Landric

Primers are running around $30-$35/1000 right now, when you can find them. The good news is that they are getting more available, and the price is down from $50/1000. Before the madness started they were running between $20 and $25/1000 around here, slightly cheaper online.

Brass, if you are going to buy, check the various web sites for once fired/used. Buying new brass really isn't necessary, and even "cheap" new brass will be 2-3 times more expensive than once fired, especially for 9mm.

Powder tends to be between $17 and $25 a pound, cheaper in multiple pound containers. However, when just starting out, don't buy a huge supply of any one powder. Get a couple of one pound cans of different kinds for which you have data. Then try it out and see how it works for you in your guns. W231 and Titegroup are economical because low charge weights mean more rounds per pound. Of course, you may find that your guns and/or equipment work better with a different powder, so you will have to do some experimentation to find out.

9mm Missouri Bullets are around $26/500 plus shipping. Shipping on up to 2000 is the same, so I would suggest buying at least 1000 to start out to save on shipping costs. However, $36/500 shipped, is still cheaper than pretty much anything going out there anyway.

The press kit is $90, all the other stuff will probably be $100-$150, if you are frugal you can get all the equipment you need for less than $200, and expect to spend about another $100-$110 (not counting brass, add $35 or so if you buy 1000 used 9mm cases) for enough components to load 1000 rounds.

After the initial outlay, prices start to go down, especially if you buy in bulk. 1000 rounds of 9mm won't take a full pound of most powders, so the cost of powder will start to drop as you keep loading.

Still, $100/1000 for 9mm is about half of what new ChiComMart 9mm costs, and your ammunition will likely be more consistent and taylored to your needs.

__________________
-Landric

"The Engine could still smile...it seemed to scare them" -Felix

bigo5552000

sweet can't wait to get started!

__________________
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."-Einstein

alnitak

Here's a reply I wrote on another thread that may be relevant to your question. I also started on 9mm.

"You are doing the right thing getting a good book and reading it. The Internet also has a wealth of information, including step-by-step guides and videos. This forum is great about answering questions once you have a feel for the basics and the flow.

I was trying to find a lengthy post I did, either here or on another forum about my experience getting into reloading, but I can't So, here are some abbreviated thoughts:

Figure out how much time you have , how many rounds you need regularly, what your capacity for tedium is, where you will be reloading, etc. before you jump into it. I could write a few paragraphs on this, but basically, there's a big difference in the time commitment and the type of set-up/equipment you need depending upon your life style and needs.

For example, I only need 200-300 rounds per month, generally just 2-3 calibers, don't have a dedicated space (like in the garage), like to watch sports on TV at night, not into it to loading match-grade or SD ammo...just plinking stuff, only have 15-60 minutes at a time, want to invest a minimal amount of money in the equipment (based on the amount I shoot and the payback period), etc. These sort of answers led me to get a Lee Hand Press rather than a turret, progressive or single-stage. I've been using it for 5-6 years now and still like it for a number of reasons:
-- it was inexpensive -- the press and all required tools (more later) was about $80
-- it's portable -- I can move it from room to room, or even take it camping; no dedicated loading bench needed; it packs away in the closet and I take it out when needed
-- it allows me to work in 15-20 minute stages; e.g., I can sit in front of the TV and deprime a couple hundred brass in 20 minutes or prime 100 cases in 15 minutes, or charge and seat 50 bullets in 15 minutes;
-- I can stop at any time; e.g., with a single stage press, when dropping powder one often uses loading blocks to charge 50-100 cases at a time, and then seat the bullets in the next stage. If you are called away, say by the kids, the cases have to sit there, exposed, with the risk of spillage (even without being called away, you can knock over cases), etc.; with a handloader, I charge and seat the bullet in one step. I can do 5 bullets or 50 and stop at any time.
-- as a newbie, I liked being in "feel" with each step. You can accomplish this with a single-stage press as well, but not a progressive press. If I make a mistake, I know it right then and can stop and correct before moving on. There are no double charged cases, or no non-charged cases. I'm not 15-20 rounds down the road before I realize that my powder dropper is dropping heavy charges and then I have to pull all those bullets.

There are probably other reasons in my original post, but these give you the idea.

In addition to the hand press, I also bought:
-- set of Lee dippers ($12-15)
-- Lee auto prime tool ($20)
-- dies for each caliber (Lee four die carbide sets with the Factory Crimp Die -- $25 each set)
-- powder (1 lb at $24), primers (1000 at $30) and bullets (500 LSWCs at $30)

That's it. Now, I also bought some other items that I would consider optional. I did not buy these at the very beginning, nor were they needed:
-- scale (start with a cheap balance beam; I now use a digital for convenience, but it's not really any faster) ($25)
-- case length sizing tool and drill chuck ($5); not really needed for 9mm
-- case deburrer tool ($6); only needed if trimming
-- primer pocket cleaner tool ($5); not really needed
-- bullet puller ($15)...seldom used
-- caliper to check OAL (I used to just compare visually against standard 9mm or .44, e.g. when using Berry's plated bullets, and never had a FTF; with LSWCs, there generally is a cannelure you seat the bullet to, so no guesswork on length); this is needed however, if you get more exotic in your bullet selection (e,g., very heavy, long-nosed bullets like I sometimes use in my .44 mag) and/or experiment (e.g., crimping at the second cannelure)

