The new math.

[gmerkt]

I even vacuum after every operation in "the Room"

There is some safety advice in this. There is history of accidental fires starting from accumulations of spilled gunpowder on floors in reloading operations.

Reloading manuals used to say to never vacuum up spilled gunpowder. The idea of a vacuum cleaner is to take up dust and dirt. Without spreading it around. To do this, it must have a filtration system. My feeling is, so long as the filtration system is intact and functional, taking powder up in the vacuum won't be a problem. It's any sparking given off by the motor that presents potential problems. If filtration keeps powder away from the spark, fill in the blank.

If you vacuum up gun powder, then subsequently vacuum up a hot cigarette butt, then you could have an issue. I've seen vacuum cleaners whose owners used them to vacuum up hot embers from in front of a wood stove. Of course gunpowder wasn't involved in these incidents. But people will do foolish things.

 

[HaveGun]

I was nervous vacuuming up all of those spent primers, knowing there were a few live ones mixed in, and hearing the loud rattling going on in the vacuum. I figured if one touched off and ruined my $60 crappy vacuum, then the pictures and stories of the carnage was well worth the price of the vacuum.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I don't use my shopvav on powder just when I track crap in the clean room from the big room, which is often.
I have a nice broom and a dust pan that works just fine.

 

[blaster1145]

I have a nice broom and a dust pan that works just fine.

This, up there.

On the OP, maybe I modify the concept and sell new math to my ex wife.

One last thing... I bought 9mm 125 grain bullets from Black Bullets International a couple weeks ago for what seemed to me was a reasonable price shipped. Haven't loaded any yet, but the word on them was good enough. Last time I checked they were still in stock.

 

[ma96782]

I don't know "new math"...... I use old math and old components that were purchased and stockpiled many years ago.

Aloha, Mark

 

[CLT65]

It varies with what resources you have at hand. My cost for 9mm ammo right now is this: free brass from the ground at the range, free bullets from lead off the berms at the range, about a penny apiece for gunpowder since I stocked up on plenty and a little goes a long ways, and then there's the primers. I have a fair amount for myself, but I recently paid the "going rate" of $150/1000 for some for a friend of mine. Using his primers, it comes to 16 cents per round, about what you could find live ammo for a year ago. Of course there's all the work making the bullets and loading them up...

 

[arakboss]

Found 9mm ammo for sale at the LGS and bought a couple of boxes. $11.99 for Remington UMC 115gr RN plinking ammo. 50 rounds, so $.24 per round.

Small pistol primers are impossible to find. Unobtanium. The only ones I've heard of for sale around here were at a gun show at $120 per 1000, or $.12 per primer.

9mm bullets and cases are similarly difficult to find. So, using Gunbroker...

Used brass is going for about $.10 per case and bullets are about $.10 each.

Powder is about $45 per pound, so $45 per 7000 grains, and a target load of 9mm using 115 grain bullets is about 4.5 grains, so powder cost per round is $.03.

Therefore, for a person to create a reloaded target round of 9mm will cost them $.35 per round. To buy that same round already loaded locally is $.24 per round.

Crazy! Never thought I'd see the costs reversed.

I like your math but finding 9mm at $12 per 50 seems like a difficult task these days. I think it would be more fair to compare prices of 9mm being sold in the same places as the reloading components you quoted.

 

[CLT65]

Apples to apples...