economics..

[martin_b]

Hi All

 

 I'm getting close to retirement and plan to spend my Golden years spending all the money my daughter thinks she's going to inherit.

To that end I've got a .233 and a 6.5 Creedmoor on my ticket. The plan is to use the .223 to practice and then set myself distance goals with the 6.5 starting with the broadside of a barn and working back from there. ( i currently shoot .22lr benchrest and i might enter the odd full bore comp as well but with no aspirations of winning) 

A very rough estimate is that Id shoot a max of 1500/year .223 and 500/6.5.  

If I live/shoot for another 10 years, should I be thinking of reloading for financial reasons?

 

PS:  Before anyone answers I should warn your replies will be used in evidence when the wife asks the WTF are you up to now question. , to date I've convinced her motor racing and game shooting were cheap hobbies but i think shes catching on now, 

[ColinBR]

So really your asking for more ammo for your man maths then. 

Proper laughed reading that there 

[Roy W]

With those quantities you are hardly going to break the bank, either that or your daughter has unrealistic expectations regarding her inheritance! 

[martin_b]

My Daughter has unrealistic expectations full stop!

[gruntus]

Also depends on how serious you end up getting when it comes to reloading.

If you value your time it gets expensive! 😉

G

[ColinBR]

Personally I'd use factory ammo till you get used to it, and see how well you take to it all. 

If you feel after that, that you want to step up, then maybe then think about reloading. 

[Dellboy]

i use the s&b 6.5 creedmore stuff at Bisley  £17.00 for 20  and its ok out to 800

[geek]

If you are only just starting to reload, then there is a cost in just setting up; such as press, dies, brass, powder, bullets, etc and that is before you have even made one round of ammunition. However, whilst I have not been reloading that long and I was nervous at first, I do now find it an enjoyable and relaxing process. If I was retired I would be reloading even more

[Dellboy]

7 minutes ago, geek said:

If you are only just starting to reload, then there is a cost in just setting up; such as press, dies, brass, powder, bullets, etc and that is before you have even made one round of ammunition. However, whilst I have not been reloading that long and I was nervous at first, I do now find it an enjoyable and relaxing process. If I was retired I would be reloading even more

i must admit im just taking the expensive plunge  but it looks like its almost another hobby of its own ....

[NigelM]

As Dellboy says, it's a hobby of it's own and if retirement is looming you're going to have time to indulge in a new hobby.

For me it's not about saving money, it's about the satisfaction of getting the best accuracy out of your rifle possible and learning about how to do it. I've worked my way out to reliable 1200m loads now and have had a lot of enjoyment getting there. The journey is never over and there is always a new challenge or theory.

It has cost me a lot more that if I had bought factory. The kit, the testing, the time. But for me it's a hobby. Shooting 1" 300m groups makes me happy!

[martin_b]

Thanks for all the advice guys, i might just start off with factory Ammo as suggested, but start accumulating second hand bits, that way maybe SWMBO might not even notice what's happening.

[terryh]

Martin,

There is nothing wrong with factory ammo (or rifles come to that) these days, sometimes I wonder if reloading is actually worth it - but it is therapeutic and necessary in some cases.

Here is a group recently shot with a friends factory Tikka tac21 in 6.5 Creedmore using Factory Hornady ammo, distance 285 yards.

 

Find the factory ammo that works and buy 500 and put together the kit to reload in the mean time, you've then 500 brass to start with.

Brgds

T

ps - Caveat - I think cocaine is actually cheaper than shooting 🤣 

 

[VarmLR]

4 hours ago, terryh said:

Martin,

There is nothing wrong with factory ammo (or rifles come to that) these days, sometimes I wonder if reloading is actually worth it - but it is therapeutic and necessary in some cases.

Here is a group recently shot with a friends factory Tikka tac21 in 6.5 Creedmore using Factory Hornady ammo, distance 285 yards.

 

Find the factory ammo that works and buy 500 and put together the kit to reload in the mean time, you've then 500 brass to start with.

Brgds

T

ps - Caveat - I think cocaine is actually cheaper than shooting 🤣 

 

+1....with expensive bells on .

Just tell your wife that running a 6.5CM for a year is way cheaper than a set of golf sticks plus a year's club membership (at a posh golf club) including the bar bill of course (just omit that bit).  It's pretty much the truth.  The capital outlay for rife and optics will obviously be the biggest outlay.  Buy decent glass and it will hold its value well and will serve you well (so you're likely to get a fair wedge back come sale time).  A 6.5 like say the TAC-A1 plus decent glass won't give much change out of £3.5K.

My ammo costs on reloading work out at about 65p/round so 1500 would be £975 annually if just for the 6.5.  Rifle club membership is peanuts by comparison even with range fees.

If you allowed £1200 to £1300 annually that's probably cover all bases when set up with reloading.

Factory ammo at £25/20 works out at £1875 for comparison, and if (as one poster above does) you get it from the range at £17/20 that's  £1275 so similar to reloading but without the hobby aspect or custom load development aspects (which may or may not be needed depending on whether your rifle likes it).

 

[Dellboy]

Tell your daughter and wife the equipment is going up in price all the time  so its a good investment for them when your gone .....

[martin_b]

 

4 hours ago, Dellboy said:

Tell your daughter and wife the equipment is going up in price all the time  so its a good investment for them when your gone .....

I've already used that one with a few wristwatches though TBH with the IWC it was true.

[Stumpy]

Have a chat with other club members, someone might have a single stage press that’s not being used, I picked one up for 1/3rd of the new price that was practically new. Buy a couple of hundred factory rounds to get you started and save the brass for when you get round to reloading. Bits and bobs such as bullets and dies in the calibres mentioned regularly get advertised in the for sale section on here at fair to cheap prices.

The other advantage of second hand is there’s no receipts to be found 😉

[Andrew]

If I could afford to shoot factory 6.5 CM ammo in the volumes I shoot my handloads, I'd be shooting Hornady 140 grain Match or 140 grain Precision Hunter -or Norma 130 grain Match. All of the above are great munitions and have given half MOA from a prone position from my Tikka CTR. Unfortunately, I can't afford to drop $150 - $185 US for every Sunday afternoon long range session. Lucky for me, the load data was once posted on the boxes of the Hornady ammo so I just follow their 'recipe using the Nosler bullets I can buy inexpensively. I have found a load that mimics the Norma using 130 grain RDF and Lovex powder so I'm happy.  I still try other loads but I have my bench mark to go back to.

After almost 50 years of reloading I'm still trying to reproduce factory ammunition.... What the...??!!?? 😲~Andrew