Reload cost per round

Reloading equipment, methods, load data, powder and projectile information.

Re: reload cost per round

Post by 5Tom » 26 Feb 2014, 9:32 am

Most likely because the .308 is a parent case, has a very long barrel life compared to say a .243 (which is based off a .308) and has a huge variety of projectiles to choose from, which can make reloading even cheaper if you select the right pill.

Correct me if I'm wrong :-)
5Tom
Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
 
Posts: 190
Queensland

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Member-Deleted » 26 Feb 2014, 12:57 pm

The guy who will be hand loading for me also sells Dillion loading gear & other stuff. Guys from the old forum may remember him as (bullets & reloading). Good bloke, knows his stuff.
Member-Deleted
 

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Noisydad » 26 Feb 2014, 2:41 pm

For my 222 I'm still using bullets, primers and powder that I bulk bought 20 years ago. It works out at 12cents/shot.
There's still a few of Wile. E Coyote's ideas that I haven't tried yet.
User avatar
Noisydad
Warrant Officer C1
Warrant Officer C1
 
Posts: 1383
Victoria

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Chronos » 26 Feb 2014, 2:47 pm

petemacsydney wrote:
One immediate question though...
Chronos, what did you mean by "another factor is barrel life, about 10-15c per shot for a .308, "

cheers and thanks again peoples!!



You need to be aware barrels chambered in some cartridges produce more barrel wear than others.

Let's say like a lot if shooters you want to buy a small caliber rifle for rabbit, hare, ferral car and fox shooting. There are many choices. Some will reach out a bit further by launching bullets further, often referred to as shooting flatter


A .222 (.22 caliber) barrel might wear to the point if not being accurate enough after say 12000-14000 rounds.

A .223 (.22 caliber) shoots a little faster than the .222 and might wear a barrel a little faster, say 8000-10000 rounds.
A ..22-250 (same .22 caliber bore) produces much more velocity by burning more powder and so wears barrels much faster, maybe wearing out in 1500-2000 rounds making it more expensive to shoot regardless of what the components cost.

If ahaving a rifle rebarreled cost say $600 you can divide that by your barrel life in rounds to see what each shot will cost you before you even buy a bullet.

Some target shooters with extreme performing cartridges count their barrel life may around $1 per shot. Something like an f open rifle in 6.5-284 might be up there where a $800 target barrel is burned out in under 1000 shots (an extreme example)

Hope that makes sense, the figures used are guesstimates only for explaination.

Chronos
User avatar
Chronos
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2082
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by petemacsydney » 26 Feb 2014, 3:10 pm

ok thanks for the info guys. i must admit, i kind of assumed my brand new Tikka T3 rifle and its barrel would last a lot longer than those numbers (ignorance is bliss!)... oh well, another lesson learnt on the cost of shooting!! aint no doubt about it, deep pockets are required for this game!
_________
Are you ready for the Zombie apocalypse?
User avatar
petemacsydney
Sergeant
Sergeant
 
Posts: 626
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by SendIt » 26 Feb 2014, 3:18 pm

petemacsydney wrote:I'm going to do some more thinking but all in all i think its going to be worthwhile for my purposes (80% target, 20% hunting)


That's good. Bulk buying match bullets is pretty cheap as far as bullets go.
Sako 85 Hunter Laminated Stainless 30-06 Sprg
Zeiss Conquest HD5 2-10x42

Winchester 1892 44-40
User avatar
SendIt
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 477
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Warrigul » 26 Feb 2014, 4:54 pm

petemacsydney wrote:ok thanks for the info guys. i must admit, i kind of assumed my brand new Tikka T3 rifle and its barrel would last a lot longer than those numbers (ignorance is bliss!)... oh well, another lesson learnt on the cost of shooting!! aint no doubt about it, deep pockets are required for this game!


With sensible loads you should get AT LEAST 2500 accurate rounds out of a .308 barrel, probably another 2500 hunting rounds after.

I think it was you that was asking which would be better at 500 .308 or .300 winchester magnum, at around 1000 or less accurate rounds out of a .300 you can easily see which is more economical.

