Cost reduction for 65 reloading

[R2BRO]

I'll start with brass, the new brass from Hornady costs around 38c/piece, even in quantity. Then i pay around $34 for 100 of 123gr sst bullets, plus of course price of powder+Primer.

Of course the price goes down the moment you reuse the case. But the thing is, i found hornady black ammo 123gr ELD match for 74c per round. Now, do you think its just more beneficial to buy that one and shoot first time and reuse its case, rather than buy components as listed above from scratch?

[centerfire]

If that specific ammunition is what you want to shoot then $.74/ea is a great way to get into reloadable brass. If you don't plan on shooting 123gr ELDM then Black may just end up being expensive blaster ammo, regardless of how good the deal is.

[rabiddawg]

[R2BRO]

but why 86c?

i decided to make some calculation, say i use CFE223 powder which needs 31.2gr for 123gr SST bullet.

now:
31.2gr = 0.004457143 lbs
8 lbs can be used for 8/0.004457143 = 1794 rounds

Price of poweder per round: $170 (8 lbs jar) / 1794 = 9.5c

Primers REM 7 1/2 $30/1000, price of single primer = 3c

case, new case 38c, if reused 8 times, 38/8 = 4.75c (per case effectively)

Bullet I justfound 123gr SST for 28c
=====
TOTAL = 9.5+3+4.75+28 = 45.25c per quality reloaded 123gr round

any comments on above? or maybe on ideas how to even beat the above price?

[GREYBUFF]

Reloading isn't just about cost savings. If you want to shoot long range and you do it right, you can load much more accurate/consistent cartridges than mass produced factory rounds.

[R2BRO]

GREYBUFF i know that

im still interested in comments regarding the pricing per reloaded round computation above

[Mesa1978]

As long as you don't take the cost of your labor and reloading asset investment into account, reloading will normally cost less than factory.

[lazyengineer]

I'm struggling a little with this as well.

With 6.5 Creedmoor; loaded ammo can be had for as low as $0.65/shot for brass cased ammo; if you really know how to shop. Great source for brass casings to then reload. Also, 6.5 CM is common enough, that I'm starting to find casing on the ground. Not a lot, but some. So with reloading, brass value has some cost, but not so bad.

With .223, brass is free on the ground pretty much everywhere. It truly is a zero cost component of reloading (depending on your ranges).

With 6.5 Grendel. Holy shit. Loaded ammo is $1/shot. If you have a line on Hornady brass cased ammo for $0.74/round delivered and in hand after tax, please tell me where. And brass on the ground is non-existent. You can run 7.62x39 casings, which can be found on the ground but the way everyone around here acts it's like: ZOMG ONLY DESPERATE POOR PEOPLE DO THAT!! So.... uh, OK then. Meanwhile, I've got a small pile of pick-up 7.62x39 brass I'll be running. Back on topic, you can buy 6.5 Grendel brass, but at 35 cents a casing. Which while a great deal I suppose, it's still sort of well... crap. .35+.04+.30+.08 = why-the-Hell-am-I-Buying-Brass?--OH-yea-because-ammo-prices-are-absurd!

But wait, it gets worse; somehow small primer low pressure Grendel brass supposedly goes loose primer pocket on everyone in like 4 loadings; which is a fast rate of depreciation. I haven't run that many loadings to tell myself on that yet; but how the Hell a low P small primer fat-head (lot's o' strong supporting brass) does that, I have no idea. But it is a nice extra slap in the face in the world of $1/round ammo.

FWIW, I got lucky and found a forum member dumping their once-fired brass for about 13 cents a casing, so bought almost 500 of those. That helps. Also, I found Speer TNT 90's with rebate for on the order of 14 cents a bullet. I also got some good deals on primers. So combining that, I can be running:
.13+.03+.14+0.08 = $0.38/shot for decent hunting quality 1.5 (or better) MOA ammo. Which is good. I like that better.


And meanwhile, I can buy 2 - 2.5 MOA Wolf Steel 6.5G for $0.27/shot delivered in hand.

So far, I've shot well over 400 rounds through my Grendel; and will easily be over 1000 rounds before it's 1 year old. If all of that was factory Brass ammo, I would quickly exceed the purchase price I have invested in the gun! Thank God for Wolf Steel. My advise, buy a lot of Wolf Steel now, while you can.

