At what point should I start reloading?

Rim Job said:
I'm flip flopping on how much 9mm brass I should buy. The obvious answer is whatever the limit on my Amex is, but I'm thinking either 1k or 3k pieces of brass should keep me satiated for a while. Already have 1.1k pieces that I picked up last week.
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Plenty of sources for fired 9mm brass at $.03 - $.035 per. So 3,000 should let cost more than $100 or so.
 
I don't understand this buying brass thing. Too lazy to go pick it up off the ground? (Unless you don't belong to a club)

If brass was not a free component, I don't think reloading 9mm would be cost effective vs whatever the cheapest 9mm factory ammo is.
 
SJan said:
I don't understand this buying brass thing. Too lazy to go pick it up off the ground? (Unless you don't belong to a club)

If brass was not a free component, I don't think reloading 9mm would be cost effective vs whatever the cheapest 9mm factory ammo is.
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The range I go to is 60 miles from my house.

As for cost, right now I'm shooting WWB 115grn from Walmart which works out to about $0.26 a round. I haven't done a complete cost breakdown, but I'm hoping to be around $0.17 a round reloading
 
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Rim Job said:
I'm flip flopping on how much 9mm brass I should buy. The obvious answer is whatever the limit on my Amex is, but I'm thinking either 1k or 3k pieces of brass should keep me satiated for a while. Already have 1.1k pieces that I picked up last week.
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Don't buy any more brass right now.....bullets primers powder. 1000 cases will last a long time.
You will just have to load more often. Plus you will be exploring different loads.
I do,not shoot 9mm a lot , I do load for it . I have been able to acquire several thousand cases over the last few years.
I bought a set of used dies from a club member for 9mm. 40$ came with 1500 cases and 500 cast bullets.
 
SJan said:
I don't understand this buying brass thing. Too lazy to go pick it up off the ground? (Unless you don't belong to a club)

If brass was not a free component, I don't think reloading 9mm would be cost effective vs whatever the cheapest 9mm factory ammo is.
Click to expand...

I used to get plenty of free brass at my club, but the last few years even the people who don't reload have started keeping their brass just in case they ever get into it.

I never buy factory ammo and figure I lose 10-15% of my brass at matches, so I have to replenish it somehow...
 
Dean Crawford said:
This is more reasonable.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/890424/frankford-arsenal-vibra-prime-automatic-primer-tube-filler

Dean

- - - Updated - - -

Even Better.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/714745/hornady-lock-n-load-1911-auto-primer-tube-filler

Dean
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Even mo' better. $40 with free shipping for Prime members. The Hornady is actually more expensive at Amazon.

eta- it gets mixed reviews on Midway, Amazon not so bad. It seems to need some hand work to get it to function reliably- sandpaper, chamfering, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Ars...enal+Vibra-Prime+Automatic+Primer+Tube+Filler
 
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Rim Job said:
I'm flip flopping on how much 9mm brass I should buy. The obvious answer is whatever the limit on my Amex is, but I'm thinking either 1k or 3k pieces of brass should keep me satiated for a while. Already have 1.1k pieces that I picked up last week.
Click to expand...

Depends on how much you shoot really and how much time you'll have for reloading. If you think you may hit a point where you'll shoot more than 2k rounds before having a chance to make more... then buy more brass. I've never bought new 9mm brass, but I was collecting for years before i started reloading. I definitely started with more than 2k on hand, but our situations may be vastly different.
 
peterthefish said:
I used to get plenty of free brass at my club, but the last few years even the people who don't reload have started keeping their brass just in case they ever get into it.

I never buy factory ammo and figure I lose 10-15% of my brass at matches, so I have to replenish it somehow...
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I thank my dad for seating the habit of keeping your brass even though we did very little reloading.
I will pick up random brass at the range.

What you will have to learn to do is get friendly with the old brass rats at the club's. Eventually you will find contacts to buy/trade/sell brass. The easy way out of course is to buy it. I have bought brass.
I bough 2500 LC 5.56 brass as I wanted enough of one head stamp for my match rifle I would never have to worry about brass for that one rifle. I load 500 at a time and reload them 5 times so that 2500 loads. I just started on my 2nd 500 batch.

It's all fun and the best you can do is get to clubs , matches , fun shoots and make connections.

I'm experiencing brass over load! Out of room, more needs to be prepared than I have ready....just in time for winter.
 
mac1911 said:
I thank my dad for seating the habit of keeping your brass even though we did very little reloading.
I will pick up random brass at the range.

What you will have to learn to do is get friendly with the old brass rats at the club's. Eventually you will find contacts to buy/trade/sell brass. The easy way out of course is to buy it. I have bought brass.
I bough 2500 LC 5.56 brass as I wanted enough of one head stamp for my match rifle I would never have to worry about brass for that one rifle. I load 500 at a time and reload them 5 times so that 2500 loads. I just started on my 2nd 500 batch.

It's all fun and the best you can do is get to clubs , matches , fun shoots and make connections.

I'm experiencing brass over load! Out of room, more needs to be prepared than I have ready....just in time for winter.
Click to expand...

I'm sure this is well intentioned advice but...

You can't pick up random brass at the range when every guy who pops off 50 rounds of WWB every couple months no longer leaves his brass behind. Since mid 2013 or so, it seems like every guy in the world picks up his brass just in case he might start reloading some day.

