Reloading - talk me in or out of it

[TexHill]

First, a little background. I've been shooting for years, but I've never really wanted or needed to get into reloading. I've always used common rifle calibers, and I mostly hunt and target shoot so the selection of off the shelf ammo has always been good enough. But now that I'm getting into 6.5 Grendel (I've got 2 uppers ordered) I'm looking into reloading because of the lack of off the shelf ammo in 6.5 Grendel that uses the Barnes' TSX bullet. So far I've only been able to find one retailer - Alexander Arms - that offers ammo using the TSX bullet, and they're asking $40 for a box of 20.

I did some basic component pricing using Midway USA, and unless I'm missing something I can load my own rounds for $1.43 ea. (that's using the TSX bullets, Starline brass, CCI #41 primers, and IMR 8208 powder). This of course does not include my initial cost of buying the equipment to get started up.

So, what is your advice going forward? Do the results justify the cost of entry? What equipment would I need, and what brands should I purchase?

Thank you in advance for your help!

[lazyengineer]

My own advise - in general reloading is a hobby unto itself, and unless you enjoy doing it, for the common rounds like .223/9mm, etc - it's really not worth it. While there is savings, that savings tends to be diluted by unaccounted for expenses such as the initial equipment (plus of course the expanded equipment over time), and the inventory of components cost; which is never all used to exhaustion. i.e. when you run out of bullets, you still have half a jug of powder, etc. So while the cost/round calculation is nice, it isn't usually that accurate, as it leaves all that out.

That said, 6.5 Grendel is another world, as the cost/round is IMHO excessive, at $1/shot for basic ammo; and goes up from there. You can buy match quality .223 77 gr SMK' ammo pre-loaded for 50 cents a shot, if you hit the sales just right; and brass cased 55 ball for a quarter. With Grendel, not so much. In the end, my suggestion is that it comes down to round count. If you shoot 1,000 rounds a year, you should reload; if you shoot less than 100 rounds/year of brass cased ammo (and make up for the difference with steel), then just pay the premium for pre-made commercial ammo. Unless you are already tooled up and already enjoy the reloading.

Also, bear in mind that with Grendel, you can sell your once fired brass for >25 cents a casing; drastically lowering your factory ammunition cost, if you keep up with it and keep track.

That's my 2 cents.

[grayfox]

It's actually your decision b/c there are lots of variables only you can quantify. You say you get "good enough" from COTS ammo but what is good enough? And what purposes would you use your Grendel.

Typically if you reload for only one caliber it might be debatable whether to reload, since how many rounds/year will you shoot and what expectation of accuracy?

I would advise that you consider each caliber and decide if you can do better in them with handloads than COTS ammo - (which pretty much every serious shooter would agree to that you can)... but if 1.5-2 moa is good enough then you can do that as well with commercial ammo in the GRR.

As to your cost numbers... I get more like $0.92-0.96 per reload with Barnes bullets of $0.70/ea. The brass gets discounted b/c you can use it 5-10 times, primer costs $0.035-0.04 (cci450), powder- 30 gr out of 1 lb is ~$0.125-0.128/round; then some cost for your equipment but you don't include that and should amortize it over 10-20 years anyway.

Unless you're committed to the Barnes and the more expensive bullets, this ballpark cost could apply to each caliber. Lots of us however shoot several other bullets successfully so cost/round is even lower for those rifles. And accuracy better. Plus the enjoyment of the journey, IMO better that simply "COTS" ammo all the way.

I don't mind having 1 or 2 commercial loads for a rifle to shoot, matter of fact it's a great idea... but I get more accuracy and fun in handloads even for those cases.

[Popeye212]

As said above it really depends on how much you intend to shoot. I started reloading so I could shoot more. Cheaper to reload than buy plus I could make better ammo and enjoy the satisfaction of making my own. I also have the choice of what I want to shoot, not what is available on shelf. I am also not affected as much by shortages. It is also good therapy.

