Starting point for 6.5CM

[A382DWDZQ]

Lol that is what we all said. I'm only doing it for 45acp, ok 3006, ok 6.5 creedmoor, ok .308, ok 38 special, 44mag another 6.5 creedmoor then 9mm but that is it. I swear. I Started with a lee breechlock to a Dillon 650 and then a redding big boss

Oh the rabbit hole gets so deep and scary. Come on in the water is fine

270 Win. was my gateway cartridge.

 

[HoneyBadger2484]

I have been reloading 6,5 Creed for quite a while now. Almost everything so far in this thread is pretty spot on from my experience. There is a learning curve to reloading and its not quite as easy as plugging in someone else's numbers or recipe. It varies by gun, barrel, and desired accuracy. Good luck once you get going more specific questions might get you more refined results that are applicable.

 

[LostWapiti]

270 Win. was my gateway cartridge.

I skipped gateway drugs and started out sniffing lines of 280ai

 

[logem]

This may help on comparing cost savings. I can load at about $1.00 per round, plus my time.

 

[mthunter1989]

This may help on comparing cost savings. I can load at about $1.00 per round, plus my time.

View attachment 708059

Ouch....that is a rough price for a brick of primers, even in this time. When they come available in my neck of the woods, CCI 200s are still only about $90. But that's the time we live in.

OP, I've thought about getting a 6.5CM just for the range, plus possibly an NRL Hunter match or two. While it would be a premium, my plan if I do is to get Lapua brass that has the small rifle primer pockets, that way I'm not eating into my LRP stash. At the current cost around me, 100 pieces of brass would be $104.99, a brick of SRP is roughly $90, H4350 is $56.99/lb, and a box of 140 ELD-Ms is $41.99. 1000 rounds would be right at 6lbs of powder, using 41.5gr, and the hope would be in this example to just load those 100 pieces of brass.

6lbs H4350: $341.94
Lapua SRP brass: $104.99
CCI 400 SRP brick: $90
10 boxes 140gr ELD-M: $419.90

Total would be $956.83, so call it $.96/round. And of course that doesn't include the load work up.

There's stuff you can change to get that cost down, but like I said, this would be if I went into the 6.5CM. And for reference, Hornady match ammo around here is $37.99/box.

 

[wind gypsy]

Reloading can still be economical but less so on cartridges like the creedmoors that always seem to have factory ammo on sale somewhere. Brass for something like a creed should be basically free from using factory brass. Even with today's components, you can reload ELD ammo for under $0.90/ea if not counting brass. Whether that's worth the time savings? Not in many cases IMO.

Dont pay full price for factory ammo.. Load up on one of these - If one or more dont shoot well, your barrel sucks. The above breakdown shows $1400 savings for 1k rounds. If you buy the 140 ELDm listed below you're only saving about $425/1000. You might get slightly better performance with the handloads but if using a single stage press that $425 savings is going to pencil out to a less than great hourly rate and that doesn't include any $ in equipment.

Sig Sauer Elite Match Grade 6.5 Creedmoor 140-Grain 20-Rounds OTM

Trust the Elite Match Grade 6.5 Creedmoor from GrabAGun when you order ammo online for accuracy and precision on the next hunt. Whether you use it for your home defense gun, range gun, or for hunting, a box of 6.5 Creedmoor would benefit you with reliability after each pull of the trigger. Buy...

grabagun.com

Hornady, Match, 6.5 Creedmoor, 140 Grain, ELD Match

ammunition, 6.5, 6.5 creedmoor, hornady, eld, eld-m, match, 6.5 creedmoor match

sentryammo.com

https://gunmagwarehouse.com/federal-gold-medal-match-6-5-creedmoor-ammo-130gr-berger-otm-20-round-box.html?avad=74383_c397dd049

 

[Fireflyfishing]

The true cost will be more than a $1/round when you factor in time and equipment. Shipping costs can really bite you on components…especially on hat-mat items. Since you’re learning, you’ll make some mistakes and this will cost you some money too.

Look at estate sales, online auctions, and forum classifieds for good deals on reloading equipment and components.

 

[RidgeRunner1018]

OP, make sure to consult multiple reloading manuals, specifically to look for max loads. I actually just loaded up some 6.5CM yesterday to begin testing in a B14 HMR with H4350 and Berger 140 elite hunters. The Hornady handbook says max load is 41.5, while Berger's manual says 42.3 is max, so always approach carefully.

I loaded from 38-41.2 gr in .4 gr increments. If everything seems ok at 41.2 and I haven't found anything I like yet I'll load up a bit higher.

 

[LostWapiti]

41.5 gn of H4350 behind a 140 grain bullet is pretty much known as the go-to 6.5 creedmoor load and should give you 2775fps out of a 24” barrel with good accuracy. Your mileage may vary but likely not by much.

 

[wind gypsy]

OP, make sure to consult multiple reloading manuals, specifically to look for max loads. I actually just loaded up some 6.5CM yesterday to begin testing in a B14 HMR with H4350 and Berger 140 elite hunters. The Hornady handbook says max load is 41.5, while Berger's manual says 42.3 is max, so always approach carefully.

I loaded from 38-41.2 gr in .4 gr increments. If everything seems ok at 41.2 and I haven't found anything I like yet I'll load up a bit higher.

The Hornady handbook has loads for berger bullets?

 

[RidgeRunner1018]

The Hornady handbook has loads for berger bullets?

No it doesn't, but it has loads for 140 grain bullets, which is still valuable information.

 

[wind gypsy]

No it doesn't, but it has loads for 140 grain bullets, which is still valuable information.

Yes, but a reason that could have explained differences is that a 140 hybrid likely builds pressure slower than hornady 140 class bullets due to it's shorter bearing surface. Or just that berger load data sucks haha. I have the berger manual and the data is awful on some cartridges.

 

[Lawnboi]

Iv loaded 41.5 of h4350 over a 140 in like 5 barrels now. It’s shot in all them. Depending on brass 41ish grains is probably going to work just fine.

Of course, work up.

 

[RidgeRunner1018]

Yes, but a reason that could have explained differences is that a 140 hybrid likely builds pressure slower than hornady 140 class bullets due to it's shorter bearing surface. Or just that berger load data sucks haha. I have the berger manual and the data is awful on some cartridges.

Berger definitely lacks comprehensive load data on some cartridges. I understand what you're saying though, use load data from your bullet manufacturer, and I agree with that. What creeps me out is that Berger had a min and max load for 140s and H4350 with nothing in between so I consulted the Hornady manual to see what it had to say.

As far as cost per round goes with handloading OP....it's a slippery slope, you'll pay less but it makes you want to shoot more. I shoot about 4,000 rounds a year now because I "thought it would be cheaper to reload."