For my own bullet casting, I am able to "mine" a couple of local ranges for enough lead. I just have to add a bit of tin and antimony. So the 125 gr 9mm and 230 gr .45 slugs that I make cost me nearly the same, 1-2c each. By buying bulk, long ago, my primers are 2c per shot, the powder runs about like the lead, 2x as much for the .45. About the only .45 work I do is competitition. I manage to post A class scores at the stuff I care about (ie, sub-10 yds) If everyone were to use actual, (under the shirt ccw for such stages, I'd win most of the time! 
I manage this on 2000 .45's per year, a lot of dryfiring, and 3000 or so rds per year thru the Ciener .22 unit on the 1911. I fire a similar amount thru the 9mm Keltec and the Twisted Industries .22 unit for it, and compete with it a little bit. So far, it's also taken 2 deer, from tree stands, at archery type distances, using my ccw loads. Both deer fell within my sight.
It's all the high speed stuff, at what some call "medium distances" (ie, 10-30 yds) that eat up all of the ammo. God help you if you ever need to actually do this, in real life, cause without an autoloading shotgun and 3" 000 buck loads, your're going to be too slow! I worked and worked at such stuff, years ago, firing as much as 40,000 rds per year, for several years, and it's just not feasible to take on more than one guy at such ranges, unless you have cover and ear protection. Just standing there, firing away,for many seconds, with just a pistol, exposes you to far too much return fire from your enemies. A far better answer is to get to cover, preferably by moving laterally-rearward, or at the least, fall to supine-fetal and brace your wrists, both for making a smaller target profile of yourself and for bracing your wrists between your knees, for greatly increased accuracy (while being shot at).
I manage this on 2000 .45's per year, a lot of dryfiring, and 3000 or so rds per year thru the Ciener .22 unit on the 1911. I fire a similar amount thru the 9mm Keltec and the Twisted Industries .22 unit for it, and compete with it a little bit. So far, it's also taken 2 deer, from tree stands, at archery type distances, using my ccw loads. Both deer fell within my sight.It's all the high speed stuff, at what some call "medium distances" (ie, 10-30 yds) that eat up all of the ammo. God help you if you ever need to actually do this, in real life, cause without an autoloading shotgun and 3" 000 buck loads, your're going to be too slow!
I worked and worked at such stuff, years ago, firing as much as 40,000 rds per year, for several years, and it's just not feasible to take on more than one guy at such ranges, unless you have cover and ear protection. Just standing there, firing away,for many seconds, with just a pistol, exposes you to far too much return fire from your enemies. A far better answer is to get to cover, preferably by moving laterally-rearward, or at the least, fall to supine-fetal and brace your wrists, both for making a smaller target profile of yourself and for bracing your wrists between your knees, for greatly increased accuracy (while being shot at).