[BobinNC]

So let's run the math: Reloading 6.5 Grendel vs COTS ammo

For this exercise we will compare 1,000 rounds: Note: I'm disregarding shipping because both ammo and reloading components at the greatest discount have to be shipped, and I'm just considering it a wash.

First COTS Ammo per 1,000 rounds:

AA 6.5 Grendel $31.66 per 20 or $1.583 per round, or $1583. per thousand

Less: Selling 1x fired AA Lapua Brass $.50 per case or $500. for 1,000

Net Total Cost for COTS Ammo: $1083.00 or $1.08 per round if you sell your brass


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Reloading: Note: For convenience I'm going to us Midway prices. Shopping around can get you better deals, sometimes.

Brass 100 Lapua 6.5 Grendel (to be reloaded 10 times each) $94.49
Primers: CCI 450 SR Mag Primers per 1,000 $34.99
Powder: AR Comp 28 Grains. 28,000 grains for 1,000 rounds. Divided by 7,000 grains per lb. = 4 Lbs of Powder @ $27.99 per lb. = $111.96
Bullets: Barnes Tipped Triple-Shock 120 grains $32.99 per 50 = $.6598 per bullet x 1,000 bullets = $660.

Adding: $ 94.99
$ 34.99
$111.96
$660.00

Grand total: $901.94 or $.90 per round

Not much savings compared to buying AA factory loads. However, if you choose a different bullet like say a 120 Gr Speer Gold Dot @ $.26 a bullet instead of $.66 per bullet you can reduce your reloading cost by .40 per round to .$50, and save an additional $400. per thousand rounds reloaded.

Then reloading 1,000 rounds would cost only $501.94 vs $1083.00 (and selling your 1x fired brass) for a "savings" of $581.06 per thousand. After less than 2,000 rounds reloaded any reloading equipment you buy will be fully amortized and it's costs recovered.

[Randy99CL]

Those Barnes bullets are costly. One of the reasons I got into handloading was expense; I'm on SS and $1+ per round is not acceptable.
I go the opposite direction and buy the cheapest bullets that give good performance. The Speer 90g TNT (that many here use successfully) are infrequently on sale for as low as 16c each so a reloaded round can cost as little as 32 cents.
Do you live in California?

But the equipment cost can overwhelm you if you're not careful. There are starter kits that don't cost a fortune and will let you try it without investing too much.
Johnny's Reloading Bench has a great beginners' video series and he does load for his 6.5 Grendel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lDL9tUnfVQ&list=PLTTrjvDib94l4NNyug0efjXsXokBksmRa

[JASmith]

DON’T Start!!

Reloading is an addictive habit that will distract you from a whole bunch of things while chasing that ideal load!

One’s spouse and kids will wonder where you went unless you have the foresight to get them hooked too.

BUT, some of us, the time, money, and effort is well spent as we learn more about shooting than we dreamed was possible!

[Labrat198]

Another consideration is how much time you have. For every hour I spend at the range, I probably spend 2 or 3 in my basement.

As a cost savings venture, its not really worth it but if you are interested in reloading as a new hobby then go for it.

If you are interested in reloading as a new hobby, I would recommend checking places such as craigslist for presses and scales just to get you started. You can always upgrade later and it will keep your initial investment lower.

[BobinNC]

Another consideration is how much time you have. For every hour I spend at the range, I probably spend 2 or 3 in my basement.

As a cost savings venture, its not really worth it but if you are interested in reloading as a new hobby then go for it.

If you are interested in reloading as a new hobby, I would recommend checking places such as craigslist for presses and scales just to get you started. You can always upgrade later and it will keep your initial investment lower.

E-Bay is also an excellent source of used Reloading gear. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...Condition=3000

[TexHill]

Do you live in California?

No sir, I don't live in California, but I have been rethinking my bullet selection for hunting after watching the following video:

For those that don't have the patience to watch, Mr. Selby discusses how bullets such as Hornady's ELD-X and SST are really match ammo marketed as hunting rounds. These rounds have thin jackets and as a result they don't reliably penetrate game. They break apart when they hit the shoulder and can't be depended on to reliably hit the vital organs.

