6.5 Creedmore ammo

[Rlharwood]

I am finding this ammo just too expensive to buy especially in bulk.

If I choose to get in reloading, will I save enough to justify?

[lonestardiver]

It depends, in time after the initial cost to get set up and purchase components, it may take a while to break even. Buy components in bulk where possible and on sale. You can get powder, brass, and bullets at somewhat normal prices, but the primers are harder to get thus the price has gone up. Getting into it now is behind the curve but better than waiting another few months when Biden and Company start tightening the thumbscrews.

[celltech]

All ammo is stupid $$$ right now...what ammo are you talking about? What is your volume of shooting and ultimate goal? You want to blast the countryside with an AR10 or benchrest small groups?

[Stumpkiller]

Reloading is like home brewing. Can you make a beer cheaper than what you can buy? Sure. Will it taste good? . . . maybe.

The rewards of reloading are that you can customize loads and use bullet sizes and makes that may not be available in factory fodder. I shot a LOT of .38 Special in PPC in the early 1980's and it cost half what I might pay for factory. But those days are gone.

I still reload because I like to reload. I reload everything I shoot except 7.62 x 54R (surplus was cheap but I may have to add that) and .22 Rimfire.

[charlie b]

This may seem like a simple question, but, it is not. To start, here is a breakdown of ammo cost.

If all you are looking at is ammo cost, then it depends on how much you shoot and which ammo you buy.

So, look at the cost per round for run of the mill stuff.
Primers $25/1000=$0.025ea
Powder $35/pound
Bullets $30/100=$0.30ea (SMK's are $50/100).
You'll need approx 40gn of powder per cartridge. $35/7000*40=$0.20ea
Brass $50-$75/100. But, those will load 500-1000rnds. $0.05 to $0.15ea

So, 20 rounds will cost around $12. This would go up to $18 if you used premium bullets like SMK's.
A box of 6.5CM ammo is from $18 (S&B) to $40 (Fed Gold Medal). So you would save $6 to $22 per box of ammo.

All of these are approximate numbers. All can be had a bit cheaper if purchased in bulk or surplus (if you can find it). It also depends on what prices we end up paying after the COVID thing is over or after a new administration takes over (this time or next).

If you only shoot one box a month of regular ammo, then that is years before you could justify cost of reloading equipment. If you shoot premium ammo, then it will only be a year or two. If you shoot 100rnds a month, then that turns into less than a year. If 100 a week...you get the idea.

BUT...........this is where it gets complex.

Reloading can become addictive and the cost creep is big :) You can get started with an inexpensive single stage press, balance scales and run of the mill dies for a few hundred dollars. If you are thinking of precision long range shooting, then your cost will to buy in will be a lot more. About double the cost of press, scales, dies. If you decide to get into volume shooting (mostly pistol) then 1000rnds a week is not unusual and that means a much more expensive reloading setup.

The other part is, once you reload you may find yourself shooting more than if you had to buy the ammo. That means the cost may go up to more than what you initially thought. If I paid for ammo I would not be shooting hundreds of rounds a month. Heck, I started shooting cast bullets to reduce the cost a bit and the amount of shooting I did doubled. And, it introduced a whole other set of equipment cost.

Last, time and space. If you work full time and have a family then how much time do you have to devote to reloading? It is time consuming. The more accurate the ammo, the more time consuming.

PS as you can tell, reloading develops into another hobby by itself. Another cost factor I thought about. When you reload you usually shoot s lot of rounds just to find the right load for your rifle. So that's another hundred rounds you shoot extra just because you reload.

[CFJunkie]

charlie b is right on with his analysis.

I have been reloading for just over 10 years.
I have loaded 53,574 rounds most of them (51,123) in rifle calibers with 80% with premium bullets. That is about 5,200 reloads a year.
Every reload was made on a single stage press. I am into precision reloading and I believe only a single stage press can provide the degree of precision that I want.
Materials cost (powder, bullets, primers, brass) is $24,654 and my reloading equipment set me back 1,810 for a total of $26,464.

