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The Range
Firearms Chat
Cheapest centerfire pistol cartridge?
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<blockquote data-quote="Glocktogo" data-source="post: 3013010" data-attributes="member: 1132"><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>Buying in large bulk from wholesalers in the past has allowed me to reload 115gr 9mm <u>FMJ</u> 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.</p><p></p><p>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. <img src="/images/smilies/smile.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Glocktogo, post: 3013010, member: 1132"] 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 [U]FMJ[/U] 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. :) [/QUOTE]
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