Author: Larry

Can You Save Money By Reloading?

With the current cost of ammunition, some shooters may be considering handloading to save money. While it’s true that reloaded ammunition can cost less than factory ammunition, the thought that you’ll save money may not be true.

At the present time, 1,000 rounds of cheap 9mm FMJ ammunition will cost you about 36 cents per bullet to purchase. That works out to $18.00 per box of 50 or $36.00 per  box of 100, up to $360.00 for a box of 1000. If we assume that you already have 1,000 – 9mm pre-shot cases, the rest of the components (bullets, powder, and primers) to reload 1000 bullets would cost you about $295.00. That means you will save about $65.  Now if you are reloading rifle bullets, the components are a little more expensive, but you can also save a little more money. Again, if you already have the brass casings to reload 1000 rounds of .223 Remington FMJ ammo, the other components will cost you about $320.00. Now if you compare that to the least expensive factory ammo, you will save about $180.00.

Now the last thing to consider is your time. Our time is really pretty valuable, but each persons time is a personal decision. What is the value of your time? With some practice, you can put out about 300 rounds per hour using a progressive press. If you’re using a single-stage press, like me,  you might load as many as 100 rounds per hour on a good day. So that means it’s going to take you somewhere between 4 and 10 hours to load a thousand rounds. 

So to sum this up,  if you have to buy brass and you put a significant value on your time, then there is a good chance that you will  lose money by reloading your bullets. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Reloading takes time, but we usually find the process to be very enjoyable. There’s a lot of satisfaction in creating the best ammo for your guns that is reliable and accurate. 

Final Comments

With all that said, I am in favor of carrying pocket pistols as a concealed carry firearms, as long as you get the right one for you.  So lets get to the meat of the article, after much research on the Internet and talking to people at gun stores, I decided to go with the Ruger LCP Max.  This little handgun has great reviews and many people feel this is the best pocket pistol on the market. This is a .380 ACP caliber and it holds 10 rounds in the magazine.  They also have a 12 round magazine but I do not like the base plate on that magazine. I added a Pearce grip extension and it gives me a better grip on the pistol. it fits my fingers better and gives me better control of the pistol.  The Taurus TCP only held 6 bullets in the magazine so the Ruger almost doubles the capacity and that’s a good thing. More capacity in a similar size package. This pistol is about the same size and weight as the Taurus but it fits me better. It just feels better in my hand, meaning it is more comfortable and feels better to shoot.

One of the other things I like about this pistol is it has adjustable sights on the front and rear and a Hi-Vis Tritium night sight on the front instead of the fixed sights like the Taurus. As I mentioned earlier, sights may not always used with these little guns with fixed sights because they cannot be adjusted but since this pistol has adjustable sights, it makes it much more accurate to shoot.

The picture to the right shows the Ruger in the pocket holster, what a nice little holster that can be slipped in your front pocket. As I said before, it almost disappears in your pocket. It is an excellent combination for this pocket pistol to be concealed. Once this  is in your pocket you can have your hand on the grip and it cannot be observed until you pull the pistol out of your pocket and put it into action.  Very slick and concealed.  These pocket holster by Aholster work great and they will hook on the front of the holster when pulling it out of your pocket or catch on the bottom hook as pressure is applied on the bottom of the holster.

The other way I like to carry this pocket pistol now and then is in  an IWB holster. It is such a small package that it melts into your waistband and you hardly know that it is there. But keep in mind that even though it is small you still need to use a cover garment when carrying this pistol in a IWB holster.  That’s why I like the pocket holster better for such a small gun. As a rule If I am going to carry a gun in my waste band I would rather have a larger caliber, with a longer barrel that I shoot better.  That being said there are times in the hot summer time where this small Ruger works best in my waist band.

So as you can see I like the Ruger LCP Max better than the Taurus TCP.  Are they both reliable – Yes, now that I fixed the feeding issues on the Taurus. They are both .380 ACP and about the same size, the Ruger holds more ammo, has adjustable sights and just plain feels better in my hand. So as I consider those guns the Ruger gets my vote all the way. This little gun just works better for me and I feel more confident with it. So what am I going to do with the Taurus?  I have a friend that needs one and I will give it to him. I hope you can learn from my mistakes and think about your gun purchases and do the research necessary to make the right decision.

Final Comments

As we wrap-up this article, let’s back up and look at the big picture. What does it all mean?  Is there really urban and rural EDC gear? Or is that just something a writers talks about?

Yes, I think there is urban and rural EDC! I think there are some definite differences in EDC needs for the city and then for rural America.  People that live in those areas may have different needs and that would dictate different EDC gear that they use every day.

Afterall, what is the definition of EDC according to Larry? “EDC is just the gear that you carry with you on a daily basis”.  And depending on what you are doing that day may change your EDC for that day as well.  So I hope you all have a great day and stay safe in your daily endeavors.