reloading for .45 acp

[nlpro]

i reload for my 300 win and i am thinking of getting into reloading for my 1911 but it seems nearly as expensive to reload for it as o just buy factory in bulk.
these are the cheapest of each i could find .

1000 230 gr $125 gun broker

1pound of tightgroup $15.49 midwayusa

1000 once fired brass 74.99 midwayusa

1000 cci 300 large pistol primers 28.49 midwayusa

$30 or so for shipping

277.93


or i could get 10 winchester 100 round value packs for $29.88 each coming to $298 . Am i shopping around in the wrong places ? if so where can i get the stuff cheaper . or is 45 acp just and expensive round to load for .

[CSACANNONEER]

I cast my own bullets so, after the initial investment of lead pot, 8 cav mold, Star lube-sizer, and sizing dies, bullets are cheap as long as you have a source for free lead! Also, if you have been shooting your .45, you should have brass. 45acp brass can be reloaded many many times so, you con't need once fired brass. Primers and powder are my main expense.

[gottarollwithit]

Minus brass from that. Just go pick some up from the range or burn off a few boxes that you already have. Nothin said that you gotta start with 1k cases.

[bohoki]

yea i dont factor buying brass since i am reloading what i shoot

but still fmj really sucks the cash

i buy cast bullets 500 for $30

so 1 pound of bullseye $20
1000 primers $30
1000 bullets $60

so thats $110 for 1000
so 11 cents per round comes out to $5.50 a box of 50
and realize that is rough estimates cause a pound of bulls does like 1400 rounds

i have a couple lee molds but i got about 1000 bear creek on reserve and have all my brass loaded

i got an itchy finger to fire some soon so i can reload it

its kind of apples and oranges fmj vs. lead

but they both go bang and make a hole in what i shoot so thats all that counts to me

when blazer brass was at walmart for $10.97 i stocked up on that wonderful brass cased fmj

how much is your time worth?

[nlpro]

yea i dont factor buying brass since i am reloading what i shoot

but still fmj really sucks the cash

i buy cast bullets 500 for $30

so 1 pound of bullseye $20
1000 primers $30
1000 bullets $60

so thats $110 for 1000
so 11 cents per round comes out to $5.50 a box of 50
and realize that is rough estimates cause a pound of bulls does like 1400 rounds

i have a couple lee molds but i got about 1000 bear creek on reserve and have all my brass loaded

i got an itchy finger to fire some soon so i can reload it

its kind of apples and oranges fmj vs. lead

but they both go bang and make a hole in what i shoot so thats all that counts to me

when blazer brass was at walmart for $10.97 i stocked up on that wonderful brass cased fmj

how much is your time worth?

yea im wanting to reload now because i ran out of blazer aluminum blazer for plinking bought 3k rounds years ago for 5 dollers a box. bohoki what type of cast bullets do you use ? and where is a good place to buy cast bullets from

[Sailormilan2]

i reload for my 300 win and i am thinking of getting into reloading for my 1911 but it seems nearly as expensive to reload for it as o just buy factory in bulk.
these are the cheapest of each i could find .

1000 230 gr $125 gun broker

1pound of tightgroup $15.49 midwayusa

1000 once fired brass 74.99 midwayusa

1000 cci 300 large pistol primers 28.49 midwayusa

$30 or so for shipping

277.93


or i could get 10 winchester 100 round value packs for $29.88 each coming to $298 . Am i shopping around in the wrong places ? if so where can i get the stuff cheaper . or is 45 acp just and expensive round to load for .

Don't foreget, you can reload the cases several times. So, you have the one initiall cost, but that goes down with each relaod.

