Question for the Reloaders, 6.5x55 specifically
 

About cost per round.
I've only ever shot factory ammo. Looking at another shooter in the family now, it could get a bit expensive (between $1.75 and $2.00 for 6.5x55). What are you guys seeing on a price per round when you reload? How many rounds do you do at a time, or how long does it take to load say 50 rounds?

my cost per round is about a dollar (it could be cheaper if i really wanted) and i do about a hundred at a time for that rifle. on a single stage press all together it takes 2-3 hours to do 100 and i prime them while i watch tv.

if i set it up on the 650 i can do 100 in a half hour. but i like keeping the 650 set up for volume guns

Lots of variables involved, but once you have brass and the reloading equipment, the cost isn't too bad.

Pick an average .264 bullet and you'd probably pay roughly $40 / 100 bullets = .$40 / bullet.

Primers - $7 / 100 = $.07 / primer

Powder 1 pound = 7000 grains. Pick an average load (I'm going to use 48.0 grains) and you should get 145 loads from a pound of powder.

Rough cost / round is about $.78



I tend to load in batches of 50, which will take me about an hour if I've already prepped / resized my brass.

Target loads are not to expensive , but if you move to partitions the price jumps fast. That said I load ammo for paper practice and for hunting with partitions, and use these sparingly on paper.

I use a 40+ year old Lee press , Lee dies and it takes me about an hour to load 50 at a time. My press is basically the same as the Aniversary kit they sell today, and has served me well for a long time loading 223.22-250, 243,270, 30-06, 6.5 x 55, 7mm Mag ,9,3 x 62 . Reloading doesn't need to be expensive.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/3534/...y-reloader-kit

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/3561/...etter-die-sets

Just add dies and you can make good loads.

I like the Noslers , and shoot 125 and 140 partitions.
Here is their data .
https://load-data.nosler.com/load-da...wedish-mauser/

Do the customer survey at Cabelas and get $20.00 off. If you don't have a receipt to get the $20 off buy a bag of fudge or something, and use that receipt to get the discount.:)

Pick a bonded good bc bullet and your about $40/50 bullets
Go to better consistency primers for $10/100
brass is $1.50 each or more and you might get 3-10 loads, but still the biggest cost at the front.
Powder is $0.20 to $0.40 per shot.

Including brass prep takes me 2 and half hours for 50

0.80 bullets
0.10 primers
0.15 to 0.50 brass based on brass life and quality purchased
0.30 powder =
1.35 to 1.70 per shot of quality custom ammo

$27 to $34 per 20 + 1 hour of your time that you could be shooting or having family time or sleeping or other hobbies or working for more money.

Plus at least $150 in reloading equipment, maybe plenty more if you decide a gadget here or there will improve your quality or save you time.


Reloading is fun and you get exactly the quality out of what you put into it. But i wouldnt say it saves much money unless you shoot over 500 rounds per year. If you are just practicing trigger skills and confirming zeroes for hunting season, factory ammo offers very good quality most of the time.

I load 6.5x55, and my cost is about $0.60 to $1.30 per round, depending mostly on where I get my brass and what bullets I use.

but for that price you get much better ammo than the store bought stuff if you put a little time and effort into your consistency and case prep

It depends greatly on the bullet you choose. For hunting, the 129gr Accubond LR runs about $70 per hundred, and powder $30 per hundred, and primers about $5 per hundred. I use Lapua cases that run around $105 per hundred, and I get at least 10 loadings, so figure around $10 per hundred for cases. So all in, I am paying about $1.10 to $1.20 per round after the dies are paid for. Using a cheaper bullet, I could get that down to under $1 per round.

6.5x55
 

Powder RE#22 first choice IMR 4350 second for bullets from 129-140gr For heavies 156-160gr IMR 4350 or N204 Cost varies stock up at gun shows second hand bullets aren't used.The 140gr Partition is the one size kills all bullet.Harold

I have 2. 6.5x55 i like to shoot but for low cost 30 cal with cheap jacketed bullets like campro is good you can shoot less than 50 cents a round i think although i didnt add it up

I'm assuming you've got a young fella learning to shoot. If you do sitting around the reloading press bsing is much better then the tv. As far as time and cost I think of it this way " it is what it is".

reloading
 

Won't be any more expensive than any other caliber nor powder consumption
just no surplus heads or ammo available.Lots of target and hunting options.

