2009 pricing for reloading .30-06
05-23-2009, 08:35 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location:
Posts: 49
2009 pricing for reloading .30-06
I just purchased my first centerfire rifle (a Savage with the new Accustock in .30-06) and I want to know if reloading is going to save me enough money to make it worth my time and money buying equipment (I don't know how much I'm going to shoot it honestly; I guess that depends on the cost, but I'd like to shoot it a lot if possible). The shooting range is right by work (or about a 20-25 minute drive from home), but I don't have a lot of time on my hands (so I want equipment that will expedite the process).
Anyway, to buy target rounds, let's say a box of 20 150 gr. Federal American Eagle ammunition is exactly $18.49 at Midway. I found it a little cheaper at another website, but the cost of shipping made it more expensive. If I buy 3 boxes from Midway and pay $10.49 for shipping, that works out to be about $1.10 a round.
On the high end, if I buy a box of 20 165 gr. Federal Premium Vital-Shok lead-free ammunition to go hunting with, I'm looking at spending about $2.62 per cartridge.
So, my question is; what can I reasonably expect to pay per cartridge if I hand load/reload my own ammunition (including shipping). Assume I've already bought the equipment.
Thanks!
Anyway, to buy target rounds, let's say a box of 20 150 gr. Federal American Eagle ammunition is exactly $18.49 at Midway. I found it a little cheaper at another website, but the cost of shipping made it more expensive. If I buy 3 boxes from Midway and pay $10.49 for shipping, that works out to be about $1.10 a round.
On the high end, if I buy a box of 20 165 gr. Federal Premium Vital-Shok lead-free ammunition to go hunting with, I'm looking at spending about $2.62 per cartridge.
So, my question is; what can I reasonably expect to pay per cartridge if I hand load/reload my own ammunition (including shipping). Assume I've already bought the equipment.
Thanks!
05-23-2009, 01:49 PM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Kansas
Posts: 136
RE: 2009 pricing for reloading .30-06
I load 57gr. of IMR 4350 costing $22.99/lb which will load about 110 rounds.
165gr. Nosler Accubonds $23.99/50 $47.98/100
Pirmers @ $4.00/100
Costs to load 100 rounds yourself $74.97
Cost of the American Eagle ammo without premium bullets per 100 $92.50 plus shipping
Thats with premium bullets. You can buy cheaper bullets and save more.
165gr. Nosler Accubonds $23.99/50 $47.98/100
Pirmers @ $4.00/100
Costs to load 100 rounds yourself $74.97
Cost of the American Eagle ammo without premium bullets per 100 $92.50 plus shipping
Thats with premium bullets. You can buy cheaper bullets and save more.
05-23-2009, 04:13 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: S.W. Pa.-- Heart in North Central Pa. mountains-
Posts: 2,600
RE: 2009 pricing for reloading .30-06
ORIGINAL: bmumford
I just purchased my first centerfire rifle (a Savage with the new Accustock in .30-06) and I want to know if reloading is going to save me enough money to make it worth my time and money buying equipment (I don't know how much I'm going to shoot it honestly; I guess that depends on the cost, but I'd like to shoot it a lot if possible). The shooting range is right by work (or about a 20-25 minute drive from home), but I don't have a lot of time on my hands (so I want equipment that will expedite the process).
Anyway, to buy target rounds, let's say a box of 20 150 gr. Federal American Eagle ammunition is exactly $18.49 at Midway. I found it a little cheaper at another website, but the cost of shipping made it more expensive. If I buy 3 boxes from Midway and pay $10.49 for shipping, that works out to be about $1.10 a round.
On the high end, if I buy a box of 20 165 gr. Federal Premium Vital-Shok lead-free ammunition to go hunting with, I'm looking at spending about $2.62 per cartridge.
So, my question is; what can I reasonably expect to pay per cartridge if I hand load/reload my own ammunition (including shipping). Assume I've already bought the equipment.
Thanks!
I just purchased my first centerfire rifle (a Savage with the new Accustock in .30-06) and I want to know if reloading is going to save me enough money to make it worth my time and money buying equipment (I don't know how much I'm going to shoot it honestly; I guess that depends on the cost, but I'd like to shoot it a lot if possible). The shooting range is right by work (or about a 20-25 minute drive from home), but I don't have a lot of time on my hands (so I want equipment that will expedite the process).
Anyway, to buy target rounds, let's say a box of 20 150 gr. Federal American Eagle ammunition is exactly $18.49 at Midway. I found it a little cheaper at another website, but the cost of shipping made it more expensive. If I buy 3 boxes from Midway and pay $10.49 for shipping, that works out to be about $1.10 a round.
On the high end, if I buy a box of 20 165 gr. Federal Premium Vital-Shok lead-free ammunition to go hunting with, I'm looking at spending about $2.62 per cartridge.