The Barnes TSX bullets, being all copper, can be depended on to penetrate to the vital organs because there isn't a jacket to shed.

[Bigs28]

I would ignore any thought of saving money. I think of it as something i enjoy doing. Chasing accuracy nodes is fun for me. Safely experimenting with different bullets and powders is something i enjoy doing. It's time consuming and tedious but if you have the time i find it rewarding. Going to the range and shooting the same factory ammo everyday gets boring. Bringing note pads and recording velocities and group sizes just gives me an extra thing to do with my shooting.

[grayfox]

TH, I have killed a few deer (albeit only a few) with the SST although in a different caliber, and they most certainly performed excellently for me, opening up, bone smash, deer DRT's - 2 does, a 5-pointer and a 10-pointer..... there are lots of real-world results posted on here with both of those bullets (and more) from better hunters than I. And no the lead scare doesn't bother me b/c I part out any meat that damaged.
But the choices are up to you. the TSX's of the world are definitely great as long as you stay up high enough in entry velocity.
Shot placement.
Shot placement.
Bullet selection for the shot placement.

But again, it's all up to you.
I might add selfishly to recommend you keep buying the COTS ammo and leave the reloading components for me -- LOL!!!
Plus that helps in Grendel ammo sales so we all can win from your purchases.....

[A5BLASTER]

No sir, I don't live in California, but I have been rethinking my bullet selection for hunting after watching the following video:

For those that don't have the patience to watch, Mr. Selby discusses how bullets such as Hornady's ELD-X and SST are really match ammo marketed as hunting rounds. These rounds have thin jackets and as a result they don't reliably penetrate game. They break apart when they hit the shoulder and can't be depended on to reliably hit the vital organs.

The Barnes TSX bullets, being all copper, can be depended on to penetrate to the vital organs because there isn't a jacket to shed.

If you enjoy collecting data and are anal about messurments and doing things yourself and having the best. Then reloading is for you, if not just buy ammo over the counter.

As far as the Mr. Selby. I would be willing to bet there is a pile of dead game animals so high that himself and every person he physically has ever meet could eat in a lifetime that has had their lights punched out by the so called match type hunting bullets compared too bonded and all copper.

I like copper myself but I'm not scared one bit too take a shot with a eld-m or x, sst because if I do my job it will do it's job, bullet placement will always win.

[grayfox]

The one limitation that Barnes bullets have in 6.5 is the relatively high opening V minimum, ~2000 ft/s. The Noslers, SST's ELd's and even more recent Lehigh or the Accubonds have lower minimums, Accubond all the way down to 1300 ft/s... that makes these more appealing to the Grrrr shooters.

[grendelnubi]

I have seen Mr Selby's video some time back and I have to agree for the most part of what he says, he makes a lot of sense but it is from his hunting perspective, Elk hunting with large magnum cartridges like the 300 RUM, 300 HH. He would not even consider using a Grendel in his hunting senario and I would not expect him to. Potentially match grade projectiles should work at Grendel speeds shooting deer size game within most of the kill ranges we have documented on this forum. Shooting a match grade projectile thru the shoulder or hip would not be my preferred option.

My hunting situation is different from his. The largest "game" animal I hunt is deer and right now my choice is the 6.5 Grendel, much slower projectile than the magnum carteridges. I don't use match bullets for hunting simply because I don't have to.

Tex, for me, its not about the cost, reloading opens up opportunities to use any projectile that works best in my rifles. Also I'm not dependent on factory ammo offerings. Lets face it, Grendel ammo is not the largest sales, you can not walk in every box store and find it. Over the last several months I have not seen any Grendel in my local Academy, but I don't really care because I have everything I need to shoot.

My key take away from Mr Selby's video is choose the right projectile for the situation and reloading is what opens this opportunity for everyone that does it.