can any reloader give me an “off the top or your head” cost of reloading 6.8 and .308 ammo? Just basic range target type ammo, not hunting or match competition.
My math was coming up at about .72 cents per round for .308 and that seems kind of high to me (winchester brass and winchester 168 bullet).
I haven’t started reloading yet but hope to shortly.
$0.66 per round for 175 SMKs… assuming I can get 10 loads out of Lapua brass.
I know you aren’t looking for that kind of load… but I don’t know the price of non-Match bullets… so that’s just a reference point for you.
In regards to reloading 6.8, it is closer in price to reloading the other assault rifle cartridge than reloading .308. The most expensive part of course is the brass. You can usually get 10-15 reloads out of your brass, and even more if you learn out to anneal your case mouths and do neck turns. The best bang for your buck 6.8 brass right now is Silver State Armory which is about $.50 per new casing. I mostly reload .223/5.56 because I can get free brass.
Naturally, you save more money if you buy your reloading components in bulk orders. You get bulk pricing, and you reduce your hazmat charges on shipped powders and primers. I’ve found that 8lbs of powder usually gives me between 2000-2500rds of 6.8. So, powder is about $.06 a shot, and about another $.03 a shot for the primer. Powder and primers are so cheap in comparison to the rest of the components, there is no need to go super cheap and sacrifice performance. Bullets are the second most expensive component, and you get what you pay for. One of the cheaper plinking bullets that still has some potential for a good fragementation defensive round is the Speer 90gr TNT. If you buy them in the 650round bulk pack you can usually get them for around $.21 a shot. Hornady also has a 100gr OTM load which runs around $.20 a shot.
So, not counting your brass you are looking at around $.30 a shot for reloading 6.8SPC practice ammo. If you want some better performing 115gr OTM loads like Nosler, you’ll be around $.35 a shot. For barrier blind bullets, or large gaming hunting bullets like the Nosler 110gr Accubond, you’re looking at a jump in price. The Accubonds usually run for around $.50 a bullet, so for that you are looking at around $.60 a shot. Still…much cheaper than buying factory ammo.
A good rule of thumb on reloading is that you usually cut your ammunition costs by around 60% for commonly found cartridges. For rarer cartridges, the savings is even greater for the reloader since their rarity increases the market price. For very common cartridges like 9mm or 5.56, you don’t save as much because you can often buy these cartridges in bulk contract overruns.
I recently ran my 7.62x51 load costs (for a SCAR Heavy) for a friend:
Loading my 2006 components in surplus brass (zero brass cost) using Varget and 150 Hornady FMJBTs and CCI #34 primers: $.2300 Each
Using Benchmark (my current fav) and all Oct-2012 component costs from the likes of Grafs and/or Wideners (bulk purchases): $.3452 Each
The 150 gr Hornady bullet and Benchmark is performing very well for me, but I’ve also had good results with TAC (best velocity, but may be temp sensitive) and Varget. Varget is a no-go for me because it meters poorly through a progressive.
150 Hornady FMJBT in Aussie 7.62 brass; 40.6 Benchmark, CCI #34, SCAR17; NF 2.5-10x32 mounted in a Delta Mount:
5 at 200 Meters:
Followed by 5 at 300 Meters:
I want to know, too.
Given that I have a good supply of once-fired brass, these were my calculations:
17.0¢ Hornady 150gr. bulk bullets
3.9¢ CCI #34 Primer
10.1¢ 40/42 grains Ramshot TAC
~31¢ Total
OR
15.0¢ Widener’s M80 145gr bulk bullets
2.0¢ Wolf Large Magnum Rifle Primer
10.1¢ 40/42 grains Ramshot TAC
~27¢ Total
Am I way off the mark?
RELOADING COST FOR 7.62 NATO
October 2012
Per Each:
150 Hor FMJ 0.1830
CCI #34 Primers 0.0375
0.1248 Benchmark 40.6 grains
Aussie Brass -
[b]$0.3452 Each[/b] (No Brass Cost)
Includes hazmat fees spread between 8 Lbs Powder and 5k primers, plus estimated freight.
Per Box/20 $6.90 20
Per 1000 $345.22 1000
I’ve been surprised how much 6.8 bullets are. So far the cheapest bullets I’ve found are Remington 115 grain FMJs followed by Hornady 110 grain BTHPs.
