What is it? I assume its 9mm...and I'm talking comparing apples to apples here, not Winchester to Tula or something like that.
What are cheapest 5?
9mm
40
380
45
38
???
What are cheapest 5?
9mm
40
380
45
38
???
Gotta be 9mm.
.38 isn't too far off though.
.38 isn't too far off though.
9mm
If you reload with jacketed bullets it's hard to justify the time reloading 9mm. That is unless you are loading a premium JHP for defense loads, then it's pretty easy to add up the savings. But for range plinking ammo? You have to go lead, coated or plated to make it worthwhile AND load in quantity. Then you can still save some money. Brass cost is minimal, I buy it at $20 per 1K in 5K batches. Primer cost is 50% more than that or even more depending on brand.
O/P you answer is 9mm and it's not even a race.
.38 spl and 9mm can be loaded DIRT cheap if you're willing / able to run lead bullets.
If I cast my own bullets, I can load .38 for nearly .22lr cost. But that's a lot of time.
If I cast my own bullets, I can load .38 for nearly .22lr cost. But that's a lot of time.
In factory ammo a lot of the cost is dependent on lot size and length of production runs. That's why factory 9mm is so cheap, because they produce more of it than any other centerfire pistol cartridge. Factories don't run say .380 ACP continuously due to low demand. So they stop a production line for a cartridge that also has low demand and "retool" to make it for a while, then switch back over. They add that time and labor cost into the price to the point that in some cases, .380 might be as expensive as .40 S&W or even .45 ACP. At Academy, you'll pay $26.99 for 50 rounds of Rem UMC 71gr FMJ .32ACP, but only $18.99 for 95gr .380 FMJ and $14.99 for 147gr 9mm FMJ (Rem UMC 115gr 9mm FMJ is on sale for $10.99). Volume is entirely the reason for inverse pricing.
From a pure component standpoint, the cheapest centerfire cartridge to produce or reload (assuming a supply of range brass to load with), would be .25 ACP, followed by .32 ACP. However, even component bullets from manufacturers for those rounds may be as expensive as a mass produced 115gr .355 9mm bullet. You'd still have lower powder costs per 1K rounds due to lower case volume, but it might not offset the added bullet cost.
Buying in large bulk from wholesalers in the past has allowed me to reload 115gr 9mm FMJ for as cheap as $88 per 1K using range brass. Back when the local guy would sell 115gr LRN bullets for $50 per 1K, I could drop that to about $74 per 1K, but I hate cleaning lube out of my dies every few hundred rounds so I prefer loading plated or jacketed when it's only $10-15 more per thousand. I could even load 9mm 115gr JHP for $120-130 per 1K using Montana Gold or Zero JHP's.
Since I don't shoot nearly as much as I used to, some of my stock is as much as 10 years old, so I'm not sure what current prices would be. But even back in the mid '00's when you could get Blazer aluminum 9mm 115gr plated for $4.99 a box at Academy, I could still load it a bit cheaper with less recoil and more accuracy.
From a pure component standpoint, the cheapest centerfire cartridge to produce or reload (assuming a supply of range brass to load with), would be .25 ACP, followed by .32 ACP. However, even component bullets from manufacturers for those rounds may be as expensive as a mass produced 115gr .355 9mm bullet. You'd still have lower powder costs per 1K rounds due to lower case volume, but it might not offset the added bullet cost.
Buying in large bulk from wholesalers in the past has allowed me to reload 115gr 9mm FMJ for as cheap as $88 per 1K using range brass. Back when the local guy would sell 115gr LRN bullets for $50 per 1K, I could drop that to about $74 per 1K, but I hate cleaning lube out of my dies every few hundred rounds so I prefer loading plated or jacketed when it's only $10-15 more per thousand. I could even load 9mm 115gr JHP for $120-130 per 1K using Montana Gold or Zero JHP's.
Since I don't shoot nearly as much as I used to, some of my stock is as much as 10 years old, so I'm not sure what current prices would be. But even back in the mid '00's when you could get Blazer aluminum 9mm 115gr plated for $4.99 a box at Academy, I could still load it a bit cheaper with less recoil and more accuracy.
Yep. All pistol reloading is for plinking and I use lead bullets. I cast most of my own lead bullets from cheap or free sources of lead. I've been known to pickup spent bullets that have flattened on steal plates and re-melt with some wheel weights added, and cast into new lead bullets. It does not get much cheaper than free brass and free lead when you discount the time involved. Primers are $0.03 and powder is around $0.01 - $0.02 (if math is correct). $5.00 for 100 rounds of 9mm is about as cheap as it gets.
But think about how far that powder and lead would stretch if you plinked with .25ACP!
Hmm. That's a thought but I prefer a full size pistol for plinking. I don't think I've seen or heard of a full size 25 ACP. Off to Google.But think about how far that powder and lead would stretch if you plinked with .25ACP!
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