Reload cost per round

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

Reload cost per round

Post by petemacsydney » 25 Feb 2014, 4:55 pm

Hi all,

I'm sure a million people have asked this same question, but i couldn't find an Aussie dollar analysis on google...

So that said... here goes... ignoring the set up cost, I'm interested to know what it costs per round for a 308 reload, assuming you have to buy the buy the cartridge, powder, primer and projectile.

So again, ignoring what it costs to set yourself up so you actually can reload, how much do you think it is costing you guys per round assuming the parts above are being purchased?

Sorry to those that have seen this question a million times before, I just couldn't find the answer in Aussie dollars ;-)

Cheers,
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by Guliver » 25 Feb 2014, 5:32 pm

I'd also be interested in a break even point, including all set up costs
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by petemacsydney » 25 Feb 2014, 5:43 pm

+1
without answer to my question though, my guesstimate is about 2-3 years based on 50 rounds per month, but responses to my questions on cost per round will confirm i guess..
it all depends on how much you would spend on factory rounds a month though..
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by Guliver » 25 Feb 2014, 6:00 pm

OK I was thinking in number of rounds rather than in time.
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by petemacsydney » 25 Feb 2014, 7:27 pm

anyone???... Bueller Bueller Bueller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4zyjLyBp64
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by Chronos » 25 Feb 2014, 8:25 pm

surely some of you guys know you're bullet, powder, primer, case life cost?

ok, here's what i know about loading for my .308

cases, 60c, say min 10 reloads 6c each shot
bullet nosler CC 33c each
powder 2206h 22c each shot
primers federal match 4c each

that gives me a match load for about 65c per shot, or i could walk into me rifle assoc. store and buy winchester super X for about $1.12 a shot, not a big saving but i have the advantage of being able to tune the load to my rifle

now if it was a hunting rifle i would probably spend about the same except for the odd case i lost, bullets could be dearer too

now even a basic reloading set up is going to cost a couple of hundred and at a saving of under 50c a shot for target ammo you'd break even at around 800-1000 rounds. double that if you start buying neck turning, measuring, and any other piece of quality case prep gear

however here's the win, if you're a hunter who does a bit of shooting you might be buying a couple of boxes of hunting ammo at a time for $25 a box of 20, some premium ammo may cost $40 a box of 20

now something more exotic like my 7-08 may cost upwards of $70 a box, reloading becomes the only option here where i can reload if for about the same cost as my .308

another factor is barrel life, about 10-15c per shot for a .308,


Chronos

edit: something i forgot to mention was that if you buy factory ammo you may decide to sell your once fired cases for $10-15 dollars per hundred, again reducing you cost per shot, or collect them for future reloading
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by Lorgar » 25 Feb 2014, 8:36 pm

For my .308 hunting loads...

$7 for 100 primers = 7c per shot.

$50 for 50 brass, say you get at least 10 shots out of each = 10c per shot.

500gm box of 2208 is $46. At 45gr per load that works out to be 171 loads at 27c per shot.

$50 for 100 Hornady 150gr SST = 50c per shot.

So 94c per shot for my hunting rounds.

Buying the same in factory ammo works out to be $1.50 to $2 depending on exactly what you get..
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by Apollo » 25 Feb 2014, 8:36 pm

"petermacsydney" The burning question for you is what do you intend to achieve and for what purpose, hunting - varminting - target shooting. How many rounds do you shoot per week / month and how accurate do you require your ammunition to be.
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by Vati » 25 Feb 2014, 8:43 pm

It can vary a lot on what the buys have outlined above.

Like Apollo says, what do you need to get out of it?

There are $6 primers and $12 primers. $1 brass and $2 brass. 50c bullets and $1 bullets. And so on...

You could double or half the cost depending on what you get exactly.
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by Bills Shed » 25 Feb 2014, 8:55 pm

+1 for knowing what you need the bullet to do first. Target/hunting etc. No good hunting pigs with a match grade pill. The round is built, fit for purpose. Compare apples with apples.

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Re: reload cost per round

Post by Member-Deleted » 26 Feb 2014, 6:02 am

Not being a handloader but I'm getting someone to do it for me for the 223 when it gets here. I noticed there is a massive difference in the price of brass. I paid $110 for a bag of 100 lapua & I seen Remington for $60. Bullets were about the same, but the brass shocked me.
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by Bills Shed » 26 Feb 2014, 6:29 am

That is a perfect example of why people find it difficult to compare prices, even between dedicated calibres. I have to agree that $110.00 for 100 pieces of 223 sounds over the top, especially for 223 brass.
Projectiles will vary greatly as well. If you buy in bulk you can save a lot of money.
Just depends at what range and purpose you need your rounds to work at.

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Re: reload cost per round

Post by The Brass » 26 Feb 2014, 6:58 am

Guliver wrote:I'd also be interested in a break even point, including all set up costs


Depends on the kit you get. As an 'average' something like the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme kit is $500 I think? There are cheaper or more expensive, but the Rock Chucker is a popular kit anyway so lets use that.

Obviously if you can save about $1 per shot, 500 shots to break even.
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by VICHunter » 26 Feb 2014, 7:04 am

Any idea what you'll be loading yet? If you've got you eye on a pill and powder post it and someone can give you a pretty accurate answer.
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by Apollo » 26 Feb 2014, 7:17 am

Jaso wrote:Not being a handloader but I'm getting someone to do it for me for the 223 when it gets here. I noticed there is a massive difference in the price of brass. I paid $110 for a bag of 100 lapua & I seen Remington for $60. Bullets were about the same, but the brass shocked me.


Well, $110 for the Lapua .223R Cases is expensive as it should be these days around $95 from at least a couple of suppliers. Don't know about Remington as I wouldn't buy it but really there is no comparison. Lapua is a high quality product and Remington is probably rated as average. Over time the Lapua will give you far more reloads before it fails and will actually work out cheaper.

This is one of the reasons for asking what the intended use of reloads is for.

If you are just a Hunter and not a precision shooter then the budget cases are probably all you need BUT if you aim for high standards of accuracy even for hunting but more so for varminting and target shooting then they just don't make the grade. By the time you sort the likes of Remington Cases and pull out the rejects you would have been better off buying the more expensive quality cases in the first place.

Same goes for Bullets. There are budget grades and there are high quality grades. You get what you pay for and hence affects your final product.
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by 5Tom » 26 Feb 2014, 7:28 am

I have never baught unfired brass. I can't justify (for my 7.62x54r) spending $156 per 100 lapua brass when I can buy highland or S&B ammo that's ready to go for $25-27 per 20 rounds.

Don't forget that some ammo manufacturers include good brass in their ready to fire ammunition so it's kind of pointless buying brass on its own..
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by Blackened » 26 Feb 2014, 7:36 am

The Brass wrote:Obviously if you can save about $1 per shot, 500 shots to break even.


Money's not the only benefit of course, getting a load tailored to your rifle by reloading is just as valuable.

More accurate loads = less misses = cheaper shooting.

It's not half price if you're missing half the time ;)
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Re: reload cost per round

Post by petemacsydney » 26 Feb 2014, 8:58 am

Hi Guys, thanks so much for all this info!!
It really helps a noob like me. 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)

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!!
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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 :-)
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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.
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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.
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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.

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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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

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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.
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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.
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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:
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