I have also shot premium factory ammo with most of my rifles, but most of it many years ago when FGMM ammo was $26 for 20.
Comparing what I paid for factory ammo in each caliber per round versus what I reloaded would have cost me $57,816. But that is at 2008 to 2010 prices.

Yeah, I saved a lot of money but, in reality, I shot as many rounds as I could afford to reload so I haven't really saved anything.
Conversely, all my reloads out shoot even the best factory ammo.
Also, shooting as much as I do had allowed me to hone my reloading and shooting skills.

I wouldn't start reloading unless you want to spend about 2 hours a week cleaning and prepping brass and reloading at the bench.

Looking back, reloading has taught me a lot and I wouldn't ever want to rely on factory ammo again.
If you are interested in accuracy and want to tune your loads to each barrel, you need to reload.
If you are just interesting in plinking, it probably isn't worth the effort.
Somewhere in between those extremes makes it a tough call.

[Fuj']

charlie b is right on with his analysis

Not quite. Need to add in shipping charges and hazmat fees, and
in these current times that seem to happen ever so often; Gouging.
Those $25.00 primers would easily run close to $50 bucks to ship
with the Hazmat surcharge. Luckily there is enough LGS's in the area
to find what you need, but in my long years of reloading, I've never
seen it so. The internet sure changed the way we get components.

[charlie b]

Yes, if you have to order online the shipping and fees are a big cost.

I have not had to do that so am lucky that way.

I think it will be a year or two before things get back to 'normal'. I don't expect to see any legal issues with reloading components in the near future, but, that doesn't mean the demand will decrease.

[TommyD11730]

If you want primers you better add a zero to that $25 for 1000. :)

[lonestardiver]

If you want primers you better add a zero to that $25 for 1000. :)

Depending on who you are buying from that is not far off.
Guy at the last gun show I was at had 4 boxes of primers sitting prominently up high but away from the table...I inquired as he had no sign on them. I was quoted $200 a brick of 1000. I laughed and walked off. Later I found LPP for $70/1000. Better and a bit more tolerable....but makes me sad to see them on my shelf next to a box of 1000 with a $15.95 price tag on them...

[Bill2905]

I started reloading handgun ammo in the early 90's so that I could afford to shoot regularly. When I bought my first centerfire rifle about three years ago, I probably would have been content to shoot factory ammo. Then one day, I learned that some factory ammo was too long for the chamber of my new Savage 10T 223. That's when I realized the benefits of reloading rifle ammo and jumped in. It has become a good hobby that is much more challenging than handgun reloading.

[Robinhood]

Determine what you need to start reloading. Research. Make a list. Be thorough. Get the price on all of the equipment and components(press, dies, hand primer, scale, reloading book{first purchase}, bullets, powder, primers etc) See how much that is. I am guessing 750 plus. Then see how much ammo you can buy or make for the price. If you don't like meticulous hobbies you don't need to waist your time. But if you build and fly RC anything, make your own flies or fishing rods or work on or rebuild engines etc... you might like reloading.

[Bill2905]

Before I initially got started in reloading ammo, I borrowed a beginners book on the topic from the county library and read up on it. With that information, I was able to made an informed decision before making the initial investment. I still remember from that reading, the author said that reloading was a good hobby for those who like to tinker with tools and gadgets.

I agree with what charlie b said about having time to do it. With a full time job, family, and a wife who has an endless list of home improvement projects on her mind, it can be difficult at times to find time for making ammo so I can get to the range on Saturday morning.

[Texas10]

Yes, handloading can be less expensive in the long run but only if you shoot enough to justify the expense and time. And reloading kits are available, however reloading components are scarcer than hen's teeth. A huge backlog of orders for ammo is absorbing all the usual pipelines for individual components, insuring shortages and hoarding behavior will continue for many, many months to come, maybe even years.

