[Evi|grin]

The local WM has Federal Champion 9mm 115FMJ @ $9.47per 50 almost always available. Ive researched it quite a bit and it appears that CCI and Federal are owned by the same parent company. WM used to carry the CCI Blazer BRASS for about the same price. I checked Cabelas and they were loaded with ammo tonite but the cheapest 9mm is S&B @ $12.99per 50. I really like this S&B ammo BTW. It appears very peppy, clean and consistent. Its the brass cases not plated. Many Czech firearm companies even use S&B to test their guns.

Im now sitting on well over 1k rounds. Sorry if its hoarding but i wanted a good supply of brass for later. Most is FMJ plinking ammo. 100 rounds are "custom" loaded JHP ammo. I get it from a local reloader with a LLC (licensed) for $15per 50 using Mountain Gold JHP bullets. All of it is new Winchester brass.

Now part of reloading is the fun of learning and tailoring a load for your enjoyment. You get a sense of accomplishment and a better understanding of shooting as a sport... Know your gun... know your ammo... know your limitations...hone your skills..ect ect ect. I really enjoy this part of shooting with my single shot rifles and muzzle loaders.

My 995TS is more of a plinker "to me" but im fairly impressed at how usefull it can be with the correct ammo. A board member has given me a load ive researched thru other reloading data and it looks like it might be a very nice clean target load.

I really want to try Accurate Arms #7. It is fairly close to his recommended powder in burn rate but dirtier. #7 was allegedly originally designed as a 9mm carbine powder that would also work fine in pistols. I now have a good supply of brass and AA has carbine load data for 9mm and the data for #7 looks quite impressive from 90-130gr. I really want to try out a 130gr hard cast at moderate velocity and tuned for accuracy. Ive heard the 995 doesnt shoot as well with cast but im from Missouri so....

Its about the only way i can justify reloading the 9mm (cost effectively). I can save some money and get a load no one offers, even in a 130FMJ. Casual FMJ plinking ammo wont be that much cheaper including my time to reload. I already have a simple single stage press and scale ect but my other guns dont gobble down ammo like the 995 does. Its just so much fun to blast away. I usually target shoot or hunt with single shot or bolt action rifles using a fairly tailored load for each gun. My semi auto rifles prefer cheap steel case import or MILSPEC except one custom that only gets the best.

+P factory ammo is insanely priced so yes it is VERY cost effective but not a good idea for home defense (legally). I can get near +P quality new ammo from the licensed loader i mentioned and im sure it would be highly effective with less hassles. He even loads Barnes bullets for much less than the name brands. They are my personal favorite SHTF and hunting bullets.

Looks like im going to need to start buying in 1000+ bulk components and get a progressive press if this 995TS addiction continues or be happy with paying about $20 per 100. :laugh:

[robertgreen_86]

Thats a pretty good break down of it. The only issue i have and it really is more of a personal thing is that you mentioned your time. I never consider my time when reloading. I find it a hobby and i don't know to many folks that wont go fishing or hunting or to the range because they aren't getting paid for it. Like i said this is strictly just my feelings on the issue. I would suggest you give it a shot. Worse case you can sell the press and what not likely on here for pretty darn close to what you paid for it. So it would only be a minimal loss in case you find you dont really like it. Or keep it stored away as i figure you can never have enough ammo. (those damn zombies are comin) Also keep in mind the price raises that seem to happen with the cost of ammo. When i was a kid i remember going to the hardware store with my grand dad and gettin 2 boxes of 45acp for $10.00 Man i miss those days...........

[Silicon Wolverine]

i miss 80$/1000 rds of 7.62x39mm

SW

[Evi|grin]

i miss 80$/1000 rds of 7.62x39mm

SW

Me too. You used to even get higher quality Israeli 7.62x39 HP ammo for only about $119 per 1000 and chicom was as low as $90 for over 1000 in sealed tins. Im still sitting on a few cases of 7.62x51 for my CETME i bought for $169 a 1000 many years ago (still sealed in tins). Its too hard on good brass and loves cheap steel case. I never had a 9mm "plinker" back then so i dont remember any 9mm surplus pricing. I do remember 9mm commercial HP ammo at well under $10 a box for hollow points.

