30-06 Buy factory or reloading?

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The nice thing about reloading is it gives you more time in a hobby you enjoy. I have a Remington 788 in 243 for deer hunting. I wanted the 100 grain soft points, I used used different makes of bullets and boatail & flat base. I did a ladder load set and another set with all the same grains of the same powder with the different projectiles.
Shot them from a rifle cradle on a table and you can see where the bullets open up and where they close in.

I do this with all of the rifles and load up what works best for each individual rifle from 22 Hornet on up to 7mm Magnum.

One target with the same bullet with four different incriments of powder. 36.5 grains, 37.5 grains, 38.5 grains and 39.9 grains..
The 38.5 grains was the tighest group.
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This target used the same progectile with another powder with one grain incriments. You can see how tight the patern got with the highest powder charge on the forth set of shots.
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This target I used the four different projectiles and the same amount of powder, 40 grains of IMR4831.
You can see how tight the group in in the first set of shots and the other three open up.
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I love seeing the end results of my reloaded ammo.
 
Asking on a "reloading" forum whether you should buy factory or reload is like asking on a Ford forum whether you should buy Ford or Chevy.
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That’s kind of it. I own Ford, Chevy and a bunch of other brands of vehicles, even made a few of my own.

Same with reloading equipment from ‘press a button and come back later to loaded ammunition’ to the Lee, beat it with a hammer, loader.

As the car salesmen say, “there is a butt for every seat“. That’s because people are different and want different things. I load sometimes because I can load and shoot 1000 rounds for under $40. Other times it actually costs more for me to shoot my loads than I could go buy factory ammunition. Others I load because it can’t be purchased.

No right or wrong answer and some never even ask the question and live happily ever after.
 
Lest a potential reloader get spooked by how detailed highland loft got in his very neat post, sometimes you do simpler stuff. I knew I wanted a 3006 load for elk with 165 grain partitions. I decided to try a ladder with varget because it is very insensitive to temp changes. I shot the test loads, found one that grouped under an inch at 100 yards. Called it good. A one hole load is great, but out to 300 yards the elk won't know the difference. Since I bought the bullets as overruns, I am shooting very premium stuff for less than the cost of basic factory ammo.
 
Money sneaks into too many potential activities. Nearly every forum I visit has the occasional $$$ vs reloading threads. Many, many posts regarding "cost per round" of factory vs handloads and the all math is included along with the calculated cost ($.08 -$.22 etc.) to give the post credibility. I grew up learning to be cheap (my Father never got over the Great Depression) and that "save a nickel" thinking process stayed with me until my late 30s. Even though I really enjoyed shooting, I didn't start reloading "to save money". In 1969 I was shooting my 38 Special and as I emptied the cylinder and the cases dropped into the dirt, I thought "I wonder if I could reuse these?". That got me started reloading, not money, but curiosity...
 
jmorris said:
Can’t really answer the question without more information.

If you don’t shoot it much, just use it for hunting and such, a box of 20 might last several years for $30. You can’t reload 20 rounds for $30, unless you don’t count equipment and component costs.

The only way reloading becomes “cheaper” is by shooting much more so the equipment costs are amortized. For example if we look at 100 rounds vs 20, we get.

100 rounds of $30/20 factory ammunition = $150

Lee challenger kit $147. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1013011111
RCBS dies $34 https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1011278027?pid=264330
$80 for 100 premium hunting bullets
$30 for powder
$4 on primers
Brass is free, if you already have it and clean it by hand vs buying equipment to do it for you.

= $295 for your first 100 rounds (likely going to be mor

So reloading is still more expensive than buying factory, almost twice as expensive.


Let’s keep going.

500 rounds of factory or 25 boxes at $30 = $750.

500 reloads

$147 Press kit
$34. Dies
$400 (500 premium bullets)
$120 (4 lbs of powder)
$20 (500 primers)
= $721

Now we have reached the point that the equipment had paid for itself in savings and our ammunition is now cheaper than factory, if we don’t count labor and all the other stuff we are undoubtedly going to buy.

Keep doing the math out to 1000, 10,000 and 100,000 and it just keeps getting better but would be completely pointless if you are just filling tags with the rifle and wouldn’t go through 10 boxes the rest of your life, it’s not going to be any cheaper.
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Crap, $30/20rounds. Is that the going rate these days? That is rough if you need to buy factory ammo.
 
Jeff H said:
Crap, $30/20rounds. Is that the going rate these days? That is rough if you need to buy factory ammo.
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That is if you can find your preferred flavor in the first place. Then again, I saw an auction for 1000 Win SPP primers end with a winning bid of $205 plus shipping.
 
