Search found 1 match

by Jeremae
Thu Jun 14, 2007 1:25 pm
Forum: Reloading Forum
Topic: Question for frugal reloaders
Replies: 25
Views: 5128

VP

Generally you have to buy in bulk to get real savings on bullets( as in multiple 1000s at a time)

There are three basic types of bullets used in the 1911:

1. Jacketed: This was the original intended bullet design specified by the Army and JMB. My current store of bullets are all Complete Metal jacketed rounds from Montana Gold (bottom does NOT have exposed lead) and I purchased 3 cases at once (2 of 45 in 230 CMJ count 2000 and 1 of 9mm in 115 CMJ count 4000) to get the 3 case discount and comes down to almost exactly .10 per bullet. SRVA coordinates group buys at tts that get a little better price. If you check websites like Midway (or subscribe to their eMail services) you can occasionally find specials on jacketed bullets from the major name manufacturers like Winchester, Remington, Speer, etc that bring price down into the same range. Last year I hit a Winchester deal on 45 230 fmj that allowed me to buy them for only .09 per round and in quantaties as low as 500.

2. Plated: This design just plates the lead with a thin layer of copper(or brass). Advantage is less jacket material so generally cheaper. Disadvantage is you need to be a little more careful during reloading to not dent or shear the plating and in some cases you need to use a different powder charge than you would for Jacketed. A LOT of IDPA shooters use plated with the most common brands being Berry's and Ranier. T's guns and ammo carries Berry's.

3. Lead: This design uses NO plating. Advantage is much cheaper as in from .03 to .05 per round. Disadvantages include requires lube during reloading (messy), more airborne lead micro-particles and leading of the bore (requiring additional barrel cleaning).

I generally buy my powder and primers from 10ring to support a local business (and I never seem to be ready to order powder/primers when a group buy is organized plus am to lazy to go to gunshow just for powder/primers)so my cost per round is about .015 for powder and .025 for primer for an estimated cost of .14 per completed round.

Return to “Question for frugal reloaders”