The Remingtons are about $100/500 at the only place with them in stock $.20 each. The Hornadys are about $21 to $23 per 100 so they are a little more but better bullets. I can’t seem to find the Speer 90 grain HPs for less than $26 per 100.
Primer and powder costs are similar to what folks have said.
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Thanks for all the info folks.
I forgot to factor into the cost that when reloading, I only pay for the brass the first time or when it’s replaced.
Therefore, the cost of reloading is less expensive once you have the brass.
Is there any benefit, or lack of when using military brass or should I just stay with a quality off the shelf brand.
I was told that military brass was thicker and was wondering if that will allow for more times reloading than brand name brass.
Yeah, when it comes to mass produced FMJ bullets, you just won’t find the .277 caliber as common as .224 or .308. It’s just a matter of manufacturer production levels that set those prices, largely based on service use. Match grade, bonded, or ballistic tip bullets are all predictably priced between .224, .277, and .308…in that smaller is cheaper, and bigger is more expensive.
That depends on the caliber and manufacturer. Some manufacturers use a different blend of alloys in the brass, which can lengthen or shorten their service life. After all, most military contracts do not specify reloadability, so why go to the trouble of making casings that need to be reloaded multiple times? Another issue with thicker cases is less case capacity. Less case capacity means less ability to experiement with different powders(since your case volume is more restricted), and smaller case volume means higher operating pressures.
Big, roomier internal case dimensions give you more room to tweak your loads, and you usually can get better accuracy out of them. Not to mention, most commercial .223 manufacturers use better case alloy to allow for reloading.
So, if you are wanting to produce moderately powered plinking ammo, you should have no trouble running either 5.56 NATO or .223. If you are wanting to really milk your reloads well into 10-20 reloads, and produce full powered loads with precision shooting and hunting in mind…then commercial .223 brass is a little better for that.
@Galbrath,
The ammo reloaded would be .308. My next new rifle is/was going to be either a 6.8 or 308 and I have decided on 308.
The 308 seems to have more available components, more variety of bullet types and more mfg models to choose from in the 2k rifle cost range.
I am going away from my 7mm Rem Mag as it’s just too expensive to operate (and it’s a pain of you want to shoot a lot of rounds(only keeping 1 large rifle and 1 .22 cal)). I want to up the frequency of my rifle shooting.
Just to add to the above.
Military brass has a crimped primer, which has to be removed, by either cutting it out or swaggin it out. Just another step that only has to be done once.
Also, lots of cheap, bulk surplus once fired brass has been fired from machine guns. . . ust fyi.
Here’s a question for ya…what do you intend to do with the rifle, and is it a semiauto? I’ve carried 5.56 and .308 on duty, and I can tell you that there is definately a place for an assault rifle, and a battle rifle.
@galbraith
It will be a semi-auto AR style weapon that will be used for hunting med size game, and of course target practice at the range. Maybe take a carbine course or two or a 3g but nothing extensive on that front.
That’s why my OP was 6.8 or .308 reloading cost. It seems the cost is about equal but there are at least a dozen different .308 style bullets for different uses. I think i have seen bullet sizes from 110 grain to 225 grain in the .308.
You could say it will need to be a property defense rifle with barrier effectiveness but I don’t really think San Diego is in line for any major environmental disasters or being overrun by the Mexican Army.
I think that you will find the .308 to be borderline “too much” for a general purpose rifle. We have a few LaRue Predatars in .308, and I was issued one for a while. It is one of the lightest .308s on the market, but when you start adding magnification it gets heafty. I was also issued a M14 when I was in the Army. I have always gotten tossed the big guns because I have always been a big guy. If you intend to use it as a rifle, then it isn’t so bad. You blade to your target, and utilize cover and concealment with a slow-to-moderate rate of fire. Ammo goes fast though when your carry load is limited by ammo weight and size. Now, when you square up on your target, and extend your off-hand to the front sight to fire rapidly and accurately in a dynamic environment…you get slowed down quite a bit. The more I have used .308, the more reason I justify scaling back to an intermediate assault rifle cartridge.
There is absolutely a purpose for .308, and I believe that it is best served as a designated marksman rifle. At typical combat ranges which are usually under 100yrds, but can sometimes get out to 300yrds,…intermediate cartridges are ideal.
+1 The issue with mil 7.62NATO cases and their thicker walls is reduced capacity, which increases pressure compared to the same loads in civilian .308 cases.
FWIW, mil cases do tend to be annealed, which extends case life…