Ruger Precision Rifle

.70 cents a round? That must be for cheap 147gr FMJ ammo and not match grade stuff. Match stuff here is a good $1.50 or more for .308 and 6.5 CM. Match .260 is $2 or more per round. Don't look for premium ammo as Federal Premium is not precision match ammo. The key word is MATCH. If it doesn't say that it isn't for a precision match gun.

If you get a RPR you really should be using match ammo to get the most you can out of the rifle especially in 6.5 CM. The cheap .70 cent per round ammo is really only good for short ranges as it is not consistent enough to be good at distance The 6.5 CM round isn't a round to be shooting at 100 yards as all the ballistic benefits really shine at distances in excess of 500 yards out to 1400 yards. If cheap plinking ammo is the goal for shorter distances you really should go .308.

Reloading prices are also similar between. 308 and 6.5 CM for match grade ammo. The powder is the same price, the primers are the same and the 6.5 bullets are actually slightly cheaper. The only edge to .308 is cheap brass as Hornady, Norma and Nosler are not cheap for 6.5 CM bit the brass does perform well.

That's a sweet deal at 70 cents a round for that stuff. The brass alone is almost worth that!

The bolt face for the .308. 6.5 CM, .260, 243, 6mm CM, 6.5 x47 Lapua, 6 x47 Lapua is all the same. All you have to do is swap out the barrel.

I got Nosler brass ofd a clearance rack in .308. It's decent brass and it's all very consistent but normally pretty pricey.

Most stick with the Hornady brass and get excellent accuracy. Usually 10-15 firings on Hornady brass till the primer pockets get loose and they need tossed.

Trent,
If you want a 308..then more power to you. I have both 308's and 6.5's.....yes, you can shoot 308's for SLIGHTLY less $$$$ than 6.5 CM's....and 308 will certainly give you better barrel life....no doubt.

But....

For slightly more ammo cost, and for less BBL life, you can shoot 6.5 CM, with less recoil, and approx 20-25% less drop and wind deflection.....

While I have a couple of GREAT .308 precision rifles, I shoot my 6.5's more......

YMMV

Best,

Will

You seem WAY too concerned about the price of ammo. That's like deciding you want a sports car and then stressing out over which one will get slightly better gas mileage.

I handload for 6.5x47 Lapua and find this much cheaper than factory ammo, even though I'm based in the UK. The price is actually cheaper than .308 if you negate the cost of the cases. I'm using 123gr Lapua Scenar's with CCI 450 small rifle magnum primers and ~39gr of Reload Swiss RS60 (similar to Reloder 17) and the total cost per hundred rounds is £45 which is approximately $63.50 USD at todays exchange rate. I imagine that the creedmore would be more affordable to shoot as it doesn't require as much powder, may not require the small rifle magnum primer and the cost of cases are equivalent.

I expect the Lapua brass to last a long time as I'm not running extremely hot loads and I'm using a neck size bushing. Other guys running a load like this are getting 10+ reloads with no problems.

For reference, my .308 handloads are around £50 per hundred or $71 USD in "real money." Not much in it, but I see the 6.5mm as a superior bullet for long range so it's a win-win that the 6.5mm is cheaper to load.

Buy your powder and primers in bulk when they go on sale and various places and stock up on bullets when they are on sale too. You're looking at pennies difference in 308 and 6.5 per round.

If you can afford the rifle and a quality optic, I'd say those pennies aren't going to make a hill of beans difference in the big scheme of things. But you do what you want, just doesn't make sense to me.

I can't imagine having to buy ammo for a rifle I was going to shoot a lot.

And since it's nothing for me to go through 200 rounds a day in 308, yea, cost does matter.

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In that case, ease and cost of barrel replacement should be a factor as well.

I chose the .308 RPR because I don't shoot past 650 yards and I shoot a lot. I'd be buying barrels every year which I'm not going to even contemplate. Match grade .308 weighed charge ammo costs me 40 cents a round to reload . 175 grain 41.7 grains of IMR 4064 with a C.O.A.L. of 2.822" . Got a bucket full. I'll size, trim, polish, weigh and charge 100 rounds per day in my spare time when I'm out.

trentcwwilson said:

The rifle I'm looking at is not chambered in 6.5x47. Neither are any one the aftermarket barrels. And since it's nothing for me to go through 200 rounds a day in 308, yea, cost does matter.

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I understand you aren't looking for 6.5x47 Lapua but this calibre takes the same bullets and powder, large rifle primers are similar in price to small rifle magnum and the cost of brass is the same. Therefore it's not hard to see that the cost of loading 6.5x47 is similar to 6.5 creedmoor, and therefore more affordable than .308

As Olympus has pointed out the real way to save money is by buying good quality reloading components in bulk. Substitute Lapua bullets for Sierra's and you'll most likely save a few dollars more.

trentcwwilson said:

The rifle I'm looking at is not chambered in 6.5x47. Neither are any one the aftermarket barrels. And since it's nothing for me to go through 200 rounds a day in 308, yea, cost does matter.

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Just for the record, everyone I've found that is making RPR drop-in barrels (Sin arms, Snipe arms and Criterion) offers one in 6.5x47.

I reload .308 and I've just started reloading 6.5 Creed for my RPR. The 6.5 cost less for me to reload than the .308. The difference is in bullet costs, as my other component costs are identical. I can get 100 6.5mm 140gr Nosler Custom Competition bullets for $19.99. 168gr .308 Nos CC's cost me $31.99/100, and 178gr Amax cost me $34.99. I can match the 6.5 on cost if I buy Blem 168gr Nos CC's and sort by weight. The Blems shoot well but aren't always available.

I usually shoot 50 - 100 rds every weekend or two.... If you're shooting 200 rds a day regularly, I don't know what to tell you. An AR-15 would probably be the most economical way to go with that kind of volume.

You can reload .260 for the same price as 6.5x47. So you won't need to re barrel it.