BigBob .30-06 truer words were never spoken.

I don' t know about you guys, but I spend a bit more on my reloads. I use a premium bullet and can do a box for about $8-10. It makes sense to me. I also like the accuracy, but have a hard time getting a whole lot more accurate than the Federal Premiums. Of course, Fed. Premiums cost a whole lot more.

Unless you buy in bulk, a box of Sierra Game King 180 grain boattails will cost you about $18-20. For calculation purposes, that makes the cost of a bullet about 20 cents. A typical load for .30-06 uses about 15-20 cents worth of IMR4350, again depending upon whether you get a good deal on powder or buy in bulk. Primers are about 1 1/2 cents each. Assuming you are reloading your own brass and don' t have to buy new brass, that puts the cost of a reload at 35 to 40 cents per shell, give or take. At 40 cents per shell, that makes the cost of a box of 20 about $8.00. Using a premium bullet like say, Nosler Partition brings the price up to about $13.00/box. With Swift A-frame, just under $20.00 (cost of each bullet is about 88 cents)

Now, you can get a box of .30-06 shells for about that at Walmart, but you won' t have the quality you can get from reloads if you are a careful reloader. I took the liberty of checking a few prices from the Fall Cabelas catalog:
Winchester Power Point 180 grain ---------------$16.99
Winchester Supreme (180 Nosler Partition)------24.99
Remington 180 Core Loct--------------------------12.79
Remington Safari Grade (Swift A-frame 180)----26.99

To recap, what you get by reloading is better quality for less money. If you choose, you can load top of the line bullets. You can also go cheaper with less well-constructed bullets. For whitetailed deer, it makes no sense to use a bullet costing close to a dollar when the 15-20 cent bullet will do the job.

The point we were making is this: When I started reloading it was for .357mag at the time I could reload for about half what the factory rounds were. So at the range I' d shoot 100 rounds not 50 ..... didn' t " save a thing just shot more.

ya. thats what i wana do. i need to get out more and shoot more with my 30-06. thats what i want to do.

reloading is spelled " RCBS" Period.

Yes Lyman makes some fine products as does forester, Wilson, Dillon......others too, Hornady' s A/P is a very fine press.....

I equate Lee to Yugo

thnks for the info guys. i aprecate it

mrfishy, I am glad you brought this up because like you, I to want yo get into reloading. I was wandering if anyone could give advice as to what reloading manual would be best suited to a greenhorn. One that gives the differences of powders. stick, ball ,etc... also what kind of high quality scale do you recommend? I have saved 30-06 brass for years now and have over 5000 pieces of brass. Another question. how many times can you reload 30-06 brass with avg charges.How do you know when the brass is getting to weak? I also heard that the wall thickness of brass is different from one maker to the other. So if you were going to buy brass as I will have to do for my new 338, which brand? where do I find suppliers.also I think that rock chucker sounds pretty good, so I will check into that. Thanks everyone DAKOTA NUT 5.

BigBob said it right, it' s just plain more fun to shoot something you had a hand in making too. I' m just starting myself and I,m hooked already. Made up 40 rds. and I,m really wanting to get out and try them out. Loaded up four different loads just to see what shoots best. Then I' ll try some more!!!

sounds about right

every one i have talked to on and off this site said that they started to save some money and shoot more and they said the ended up gettin addicted to it

Dakota Nut5.....I recommend Hodgdon' s reloading manual in hardcover. It has three companies powders in it and I' ve found it to be in tune with all my rifles.

Other really good manuals is Hornady' s and Lymans....Speer' s is fine too.....Nosler' s has left me wondering a few times and I have no experience with Speer' s manual.

30-06 cases can be fired five to ten times and the first sign of loss is a split neck or a ring around the case about 1/4" foreward of the head of the case. This ring is caused by headspace and is not dangerous.....however if the case is not discarded when the ring appears, the case will break in half in the chamber and leave the foreward end of the case in the chamber when you eject the case. It comes out easily but it' s not something you want to happen on a deer hunting trip.