Posted: 1/24/2009 8:41:49 AM EDT
|
Is 33-40 cents per bullet about average for .45 ACP? I am hoping to find some better deals when Bill Goodman's comes into town. Any reservatons about shooting reloads or remanufactured ammo?
-Links |
|
Generally, Winchester White Box (WWB) sold at Walmart at about $30.00/hundred is considered the best price available for factory ammo. There are cheaper alternatives by a few $$ but can be hard to find.
You can reload your own for about half of that, buying components in reasonable quantities. Buying someone else's reloads is a crapshoot in terms of quality and if you get a bad one, it could be physically painfull and disabling. Of course, you could load a bad one yourself, but then you'd have no one to blame but yourself. Remanufactured ammo by reputable shops is another issue, and probably just fine depending on the shop. |
| Thats ashame if you can't spare a few hours here or there, its a fun hobby and if you shoot rifles you can really gain some accuracy out of your rifle with hand loads. I have a "Rec" room/gun room, and I just loaded up 75 rounds while watching TV. Its a labor of love, plus saving a buck or more a mag also makes it that much easier to enjoy. |
| I buy re-loads at my local range to use for practice; $115/500 rounds, or .23/round. I've probably gone through about 2000-2500 rounds of it now, and have only had 3 problems, from bullets that weren't seated properly. They were actually all in one box. One of them jammed my pistol up badly enough that I had to give the muzzle a thump on the bench to loosen it up, and that pulled the bullet out of the case and spilled powder into the link area. So, I'm wary of using it for defense, but it's ok for the range. |
|
Rainier or Barry Ballistics are quality, affordable bullets. Rainier from MidwayUSA or Barry from Graf & Sons. I buy them 2000 at a time to get the price break. TiteGroup powder made by Hodgdon, the 4lb jugs and Winchester Primers by the thousand. The powder and primers I buy at the local gunshop so there is no hazmat fee. I live 6 miles from Midway so there is no shipping. Graf & Sons ships without charge but give a break on in store pick-up. Brass...that's free since there is plenty of once fired brass laying around at local outdoor range. Loaded round costs .12 cents.
Do I save money verses buying factory ammo...No, but I sure get to shoot a heck of a lot more ! What do I use for a press ? Single stage turret. Lee in fact, cause it's cheap but accurate. Progressives are fast. Dillon is Cadillac. But I like a single stage for quality control. Used the money saved on press to by an RCBS trim mate, a Hornady case length trimmer, and tumbler for polishing 45 brass. |
|
Quoted:
Rainier or Barry Ballistics are quality, affordable bullets. Rainier from MidwayUSA or Barry from Graf & Sons. FYI, Berrys are ever so slighty cheaper if you order direct, in smaller (1k-2k) quantities. Right now, ordering direct is $113/1k of 200gr RS (what I am currently loading), while Grafs is $119/1k - but Grafs $227/2k,so its only $.50 more if you buy 2k, but that's still technically more. 
If you buy $500 worth at Grafs, though, the added discount will definitely come out $30+ cheaper than Berry's direct - but you'd have to order 5k, if we're just talking an order of .45 bullets. |
|
Quoted: I melt free wheel weights and turn them into bullets. All I pay for is powder, primer, and the little bit of lube I use for each bullet. I'm looking to go that way myself. That's why I am saving all of my brass now. I figure that in a couple of months I will have a bunch of brass saved up and then I can really start cranking when I buy a press. I already have a couple thousand spent casings ready to reload. I can't wait to start sending those rounds downrange... Again. MAX |