hand gun calibers

[oremike]

I'm setting up a small ammunition manufacturing business (06 FFL) and am going to start making ammo for 10mm, 45 Colt, 44 Mag, 45 acp, .357, 9mm, 40s&w, and 44-40. I hope once it gets going to add 38 Special, .380, 41 Mag and 38 super. Are there any other calibers you'd like to see available? Thanks for your input.

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[mjbskwim]

As long as you have the only really good caliber,10mm,you should be fine
I would pass on the 44-40,unless you have many that have asked for it, and do 38 and 380. I would think those two are way more sellable.
Of course the guy here in town does 22/250 and 300wm,which I would think wouldn't sell as I would think guys would roll their own. But they sell quite a bit. Or did.
Their 223 wouldn't give me a group less than 3" at 25 yards
Take care with your loads and you'll do good.

 

[CHLChris]

Such a commodity market, I'm sure making profits will be tough. Which brings me to an understanding of 44-40. You might as well skip 9, 40, 45. How about focusing on the calibers that are more rare and are harder to find. On that sort of list 380 and 10mm would be among the most common. 38super is a good start in this direction, so would be .327mag.

 

[oremike]

I'm not really interested in making rifle ammo, at least not as a production item. Maybe as a cost + time one off deal. Is .32 H&R/ .327Mag that popular? I know 44-40 is popular in cowboy guns. As far as quality, I'm a competitive shooter so strive to make the best ammo I can.

 

[Captain O]

.32 ACP (with the proper bullets) and .32 S&W Long will still sell (Since they fit in the .32 H&R Magnum). This can be easily accomplished with lightweight JHP and 98-grain RNL or 98-grain LSWC. with a simple adjustment of COAL.

 

[oli700]

9X18 would be cool, lots of surplus pistols out there
10mm 200gr @ 1250fps

 

[Certaindeaf]

I think I'd make .38 before .357.. there's a whole lotta .38's out there and most guys only /shoot way more .38's in their .357's.

 

[oremike]

My 10mm is a 180gr bullet and runs 1300fps

 

[mjbskwim]

Last time I talked to cowboy action shooters they were using 38 specials. Cheap to load..... which is kinda a problem catering to them...a lot of them reload.
They use enough powder to hit steel,lol
9mm is cheap so many folks don't bother reloading that.
Is 380 cheap these days?

 

[Captain O]

Last time I talked to cowboy action shooters they were using 38 specials. Cheap to load..... which is kinda a problem catering to them...a lot of them reload.
They use enough powder to hit steel,lol
9mm is cheap so many folks don't bother reloading that.
Is 380 cheap these days?

.380 isn't really "cheap". Nor is .32 ACP. A nice load in these helps penetration which is what is needed in these calibers.

 

[oremike]

I load for a .357 myself and sort of poo poo the 38 case, but you guys are right a nice mild and accurate 38 special load both for the cowboys and anyone with a light 38 pistol might be a good marketable item. I'm thinking a 125gr hardcast lead rnfp going 1000 fps out of a 6" barrel as a starting point. That sound about right?

 

[Pandaz3]

I have a Ruger LCR in 327 as it is a six shooter instead of a five shooter like the 357 LCR. I do not consider the 327 to be the equal of a 357 but it is close to 90% and the extra round is more important. Right now I have a few boxes of Speer Lawman and American Eagle in 327. I don't shoot 327 that much as it is harder to replace. My 327 will handle 32 S&W, 32 S&W Long, and 32 H&R Magnum as well but those rounds are far and few between also. I do have a box of "Cowboy Action" 32 H&R Mag (Like shooting 22 rimfire) I would like to shoot more but don't. As to 380 I recently "Bit the bullet" and bought 2,000 rounds of Fiocchi only to find it acts like its +P+. I'll shoot it anyway, but I would like a reliable source of 380. I also have 10 MM and 357 Sig, that seems harder to find

 

[CHLChris]

380 is so expensive these days, and yet should not be, considering the amount of raw materials involved. That suggests that the profit margin is higher.

 

[oremike]

The 327 might be a load on request rather than a stocking item. I'll look at the .380 though. I don't have a .380 "test fixture" so might need to buy a Bersa Thunder just because.

 

[Captain O]

The 327 might be a load on request rather than a stocking item. I'll look at the .380 though. I don't have a .380 "test fixture" so might need to buy a Bersa Thunder just because.

Please bear in mind that the .380 doesn't seem to be well-served by hollow point ammunition. The primary difficulty with hollow point ammo is that the hollow point either fills with debris, causing the bullet to act as if it is a FMJ load. If it does expand, it generally stops short of reaching the vital organs, wounding, rather than stopping/killing. Not good.

Unless you have a specialty bullet, as does Underwood, the 9mm Short is best loaded with FMJ ammunition so that the bullet will penetrate either the sternum or skull. These are the primary barriers to the relatively low-velocity cartridge. This is a primary consideration/concern when it comes to personal defense.

A good .32 Magnum load will sell well, because it can be fired in the .327 and a nice, peppy .32 S&W Long/.32 Colt New Police will find it's way into an ever increasing number of .327 Fed Magnums and .32 H&R Magnum revolvers. I own 3 revolvers that fire the .32 S&W Long and a 2" barreled S&W Centennial Airweight that's chambered for the .32 H&R Magnum revolver. They are both fun and surprisingly accurate.

Like the old Alka Seltzer commercial used to say, "try it, you'll like it!"

 

[oremike]

The .380 would be loaded with a 90gr hardcast lead or plated bullet either way it'd be a round nose. I had a Ruger SSM and a SP-101 in 32 H&R. The SSM was my weak side gun when I was cowboy action shooting. the SP was my wifes CC weapon.

 

[PDXSparky]

380 is so expensive these days, and yet should not be, considering the amount of raw materials involved. That suggests that the profit margin is higher.

+1
I just bought a M11a1 chambered in .380, which I won't get for months and months. In the mean time I've been shopping for ammo. Why is it so much more than 9mm?

If you do end up producing 9mm. I'd be interested in 147 gr. round nose ammo. Need subsonic velocity and the round nose for reliable feeding when shooting full auto suppressed.

 

[oremike]

My 9mm will be 124gr rn at about 1000 fps, 1150-1200 fps is the speed of sound would something like that work or do you need the heavier bullet for some reason?

 

[PDXSparky]

My 9mm will be 124gr rn at about 1000 fps, 1150-1200 fps is the speed of sound would something like that work or do you need the heavier bullet for some reason?

When shooting steel, heavier bullets impact more force giving a better chance of knocking down the plate or popper.

I'm not used to seeing 124gr being a subsonic round. I'd try it.

 

[oremike]

When shooting steel, heavier bullets impact more force giving a better chance of knocking down the plate or popper.

I'm not used to seeing 124gr being a subsonic round. I'd try it.

I shoot steel and Bowling pins and gave up on 9mm as not having enough knock down power, switched to a 40 S&W with good results.