30-06 Buy factory or reloading?

[Odessit86]

HI guys ..
I have a question ..about 30 06 ammo...
Is it worth to reload yourself or buy factory ammo?
What's cheaper?
For reloading you have to invest a lot a money for tools ...
Box of good 30 06 cost around 30$ ...
Any suggestion ?

 

[rdnktrkr]

I own multiples of 30-06, each one has its own load for accuracy, I purchased 4 50cal cans of m2ball for the Garands and have multiple boxes of factory ammo but my reloads out shoot each. If you already have the equipment it is well worth it, to recuperate the price of reloading equipment you would have to shoot a LOT of 30-06, but I enjoy shooting 125gr and load them up 1 to 2 hundred at a time and I don't know of any factory 125gr rounds. You can reload 30-06 easily for about 1/2 the cost or less of factory ammo and have better ammo.

 

[lordpaxman]

If you’re shooting low volumes of ammo, and only at relatively short ranges where factory ammo is accurate enough for your needs, just purchase factory. I can’t tell you what low volumes are, you’ll need to do the math to decide if you think the time and material expenditures let you break even. There are several new threads on this forum regarding new reloaders and what is being proposed to help them.
I always wanted to reload, so it wasn’t a question of producing better quality ammo for less money than factory. And I have several calibers. And, given I can get components, can have custom ammo when none is available at the store.
My advice is to find someone who already reloads that caliber and see if they’ll mentor you. Good luck!

 

[Chuck R.]

I always ask guys that are interested in loading:

How much do you shoot/will you shoot?
What are you shooting?
How much is your time worth to you?
What's your budget for equipment?

With any reloading there's a break even point when the equipment is pad for in savings. When that point is depends on how much you shoot and to some extent the calibers involved. For instance IF you're a .223 and 9mm shooter, your break even point is a way's out there cause factory ammo is relatively cheap, no significant savings unless you shoot something like 147s in 9mm and 77s in .223, or you're into a lot of volume. I shoot 3gun matches and surprisingly a lot of guys shoot factory 9mm & .223, they just buy cases of ammo at a time for their savings.

Now IF you're shooting something exotic like .348Win or another hard to find cartridge with additional cost, your break even point is closer. IF you're only going through a couple boxes a year, then reloading just might not be worth it to you.

For non-bonded standard 30-06 I can load 20 rounds for about:

.21 cents a bullet (165 Nosler BTs)
Brass?? I don't normally factor brass cost
Primer .03
Powder about .22

So "good" 30-06 for me is about . 46 cents a round.

You've got to compare that, to your factory cost, factor in your time etc. Now after doing load development, my $.46 handload is more accurate in my rifle when compared to factory, but no animal on the planet will notice the difference at 300 and under yards. The minute I jump to a premium bullet; bonded or solid copper, even a match bullet, the cost savings goes up dramatically.

 

[jmorris]

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.

 

[jmr40]

Probably not worth it for the average 30-06 hunter. Decent ammo is reasonably priced and works for most of what you do with a 30-06. I only got into reloading after buying a 338/06. Factory ammo had to be ordered and at the time was $70/box. Plus I bought all of my equipment used. I no longer have the 338/06, but continue to hand load for more common rounds.

But if you shoot enough it will be cheaper in the long run. But I don't do it to save money. I can get a more accurate cartridge shooting a premium bullet at a little faster MV than factory ammo.

 

[Bill M.]

$30 a box to buy. $10 or less a box to reload. So, at $20 a box difference how much are you going to shoot it? You will not actually "save" anything because you will shoot a whole lot of reloads working up loads and testing. The way to save money shooting a rifle is to sight it in and then put it in the closet and let it sit until deer season. Factory loads work fine for that.

Now, to me, it is worth reloading 30-06 because I love to reload and feel like I am cheating when I have to shoot a factory load. But I have never "saved" a dime reloading.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Now, to me, it is worth reloading 30-06 because I love to reload and feel like I am cheating when I have to shoot a factory load.

I'm the same way but when people ask me if it is worth it to reload, I usually tell them that prices on reloading equipment has gone up so much in the last 10 years that unless they are going to compete or just want to treat it like a hobby, where you right off cost for enjoyment, don't bother.