[centerfire]

With 6.5 Grendel. Holy shit. Loaded ammo is $1/shot. If you have a line on Hornady brass cased ammo for $0.74/round delivered and in hand after tax, please tell me where. And brass on the ground is non-existent. You can run 7.62x39 casings, which can be found on the ground but the way everyone around here acts it's like: ZOMG ONLY DESPERATE POOR PEOPLE DO THAT!! So.... uh, OK then. Meanwhile, I've got a small pile of pick-up 7.62x39 brass I'll be running. Back on topic, you can buy 6.5 Grendel brass, but at 35 cents a casing. Which while a great deal I suppose, it's still sort of well... crap. .35+.04+.30+.08 = why-the-Hell-am-I-Buying-Brass?--OH-yea-because-ammo-prices-are-absurd!

Despite what some people think there is only Hornady Black and Hornady SST reliably available on the shelf. I don't shoot either of those by choice so that leave reloading. My loaded cost for 107TMK with new brass is $.74ea.

Don't load everything balls hot with pressure signs and you'll get more than four firings out of your brass. I can ruin any cartridge you can think of in just one firing if I try hard enough.

[A5BLASTER]

OP what I'm bout too say is in no means a cut are dig at you are anyone else, it's just how I look at things.

If your main thought when it comes to reloading for a grendel is how much it cost me per round, you are worried about the wrong thing.

Me personally I'm not really worried what it cost too load for my rifle and I'm at home on workers comp. Sure I got savings but still I'm not worried about what it cost.

Why? Because there is no factory ammo I can buy that will give me the groups and consistency that my handloads will and the price for some factory ammo that is loaded with the bullets I want to shot is absurdly high.

Now yes if you can get factory hornady for under a 1buck a shot then yes it's worth buying it, use it for range time, trigger and shot technique work, setting gas and checking function and barrel break in and then reload the brass. I did that as well.

Now I just buy new Starline and just don't worrie about the price per round cost of my loadings because factory ammo will never be as good as my handloads.

Seeing what it it cost friends and family to load for their creedmoors, 270 winchester, 308, 300wm,243 and 7mm-08 it don't cost nothing too load for grendel.

Sorry if it ruffles some feathers but there it is your worring about the wrong thing.

[A5BLASTER]

I'm struggling a little with this as well.

With 6.5 Creedmoor; loaded ammo can be had for as low as $0.65/shot for brass cased ammo; if you really know how to shop. Great source for brass casings to then reload. Also, 6.5 CM is common enough, that I'm starting to find casing on the ground. Not a lot, but some. So with reloading, brass value has some cost, but not so bad.

With .223, brass is free on the ground pretty much everywhere. It truly is a zero cost component of reloading (depending on your ranges).

With 6.5 Grendel. Holy shit. Loaded ammo is $1/shot. If you have a line on Hornady brass cased ammo for $0.74/round delivered and in hand after tax, please tell me where. And brass on the ground is non-existent. You can run 7.62x39 casings, which can be found on the ground but the way everyone around here acts it's like: ZOMG ONLY DESPERATE POOR PEOPLE DO THAT!! So.... uh, OK then. Meanwhile, I've got a small pile of pick-up 7.62x39 brass I'll be running. Back on topic, you can buy 6.5 Grendel brass, but at 35 cents a casing. Which while a great deal I suppose, it's still sort of well... crap. .35+.04+.30+.08 = why-the-Hell-am-I-Buying-Brass?--OH-yea-because-ammo-prices-are-absurd!

But wait, it gets worse; somehow small primer low pressure Grendel brass supposedly goes loose primer pocket on everyone in like 4 loadings; which is a fast rate of depreciation. I haven't run that many loadings to tell myself on that yet; but how the Hell a low P small primer fat-head (lot's o' strong supporting brass) does that, I have no idea. But it is a nice extra slap in the face in the world of $1/round ammo.

