Hey, so the top two ammo I shoot is 45acp and 9mm . I don't have a reloader or a clue what I need. Freedom munitions sells a case of 45 once fired ammo for. $300 shipped which is what I usually buy. If I was to start to reload what would be the cost of 1000 rounds of 45? How many rounds can I do in a hour? Would I have to go around picking up all the brass ? And Yes I have a lot of free time on my hand to sit and reload. depending on the price per thousand I would like to start shooting 200-500 rounds a week.

Expect to save about 30% of the price you pay, maybe even more depending on how much you buy the components for.

You re looking at an investment of around 4-500$ before you save any money. You can buy all components so you dont have to pick uo brass. Just save your own. Of course when someone is firing new brass at the range and they dont want it why not pick it up.

 

How much can you load in an hour depends on you and your setup......but you just mentioned you have free time so....

 

Start reading first and buy a good reloading manual. Lyman, Hornady all of them have one.

 

Read this short intro first

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/presses-and-kits/pdf/IntroToReloading.pdf

How much money do you want to spend on equipment? 

 

I think last time I checked I make .45 for around 16 cents a round for TMJ's. 9mm is a little less.

A progressive press with case feeder and bullet feeder will turn out 500-900 per hour, relistically. There are more advanced options if you want to spend a few thousand.

Saw a listing on armslist for a full set to do 9mm,40 and 45. It in NJ.http://www.armslist.com/posts/4552787/nj-reloading-for-sale--hornady-lnl-ap---full-setup-

If you want to shoot 135 to 147gr 9mm and lighter 45acp bullets, you will get the biggest benefit from reloading standard 115gr 9mm is pretty cheap. 45 is pricey in the stores.

Also if you re on FB join the NJ Reloading group

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NJPowderPrimersandBrassReloading/314216878702403/?ref=notif&notif_t=group_activity_unconfirmed

I can do .45 230 lead round nose with cci primers and bullseye for right around $133 if I use pickup brass.

9mm is rght around $125 for 147 xtreme with bullseye or Titegroup and pickup brass.

 

I have bought .45 brass for $35/1000 locally and don't factor that into the price just because I don't really care. If you need to buy brass you'll need to add that into the equation and obviously you can treat that like a fixed cost that is more appealing as your round count increases.

 

Dillon 550B gets me a realistic 450 rounds per hour.

 

Cost savings is what got me into reloading (free press), however accurate, soft shooting reliable Ammo is what keeps me hooked. Factory just can't compare.

I'm going half and half on the machine. Really don't need top notch expensive equipment. Just something decent to make reliable ammo..

I'm going half and half on the machine. Really don't need top notch expensive equipment. Just something decent to make reliable ammo..

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lee-Precision-Classic-Turret-Press-Kit/1374275.uts

In my opinion, buy the best press you can afford. A dillon or hornady progressive might seem expensive to start but they will be payed off quickly in saving is you shoot a lot.

 

Things to keep in mind:

 

1) You won't save money, you will shoot more for the same money

2) You get you best prices buying components in bulk

3) A good press costs more but it will last a lifetime. Places like Dillon REALLY mean it when they say lifetime warranty on everything, 10 years later and they still replace my parts for free when I break them

4) You will need a way to clean your cases so count that into your cost

5) You probably won't see any savings for a year or so, depending how much you shoot. A complete reloading setup might cost $500-$700 if you try to control costs, and that means you won't start realizing costs until about 5-10k worth of reloads.

My price for 1k rounds of 45 or 9mm is about $50 using home cast bullets.

 

I use a single stage press, something much more simpler than what Vlad uses. I prefer the simplicity but I probably have the slowest production rate there is.

 

My suggestion? Only reload if you do it for fun

 

My suggestion? Only reload if you do it for fun

 

Personally I don't remember if I ever though reloading was fun. I think there was a time when I thought is was technically interesting, now it is just something I do so I can enjoy my hobby the way I want to shoot. It's just part of the totality, but I don't think it is fun exactly.

I am starting to reload now and I can tell you what I paid. I have a Lee Loadmaster that was $250, a RCBS 505 beam scale $37, I don't have it yet but I'm trying to get a used Mitutoyo caliper for $40. For components I got 1000 small pistol primers and one pound of powder (about 1250 rounds) for $56 and .45 bullets from ibejiheads is $95 if you don't pay for shipping. For polishing your brass you have to decide if you will wet tumble or dry tumble but I will be getting the two drum harbor freight tumbler, they are pretty cheap when you use a coupon. So for .45 it would be a little less than $150 per 1000, and my equipment cost was about $350. I hope this helps.

I am starting to reload now and I can tell you what I paid. I have a Lee Loadmaster that was $250, a RCBS 505 beam scale $37, I don't have it yet but I'm trying to get a used Mitutoyo caliper for $40. For components I got 1000 small pistol primers and one pound of powder (about 1250 rounds) for $56 and .45 bullets from ibejiheads is $95 if you don't pay for shipping. For polishing your brass you have to decide if you will wet tumble or dry tumble but I will be getting the two drum harbor freight tumbler, they are pretty cheap when you use a coupon. So for .45 it would be a little less than $150 per 1000, and my equipment cost was about $350. I hope this helps.[/quote

 

Very helpful.. i might look into getting your setup, 350 is a good price. With your reloader how long would it take you to do 1000 rounds .. Even if I can reload for 200/1000 that will still be a good deal.

