One load for all yours 9mm or one per handgun.

Joined
Sep 4, 2017
Messages
46
Likes
8
Location
Eastern Massachusetts
Feedback: 0 / 0 / 0
I'm just curious if you guys have favored loads for each specific caliber and firearm or if your goal is one load that functions well with good accuracy in all your handguns of a given caliber. I basically work up one load for five different 9mm's from a couple of M&Ps, a HK VP9 a G34 and a 92FS and when I find one that runs well in all of them and shoots as well as I do I build a bunch of them. Is it worth tweaking the load for each individual firearms? I keep it simple and load mostly FMJ or plated RN and haven't tried self defense rounds because I tend to buy factory ammo for carry. Just wondering?
 
For such a common round like 9mm, which I use pretty much to plink with, I make 1 load to run on all my guns. I haven't seen anything too extreme that would need me to tailor to each one (with 9mm anyways). My rifle rounds I make to each rifle and label loads accordingly.
 
Just started reloading a few months ago but noticed right off that if you ask in any forum what the best powder is to use on any caliber you will get 12 pages of different formulas.

I settled for HP-38 for 45acp and Sport Pistol for 9mm and 40. but will most likely be switching to Alliant Sport Pistol for everything since Alliant powders are all made in the U.S and Hogdon powders are made where ever. HP-38 actually comes from Australia.
Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide
 
Last edited:
i tend to tailor loads for my revolvers and .45 acp semi autos just because it's fun. but i also load in bulk for each caliber with one load that seem to work "good enough" to plink with. 9mm i load one loading with a 124 gr. jacketed round nose in bulk for range play or usually buy bulk factory ammo when i catch a sale. 9mm carry i'm using right now hornady critical defense.
 
Last edited:
I use one load for each pistol caliber. I don’t load any rifle calibers but I suspect each rifle would have its own load if you were trying for extreme accuracy.
 
What are you paying per round to make it? I looked into reloading 9mm for general, all-around-shooting. But at a cost to make it of about 15 cents a round (plus the time to make it) I think I'm better served to buy it for $190 a case delivered.

Dave
 
I worked you the hottest load that got the highest and most consistent velocities in the Uzi with a 16"barrel and use that for everything for a 115g 9mm projo. Unless you are shooting competition I don't see any reason to work uo different loads per gun (for 9mm anyway). If you have a gun that is that finicky...
 
...noticed right off that if you ask in any forum what the best powder is to use on any caliber you will get 12 pages of different formulas.
There's the answer right there. People are smart, and if 1 load, or 1 general type of load stood out, most would be using it. With handguns long range ballistics doesn't matter and minute-of-angle accuracy is meaningless when you are standing up on your hind legs shooting unsupported.

About all that matters is the gun cycle reliably. Some guns might not like a certain shape bullet or be reliable with a weak plinking load.
I do read some chatter about ease of cleaning. Some powders leave more residue than others. Then there's jacketed vs. plated vs. coated vs. bare lead.
 
What are you paying per round to make it? I looked into reloading 9mm for general, all-around-shooting. But at a cost to make it of about 15 cents a round (plus the time to make it) I think I'm better served to buy it for $190 a case delivered.

Dave
The last time I checked it cost me 12 cents to reload my 124gr copper coated 9mm ammo. While $190/case is a decent price, I bet it’s for 115gr which I don’t care for and it’s not always available. The time to reload (500 rounds/hour) is something I enjoy doing as part of my hobby so I don’t mind.

And, if it’s not worth it to you to save 5+ cents per round you are not shooting enough to reload...
:)
 
Mostly mixing and matching. Depends on what's on hand for components. Often times I find I have " THE load" until I stumble over a better one.
 
What are you paying per round to make it? I looked into reloading 9mm for general, all-around-shooting. But at a cost to make it of about 15 cents a round (plus the time to make it) I think I'm better served to buy it for $190 a case delivered.

Dave

About 11-12 cents for me using 150 gr Blue Bullets, N320 powder, CCI primers. Got to buy in bulk. 3,000+ bullets at a time, jugs of powder etc.

Bump it up to ~15 cents if I’m using once fired same headstamp brass - which is what I’ve been doing recently.

This is what I use for IDPA/USPSA shooting which is where reloading becomes very useful. If you’re just going to the range to plink every other weekend, there’s not a huge savings with 9mm.