FWIW, I got lucky and found a forum member dumping their once-fired brass for about 13 cents a casing, so bought almost 500 of those. That helps. Also, I found Speer TNT 90's with rebate for on the order of 14 cents a bullet. I also got some good deals on primers. So combining that, I can be running:
.13+.03+.14+0.08 = $0.38/shot for decent hunting quality 1.5 (or better) MOA ammo. Which is good. I like that better.


And meanwhile, I can buy 2 - 2.5 MOA Wolf Steel 6.5G for $0.27/shot delivered in hand.

So far, I've shot well over 400 rounds through my Grendel; and will easily be over 1000 rounds before it's 1 year old. If all of that was factory Brass ammo, I would quickly exceed the purchase price I have invested in the gun! Thank God for Wolf Steel. My advise, buy a lot of Wolf Steel now, while you can.

You need to learn too use Google fuu. I have never ordered ammo online and paid a buck a round for it unless I was ordering from PF or AA.

[nawagner]

I usually don't buy brass unless it's something odd that just isn't what I want in a factory round. Like 480 Ruger. There are no factory loads I like, so I'm starting from scratch with purchased brass. Otherwise starting with a factory load and then using brass to reload future ammo is the way I go. initial shot per round is higher but drops significantly moving forward.

Like everyone else, price is not the main reason I reload. Building a load that matches your gun for best results, knowledge, not relying on finding factory ammo, and OCD are reasons I reload. If those reasons also get me lower cost per shot, I get to shoot more!!

[rabiddawg]

but why 86c?

i decided to make some calculation, say i use CFE223 powder which needs 31.2gr for 123gr SST bullet.

now:
31.2gr = 0.004457143 lbs
8 lbs can be used for 8/0.004457143 = 1794 rounds

Price of poweder per round: $170 (8 lbs jar) / 1794 = 9.5c

Primers REM 7 1/2 $30/1000, price of single primer = 3c

case, new case 38c, if reused 8 times, 38/8 = 4.75c (per case effectively)

Bullet I justfound 123gr SST for 28c
=====
TOTAL = 9.5+3+4.75+28 = 45.25c per quality reloaded 123gr round

any comments on above? or maybe on ideas how to even beat the above price?

100 nosler bt cost .46 per

Imr8208 was over $200 for 8 pounds. Iirc, 220-230ish

I use cci450’s don’t recall what paid.

[daved20319]

I just ran the same calculation, using new Starline brass, Hornady 123 gr. ELD-M bullets, H335 powder, and CCI primers, I came up with .90/rd, with brass being the single most expensive component @ .45/each. All pricing was regular retail at Midway. If you were only getting 5 reloads per case, a conservative number from what I've been reading, that brings the cost per round down to .56/rd, about half what you'll pay for decent ammo, and a quarter of the cost of the expensive stuff. Bulk buys, sales, etc. can bring the cost down even more.

Yeah, you've got an investment in time and equipment, but the time gets lumped into the "anything guns=fun" category, and the equipment cost gets amortized with every round loaded, and that amortization goes even quicker with an expensive cartridge like the Grendel. But A5 is right, if you're reloading just for the cost savings, you should probably find a different hobby . For me, reloading is almost a hobby of its own, being able to shoot more, and with better ammo, for the same or less is just icing on the cake. I did the same thing when I was into air guns, I enjoyed tinkering and modifying them so much that my air gun hobby morphed into a home machinist hobby, something useful with the firearms, too. But hey, we all have our priorities, if saving money is where it's at for you, go for it. Later.

Dave

[41bear]

but why 86c?

i decided to make some calculation, say i use CFE223 powder which needs 31.2gr for 123gr SST bullet.

now:
31.2gr = 0.004457143 lbs
8 lbs can be used for 8/0.004457143 = 1794 rounds

Price of poweder per round: $170 (8 lbs jar) / 1794 = 9.5c

Primers REM 7 1/2 $30/1000, price of single primer = 3c

case, new case 38c, if reused 8 times, 38/8 = 4.75c (per case effectively)

Bullet I justfound 123gr SST for 28c
=====
TOTAL = 9.5+3+4.75+28 = 45.25c per quality reloaded 123gr round

any comments on above? or maybe on ideas how to even beat the above price?

Your price is very close to what I came up with about a year ago, 47 cents per round, and with the known accuracy thrown in I'll take that price point all day long.