I usually have my .308 barrels rechambered and re crowned at 2000, this gets rid of the eroding lands(the main cause of inaccuracy as the round count gets up a bit) and freshens them up for at least another 2000 and it is a third of the cost of a new barrel.

There is a LOT of shooting in 2000 rounds.

I wouldn't panic too much yet.
Warrigul
Warrant Officer C2
Warrant Officer C2
 
Posts: 1103
-

Re: reload cost per round

Post by headspace » 26 Feb 2014, 7:31 pm

All costings aside there is still the hobby factor to be considered. I think that if all you do is hunt, it's hard to justify all the costs involved in handloading simply because there are nowhere near as many shots fired compared to competitive target shooting. Although it's reasonable to say that you are tailoring your loads to achieve best hunting performance. However if you look at handloading as being an extension of your sport then cost is not quite as relevant. AS far as the Lapua brass is concerned I wouldn't buy it for hunting reloads; it's a bit like a snowboard as a fence paling. The Remington brass will deliver acceptable hunting accuracy.
If it's not wood and blued steel, it's not one of mine
headspace
Sergeant
Sergeant
 
Posts: 738
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Chronos » 26 Feb 2014, 8:23 pm

headspace wrote:All costings aside there is still the hobby factor to be considered. I think that if all you do is hunt, it's hard to justify all the costs involved in handloading simply because there are nowhere near as many shots fired compared to competitive target shooting. Although it's reasonable to say that you are tailoring your loads to achieve best hunting performance. However if you look at handloading as being an extension of your sport then cost is not quite as relevant. AS far as the Lapua brass is concerned I wouldn't buy it for hunting reloads; it's a bit like a snowboard as a fence paling. The Remington brass will deliver acceptable hunting accuracy.


On the price of Lapua brass, if you're buying .308 brass I find its cheaper than most. At $80 per hundred its relatively cheap. I've paid $49 for 50 federal cases, $40 for 50 Remington cases.

I recently preped some Remington brass and every case seemed to have different primer tension to the one before

Chronos
User avatar
Chronos
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2082
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Muddy1967 » 27 Feb 2014, 8:59 am

Chronos wrote:
On the price of Lapua brass, if you're buying .308 brass I find its cheaper than most. At $80 per hundred its relatively cheap. I've paid $49 for 50 federal cases, $40 for 50 Remington cases.

I recently preped some Remington brass and every case seemed to have different primer tension to the one before

Chronos



Thats cheap, everywhere I look for .222 case I find only Remington and they are $1.00 each.
I would hate to think what Lapua cases cost.
Just like Woodworking, Aim twice, Shoot once.

.222 Remington 700™ BDL™ HB - Center Point 4-16x40
Marlin XT-22lrsr - Leupold VariX-3 6.5-20x50
User avatar
Muddy1967
Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
 
Posts: 138
Victoria

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Apollo » 27 Feb 2014, 9:25 am

Muddy1967 wrote:Thats cheap, everywhere I look for .222 case I find only Remington and they are $1.00 each.
I would hate to think what Lapua cases cost.


If you are looking for quality components and equipment plus some expert advice have a look at BRT Shooters Supply. Have a look around the site.

For Unprimed Cases .... http://www.benchrest.com.au/reloading.htm#RCBS

Another source ...... http://shootenstuff.com.au/collections/brass

There are a number of local bullet makers that produce high grade custom made target bullets, one is http://www.copperheadbullets.com/index.htm

For quality cases that Lapua don't manufacture like .204Ruger ask your local gun shop about Nosler Custom Competition Cases. They are not cheap and usually in short supply but they are very good quality. For those that don't know Nosler Brass is made by Norma BUT it is as Nosler say.....Fully Prepped, Ready To Load. Visually inspected and weight sorted. With .204Ruger it's about $80 / 50 Cases, sounds expensive but consider in order to get a batch of 50 similar cases from Norma you may have to sort through several hundred to get your batch and what do you do with the rest.

There are other brands that are also manufactured by Norma but they aren't pre-batched or sorted in any way.
Apollo
Warrant Officer C1
Warrant Officer C1
 
Posts: 1327
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by lole » 01 Mar 2014, 7:44 am

Any idea what custom bullets cost?