Regarding cleaning brass. I went down every path I could to save money and tried every home-made recipe from throwing in the washing maching in a pillow case, to using a little Flitz on a rag, to steel wool, to many different solutions with vinegar, dishwashing detergent, salt, etc. Tried them all, and they all worked to some degree or another. However, I found that the physics of solution-based cleaners actually could deterioate the brass cases over time, and the other methods were either too time consuming (e.g., steel wool) or just didn't get the cases as clean as I would like. Now, many people don't even bother to clean them beyond a wipe down, if that. But there's something appealing about a nice, shiny, reloaded round you did yourself. So, here's my advice....just buy the vibratory cleaner and media made for the job. The one mentioned above (Frankford Arsenal from Midway) was inexpensive ($55 on sale) and came with the sifting cage and media. Believe me, it was well worth every penny I spent for it. Not only did it save me a lot of time, but the cases come out great! Just get it (or a similar one) and forget all the home remedies. (BTW, I also went down the path of buying my own crushed walnut -- used for lizard cages -- and corn cob -- 25 lb bag from a feed store -- and adding my own cleaner, e.g., everything from Brasso, to Flitz to car wax, etc. Don't bother. Just buy the pretreated media from Midway and be done with it. A 7-lb bag with last you a couple of years and cost $15).

The last thing I will say is my process. Everyone has a slightly different one, but this works for me given my set-up:
1) Sort brass by caliber (otherwise the smaller ones get inside the larger cases and don't get cleaned; if you only shoot 9mm, this isn't required)
2) Clean a batch for a couple of hours (generally 100-150 cases at a time)
3) Sort brass by headstamp (may not be required) and inspect for defects; put in loading boxes
4) Deprime/size with handpress
5) [optional] trim case length and debur
6) [optional] clean primer pockets
7) [optional] clean brass cases again
8) Use expander die (prefer to do this without primer in case, but you can safely switch steps #7 and #8)
9) Prime cases by hand with the Autoprime tool (generall in batches of 50 or 100; it only takes a few minutes for each batch)
10) Using dippers and scale to verify as required (with some charges, the weight needs to be measured each time; I generally choose less than maximum charges and have learned to throw consistent charges with each dip, at least within 0.1 grains; I even bought a second set of dippers and shaved down a couple to match my favorite charges with certain powders), charge the case (with the dipper) and seat the bullet (with the handpress that is resting in my lap); I'll do a batch of 50 or 100 at a time.
11) use the Factory crimp die (literally takes five minutes for 75-100 cartridges)

That's it. A few easy steps I can do with my hand tools in front of the TV. Each step is anywhere from 5-20 minutes. And they don't have to be done all at once. For example, one night I may deprime 50-150 bullets, the next expand 50-100. A week later I might autoprime 50, and then load them a few days later. I always have several boxes of cases in various states, and go through them depending upon how I feel and the time I have. I find it easy to deprime, expand and use the autoprime, so I generally have a few boxes waiting to be loaded. For my plinking ammo, with a powder and dipper matched to the case/load, it's easy to do 50-75 bullets in the final stages (#7-#9) in 30 minutes. If I have to weigh each one, maybe half that.

Anyway. You don't have to make reloading complicated, expensive or time consuming. Work into it over time. get more sophisticated over time. And as your needs grow, move up to the turret or progressive press and crank out 200-300 rounds an hour. But, consider your needs, time, mental make-up, and demands of your life style before you commit to a reloading process. Most of all...have fun and enjoy it!"

bigo5552000

thanks for the advice!
im a little confused what is the difference in a hand press and a single stage?

__________________
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."-Einstein

Landric

The hand press a handheld device that works much like a single stage. Its slower, and lacks the leverage of a bench mounted press, but it does work. If you have the space to set up an actual bench, you are much better off with a mounted press IMO.

This is the hand press:

MidwayUSA - Lee Hand Press Kit

__________________
-Landric

"The Engine could still smile...it seemed to scare them" -Felix

Majorlk

The little Lee Hand Press is fine for loading a few extra rounds in the field. There's no way I would ever try to load any real quantity (50+ at one sitting) of ammo with one, though.

Your hands and wrists will be beat when you are finished with a single box.

__________________
An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. - Robert A. Heinlein

sgtD

I started out with the hand press, and it works good. I have relaoded quite a lot of ammo with it, but 50 rounds is about the limit for one sitting. Not becuase it takes a lot of strenght to do it or anything. I have never found myself physically tired from using it. I say 50 is the limit just becuase it's a bit slow and becomes tedious after about 50 rounds. It is plenty powerful though. I have full length resized everything from 9mm to 30-'06 rounds with it with no trouble at all. It's just slow. I still use it to resize brass while watching tv sometimes.

__________________
When you've got 'em by the balls, their hearts & minds will follow. Semper Fi.

usafvet

Someone else may have mentioned it and I just overlooked it, but you will need a powder scale. VERY important! Other than that, you have been given a lot of very good advice. Be sure and read the reloading manuals and pay very close attention to both the min and max loads recommended. They are listed as min and max for a reason. Happy reloading.

ckgdrums

When I started out, I did a lot of research.....a lot. I ended up getting the Lee 4 station Turret press w/auto index. I have NEVER regretted that decision. When starting out, I took out the index rod (takes 5 seconds), and just manually rotated the turret with each stage until I felt comfortable with what I was doing.
I hand primed my cases with the Lee Auto Prime, and I hand charged my cases with a digital scale and funnel. After I was comfortable with how my rounds were shooting, I invested in a Lee Auto Disk powder dispenser. Best money I've spent so far. Throws consistent (within .1 gr.) charges every time. Not hard to set up and very user friendly.

__________________
Be Safe,
Chuck

JerryM

When I was in the service and sometimes living in small apartments, I made a stand that used 2x12 boards, 2" pipe, and 2" floor flanges. It could be taken apart when it was in the way.

I think the bottom board was about 3 ft long, and I could stand on it. The top board was whatever was most convenient to mount the press with bolts and wing nuts.

My Rockchucker press worked well, but I did have to stand on the bottom board to keep it steady.

Regards,
Jerry