My rifles all shoot tailored hand loads much more accurately than factory. I find reloading relaxing and enjoyable - part of my hobby. I do not shoot enough to realize an ROI on my reloading investment so I chalk the expense up to hobby cost. If you try to save money reloading, it takes a bit of shooting to recoup your initial hardware investment. If occasional shooting with average accuracy and minimal cost is the goal, factory is the choice.
 
An approach for saving money is different than trying to create the best ammunition. The cheapest equipment will take you to the break even point the fastest. Using range pickup brass reduces cost a lot but is not the path of the extreme accuracy nut. Every piece of equipment is this way along with every component. Skill is a variation and good ammunition can be made on a very tight budget.
 
I've hunted for more than 53 years with a 30-06, and it started with a borrowed rifle because we had no money to afford one. I bought my first
30-06 Savage while I was a private in the military. With that rifle that day I bought 15 boxes of Remington Core-lokt 150 and 165 and 180 grainers.
I figured I was going to shoot it a lot and save the brass so that I can learn to reload. Long story short, a box of ammo ended lasting about 4 years per box. Three shots to check zero at 200 yards and one for the deer or elk. I don't hunt nothing else a 30-06 can't kill. I still have boxes of factory ammo with the price showing $6.99 and $7.99. I have dies that I received as a gift but yet have not reloaded a 30-06. Don't shoot that much other than for deer or elk and sometimes both that season. I hope to live long enough to where one day I can reload the 30-06. But until now I haven't any reason to reload it. As everyone has mentioned , one does not reload to save money you reload because you want to turn an accurate rifle or hand gun into a precision firearm. I don't know what Remington Core-lokts are running at but I think it is still under $20. All my elk and deer have been one shot kills with 150 and 165 grainers. Have taken game easily too with the 180's but you do feel the recoil.
 
it is also a question of age,and how much you shoot
an NRA article in the american rifleman once stated that if you shoot 4,000 rounds a year that reloading is cost effective. But this is a time sensitive issue
if you are 20 or 30 and have the time to reload and have a good source of brass then yes it can be but this is a big investment. and if you are older you may not have the time to
see the return on your investment.
component cost is always a factor, and they are not getting any cheaper. with imports of ammo some times it may be cheaper to but rather then reload
 
Jeff H said:
Crap, $30/20rounds. Is that the going rate these days? That is rough if you need to buy factory ammo.
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From the OP

Box of good 30 06 cost around 30$ ...
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MSRP on Federal ammunition loaded with Nosler Partitions is $49.99/20 rounds.

Why I used “Premium” bullets in the calculations I did vs the cheapest thing that one could plug into the end of a 30-06 case.

https://www.federalpremium.com/rifle/premium-centerfire-rifle/nosler-partition/11-P3006F.html

If you’re spending $80/100 on bullets that’s $16 per box of 20 in just bullet cost.

What it is these days is inconsequential really, unless he was old enough to have bought all he needed “back then”.

E0E293C0-D9AB-4BEA-A4D2-9848B93730B1.jpeg

Worth noting that when that box of silver tips was $13.99 a hamburger at a fast food joint was less than $1 and minimum wage was $3/hr...
 
Bill681911 said:
it is also a question of age,and how much you shoot
an NRA article in the american rifleman once stated that if you shoot 4,000 rounds a year that reloading is cost effective. But this is a time sensitive issue
if you are 20 or 30 and have the time to reload and have a good source of brass then yes it can be but this is a big investment. and if you are older you may not have the time to
see the return on your investment.
component cost is always a factor, and they are not getting any cheaper. with imports of ammo some times it may be cheaper to but rather then reload
Click to expand...

Well then!
I've been a high volume shooter for 30+years (more than 4,000 a year) and have 5 Dillon's for each pistol caliber and two Hornady's for rifle. I buy bullets, powder and primers in bulk looking two years ahead!

Math is hard! Not sure if I'm ahead or behind......:)

The good news I'm still shooting weekly as others are seeking ammo and components! :)
 
While at a LGS there was a couple hunting 9mm and 38spc,I have cans full that I've reloaded, that has to be worth something. I reload as a hobby and to have ammo that is specific to each gun and ammo that is hard to find, 30-06 125gr, I reload 44mag and 357mag for less than 1/2 the factory prices and about 1/2 or less on most rifle rounds. I also enjoy seeing my friends faces when I show up with full ammo cans
 
JJFitch said:
Well then!
I've been a high volume shooter for 30+years (more than 4,000 a year) and have 5 Dillon's for each pistol caliber and two Hornady's for rifle. I buy bullets, powder and primers in bulk looking two years ahead!