Curious... I probably don't want to know though :lol:
User avatar
lole
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 359
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Chronos » 01 Mar 2014, 8:21 am

lole wrote:Any idea what custom bullets cost?

Curious... I probably don't want to know though :lol:


There are some custom bullets manufactured in Australia, ken from copperhead bullets manufactures high quality benchrest bullets.

http://www.copperheadbullets.com/index.htm

In my 6br, 6ppc and .284w I use Berger bullets I buy from brt. They are high quality and very consistent in weight.

Have a quick look at this blog and you'll see many target shooters choose Berger over the others

http://precisionrifleblog.com/tag/berger-bullets/

Chronos
User avatar
Chronos
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2082
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Herdsman » 01 Mar 2014, 8:27 am

lole wrote:Curious... I probably don't want to know though :lol:


Actually not expensive looking a bit deeper into his site.

$120 for 200 or 250 bullets depending on the exact one.

Plenty of off-the-shelf bullets which are more expensive than that.
Shepherding bullets down range.

Tikka Hunter Stainless Fluted 300 Win Mag
Tikka Battue Lite .308 Win
Tikka Varmint Stainless .222 Rem
User avatar
Herdsman
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 312
Victoria

Re: reload cost per round

Post by handofcod » 01 Mar 2014, 2:11 pm

Based on my estimates I'm saving about $1.60 a bullet reloading 165gr SST in 308. Plus I get to tune for my own rifle.
CZ452 22lr | Remington 5R Milspec in .223 | Tikka Hunter in 300wsm | Ruger Scout in .308
User avatar
handofcod
Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
 
Posts: 185
Victoria

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Skadoo » 01 Mar 2014, 2:27 pm

It's always cheaper. As long as you're not just shooting half a dozen rounds a year as an occasional hunter it pays for itself sooner or later.

Equally important, if not more so in my mind, is that you'll end up with a more accurate cartridge for your rifle.

And every needs a hobby... You could pay to kill 2 hours at the movies, or spend a few hours reloading. I know which I'd rather be doing :)
User avatar
Skadoo
Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
 
Posts: 103
South Australia

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Chronos » 01 Mar 2014, 2:35 pm

handofcod wrote:Based on my estimates I'm saving about $1.60 a bullet reloading 165gr SST in 308. Plus I get to tune for my own rifle.



Bloody hell. That must be one of the most expensive factory .308 loads ever. If your hand loads cost you around 70c that would make the factory stuff $2.30 a shot or close to $50 a box.

Chronos
User avatar
Chronos
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2082
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by SendIt » 01 Mar 2014, 5:08 pm

handofcod wrote:Based on my estimates I'm saving about $1.60 a bullet reloading 165gr SST in 308. Plus I get to tune for my own rifle.


How are you getting that out of curiosity?

Lorgar's break down using 150gr SSt is only 94c.

Where you spending your extra 66c per shot :?:
Sako 85 Hunter Laminated Stainless 30-06 Sprg
Zeiss Conquest HD5 2-10x42

Winchester 1892 44-40
User avatar
SendIt
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 477
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Apollo » 01 Mar 2014, 6:10 pm

He said he's saving $1.60 not spending $1.60 on reloading...!!!

Meaning he was spending near $2.50 per round for factory ammo based on the above figures. Bloody expensive factory ammo.
Apollo
Warrant Officer C1
Warrant Officer C1
 
Posts: 1327
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by SendIt » 02 Mar 2014, 7:39 am

Sorry, my mistake.

I glossed over the comments from handofcod and Chronos and misread.
Sako 85 Hunter Laminated Stainless 30-06 Sprg
Zeiss Conquest HD5 2-10x42

Winchester 1892 44-40
User avatar
SendIt
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 477
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Aster » 02 Mar 2014, 7:42 am

As said $2.50 per shot is expensive factory ammo, not really a fair comparison for your 'average' saving to be had.

Around $30 per box is a fairer average I think. Not $50.
See you on the firing line.
User avatar
Aster
Moderator
 
-

Re: reload cost per round

Post by handofcod » 02 Mar 2014, 8:57 am

Aster wrote:As said $2.50 per shot is expensive factory ammo, not really a fair comparison for your 'average' saving to be had.

