm Luger as of now. And what equipment/supplies do I need?

[john16443]

First Sticky "Reloading 101" at the top of page should tell you what you need to know to get an idea of what you're in for.

[Javi]

There's a "reloading 101" thread stickied at the very top of this sub-forum that should help you out immensely. I'd recommend buying Lyman #49 or some kind of reloading manual that takes you through the steps of the process to see if it's for you. Many of these big reloading companies sell press kit's so you'll have just about everything you'd need. I spent $303 during a really great reloading sale online which consisted of; a reloading press kit, powder baffle, 2 RCBS dies (one carbide, the other standard rifle dies), and 2 shell holders.

[Cowboy T]

Check the stickes in the "Ammo and Reloading" thread. That'll get you started. Seriously, there's some good info that directly addresses the questions you've asked.

For a beginning reloader, I believe it should cost you no more than $250, and that's for all the equipment (calipers, tumbler, etc.) to get started making high-quality rounds. I would suggest that as a beginner, you stay away from the progressive presses for now, until you get some experience under your belt.

[ExtremeX]

First off… You can spend $100 to start, or you can spend $1000 or more to start. Your budget and end goal/expectations will dictate your startup costs. Personally I went straight to a progressive press for my first, and im glad I did.

If you want to learn how to reload, you are going to have to put in the time, and just do as much reading and video watching online. Calguns and Youtube have been excellent learning resources for me. Plenty of threads on this forum with many different ideas and routes to take.

For me 9mm is one of the calibers that offer the least amount of cost savings, but there are some savings. If bottom line cost is important to you, you should also learn about casting bullets, and start to see some massive savings.

[Bill Steele]

$1,000,000... I just wanted to make sure nobody beat me on the high end.

You can get started very inexpensively. As posted above, read the stickies, get a Lyman's 49th or Lee 2nd Edition and read the how-to sections.

Get a Lee Classic Turret kit and all the other odds and ends and have at it, after reading the book that is...

[bandook]

So I am going to be shooting quite a lot and wanted to get into reloading ammo. Can anyone tell me about how much it would cost to get started in reloading? I am looking to reload only 9mm Luger as of now. And what equipment/supplies do I need?

How many rounds/month is 'quite a lot'.

For 9mm, the minimum reasonable setup is a lee turret (classic preferred but the cheaper 'deluxe' model will work fine for 9mm) and with dies/calipers/tumbler will set you back about $300.
This press loads about 150rounds per hour so that should give you an idea about how much time you'll be spending loading ammo every month.

IMO (unless you just like reloading itself) if you're spending 2-3+ hrs/ weekend reloading, it's time to move up a step in presses (in this case a progressive) .
These load at about 300/hr and with the addition of a case feeder will get you in the vicinity of 500/hr.

[oneeyebear]

Thanks, I'll check out the sticky. I just posted this real quick and didn't search too much because I was on my way out this morning when I posted it.

[MIAMIbaseballer]

I'm sure you'll have some questions after reading the stickies, so ask away!

[Colt562]

What ever you think you are going to spend...double it.

[oneeyebear]

Well from reading over the stickies I decided that I would want to go with the Lee 4 Hole classic Turret press, but at the same time for 9mm reloading doesn't save much money compared to buying from somewhere like walmart. Not sure how true this is, but the reason I decided on that lee turret press is because it can do both rifle and handgun as well as meets the output per hour I would be looking for.

[MIAMIbaseballer]

Well from reading over the stickies I decided that I would want to go with the Lee 4 Hole classic Turret press, but at the same time for 9mm reloading doesn't save much money compared to buying from somewhere like walmart. Not sure how true this is, but the reason I decided on that lee turret press is because it can do both rifle and handgun as well as meets the output per hour I would be looking for.

I load 9mm for 12 cents a rd using FMJ bullets. You could load lead and it would cheaper. So that's about half of what you pay at Walmart. the larger calibers I load like 10mm is where I save big money. That's why I spent over 2 grand for all my Dillon stuff and 3 calibers. I would make that up in less that a year. I can put out over 1000 rds an hour and I save over $350 just on my 10mm. So it's all relevant to how much you shoot and how much you wanna spend up front.

[bumpo628]

Well from reading over the stickies I decided that I would want to go with the Lee 4 Hole classic Turret press, but at the same time for 9mm reloading doesn't save much money compared to buying from somewhere like walmart. Not sure how true this is, but the reason I decided on that lee turret press is because it can do both rifle and handgun as well as meets the output per hour I would be looking for.

Check out precisiondelta.com for your FMJ bullets. The price includes shipping when ordered in increments of 2K, otherwise it's $5.

http://precisiondelta.com/detail.php?sku=B-9-115-FMJ

They have 155gr 9mm bullets for $82/1000.
Add in $0.05 or $0.06 for powder and primer and you can make a box of 9mm for about $7.
That's not a bad savings. What is a box of 9mm up to these days - $11 or $12?

I consider pistol brass "tooling" since it lasts so long. You should be able to find brass for about $30/1000 shipped. Or, pick it up for free at the range.

[MIAMIbaseballer]

Check out precisiondelta.com for your FMJ bullets. The price includes shipping when ordered in increments of 2K, otherwise it's $5.

They have 155gr 9mm bullets for $82/1000.
Add in $0.05 or $0.06 for powder and primer and you can make a box of 9mm for about $7.
That's not a bad savings. What is a box of 9mm up to these days - $11 or $12?

I consider pistol brass "tooling" since it lasts so long. You should be able to find brass for about $30/1000 shipped. Or, pick it up for free at the range.

a box of 9 is between $10-15 depending on where you buy.

If you buy a case (4000- $305) at Montana Gold of 9mm 115gr, it comes out to $76 per 1k...

[Bill Steele]

As a newbie, I would recommend starting with jacketed bullets, so using this as a baseline, once you have picked up enough 9mm cases at your local range (or saved the ones you shot), using a bullet like Precision Delta you are looking at about $.13/round.

Once you get up to speed, if you decide you want to cut costs further, you can switch to lead and cut $.02-.03 a round off that price.

Finally, if you get really nutty, you can cast your own lead and cut the cost of bullets in half again...

But personally, I would not recommend reloading just to save money. It is a fun hobby, very addictive fun hobby.