[SuperSport]

I read from a member on a different thread saying - Don’t use gun show reloads. Ever.

Is it really that bad? I’ve been buying in bulk for well over 10 years without any issues worth b1tching about. I couple/few funky ejections but not every outing and not very often. Oh, and a few stove pipes but again - not often. I typically buy 9mm 115 grain and have been recently buying 124 after breaking in a new H&K P30 which has ran great (used Winchester 124 NATO for break in). I live in Phoenix and all the bigger gun shows most of the vendors are in the same spots for as long as I can remember. I keep buying from them without a hiccup.

There’s other smaller table top vendors/displays there that also sell ammo but I haven’t bought from them.

Not sure how much you folks around the US are paying for plinking ball rounds but at the Phoenix shows: $89 gets you 500 and a couple dollars less than double for 1,000 (both 115 & 124). Contemplating a g23 and recently went to a smaller gun show cross town in Mesa and saw one of the vendors I’ve been buying from @ $98/500 IIRC .40 165grain. Ten bucks more than 9mm!

You guys aren’t going to report me to the GPS (G lock Protective Services) are you? Am I mistreating or abusing my 9mm Glocks for feeding it gun show ammo?

 

[TNFrank]

Depends on who's doing the reloading. I trust MY reloads 100% but then I've been doing it for 32 years. I guess as always the buyer has to beware, you never know what kind of stuff you're buying, even Winchester White Box has some pretty crappy loads in it from time to time.
I think if folks would learn to reload their own ammo companies would be forced to cut the price of their factory stuff but no one wants to mess with it so factories can charge whatever they want because folks will pay it in order to shoot.

 

[SuperSport]

TNFrank, I've been tempted to try reloading but haven't fully researched cost & time. 9mm is cheaper than the higher calibers and was told if I were to change caliber it would be more economical. Also - living in Phoenix probably not a good idea to store goods in garage and I'm pretty sure the wife wouldn't let me convert one of the spare rooms in to a reloading cave. With flat screen & surround sound.

 

[TNFrank]

I lived in Phoenix, AZ for 16 years, in fact that's where I started reloading when I was 19 years old. Got a Lee Loader, some powder, bullets and primers and went out on the back porch and had at it.
If I were going to start out today I'd not go that route, too many good Kits on the market that'll get you what you need to get started the Right Way then to mess with those little Lee Loaders.
Lee has an Anniversary Kit that you can normally pick up for about $100 bucks with everything you'd need to get started except for primers, powder, bullets and brass. You can normally load up a box of ammo for anywhere from 1/2 to 2/3 the cost of factory depending on where you buy your components and if you'll use jacketed bullets or plated ones. For plinking I'd just go plated, they'll work just as well OR if you get a standard rifled drop in barrel for your Glock you can shoot cast and save a few bucks more.
I built a bench and had my loading stuff in a spare room at a house we use to rent then when we moved I put my stuff into the garage since I've got space out there. You can keep your powder and primers inside somewhere so kids can't get to em' and they'll be perfectly safe, not any worse then a can of house hold cleaner or any thing else really as far as explosive risk, just keep it cool and dry and you'll be fine.
Even as cheap as 9x19mm is you can still save a bit and have some fun reloading.
I just picked up 100, 230gr XTP bullets to load for my 45acp today. By the time I figure bullets, primers and powder I'll probably be into a box of 50 for about $18 bucks not counting the brass. If you were to buy new, loaded Hornady XTP ammo it'd easily run you $25 bucks for a box of 20 so that's a huge savings over store bought. Shooting home cast bullets I'm under $4 bucks a box of 50 for 45acp but the price will go up a bit since I'll have to start buying my wheel weights at .50 cents a lb, even then I'll still be around $5 bucks a box of 50, you just can't get 45acp for that cheap anywhere.
I love reloading my own ammo, it's a hobby in and of it's self, just like bullet casting is so for me Firearms is 3 hobbies in one.

 

[Happysniper1]

At our local gun shows, one of the mainstays is an outfit called MiWall that sells nothing but ammo...factory, hard-to-find, remanufactured (i.e., bulk reloaded), and primers. I would not hesitate to use their bulk reloaded ammo if I didnb't already reload my own.

Another mainstay is a no-name outfit that advertises "going out of business ammo sale" (they've been going out of business for over 10 years now!), and their reloaded ammo is crap. A friend bought a box (500) of 9mm JHPs that had a COAL so long the slide would not go into battery. I dismantled each round for him to reseat the bullets, only to learn the powder charges were not consistent...ended up tossing the powder and loading known powder of known quality and quantity for him.

Moral of the story: if you know who you are buying reloaded ammo from, it will be generally good stuff, but if it is from an unknown source, you takes your chances. Caveat Emptor: Let The Buyer Beware.

 

[SuperSport]

Oh crap - totally forgot about this thread.

Thanks Frank! Great reading - one day I'll have to try my hand at reloading. Dillon is based in Scottsdale so I'll at least have knowledgeable folks to consult.

 

[SuperSport]

Very true Happysniper!