But I, like many other reloaders, enjoy it as a hobby.
 
The last time I checked it cost me 12 cents to reload my 124gr copper coated 9mm ammo. While $190/case is a decent price, I bet it’s for 115gr which I don’t care for and it’s not always available. The time to reload (500 rounds/hour) is something I enjoy doing as part of my hobby so I don’t mind.

And, if it’s not worth it to you to save 5+ cents per round you are not shooting enough to reload...
:)

To each his own, and maybe I need to shop around more, but for me 3,000 115 grain heads in bulk are 10.5 cents each, powder is about 1.5 cents a load, primers are 3 cents each. That's 15 cents a round and doesn't include the cost of brass, shipping, a press (granted I already have one), dies , or my time.

Right now I'm seeing 115 and some 124 grain ammo delivered for $190/1000. Right now its pretty tough justifying making it.

Dave
 
To each his own, and maybe I need to shop around more, but for me 3,000 115 grain heads in bulk are 10.5 cents each, powder is about 1.5 cents a load, primers are 3 cents each. That's 15 cents a round and doesn't include the cost of brass, shipping, a press (granted I already have one), dies , or my time.

Right now I'm seeing 115 and some 124 grain ammo delivered for $190/1000. Right now its pretty tough justifying making it.

Dave
Yeah you need to shop around more. Can definitely beat 10.5 cents on 115's. You can even beat that pricing by getting 124 gr JHPs.

I used to consider brass free but lately I have 0 interest in picking up dirty unknown brass after a IDPA/USPSA match so I just buy it. Can get brass pretty cheap. I pay 3-3.5 cents per case for once fired Federal brass (2.5 cents if you just want mixed headstamp brass). I only pick up 9mm brass when I'm practicing/plinking at my local range.

I'd say if you don't do any action shooting and you don't view reloading as a hobby, then it doesn't make sense to reload when cases can be had for $190/1,000 shipped.
 
Back when I was loading I had a few different ones but 99% of the time I stuck to 4.2 grs Titegroup / 1.155 OAL / 124 gr FMJ-enc . Produced what I would call a "factory ish + " load that worked in every gun I had and was pretty damned accurate, and kept up/slightly exceeded factory loads in terms of juice.

Not a fan of powder puff/barely hitting PF loads. Blech. That said, if I had kept my gear I would have likely created some 147 gr fluff loads to train newbs on, to avoid having to use the nuisance that is .22 rimfire.

-Mike
 
I'd say if you don't do any action shooting and you don't view reloading as a hobby, then it doesn't make sense to reload when cases can be had for $190/1,000 shipped.

I never viewed it as a hobby, it was a means to an end.... the end being, shooting more for the same amount of $. Basically if you reload, you "make 2000 rounds of ammo, and you get 1000 rounds of ammo for free" is how it typically worked out, without too much flinting. The other stuff you get from reloading, to me, was just icing on the
cake, really.

I also did it out of necessity during the first Obamascare- it was WAY easier to get reloading materials in 2008 than it was to get bulk loaded ammunition at that
point. Reloading enabled me to shoot when everyone else was running around overpaying for stuff.

My guideline has always been "you use more than a couple thousand rounds a year of X" then its worth reloading it.

-Mike
 
To each his own, and maybe I need to shop around more, but for me 3,000 115 grain heads in bulk are 10.5 cents each, powder is about 1.5 cents a load, primers are 3 cents each. That's 15 cents a round and doesn't include the cost of brass, shipping, a press (granted I already have one), dies , or my time.

Right now I'm seeing 115 and some 124 grain ammo delivered for $190/1000. Right now its pretty tough justifying making it.

Dave

You're overpaying for materials, somehow. The exchange for common stuff has never been worse than "make 2000 rounds, get 1000 rounds free". Its often better than that even, particularly when you get into the stuff thats traditionally more overpriced.

Once you have the brass unless you discard/abandon a ton of it, not a lot of it is lost to attrition. You'll add a bag of 1000 here or there but not really a big
deal. Sometimes you'll luck out and get it for free.