I do enjoy reloading on a smaller scale but mass production feels more like work unless you can make something unique to your needs/wants and saves money. No one offers 130gr 9mm that i can find as an example and it seems like a neat round to try in the carbine. If i can get hardcast 130s to shoot well then it will "perk" my interests. Locally i cant even find any 124gr FMJ. Its all 115gr or very expensive "defense" ammo.

Im staying away from +P reloading until im very comfortable with the 9mm reloading procedures and powder specs. I like to find 1 powder and stick with it when possible. I use mostly IMR3031 in my 308 based rifle ammo just because it fits me needs for a few calibers/weights. Its not the best but works for me and reliable safe data is plentiful. In 9mm ive narrowed my choices (in a carbine) to Bluedot and #7 for the same reason. I dont currently have a 9mm pistol so that isnt important to me but i do have a 357mag and reloading for it saves me a fortune at todays prices.

[Silicon Wolverine]

alot of it depends on how much you shoot. i load 12 ga ammo buy the 1000 round lot because i shoot a ****load of it. i load rifle rounds in smaller batches, usually 100 or 200 rounds because i only shoot most of them in matches of 40 or 50 rounds per match. pistol rounds are loaded on a roating lot basis. there is constantly some pistol rounds in process of being loaded because i shoot more of them than anything else.

SW

[Evi|grin]

One of the tricks i use in my single shots and rarely in bolt actions is i dont full length resize. My 30-30 contender shot FAR better using this method. The factory new brass expands to fit the chamber of that rifle and is only used in that rifle/pistol. Bullets are seated so the distance to the rifling is a bit closer too. Never had a problem and it would shoot 1MOA from a 14" barrel or the carbine barrels. With the increased case volume, pressures should be less also and i could reload the same brass many times.

Im NOT suggesting this in a rimless 9mm I have tried it with some success in one of my 308 bolt actions. They cycle a bit tight but shoot very well but i do keep OAL for the 308 within specs and most are close to starting load data. That ammo only gets used in that rifle also.

Some brass was even made this way such as the 22 K hornet. Shoot a 22 Hornet in a K chamber and you have created your own K brass. A few of the old wildcats for the Contenders were made this way too.

The 9mm is a totally different animal and being an auto loader im lucky to get back 90% of the brass in good condition. Sometimes im plinking in a grassy area so finding the brass is a PITA and Wolf steel case at Cabelas is more expensive than Federal Champion at WM. If i could get Wolf steel case in bulk at a big savings i would just reload 9mm for special loads and enjoyment.

The next 2 big gun shows with good pricing are 2-3 weeks away and i have enough loaded ammo for now. Im just going to sit back and do my homework first. Check bulk pricing at the next shows. A local reloading supplier is very reasonable on components so i got that covered. Im not sure im comfortable with using steel case Wolf or Silver Bear 9mm yet even if its cheap enough. Head spacing steel on steel just doesnt feel right to me.

[Silicon Wolverine]

neck sizing is the way to go for better accuracy in a bolt action or single shot rifle( as long as the brass is only used on that particular rifle), and it makes brass last longer to boot. there is no way to "neck size" pistol brass. you have to full size it everytime.

SW

[Sakdog]

In reference to the OP Don't forget that the most Cost effective method would be not to shoot at all. I know it sounds silly but you tend to shoot probably because you enjoy it or its fun/educational something like that. So the decision to pick up reloading a Caliber would be better related to whether or not you enjoy reloading or whether its a chore keeping you from doing other things. If you do enjoy reloading go for it because as time goes on you will be able to tailor your loads and save $ because ammo is always on the rise. It can be as cost effective as you want it to be. keep an eye out for the inexpensive components and snag em while they are on sale etc. After a while the cost effectiveness question will go away and you will wonder why you bothered paying someone else for ammo that you could just make yourself.