A lot of people that get into this hobby, reload for a year or two then decide they don't want to do it anymore for various reasons,

A lot of us on here are die hard reloaders and won't consider doing anything else. I'm one of those.

If you want to start reloading to save money only, forget it. If you enjoy hand crafting your own ammo, and don't mind having to buy components in bulk to keep prices down, then it can be very rewarding.

Most of us keep a heavy inventory of components so we can coast through the shortages. That costs a lot also for the components.

If you don't mind the up front cost of the equipment and really like the idea of making your own ammunition, and there is something romantic about it, in a way, you may find it quite enjoyable.
But for cost savings only, forget it.

 

[Highland Lofts]

Unless you do a lot of shooting it isn't worth the expence to buy the equipment to reload. If you have some one close that reloads it would be nice to use thier press & other equipment to load up some ammo.

 

[mdi]

I quit counting pennies in about 1970 when I realized I like reloading. Do all the math you want but if you enjoy reloading, then do it. If you can't wrap your head around the process, or don't have room or time, then buy ammo. I've thought about costs (briefly) and to get a true comparison there are some facts I don't see on this kind of thread; I have some components that I got on sale in 2001, and am I comparing costs of factory ammo made in 2001 or 2020? I can buy some components locally, at the same place I buy factory ammo, so I add the mileage to the costs? Do I include the Haz-Mat costs for primers and powder (none for factory ammo) and shipping costs? Or the incidental costs, like utilities for my reloading shop (water, power, CDs only used when reloading, component cleaning supplies)? For me it's an exercise in futility...

BTW, I did a lot of fishing and not one fisherman that I knew, met, or heard of, compared the costs of bait, transportation to fishing spot, boat fares, etc., to the cost of salmon in the fish market...

 

[AJC1]

So yet another angle to consider is focus and time. Do you have kids running around that need your time and attention all the time. If your single and have lots of spare time or retired that's a different game. Do you have the space for reloading and component storage. These are additional considerations on top of volume of shooting and component supply issues.

 

[LiveLife]

Buy factory or reloading?

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.

Is it worth to reload yourself or buy factory ammo?

Depends on how much you shoot and what type of shooting.

If you don't shoot a lot and don't do precision target shooting, buying factory is probably better.

If you shoot a lot or need match grade ammunition, reloading is probably better.

What's cheaper?

As others already posted, depends on whether you will increase shooting after you start reloading.

I spent over $175,000 on shooting related cost (Mostly on reloading components of 600,000+ rounds not counting rifle rounds) during my lifetime so far (And I plan to shoot, hopefully, 20 more years) but I keep trying to tell my wife that I saved her like over $250,000 by not buying factory ammunition ... After 26 years of marriage, she is still not convinced (Good thing she likes guns and shooting).

For reloading you have to invest a lot a money for tools ... Box of good 30 06 cost around 30$ ...

Any suggestion ?

If you shoot over 10-20 boxes a year, you could recoup your reloading tool cost in about a year or two.

And if you plan to shoot like 40 more years, your "savings" after recouping the cost of tools could be like $6,000 to $10,000+.

If you add up the cost of shooting for lifetime, cost of firearms and reloading equipment is tiny compared to cost of ammunition, especially if you shoot a lot.

 

[brewer12345]

I reload for 30-06. In isolation, reloading big game hunting loads isn't worth the up front investment. However, if you will load other stuff, it can make sense. I load a lot of range ammo for revolver and pistol, cast bullet based loads for less punishing 30-06 practice, deer loads in a few calibers, etc. If you will do other stuff, adding a set of dies and components for 30-06 game loads is a slam dunk.

 

[readyeddy]

For just one cartridge, I would say no. It would be like buying an entire kitchen cookware set and only cooking one recipe. It would be more efficient to eat out.

 

[Highland Lofts]

You got lots of good replies here, something to ponder on and see if reloading is for you.

 

[Howland937]

don't do it to save money. I can get a more accurate cartridge shooting a premium bullet at a little faster MV than factory ammo.

Same here, though I'm not loading 30-06.

Everyone pretty well covered the financial differences and jmr40 covered the performance advantages to handloading. I'll mention one more aspect that you can consider in your seek to determine if loading your own is better than buying factory... Do you have other hobbies that are time consuming? Reloading can be very time consuming. End results can be quite fulfilling if you have the patience and attention to detail. If you have a short attention span or aren't a patient nature, I'd suggest you continue to buy your ammo.