If your goal is to have the most accurate ammo you can shoot, it will be quite a challenge to get started right now as quality components are just not available. If your goal is to simply get more ammo to shoot, again handloading may not be the best choice right now as all the components are going into loaded ammo production.

[rerun5]

I started out with reloading as a hobby and it is enjoyable and relaxing. One of the calibers I've always reloaded is the 9mm. I was told back then by a lot of people that I was wasting my money cause 9mm is cheap enough you can't load it cheaper. I don't hear it now, and I load more of it now because my wife is now shootin it too.
I got my 6.5 CM last December and should have stocked up a bit more, but I do now have enough brass to keep me going. I just finished converting 243 brass to 6.5 CM, and it came out well. I slightly creased a few shoulders at first, but I got the procedure down and came out with 20+ from some range brass.

[stanekjm]

I would have to agree with those above who say you can save money but if time is a factor, it changes things. I would say that reloading for me is cathartic and therapeutic. And if time is not factored in, you can usually save 40-50% on cost of loaded ammo in centerfire rifle cartridges. When I was working for sportsmans warehouse I had lots of time to add up every cost and break it down into a loaded cartridge. Most often, even with the stupid expensive Barnes bullets, you can still be saving close to half. Really though, it is pretty cool to work up a load for a factory rifle that shoots sub minute groups. Remember, "only accurate rifles are interesting."

[bigjeepman]

Good advice from obviously experienced people. About 35 years ago, I decided I was going to start reloading. My friend who also owned the LGS talked to me about all that he knew and it was a big help as no one in my family and none of my friends ever reloaded. My mom and dad gave me a Sierra reloading manual for Christmas (the real thick one) and I started reading.

Looking back after all these years, reloading gave my gun life more meaning and a far greater appreciation/understanding of firearms and the science behind them. I understand times were much different then but I made up my mind early ... I didn't get into reloading to save money. I got in to reloading so I could shoot more and shoot better.

Whatever you choose to do ... enjoy the journey.

[charlie b]

I guess the goal is not really to 'save money', it is to be able to shoot more for the same cost. The additional benefit is the ability to make more accurate ammunition than the factory stuff, or at least have factory match level ammo for a fraction of the cost.

I also started casting bullets for the same reason. Doing both of those I 'saved' enough to justify the cost after a few 1000 rounds. Back then it was almost all pistol, .45acp and .357mag.

I started with the Lee "hammer" setup. Spent evenings hammering away and scooping powder. Got a Lee Turret Press when they first came out. Came with a nice maple storage box that could be used as a base for the press, meaning I could set it up on the kitchen table. That thing served me for over 20 years before I gave it to another beginner.

[rerun5]

charlieb is right on. I have been shooting factory ammo in my Axis 30-06 for a while. Recently I noticed my scope was out of zero, and I had a few people tell me to get a new scope. Instead I re-bore sighted the rifle and went to the range with a box of my reloads. It used to shoot about .75 to 1 MOA with factory, it had been a while since I last used my loads but it gave me .5 to .6 MOA groups with my loads after bore sight and zero. With my loads I can cover a 3 shot group with a quarter. I do personally do save money by casting my own pills and reloading, but I don't shoot as much as many here do.

[geezerhood]

Things have changed a bit since the the original post date..........

Not only can't you find ammo at a decent price anymore, mostly just available on the second hand market, all the goodies to make your own are also gone or close to gone nationwide. I just did a search today for the following and checked dozens of websites beyond the ones I usually buy from.

NOTHING in stock with multiple month estimated arrival times for 6.5 Creedmoor as far as:



NO Bullets in the 139-147 gr range other than a few A-Tip Hornady
NO Brass, not even once fired
NO Dies other than the $150+ benchrest sets and even those are about gone
NO Primers
NO Powder



I was thinking about maybe taking up F-Class or something like that this spring, but without the ability to have a steady supply of ammo for practice and matches, there isn't much point. To keep the competitive events running, I wonder if the various venues that are high round count events might have to see a reduction in the number of shots fired per match. This isn't going away any time soon.