[Evi|grin]

Well i enjoy fishing but i dont enjoy having a worm farm or making my own lures/flies.

I do enjoy working up a load for most of my other rifles except the CETME since it is hard on the brass and cheap steel case works great.

The 995 is kinda in the same boat as the CETME but its more enjoyable to shoot in volume and doesnt destroy the brass. I really do want to try working up a moderate 130gr load (preferably cast) and a higher velocity 90-100gr FMJ or JHP round for enjoyment. Its the typical plinking ammo that is more of a PITA using a single stage press and 500 round shooting sessions. The licensed guy i mentioned will make me great deals on ammo in trade for brass and PC/IT related work when i need quantity. I can barely beat his pricing for bulk and use my spare time on my other hobbies and make money at the same time. Im still stocking up on components when its a good deal...thats a gimme.

Im just a bit old school too. Ive only owned a single stage press and weigh/inspect every round. Its a habit from owning a TC Contender pistol in rifle calibers. I have reloading manuals back to Speer #11 in my small collection. Im sure in time i will end up loading almost all of my 9mm too and get the equipment to load in volume. Its an addiction with a reward and it looks like 1 or 2 powders will do just fine.

Whats the typical number of times you comfortably reload 9mm? Ive heard once it needs trimming you are better off getting fresh brass/ammo. Im sure opinions vary greatly about this depending on brass and load.

[Sakdog]

Ha! having a Worm farm that would be great.. Actually that might be profitable.. those wal marts get those worms somewhere..

I know what you mean about the single stage weighing and inspecting every round. One thing that might help with that volume gap you are talking about would be to buy a little LEE 4 hole turret press. I've only been loading a couple of years but the Lee auto disk pro or whatever its called disk powder measure with that turret press is the furthest I've come to being able to "trust" a powder dispensing mech. My progression went as follows: It was the Lee perfect powder measure and the safety beam scale.
Then it was a Lyman DPS3 Electronic powder dispensing unit.
and now its the Lee auto disk pro with the scale on the DPS3

The first one was just too slow, I love the accuracy of the beam scale and It still has its place on my bench but what a drag. The DPS3 was an expensive little machine but it weighs and dispenses EVERY charge which is kind of neat... Its not the type of thing that you can use on your reloading bench while you are working the press as that little vibration does not work well with this machine. Now I do trust quite well my lee auto disk measure with the variable charge bar.. That thing is dead nuts right on pretty much plus or minus .1gn (same accuracy you can expect from the DPS3) Once I get whatever weight I'm looking for on that thing ill run it about 20 rounds just checking every one making sure its where I want it to be but after that its all good. If I fire up and make 9mm or .40 S&W you get in a rhythm and check maybe every 10th round and you can crank out some ammo fast.

I don't think I'll ever go with a full progressive press. This lee turret press seems to be a great balance for me between wanting to check everything and keep a good tight grip on control and speed of actually achieving some volume. But if you are up to the task there are those progressives out there that you could snag and set up to crank out plinking ammo in the blink of an eye.

I kind of wonder about the life of brass. Basically my plinking ammo is loaded at a starting load but some of the brass in my 9mm plinking ammo has been with me since the beginning. I would have to say its been loaded somewhere between 15-20 times (Some of the older stuff anyhow.) I really police my brass because there is an ridiculous step I have to take with my plinking ammo. I have to drill my flash holes to .115" in order for these russian heavy metal free primers I use to function. I really don't like having to drill more brass so.. most this brass has been with me a great while and I don't think I have had but 1 or 2 cracked case mouths.

It'll all come natural and if you do enjoy reloading whatever it is that you reload now I would bet fair money you will enjoy reloading for your 995 and the ammo you get from that manufacturer will just be an excuse to shoot more!