I have a box of Nosler Trophy reloaded 12 times now with no signs of wear. I’m pushing ELDx 143s at 2700 fps. Good brass. Yup 80 cents to a dollar per round. And all 3 of my daughters enjoy time at the press with dad :)

reload
 

the one thing i will say is stay consistent , for example , my 6.5x55 tikka will throw 140grn searra game kings and hornady interlocs to the same point of impact on paper . so having said that , i can load the gamekings alittle cheaper for target and the interlocs for hunting . i find reloading so relaxing and so accurate over factory so sit back relax grab a fave bevy and have fun .

That's a good breakdown but your cost per bullet is a little low. Any quality .264 bullet, Nosler accubonds, Hornady ELDX, Barnes are more like $45 for 50 or around $85/100. If I could find Sierra gamekings or hornady interlocks could get them for about $50/100 and reduce cost per bullet to about $.80.

I reload for two 6.5 x 55's and my cost is about $1.00 - $1.25 per, depending on the bullets I use.

Thanks for all the info guys. This really helps a bunch.
I believe I found a couple rifles i'm really interested in (one for my son, one for me :D).
As far as the reloading goes, I think I'm going to wait a bit. I've seen to many vids (and classified ads here) where guys get out of control with gear!

Well, collect your brass and do it when you can. It’s one the sweetest shooting calibers out there, feels like a 243 but with 40% more punch on the point of arrival. I’m still loading with my old $149 Lee setup, and for a few hundred enjoyable rounds per year, I’ve no reason to change up. Unless it stops making one hole groups or something. Enjoy.

Do you reload? If not, the initial costs have to be calculated, press, dies, scale.... Part of initial costs would also be the load development trips to the range, ammo spent... Another thing to consider is the fact the reloaders tend to shoot more.

Once you are set, the price might be half of what you pay in store, and ROI depends on amount of shooting you do.

Advantages are much better loads and flexibility to reload for other calibers as well.
There are reloading books and videos online which explain all factors in detail.

PPU Privi Partisan
 

LGS here in Morinville has some 139gr soft point PPU ammo for $30/20rnds.
Its pretty decent ammo and was quite accurate with my M38 Swedish Mauser. Back then it was imported by Century International. I used to successfully take down two blacktail Sitka bucks on Van Isle and 2 whitetail does in Lamont area. Dropped ‘em dead. You might be able to get it cheaper but not sure where?

https://www.prvipartizan.com/search_r.php

A cheaper method to the reloading expense question, is to buy a Lee Loader (forget the exact name) ..they come in a small box and cost about $40 bucks and will reload for the average shooter a life time of rounds... use range brass, buy bulk Remington bullets in a bag to get you started,,,,

THEN if you decide you want to go goofy on higher end equipment and you enjoy the hobby then the world is your oyster......

I started out with the same set up 35 years ago and turned a .243 from a dog into a true 3/4" gun...was it worth it? you bet.

You’d have better luck finding a box of Hornady or Sierra

If you’re saving brass from factory ammo, PPU Prvi brass is supposed to be pretty decent quality. I have a shipment arriving at my usually non-destructive testing compound Monday, so I’ll give it a try. In my experience Norma and Nosler seem to be pretty similar and very good quality, as is Lapua.

Remington bulk bullets or prvi......are inexpensive and work ok for the casual shooter...personally I would not use the rem crap but they are cheap...and that is what the OP wanted.

I like the Remington bulk bags
 

I’ve used Remington Core Lokt bullets and have found them to be one of the top choice for your standard cup/core style bullets when it comes accuracy and weight retention.
What I meant by better off looking for Hornady or Sierra is the Remington’s aren’t as available as they once were. Cabela’s, Bass Pro and the majority of your privately owned gunstores don’t carry them. One that I shopped frequently is Ellwood Epps in Ontario. They were my goto store for Remington bulk bullets.
I tried ordering some 6.5 Remingtons just this last January 2018 and they said they wont be bringing them in as Remington is no longer doing reloading components.
Ive since settled on Hornady 140gr SST and Amax.