[bohoki]

yea im wanting to reload now because i ran out of blazer aluminum blazer for plinking bought 3k rounds years ago for 5 dollers a box. bohoki what type of cast bullets do you use ? and where is a good place to buy cast bullets from

i got mine at a store up north off of 101, helms house of guns

bullets can ship for the $10 priority mail box if you find a place that uses it

i like the 200 grain swc they carry the bear creek brand which are just hard enough and have a spiffy coating on them so my hands aren't a superfund site after loading 1000
they look like this


i like picking them up in person to avoid shipping but if ahnold has his way the tax will become more than the shipping

so i might try these places

http://www.mastercast.net/cast_bullets.htm

http://tru-cast.com/index.php?cPath=23&osCsid=27fa1a8efe259706a5b2c9ce9bce9eb7

http://www.bulletsdirect.com/as2/Midstates_Cast_Bulletslist.asp?start=21

dont know a link for bear creek so depending on where you live maybe a roadtrip?

[f4tweet]

+1 on Bear Creek 200gr. SWC. I run an OAL of 1.230, which feeds in all my .45's. I use 5.2-5.4 of 231, and WLP and a crimp of .471. If you seat and crimp on the same station you might shave the moly a little. The trick with Bear Creek is to crimp so you just see a line around the bullet, no more. I usually know I have a good crimp if it takes three smacks on the floor to de-mill it. This is how I started reloading, .45
Bear Creek Supply
209-874-4322
P.O. Box 177
Waterford, CA 95386

[What Just Happened?]

If you can, avoid buying powder and primers from the Internet (unless it's a group buy) because the hazmat shipping costs will stack up fast.

[rayra]

seconding the avoidance of hazmat / shipping charges. Find a reloading components source near you are near somewhere you might travel. Eliminate the shipping / fuel expense.

And load / shoot lead, and only reload more expensive bullets for rare practice and as SHTF stocks.

And buy powder in 8-lb cannisters / amounts when you can, you'll save more there as well.

/besides, who ever said reloading actually SAVES money??

[bohoki]

/besides, who ever said reloading actually SAVES money??

well since time=money
sometimes it costs you money

remember if its not a labor of love then don't do it

[f4tweet]

It certainly won't save you money, you'll just shoot more, and be better at it!

[What Just Happened?]

It certainly won't save you money, you'll just shoot more, and be better at it!

Yup. You don't save money; you just shoot more for the same amount of money.

[hill billy]

I reload .45 fmj for about $20 per hundred. So I'm saving $10 or a little more per hundred. I can load 100 HP.45 for about $30, so I am saving about $70 per hundred. Berry's makes a 200 gr HP that sells for about $14 per hundred so you could load hp's at that price for $20 per hundred saving you $80 per hundred. Sounds like savings to me.

[nlpro]

i got mine at a store up north off of 101, helms house of guns

bullets can ship for the $10 priority mail box if you find a place that uses it

i like the 200 grain swc they carry the bear creek brand which are just hard enough and have a spiffy coating on them so my hands aren't a superfund site after loading 1000
they look like this


i like picking them up in person to avoid shipping but if ahnold has his way the tax will become more than the shipping

so i might try these places

http://www.mastercast.net/cast_bullets.htm

http://tru-cast.com/index.php?cPath=23&osCsid=27fa1a8efe259706a5b2c9ce9bce9eb7

http://www.bulletsdirect.com/as2/Midstates_Cast_Bulletslist.asp?start=21

dont know a link for bear creek so depending on where you live maybe a roadtrip?

tose are good price thats for the websites looks like ill be loading up some cast .45 . 45 acp bullet diameters for jacked is 451 and 452 for cast lead correct ? I found a place local to get the primers and powder so i dont have to pay hazmat .

I reload .45 fmj for about $20 per hundred. So I'm saving $10 or a little more per hundred. I can load 100 HP.45 for about $30, so I am saving about $70 per hundred. Berry's makes a 200 gr HP that sells for about $14 per hundred so you could load hp's at that price for $20 per hundred saving you $80 per hundred. Sounds like savings to me.

i agree its a saving the way i had it priced out it just was small compared to other caliber si have loaded for . but i stand educated by all the knowlagable people here