So, my question is; what can I reasonably expect to pay per cartridge if I hand load/reload my own ammunition (including shipping). Assume I've already bought the equipment.
Thanks!
Well, here's the kicker......One particular brand of factory ammo may shoot well in your rifle. Another may not. Simply because one is cheaper than the other to me is no basis to be buying ammo on. If the cheap stuff does it for you, fine and good. But it may also take a premium ammo to shoot better. MAYBE.
The crux of reloading is to tailor-make ammo for your particular rifle that will most likely be cheaper than the factory stuff, and should work out to be the most accurate also.
It DOES cost a bit to get into reloading. However, if you feel serious about getting the most out of your rifle, it's the only way to go. You've been given a close breakdown bycjohnson3006 here in relative terms as to cost. If you feel that you would like to shoot more at a reduced price, reloading is the answer, but you will have to absorb the cost of getting set up with equipment. I AM gonna warn you right off the bat that reloading is addictive. It can lead to more shooting (which is really good for you), and creates an itch for more things (guns) to load for. Hope this helped???
........
05-23-2009, 05:21 PM
#4
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Comance county, OK
Posts: 11,408
RE: 2009 pricing for reloading .30-06
Because i boughttons of reloading materials on sale a couple of years ago; my reloading costs for .30-06 deer hunting loads are as follows:
Powder, 50 grains of IMR 3031= $.13
Bullet, 150 grain Sierra SPBT=.16
Primer, Winchester, LR=.02
Total .31 per round. $31.00 per hundred rounds.
BTW: This is an excellentdeer load. The 150 grain Sierra SPBT and the 150 grain Sierra Game King bullets have dropped over 200 deer for me in the past 40+ years.
Powder, 50 grains of IMR 3031= $.13
Bullet, 150 grain Sierra SPBT=.16
Primer, Winchester, LR=.02
Total .31 per round. $31.00 per hundred rounds.
BTW: This is an excellentdeer load. The 150 grain Sierra SPBT and the 150 grain Sierra Game King bullets have dropped over 200 deer for me in the past 40+ years.
05-23-2009, 07:46 PM
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location:
Posts: 122
RE: 2009 pricing for reloading .30-06
Reloading with a 165 gr. Nosler Accubond's cost me about 75 cents per round, just like cjohnson3006 states. To reload a round with 165 gr Sierra Gameking BTSP's, it's about 55 cents per round.
I figure that I can reload a round for about 1/3 the cost of a Federal Premium round. That's pretty good savings, and a lot of fun.
I also have to agree that reloading is addictive. I started out with shotshells, and then moved to metallic cartridges. Now, I spend almost all of my time reloading for rifle cartridges. It's a great hobby.
Just like it's more fun to catch a fish on a fly that you tied, it's more fun to harvest an animal with a round that you loaded.
BTW -- congrats on the new rifle.
I figure that I can reload a round for about 1/3 the cost of a Federal Premium round. That's pretty good savings, and a lot of fun.
I also have to agree that reloading is addictive. I started out with shotshells, and then moved to metallic cartridges. Now, I spend almost all of my time reloading for rifle cartridges. It's a great hobby.
Just like it's more fun to catch a fish on a fly that you tied, it's more fun to harvest an animal with a round that you loaded.
BTW -- congrats on the new rifle.
05-23-2009, 07:56 PM
#8
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location:
Posts: 49
RE: 2009 pricing for reloading .30-06
ORIGINAL: falcon
Because i bought tons of reloading materials on sale a couple of years ago; my reloading costs for .30-06 deer hunting loads are as follows:
Powder, 50 grains of IMR 3031=Â $.13
Bullet, 150 grain Sierra SPBT=Â Â Â Â Â Â .16Â
Primer, Winchester, LR=Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .02Â
Total                                      .31 per round. Â
$31.00 per hundred rounds.Â
BTW: This is an excellent deer load. The 150 grain Sierra SPBT and the 150 grain Sierra Game King bullets have dropped over 200 deer for me in the past 40+ years.Â
Wow, that's excellent!
06-15-2009, 06:09 PM
#10
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 210
RE: 2009 pricing for reloading .30-06
First off, congrats on your new purchase. I was in the WV store a while ago and they did have some pretty nice guns down there. So, the way I look at it, is the cheap ammo you can buy will indeed make your gun effective. But as the old saying goes....you get what you pay for. Chances are, if you buy a cheap box of 20 30.06 shells the chances of getting flyers is great. If you buy the premium loaded stuff, you can greatly increase your precision. If you reload and do it right, you can increase your precision greatly, and decrease your cost, greatly. So, to me, if I load and get better precision and it's cheaper it is better for me.