The Ammo Angle

[Dot_mdb]

Do you consider the cost of ammo before you buy a handgun?

For instance, I bought a 9mm Ruger P95 instead of a .45 P97 because the cost of 9mm is so much less expensive.

I use a Dillon Square Deal for reloading .38 but I don't want to start reloading another caliber. I tend to favor .38 special handguns because I am already set up for them and reloading for .38's is very cheap.

Now I am thinking about buying a Bersa/Firestorm and I think I will buy one in .22lr since I intend to use the gun for play rather than serious work. .22 has the highest fun to cost ratio and it requires no reloading time or equipment investment.

Bill

 

[Boats]

Nope.

I use only .45ACPs and now a .357 Magnum is in the mix. The new caliber's die and other reloading supplies are on the way.

Still banging away with a .30-06 as my SHTF rifle. Don't even want a 5.56 or other "more than .22lr but less than .30" rifle round. I'll get a Marlin .357 carbine if I want a weak sister for a long gun.

Combat effectiveness first, cost second in my book.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Nope.

 

[dairycreek]

No and Yes!

No I don't consider price and tend to buy the very best IMHO. On the other hand yes as I stay away from the stuff that is automatically more expensive because it is what it is. For example in my area 10mm is both expensive and sometimes hard to get. 357 SIG is always more expensive and never seems to come op on sale. Good shoting

 

[Old Fuff]

Dot_mdb:

The "Old Fuff" is often the exception to the rule, and such is apparently the case here. Although I live on the sometimes "hot" U.S./Mexican border I think it's unlikely I'm going to get into a gunfight. I shoot for fun, and to keep up or improve my skills. Ammunition cost can make a difference, and I sometimes gravitate toward "fun" or "practice" guns that use less expensive fodder. I may or may not use these as carry-guns, but with the exception of .22 RF I don't worry about the cartridge's stopping power. A well placed 9mm or .38 Special is going to do more then a bigger slug making a less optimal hit.

 

[caz223]

Nope, already have guns that are cheap to shoot.
Already have a progressive, dillon 550b.
In my magnum revolvers, 10mm, and .45 acps I load only the best ammo I can make.
It winds up being cheaper than purchased ammo, but not by much at all.
In 9mm, .40 and stuff that's already cheap, I make it cheaper.
That's my shoot'emup stuff, and it's cheap, accurate, and reliable, with no priority whatsoever on terminal performance.
I have SD ammo for all my guns, but it's more likely I would use a 10mm or .357 mag than a 9mm or .40, just because I know they are more effective on the meaty targets that I have shot at in the past.

 

[Bacchus]

Actually, it's pretty much the opposite for me. Since I reload, I don't take the cost of ammo into account because I figure I will eventually reload for the caliber and save money.

 

[cratz2]

I don't really consider the cost. My first and second handguns were 22LRs, second was a 1911... What I grew up thinking of as a pistol. I later got a Taurus 9mm and shot the peepee out of it, in part because of how cheap it was to shoot.

But today, I don't worry about the cost of shooting. Understanding that the most expensive things I have to shoot are 44 Magnum and 45 Colts. I guess I might pause at buying a new 500 Smith partially because of ammo costs, but between 9mm, 40S&W, 45ACP, 38 Special and 357 Magnum... I don't worry about it.

To the original poster, is there a specific reason you don't want to reload for another cartridge? 45ACP is pretty easy to load for and I think it only costs marginally more to load than 38 Special.

 

[Dot_mdb]

Cratz2

I used to reload for a .45 on a single stage press. In recent years I haven't used my Series 70 that much and usually shoot S&B when I do.

If I was to reload for another caliber I would buy another Square Deal to avoid the hassle of changing over from one caliber to another. In .38 special I like shooting 158 gr hard cast lead SWC and besides being cheap it is easier to find the components then to find the factory built cartridges.

I don't mind reloading but I also don't really consider it a hobby.

I don't like reloading for rifles so my Marlin 30-30 doesn't get a lot of use. My SKS gets a lot more use because the ammo is so cheap and I consider it a more fun gun than the Marlin.

Bill

 

[Pylon]

For me yes, being a college student i'm need all the money i can get. Well, don't we all? heh Anyways, i generally buy all my guns with ammo prices in mined. Otherwise i would have bought a SigP220 or one of the 1911 variants long ago. So instead i settled with the SigP226 and i shoot about 100-150 rounds a weak either at IDPA or just lane shooting. A good comprimise i think.

-Pylon

 

[sturmruger]

Yes I definetly consider the cost of ammo before purchasing a gun. That is specifically why I have not purchased a .357 SIG. .40 and 9 are allot cheaper to shoot which is what most of my guns are.

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

I kind of thought like that originally, all I wanted was a .45 to shoot every now and again, and a 9mm and .22 to shoot more often. But that was before I saw all the guns I like in different calibers... limiting myself to only 2 calibers would have been suicide.

The first thing I loaded on my press was .41 Magnum for my wife, and since the initial expense was already laid out for the press, getting the dies for other calibers is not a problem at all now. And I still shoot factory too, at least until I have such a large supply of brass I don't need any more.

 

[jsalcedo]

Yes thats why I haven't done the BFG sixguns yet with their $1.50 per round cost.

Even with reloading, The bullets and cases themselves cost nearly as much as loaded ammo.