January 5th, 2018

9mm Pistol Ammo — Run the Numbers Before You Reload

Sig Sauer P210 Legend

Everyone should have a 9mm Luger (9x19mm) pistol. The 9mm Luger round feeds/cycles great, recoil is moderate, and a vast array of excellent 9mm handguns are available. And, perhaps most importantly, quality factory ammo is affordable. In fact because 9x19mm ammo is produced in such quantity, it is some of the cheapest centerfire pistol ammo you can buy. Today we’ve found some great 9mm Luger ammo deals for you, with big-name factory stuff for under 20 cents per round.

Hudson H9 9mm pistol

Should You Reload 9mm Ammo? Run the Numbers, Then Decide…
While this Editor reloads almost all his .45 ACP and .44 Magnum ammo, I generally shoot factory ammo in my 9mm Luger pistols. Why? When you give some reasonable value to the time you spend setting-up and operating your reloading press, it is hard to beat factory ammo at around $10 per 50-count box (i.e. $0.20/round). While once-fired 9mm brass is plentiful (and cheap), you can easily spend 14-15 cents per round just on bullet, powder, and primer*. So reloading may only save you 5-6 cents per round. Hence if you load 200 rounds per hour (including set-up time), you only recoup $10 to $12 per hour (at best) for all your effort. You may decide, as I did, that my time was worth more than that.

Great Deals on 9mm Luger (9x19mm) Factory Ammunition

CCI Blazer 9mm 124gr FMJ at Brownells
$195.99 for 1000-rd Case (Case Price is $9.80 per 50-rd box)
Free Shipping with CODE M7R

9mm 9x19mm factory ammo deal sale bargain

Browning 9mm 115gr FMJ at Grafs.com
$102.50 for 500 rds ($10.25 per 50-rd box for 3 or more)
Flat Rate Shipping $7.95

9mm 9x19mm factory ammo deal sale bargain

Aguila 9mm 124gr FMJ at Sportsman’s Guide
$99.90 for 500 rds ($9.99 per 50-rd box; $9.49 Member price)
Shipping Extra

9mm 9x19mm factory ammo deal sale bargain

American Eagle Syntech 9mm 115gr Total Synthetic Jacket at MidwayUSA
$124.90 for 500 rds ($12.49 per 50-rd box)
Shipping Extra

9mm 9x19mm factory ammo deal sale bargain

Pistolet levedev Russian 9mm

HK H&K Heckler Koch P7 PSP P7M8 9mm Luger pistol

HK H&K Heckler Koch P7 PSP P7M8 9mm Luger pistol

* Typical 9mm component costs easily approach fifteen cents per round even with free brass: Bullet ($0.08 – $0.10), Powder ($0.02), and Primer ($0.035). If you value your time, it may not be worth reloading 9mm Luger.