Time is an issue but honestly if you have halfway decent gear you can split up the tasks to make it suit your available time, etc. I used to do brass processing on the other side of the basement same time I was doing laundry etc. Then after I cleaned a shitload of brass I'd get a cigar and a couple bottles of beer and burn up a friday night sorting it. I had enough brass that I could do all the processing up front and be good for an entire year. Ideally, most shooters work up proven loads and load in the winter when they're not shooting nearly as much. By the time the spring comes your shit is all done and ready to go for the year and you may not even have to touch that press much until it gets cold again.

The only reason I don't do it now is because sadly, I shoot so little compared to what I used to I haven't bothered getting another press. Probably end up changing that
this summer though- trying to take a vacation from my 2nd job so I'm not working 50-60 hrs a week.

One thing I do miss about it though, too... with commercial there is always that "meh" factor. Dirty, too. The reloads I made were effectively better than commercial (cleaner) as well as having more punt than about 70% of the commercial stuff out there.


-Mike
 
I never viewed it as a hobby, it was a means to an end.... the end being, shooting more for the same amount of $. Basically if you reload, you "make 2000 rounds of ammo, and you get 1000 rounds of ammo for free" is how it typically worked out, without too much flinting. The other stuff you get from reloading, to me, was just icing on the
cake, really.

I also did it out of necessity during the first Obamascare- it was WAY easier to get reloading materials in 2008 than it was to get bulk loaded ammunition at that
point. Reloading enabled me to shoot when everyone else was running around overpaying for stuff.

My guideline has always been "you use more than a couple thousand rounds a year of X" then its worth reloading it.

-Mike

Well said! Not sure how I overlooked the ability to make your own ammo when there's a panic and shelves and online vendors are out of stock. That's a HUGE bonus.

And yes it allows you to shoot more for the same amount of $. I shoot somewhere between 10-12,000 rounds of 9mm per year I would estimate (which isn't really that much compared to a few other members here who shoot competitively). My reloads run about 15 cents per round using N320 powder (~$30 per pound so not the cheapest powder to use), and buying once fired same headstamp brass. Using a cheaper powder like Titegroup would drop it down to about 14 cents - meaningless IMO. Not buying brass, would drop it down to 10-11 cents...

Reloads:
Assume 12,000 rounds @ 15 cents per round = $1,800 per year on 9mm.

Factory ammo:
12,000 rounds @ 19 cents per round = $2,280. Difference of $480. That's 2.5 cases of 9mm (assuming $190/case).
 
Thanks folks. It certainly looks like it's one load for all your 9's but if I was loading for rifle I think I would cater to the firearm but handgun accuracy is less demanding than rifle. I do know some bullseye shooters who tweak their loads for the particular .45 they are shooting. It sure makes life easier to just sit down at the Dillon and crank out rounds. I don't know how much I'm paying per round for 9mm but I always have primers, brass and bullets and loading your own is a blast and not many things are as comforting as a shelve full of loaded ammo. TY
 
Well said! Not sure how I overlooked the ability to make your own ammo when there's a panic and shelves and online vendors are out of stock. That's a HUGE bonus.

And yes it allows you to shoot more for the same amount of $. I shoot somewhere between 10-12,000 rounds of 9mm per year I would estimate (which isn't really that much compared to a few other members here who shoot competitively).

Reloads:
Assume 12,000 rounds @ 15 cents per round = $1,800 per year on 9mm.

Factory ammo:
12,000 rounds @ 19 cents per round = $2,280. Difference of $480. That's 2.5 cases of 9mm (assuming $190/case).

Yeah, of course it depends on the math and the point of comparison. I never compared my stuff against the absolute cheapest 9mm in the
marketplace, because it obviously was far better quality. You put them on equal footing and the numbers look better.

The other thing is too- when a panic "dumps" on the market- say you suddenly find yourself with $1000 to blow ASAP on ammo.... then
guess what- $1000 gets you a lot more value in materials than it does in loaded ammunition.

-Mike
 
Yeah, of course it depends on the math and the point of comparison. I never compared my stuff against the absolute cheapest 9mm in the
marketplace, because it obviously was far better quality. You put them on equal footing and the numbers look better.

Another good point. My reloads are noticeably more accurate/cleaner than the cheap factory ammo. So comparing reloads to a more premium factory load might make more sense.
 
I use the same load in all guns of the same caliber, whether rifle, handgun or sub gun. I don't think it would be possible to find the most accurate load for every gun I own in my lifetime and I'd rather shoot than load.
 
Back
Top Bottom