I'm in the pistol house at my club more than anyone else, and know just about everyone who shoots any volume there. They may be hoarding brass, but I have plenty of places to buy from and nothing I'm interested trading.

I'll probably shoot at least 5,000 rounds of 9mm at matches this year, and if I lose 20% of it, that's 1,000 cases. I used to pick that up from the club floor in a month, but those days are gone.
 
Go green and come to an NES shoot. Stay till the end. I fill a 5 gal pail at the end of every shoot with brass people left behind and I don't get all of it (I only pick up 9mm, .223 and .308). I know three or four other regulars who brass rat with me at the end of the day.
 
xtry51 said:
Go green and come to an NES shoot. Stay till the end. I fill a 5 gal pail at the end of every shoot with brass people left behind and I don't get all of it (I only pick up 9mm, .223 and .308). I know three or four other regulars who brass rat with me at the end of the day.
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That may be worth considering...
 
peterthefish said:
I'm sure this is well intentioned advice but...

You can't pick up random brass at the range when every guy who pops off 50 rounds of WWB every couple months no longer leaves his brass behind. Since mid 2013 or so, it seems like every guy in the world picks up his brass just in case he might start reloading some day.

I'm in the pistol house at my club more than anyone else, and know just about everyone who shoots any volume there. They may be hoarding brass, but I have plenty of places to buy from and nothing I'm interested trading.

I'll probably shoot at least 5,000 rounds of 9mm at matches this year, and if I lose 20% of it, that's 1,000 cases. I used to pick that up from the club floor in a month, but those days are gone.
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More are saving brass I will agree, If I was not pressed for time I could have scored some brass today.....had to shoot and screw. All 5 buckets where full at the club. There is a dont take it all policy for the buckets....no one would miss 500 or so 9mm from 2 of the 4 buckets.
I see a trend also that the rise in young shooters at our club has created some brass to be had. These young folk dont even want to sweep it up against the wall.

also I found a increase of brass rats, especially when scrap prices where high.

Its all fine if you want to buy brass, its cheap enough really.

I see a large percentage are to lazy to pick up brass also.
At one club I belong to there is a crowd of shooters (I call them the lumberjacks. They all seem to have beards and wear flannel although they have pretty hands and wont pick up their brass from the dirt just off the concrete pad) that wont touch dirty brass.
 
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xtry51 said:
Go green and come to an NES shoot. Stay till the end. I fill a 5 gal pail at the end of every shoot with brass people left behind and I don't get all of it (I only pick up 9mm, .223 and .308). I know three or four other regulars who brass rat with me at the end of the day.
Click to expand...

I don't go anymore, but you would not be well served to pick up anything I leave behind.
 
peterthefish said:
I'm sure this is well intentioned advice but...

You can't pick up random brass at the range when every guy who pops off 50 rounds of WWB every couple months no longer leaves his brass behind. Since mid 2013 or so, it seems like every guy in the world picks up his brass just in case he might start reloading some day.

I'm in the pistol house at my club more than anyone else, and know just about everyone who shoots any volume there. They may be hoarding brass, but I have plenty of places to buy from and nothing I'm interested trading.

I'll probably shoot at least 5,000 rounds of 9mm at matches this year, and if I lose 20% of it, that's 1,000 cases. I used to pick that up from the club floor in a month, but those days are gone.
Click to expand...

No, when the price of brass spiked these skimflints started to pop out of the woodwork and they systematically raid gun clubs for brass. Some of these guys probably don't even have club memberships.....
 
I would suggest a Redding T7 turret press, it's best of both worlds. As far as saving money by reloading... good luck! My personal experience is: if you reload you just shoot more, you don't save any substantial money. Reloading gives you the "power" to shoot virtually any caliber firearm that is centerfire whether rifle or pistol so I would say that is a bonus when shopping or when inheriting. Always save your brass... there may come a day when you wished you did.
 
peterthefish said:
I'm sure this is well intentioned advice but...

You can't pick up random brass at the range when every guy who pops off 50 rounds of WWB every couple months no longer leaves his brass behind. Since mid 2013 or so, it seems like every guy in the world picks up his brass just in case he might start reloading some day.
Click to expand...

I swung by the range today since I was nearby picking up a giant steel pipe for another project and took a look on the ground. It I was smart enough to bring a rake and some way to quickly sort everything, I could have enough brass for a solid 2 years. It would take forever to clean it, but it would be a good start. As it was, I picked up as much of the stuff I shot today and a bunch of 40 s&w that someone had shot earlier.

Not that I have a .40, but it could be looked at as a good start for the future.
 
maxreloader said:
I would suggest a Redding T7 turret press, it's best of both worlds. As far as saving money by reloading... good luck! My personal experience is: if you reload you just shoot more, you don't save any substantial money. Reloading gives you the "power" to shoot virtually any caliber firearm that is centerfire whether rifle or pistol so I would say that is a bonus when shopping or when inheriting. Always save your brass... there may come a day when you wished you did.
Click to expand...

You save money in the sense that you get to shoot a lot more for the same amount of cash. I think with a couple of the loads i had worked up it was basically like paying for 2000 rounds but getting another 1000 rounds for free, and in many cases its a lot better than that. It's also easier to avoid supply shortages once you lay materials in stock. With reloading its not that hard to cover yourself for a year of shooting.
 

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