Around $30 per box is a fairer average I think. Not $50.


If you are reloading with cheap components then you should be comparing against cheap ammo yes. But if you are using premium projectiles and brass (not that SST's are premium of course) then you should be comparing that against premium ammo.

Since I'm using SST's and Lapua cases I'm comparing against similar quality ammo and last time I looked Hornady Superperformance with SSTs were going for $52 for a box of 20.

It has to be a like for like comparison if you want to really know what you are saving.
CZ452 22lr | Remington 5R Milspec in .223 | Tikka Hunter in 300wsm | Ruger Scout in .308
User avatar
handofcod
Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
 
Posts: 185
Victoria

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Aster » 02 Mar 2014, 8:36 pm

All true.

Just mentioning that those weren't 'average' prices so as not to put a new reloader off with talk of premium price ammo only ;)
See you on the firing line.
User avatar
Aster
Moderator
 
-

Re: reload cost per round

Post by Monty » 02 Mar 2014, 8:38 pm

SST's are a pretty good bullet for the money IMO.

For a hunting bullet of course, not match accuracy.

But cheap per unit, accurate, and does the job on game at a distance.
Obligatory moderator signature: If you can't play by the rules, don't let the door hit you on the way out.
User avatar
Monty
Moderator
 
New South Wales

Re: reload cost per round

Post by handofcod » 03 Mar 2014, 8:50 pm

Aster wrote:All true.

Just mentioning that those weren't 'average' prices so as not to put a new reloader off with talk of premium price ammo only ;)


Yeah I can't believe people would spend $50 on a box of 20 rounds.... maybe people that only shoot twice a year. The one thing that they don't warn you about reloading is that it's cheaper than retail, but then you shoot a whole heap more too!
CZ452 22lr | Remington 5R Milspec in .223 | Tikka Hunter in 300wsm | Ruger Scout in .308
User avatar
handofcod
Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
 
Posts: 185
Victoria

Re: Reload cost per round

Post by petemacsydney » 03 Mar 2014, 9:43 pm

Well bit the bullet and bought a Dillon...
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1314
Can't wait to get it!!!
_________
Are you ready for the Zombie apocalypse?
User avatar
petemacsydney
Sergeant
Sergeant
 
Posts: 626
New South Wales

Re: Reload cost per round

Post by Apollo » 04 Mar 2014, 7:22 am

I thought you were reloading for a .308 Rifle .....

That Dillon is for Pistol Reloading .... ?????
Apollo
Warrant Officer C1
Warrant Officer C1
 
Posts: 1327
New South Wales

Re: Reload cost per round

Post by petemacsydney » 04 Mar 2014, 8:01 am

yeah, i got the rifle version :-)
_________
Are you ready for the Zombie apocalypse?
User avatar
petemacsydney
Sergeant
Sergeant
 
Posts: 626
New South Wales

Re: Reload cost per round

Post by Apollo » 04 Mar 2014, 9:15 am

Fair enough.

I've never had anything to do with Dillon and it shows. Just don't like the idea of them.

Hope it works out for you though.
Apollo
Warrant Officer C1
Warrant Officer C1
 
Posts: 1327
New South Wales

Re: Reload cost per round

Post by 1290 » 04 Mar 2014, 9:40 am

I put this reload cost calculator together a few years ago, it is a little complicated at first so I've protected the cells to prevent inadvertent deletions.

Instructions;
-Enter values in the pink cells
-Enter buy cost for your projectiles & powder & primers & cases
-Enter buy cost for the quantity of component purchased
-Projectile units must be one of either number or mass(kg) or mass (lb) [usually number of projs]
-$per is the buy cost for the amount of either projectiles or powder.
-Break down of component unit costs provided as well as final cost per loaded round in red cells.
-Cost per round option provided with 1 or 4 or 8 uses of brass with last column option to enter any re-use quantity (15 entered)
-Any questions or suggested mods please feed back else get loading!

Spreadsheet doesnt attach??

this is a pic, for what its worth
Image
User avatar
1290
Warrant Officer C1
Warrant Officer C1
 
Posts: 1336
Victoria

Next

Back to top
 
Return to Reloading ammunition