The most expensive factory ammo

[Eric F]

I was sitting here looking through the reloading section and a frequent question is how much can I save, or a question in that direction. So I thought a good question would be in the other direction.

Whats the most expensive ammo you could buy thats factory loaded. I dont mean 20mm rounds or even 50 bmg we all know that stuff can get pretty high.

for me its 50-90 sharps. I can find it as hi as $110 per 20

38 super was $35 per 50 las time I looked at the local bulk ammo store.

last winter I paid $45 for a box of 30 remington.

 

[kingjoey]

Any of the 'safari' calibers (.416 Rigby, .458 Lott, 470 Nitro, etc) are all going to be $7-20 per round

 

[navajo]

cost

Saw a box of 50 .41 mag on the net for $65.00. Just a tad high.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Brands:
Weatherby
Lapua

 

[deadin]

Last time I looked .700 Nitro Express by Holland & Holland was listed at $100.00 per round. (If you searched the 'net, you sometimes could find it for a mere $50.00 each !)

 

[tokarev762]

.700 Nitro Express H&H costs $100 each?!?!

I bet ya counld possibly shave a leetle off'n that by handloading.

 

[marktx]

Norma is silly expensive..... Saw a box of 7.65 Argentine at a gun shop and figured it would be worth picking up as there aren't a lot of outfits that make it. Turned out to be $70

 

[steveno]

if you can afford the 700 nitro rifle the ammo is nothing to worry about

 

[deadin]

I bet ya counld possibly shave a leetle off'n that by handloading.

Yeah, you could.
RCBS dies are listed at $283.95 (and I don't think that includes the shell holder.) Probably takes a special press, too.
Finding brass could be a challenge. Midway lists it, but doesn't have any. .600 Nitro brass lists at $11.50 each. I'm sure .700 would be more. Bullets are listed at between $4 and $16 apiece.
And by the time you spent all this money getting set up, I would bet that after about the first 10 rounds or so, you would decide that it isn't any fun plinking with it.
Oh, I forgot, you also would need the $50,000 or so to buy the rifle.

 

[Geno]

Not all matters of ammunition price are the face-value of the ammunition itself. There are underlying factors.

What makes the Weatherby ammunition so expensive is the underlying problem that Norma, which manufactured the brass, used to employ a very soft brass. The brass was so soft that the primer pockets were typically destoyed (over-stretched) by a single firing. No reloading then, right? This mishap was especially true if one used handloads to push actual velocities to the factory stated velocities. For example, Weatherby presented its .300 Wea Mag with 150 grain bullets at 3,600 FPS. Sure, when the rifles were freebored. Now, one is lucky to hit 3,450 FPS. Grab your crono and check.

The following is the soultion to Weatherby's ammunition price-gouging, and to Norma's soft brass. Buy some Remington or Federal brass, a set of forming dies and a set of reloading dies. Form your Wea brass, then form-fire your brass. You will save money. You will have more durable brass, that can be relaoded multiple times. Best of all, you'll be making your Weatherby ammo the way it was first made...by Ed Sr. himself. Specifically, for the .300 Wea. Mag, .340 Wea Mag and the .375 Wea Mag, use .375 H&H brass. For the 257 Wea Mag, 270 Wea Mag and 7mm Wea Mag, use .300 H&H brass. Again, I suggest using either Remington or Federal for it hardness. On average, I have been able to get 6 to 8 reloads with no undue stretching of brass, and never a blown primer...ever.

There. Now we understand how to reduce Weatherby ammo costs, and can remove it from the list of unreasonably priced ammos.

Doc2005

 

[Myles]

Not really what I would consider an exotic ammunition, but the last two boxes of .375 Winchester I bought were 45.90 per box of 20 rounds.

 

[MMCSRET]

It is rediculous!!!! and the best reason I can come up with is: Because they can!!!! My brass for my 43 Spanish runs $37.00+/- for 20 pieces. It will last a long time, even the Bertram brand, loaded to BP pressures. I cast my bullets from scrap and use BP substituted and can come in at less than $0.15 each. Of course the legal profession is heavily involved in the price gouging, also.

 

[driftpin]

Try buying .44 RF That is like $25 a pop and sometimes they don't go pop.

 

[scrat]

45 colt. at big 5 its 44.99 for 50 rounds. so yep i cast my own and load my own

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Trounds! Those aren't produced anymore though, I'm sure.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Saw some .600 Nitro Express at the Tulsa gun show a couple years ago. $192 for a box of ten, or $20 each.

The rifle next to the ammo didn't have a price tag. I guess if you gotta ask...

 

[VARifleman]

.700 Nitro Express takes a .50 BMG press to reload. CH4D sells a die set for 334, 1 1/2 x12 thread.

 

[rcmodel]

With shipping, about six bucks a pop.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=381693&t=11082005

With shipping 21 dollars a pop!
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=991381

rcmodel

 

[Geno]

Sorry, I neglected to post the cost of the ammo that set me to thinking as I do Re: Weatherby ammo.

For example:

Federal Premium Vital-Shok
.300 Weatherby Magnum ammunition
180 Grain Nosler Partitions​

Box of 20 sells for $76.99, plus 6% tax equals $81.60! Holy! That means $4.08 per shot. Not gonna pay it.



Doc2005

 

[TAB]

nosler "custom" ammo( just a name... in this case) 257 wthby mag... ~ $90 for 20. Weatherby ammo, is about $50 for 20.

I love the gun, but the ammo just kills. Its one of those things. I only put a box thru it a year, so there is no reason to reload for it.

 

[BADUNAME37]

500 Magnum, 20 rounds for $70

However, look at it this way: once your gun is sighted in, you only need one shot per kill.

 

[JesseL]

The most expensive I've seen for any of my guns is factory .308 Norma Magnum. $56.99/20 at Midway.

If I could find .38 Rimfire for great-grandad's Colt 1862 pocket police conversion, I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap.

 

[brigadier]

4 Bore. $10,000 per case of 100 rounds. That's $100 per round.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

7.7 Jap. premium ammo, if you can find it. Is a 4 bore even rifled? .338 XTreme is way out of my price range and I haven't seen reloading dies for it anywhere.

 

[Slimjim]

In smaller calibers, the Lazeroni calibers seem to be the most expensive.

10 rds usually cost 50.00