Is it worth it?

[basilhayden]

With ammo prices on the rise, I am researching whether or not to try reloading. I currently shoot a .40 (but am considering getting a 9 mm conversion). I would be reloading .40 and 9mm and a small amount of .223 (very small). My question is how much can i save reloading vs. buying wallyworld wwb at a current price of around $19 per 100 of .40 and $14 for 9mm? And from what i have read, the price will jump 10% after the new year. To put it simply, does anyone know the avg. cost of a reloaded cartridge in .40? Thanks for the help.

[nightraider]

Of those guns, it would be economical to reload .223 the most, then .40, then 9mm. It would take a while to regain your losses on all of them, but if you shoot .223 the most and reload it the most, you can probably regain your losses eventually. Reloading sometimes isn't the most economical decision, however you can reap benifits of making accurate loadings, which unlike cheap factory made ammo, can sometimes be inaccurate.

[rwilson452]

Depending on exactly what you reload vs what your buying now your savings per round could be around 50% after you amortize the cost of equipment. Just reloading 9mm it will take a long time. 6-8000 rounds I would think. The strange thing is you don't really save any money on the deal. you do shoot a lot more. you wind up spending the savings on more reloading stuff and find yourself addicted to another hobby. In your instance I suspect you would be shooting a lot more .223 then you do now. About the bottom end to get into reloading is $200. on the upper end it is well over $1000

[ANeat]

If you shoot very much you need to reload. Don try to rationalize it figuring out how many rounds you need to shoot/reload till you get your money back. Reloading equipment holds its value very well and the worst case senerio that you decide to stop reloading you can sell it and get most of your money back.

You want to see guys throwing their money away, go buy WWB and leave your brass on the ground. That is a 100% loss and lots of guys do it, I know because Im the one picking it up and I love those guys

I can reload 9mm for $70 - $80 per 1000 if I buy my bullets. Probably $30 per 1000 if I use my cast bullets.

40 costs about the same to reload, 223 costs a little more due to the fact that youre using more powder and the brass doesnt last as long.

Adam

[Glenn]

I can reload a 50 count box of .40s for $4.80 I shoot at a police range that is open to the public on weekends and holidays and I get all the once fired .40 .45 and 9mm brass I want Free that saves a lot

[RTMCAS]

I reload 40 cal and the cost is at aprox $10/100. But if you would rather have wallyworld get your $$ thats fine.......I would start saving brass if I were you..

[Crimp]

For handguns, I load 380, 9mm, 38, 357, 44, 45ACP and 480. Every time I go to the candy store, I usually have a BIG shopping list. If I don't need anything else, maybe a new gun in a new caliber? Every time I try to calculate my "savings" from handloading to show the wife, I give up in despair. What the heck. It's a hobby, and I get mucho pleasure out of it. My favorite therapy is working up loads with a new powder or bullet!

What can I tell you? Start picking up your Wally World brass and saving it. Find someone that reloads and give it a try. If you really enjoy it, see if you can find some used equipment over time. Saving money? If that's your bottom line, I'd just forget handloading.

[kansas45]

I don't think I save any money reloading 9mm stuff. I do gain accuracy & can change my loads to fit my needs. I load a lot (400-500) of 45ACP rounds per week & I probably save 50% or so over store bought ammo. I don't shoot much in other sizes but load them myself because I can. MY buddy is finishing up a AR15 for me so I'll start loading 223 very soon.Other than saveings & convenience, I like to re-load to relax after a hard day at work. It has also lead me to do a lot more of my own work on my firearms & has become a hobby that I really enjoy.