Math is hard! Not sure if I'm ahead or behind......:)

The good news I'm still shooting weekly as others are seeking ammo and components! :)
Click to expand...

good for you...it seems that we have ammo & component shortages around every election now
 
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I have reloaded .30'06 more accurate than this match ammo with 168hpbt in the same once fired brass.
Since my only .30'06 is a M1 Garand and military surplus .30'06 is nearly as expensive as commercial I reload.
 
I started reloading in 1963 at the age of 12. First set of dies was 30-06 for a used Savage M 110 I bought with my yard mowing money. I shot the barrel out of that rifle in the next 4 years. Cases of ball ammo found there way to my house as the '06 was fazed out and the 308 replaced it. NM ammo was really cheap for a while and I did get some of that free also, used that brass to deer hunt with. Shoot more and make memories.
 
Reloading can be another hobby. Does anyone depreciate their gun, car, clothes when they hunt? I've been loading shotgun shells since I was 12. That's over 50 years ago. It started out as fun. My children thought it was fun too. Now my grand-children think it is fun too.(ages 4 and 6) Started loading 30.06 in my 50's. I was told I was "going over to the dark side". May the force be with me because I now load .30.06 cal, .270, .303, .38 Special and 9mm. I quit loading .45 ACP, 5.56 and .308(sold those guns). When covid-19 closed everything down, guess what I was doing, loading for when the range would open again. Visited in-laws over the holiday, UP'T North. They are now having a hard time getting hunting ammo. Limit 1 box of trap loads per day. Can't find particular 7mm or 30.06 loads, etc. Last year, they were chiding me for my reloading equipment purchases. Now guess what they are interested in.
 
Just buy 4 boxes of shells when you buy the gun. Use one box to sight it in and shoot some groups. Put the other three up for hunting. Then decide whether or not you want to be a reloader.

You will need about $400 + to do a satisfactory job of equipping yourself starting out. And some dedicated space to work. Reloading is a long term hobby for me. And I do not get to shoot enough anymore to really use the equipment I have collected over the years. Whatever you start with there will be upgrades. And...is a 1.5 group at 100 yards good enough right now or do you need really .75 to .5 inches?

I have not hunted a lot in recent years but did a good bit long ago. Even though I reloaded I shot factory ammo for my hunting. I was a fairly new reloader with lousy equipment then and I went for reliability hunting. My gun shoots good with factory. And now you can buy the boutique factory loads that are probably better than many of our reloads.
 
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Encoreman said:
I am curious Jmorris as to what you are loading this so cheaply for? I cast my own .38 and .40 cal bullets from FREE wheel weights, primers are $0.03 and it takes powder. Just asking??
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That's about right -- you have to figure in bullet lube or powder coating, and for rifles throw in a gas check.
 
Depends on how much shooting you are going to do. Shoot 20-30 rounds a year- factory ammo. Shoot 30+ and experiment on loads for best accuracy.- Reload.
 
Man! All this money talk reminds me of my Dad. He never got over the Great Depression and could squeeze a nickel hard enough to make Jefferson cry. I reload because I like to. I have no idea what my handloads cost and I would reload even if factory ammo was cheaper. If I had to place a cost of everything I like doing, it would more than likely ruin my fun and I'd probably quit doing it...

"Hey, that's a nice halibut you caught. How much did it cost you?"...
 
Encoreman said:
I am curious Jmorris as to what you are loading this so cheaply for? I cast my own .38 and .40 cal bullets from FREE wheel weights, primers are $0.03 and it takes powder. Just asking??
Click to expand...

My all time record for least expensive has been many years ago now at but when 1/2 a can of BA 10 and 1000 primers cost $18 using brass and lead I recycled.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/magma-engineering-master-caster.158478/#post-1944416

I still have a good stock of the S&B primers I bought from Cabelas when they had them on sale for $19/1000, it costs me about $4.53 to coat 1000 bullets, Titegroup runs around $18.50/lb and I get 2187 rounds from 1lb, so every 1000 uses about $8.46 worth of powder.

So brass is reused free range pick up. $0
Bullets are recast and coated. $4.53
Powder charge x 1000. $8.46
Primers $20.62/1000

That puts me at $33.61/1000 before electricity for my machines that do the work.
 
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