I have a Lee classic turret press. I load 45,38/357,9mm,5.56,and 7mm08 with it. It works great for me and the price was right. I have not figured out how much money I have saved now that I reload but it's quite a bit and definitely worth it for me. I do enjoy reloading and have noticed an improvement in accuracy

 

 

I am starting to reload now and I can tell you what I paid. I have a Lee Loadmaster that was $250, a RCBS 505 beam scale $37, I don't have it yet but I'm trying to get a used Mitutoyo caliper for $40. For components I got 1000 small pistol primers and one pound of powder (about 1250 rounds) for $56 and .45 bullets from ibejiheads is $95 if you don't pay for shipping. For polishing your brass you have to decide if you will wet tumble or dry tumble but I will be getting the two drum harbor freight tumbler, they are pretty cheap when you use a coupon. So for .45 it would be a little less than $150 per 1000, and my equipment cost was about $350. I hope this helps.

Very helpful.. i might look into getting your setup, 350 is a good price. With your reloader how long would it take you to do 1000 rounds .. Even if I can reload for 200/1000 that will still be a good deal.

I've heard that it's about 350-400 per hour. Of course that is once you become proficient running the machine. The truth is that for the amount of rounds you plan on loading I'd probably buy a Dillon. It's a few hundred dollars more but the quality is definitely better, and it is easier to use. Spread out over the year the additional cost is not so significant, and it doesn't require all of the fluff and buff and love that the Lee needs.

If you are absolutely sure that you only want to reload pistol, you may want to look into a dillon square deal B.

You can get one new with a set of dies for like 400 and it will allow you to churn out pistol ammo.

Personally I don't like the square deal B, because it uses specialized dies and it isn't a lot cheaper then a 550.

Personally I don't like the square deal B, because it uses specialized dies and it isn't a lot cheaper then a 550.

Agreed. While I wouldn't recommend jumping straight to a progressive press, a 550 or 650 wouldn't be a bad way to go. Decent production volume, outstanding customer service, and they hold their value pretty well so if you find yourself wanting to upgrade to a 1050, you'll recover most of your initial investment. I learned on a RCBS Rockchucker then bought a 1050 which I wouldn't recommend people doing since the learning curve is a little steep unless you have someone who has setup and run a 1050 there to guide you through the initial machine setup.

I was reading about something with the square deal and its specialized dies . Someone had a problem with reloading .45 for their match grade barrel. Something about being so tight and stuff. Is that a problem with the 550? Or would I be okay.. Because my 1911 will have a match grade barrel

I agree with Vlad G. Get the best you can afford right from the start. That goes for press, dies and most of the accessories. I never loaded before but I'm good with my hands and went with the Hornady LnL. It took maybe 1.5 days setting it up and dialing in the dies but she's working good for me now and I'm glad I went with the LnL. If you're somewhat mechanically inclined and aren't afraid of taking on a small challenge than go with a progressive. Watch the Youtube videos, ask questions here, and read up the different reloading manuals and you'll be glad you got into it.

I was reading about something with the square deal and its specialized dies . Someone had a problem with reloading .45 for their match grade barrel. Something about being so tight and stuff. Is that a problem with the 550? Or would I be okay.. Because my 1911 will have a match grade barrel

 

So there is match grade and then there is MATCH grade. A lot of guns say match grade on them what they mean is the barrel is gets better QC and more attention when fitting. Some guns say match grand and they mean superior metals, more care when cutting it, better fitting etc.

 

And then there are people who take a decent barrel, undercut the chamber to the point the gun barely works and they call it a match grade chamber while half the commercial ammo won't fit it and you need undersized dies to load for it. I don't like those people.

 

Back to your question however, most presses use the same die thread pattern, by some miracle. If you buy a 550, 650, 1060, Lee press, rcbs press, hornady, whatever they all use the same 7/8 -14 threaded dies which means you can use which ever brand dies you want in whichever press. Some add bushings to them, some add removable die heads, etc but the dies are the same. 

 

Some specialized presses however use a different die thread. This is more common with high caliber presses, thing designed to load 50bmg and exotic african cartridges, because the case won't fit in the standard hole. And then some presses like the SDB use a smaller die that pretty unique to it.

 

Now back to that match chamber. If you have a gun with a really tight chamber, you can always buy a die that is cut to be undersized or designed for a smaller chamber, and odds are you can find 5 companies making one. If you need to do that for the SDB, you might need to ask dillon to make you a custom one. One of those two cases is easier to deal with, which one is a left as an exercise for the reader.

If you are reloading, you need a max chamber gauge.  This gauge is machined to  "check all critical dimensions of handgun ammunition to ensure proper functioning".  I would not load without it. Never have a problem.  Gauge is cheap and eliminates all questions with ammo dimensions.  

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/594222/lyman-max-cartridge-gage-45-acp  If it drops in easily it's good to go! I use standard Hornady dies and they work fine for my match barrels.

The issue is that case gauges are often correct to SAAMI specs. Some chambers not so much

First off, great read and tons of info.

 

For me I started with Lee loadmaster progressive. The price to get it was right for me; roughly $250 two plus years ago. The miscellaneous supporting equipment was another $150, and components was another $150. So all total I was in $5-600 when I started. Prices have since some down, so your initial investment should be a little lower.

 

My primary reason for starting was to avoid another price gouging ammo shortage but have migrated to the philosophy of more accurate ammo.

 

I do not load volume since I shoot maybe 2-300 rounds a month. With this press I can crank out about 200 rounds an hour taking my time to visually watch the primer feed, watch for over charge volume and squarely place a bullet on the case. I stop after every 50 rounds, check them on gauge checker and for overall length. The OAL will vary +\- .002 per round but I've been told that an acceptable tolerance.

 

the quiet time of getting away from the wife and 3 kids for an hours is will worth the cost. I've loaded close to 3.5k rounds so I'm on the cusp of breaking even since I primarily load .45 ACP and 9mm

I use a Lee Pro1000 for 9 & 45. I can do ~200-250 per hour and .45 costs me about $8 per 50 rounds using range pick-up brass

 

 

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