 

[Ironicaintit]

I load 30-06 to keep my Garand fed with known quality ammo.
The only other ought 6 I have is a 760, and it doesn’t get fired much at all.
I don’t even calculate the expense. I just like knowing exactly what’s what

 

[Telum Pisces]

I filled the ammo room with a ton of factory hunting 30-06 ammo that my gun loves! I'll probably never run out! But now I am chasing that same load and accuracy in reloading! I just take pride in using what I put together with my own two hands! Same reason I hunt deer and hogs and have not bought either meat commercially in over 10 years. I take pride in the fact that the meat on my table is from my own two hands and my work!

Reloading has many reason to or to not do so! Only you can choose what is best for you!

 

[.308 Norma]

Is it worth to reload yourself or buy factory ammo?
What's cheaper?

Many years ago, at break time one morning I was listening to some of my co-workers kid one guy about buying himself a golf cart. He was getting frustrated, and when one of the guys that was kidding him told him, “You’re not going to get any exercise driving that cart around on a golf course,” the guy blew up! He said, “Do you go fishing for exercise?” “Do you go hunting for exercise?” “Well, I damned well don’t golf for exercise either!”
That stuck with me - even though I’ve golfed once in my life, and didn’t like it. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even like the guy that had bought himself a golf cart. But the fact remains, I don’t handload to save money any more than I hunt to save money.
Just this morning, a rancher friend of ours stopped by the house and dropped off 50 lbs of what I’m sure is very good beef-burger that I ordered a while back - $4.00 a pound. IF I or my wife kill a mule deer in a couple of months, I’m sure the burger we grind from it will be pretty good too, even though it will have probably cost us many times what that beef-burger cost us if we cared enough to total it up. Nevertheless, the deer will have been killed with one of my handloads during one of our hunting trips that we don’t go on to save money. For that matter, we don’t go deer hunting for the exercise either.

 

[bihj]

When I was thinking about getting into reloading, I worked it out using the calibers I was interested in (9x19, 45 ACP, and 270 Win.). Going with a Dillon 550, I pretty much paid for the press the first 1000 rounds. The dies, brass, bullets, powder, and primers paid for themselves in the next 500 - 600 rounds. All with the added bonus of better accuracy than factory loads.

Since that time I've just bought dies and brass at the same time as the "new caliber" firearm came home.

It also gave me something to do when it was too hot, cold, or raining outdoors.

 

[JJFitch]

1: Don't get into reloading expecting to save money!
2: Understand that it takes hundreds of rounds to recoup your investment!
3: Reloading enables shooters to shoot more and enjoy a new hobby! Notice the 30-06 rounds prepped for reloading for a Garand Match!
4: Understand that hard core reloaders have $$$$$'s invested in tools and inventory!
5: Understand that eventually you will buy a new home that includes extra space for a reloading "room"!
6: There is no such a thing as a 12 step program for habitual reloaders.

Even in these times of ammo and component shortages none of my reloading cronies have stopped or curtailed their shooting. It is nice to have the whole range to ourselves when I take my wife to the range!


All the best,

 

[MikeInOr]

Are you interested in reloading?... go for it! Are you only interested in saving money?... just buy off the shelf ammo!

 

[splattergun]

I reload my 30-06 for roughly $10/box. Not including amortization of the equipment, which is used for several cartridges.
But there are many other issues I consider for reloading ANY cartridge including but not limited to;
Most of my loads are more consistently accurate than similar factory ammo.
Some of my loads are more expensive but perform better than factory.
Most of my loads are more comfortable to shoot than factory ammo.
Most of my loads are tuned to an individual gun or purpose.
I learn something new about various aspects of shooting with each and every load I produce.
ALL of my loads are HANDCRAFTED by ME, so I take pride in each and every shot. Not so with any factory load.

 

[.308 Norma]

There is no such a thing as a 12 step program for habitual reloaders.

 

[stillquietvoice]

There is s great deal of satisfaction derived from taking game with your well crafted ammo.

I personally shoot more, know my rifles, pistols, and ammo better by making my own.