Boy are we getting screwed

[ACard]

@whatsupdoc Lets not forget that you have to amortize the cost of the brass by how many times you reload it... if you were to get say 10 reloads per piece of brass that significantly changes your equation.

 

[karrarararararar]

@whatsupdoc Lets not forget that you have to amortize the cost of the brass by how many times you reload it... if you were to get say 10 reloads per piece of brass that significantly changes your equation.

OP could have also bought Starline for $161.50 per 1k. Helps to shop around and use the multiple resources available to get the best prices.

 

[Jdne5b]

You're getting ripped off. If you want new brass Starline is probably your best bet, and it's not $240

Or buy fired brass. It's dirt cheap if you process it yourself or $50-60/k fully processed

 

[Ledd Slinger]

It all started with wanting to load 9mm, had bullets, primers, powder but no empty cases.
So I figured I would just get some new 9mm brass.

That's when the title of this thread became evident. It costs almost as much to buy ONLY 9mm brass than it does for loaded ammo.

Instead of buying the brass I bought 1000 rounds of 9mm for $275.00 including tax and shipping. The price for 1000 pcs of unprimed brass is $240.00 shipped and I would have to add $100.00 for primers $100.00 for bullets and say $30.00 for powder PLUS my time. SCREW THAT.

I may have to take up gardening.

Yeah that’s why I don’t load for 9mm. Have all the components if needed but costs don’t justify it for me yet. Some of the factory ammo I use in 9mm shoots extremely good as well which makes loading for it even less appealing

With some of the other larger cartridges like 10mm and 44 Mag, the savings with hand loading do make a little more sense.

 

[J.d. Popkes]

In the 50+ years of reloading I have never bought brand new brass. It kind of kills the whole idea of saving money by reloading.

That’s cool if you’re shootin common chamberings and you hate good brass.

 

[JSH]

In the 50+ years of reloading I have never bought brand new brass. It kind of kills the whole idea of saving money by reloading.

And, I thought I was tight.
I have used thousands of LC brass in the past. Never had a complaint with using it.
I won’t pick up much range brass anymore. There is a lot of junk out there and if it’s on the ground, may well be a good reason. I shoot little AR anymore. I had put a bunch of empty brass in the trash and a fellow dug it out. I told him it was “done”, I was informed it doesn’t wear out………
I have a fair bit of range brass with crimped primers, not sure if I will ever get around to them.

I have sharpened my pencil and I think there may be some “different” math used by several of us.

 

[drop_point]

I buy range pick-up 9mm brass from the local scrapper for about $1.40/lb. He also sorts it for you for that price. He barely charges over yellow brass scrap price and says he'd rather sell to a reloader than the scrap yard, plus it saves him gas. He will do .223 Rem the same way. I buy both by five gallon buckets. Currently sitting on a ton. For larger rifle brass, he does charge a bit more.

He also picks up 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester for me and sells them for a dime a piece, sorted by head stamp. I buy the stamps I can use. Somebody else will buy the ones I don't he says.

 

[fkimble@charter.net]

With todays primer prices reloading 9mm with good jacketed bullets like Precision Delta, you just barely beat factory prices assuming free pickup brass. Throw in Sierra bullets and it becomes more costly than fmj factory. Just before Covid and "Brandon" 9mm and 223 factory plinker ammo was a bargain.

Frank

 

[drop_point]

I mostly use ACME bullets for my 9mm. Last time I bought it in bulk it was 7 cents ea. with a coupon.

 

[KMart]

I mostly use ACME bullets for my 9mm. Last time I bought it in bulk it was 7 cents ea. with a coupon.

Do you ever run into the Roadrunner when shopping there?

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I mostly use ACME bullets for my 9mm. Last time I bought it in bulk it was 7 cents ea. with a coupon.

I have been us their green coated 125 grainer’s, and the lipstick red ones for 38 special.

 

[AzMandella]

This is what I buy for my 9mm and 45acp brass .

https://www.diamondkbrass.com/9MM-Luger-R-P-Certified-Once-Fired-Brass-1000.html

https://www.diamondkbrass.com/.45-ACP.html

 

[Kracken McGraw]

This is what I buy for my 9mm and 45acp brass .

https://www.diamondkbrass.com/9MM-Luger-R-P-Certified-Once-Fired-Brass-1000.html

https://www.diamondkbrass.com/.45-ACP.html

Do you have to tumble before loading?

 

[AzMandella]

Do you have to tumble before loading?

yes . Although they are pretty clean to start with .

 

[DGP4]

I've been able to buy primed brass from several sources for a little over 12 cents a case delivered. I had picked up 1000s of once fired nickel cases at the range because the police practice there the night before I usually shoot, but at the price of the primed cases it doesn't pat to prime them for reloading at the moment.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/11910#reviews-heading
Graf’s has this as a Christmas deal and may be gone soon. It has some recent favorable reviews.

 

[urbanrifleman]

"It's those guys on GunBroker."

Like Wmds in Iraq. Babies in incubators getting thrown on the floor. Gulf of Tonkin.

People never seen to revisit those first stories and say "heyyyyy, that weren't it."

 

[whatsupdoc]

This is what I buy for my 9mm and 45acp brass .

https://www.diamondkbrass.com/9MM-Luger-R-P-Certified-Once-Fired-Brass-1000.html

https://www.diamondkbrass.com/.45-ACP.html

Even at that price with tax and shipping you are looking at $120 plus primers bullets
and powder its still cheaper to buy loaded ammo. And you have to processes it.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

Go to any commercial range. They have more brass than you can shake a stick at. They collect it and sell for scrap. I feel confident they would sell you some. Of course you would have to sort it. Every time I have visited my local range. there are always folks there who pick up there brass and dump it in a bucket. Once it hits the bucket it belongs to the rang. Ask the shooter if you can have it.

I reload because I like to. I could never recover the investment I have in equipment and material. Hell, I just bought a V4 autotrickler. Didn't need it but really wanted one.

I have built a few so called Ghost guns, both rifles and pistols. It generally cost as much or more to do that as I could buy a new gun. I did it for my own amusement and satisfaction of owning something I built myself.

If money is your driving force, don't reload.

 

[Jdne5b]

Even at that price with tax and shipping you are looking at $120 plus primers bullets
and powder its still cheaper to buy loaded ammo. And you have to processes it.

Yep. Way overpriced for unprocessed, even for single headstamp