Reloading .308 rifle? Could someone check my math?

[ButchA]

Confession: I have nothing.... No equipment, no press, no dies, no anything at all. But at least I DO have the giant Speer manual that I bought a while back (still has current data).

I was on Midsouth Shooter's Supply (Midway USA is too expensive), and looked up this, looked up that, and decided to make up an Excel spreadsheet and have it do all the calculations and whatnot for me.

Nothing fancy... Just a common, garden variety, 150gr .308 bullet with 43.5gr of IMR 4064 (according to the manual).
Does this look right?

To buy all the supplies for 100 rounds, it would cost me: $171.35.
A 1lb bottle of IMR 4064 actually computes to 7000 grains of smokeless powder.
For a cross reference, I recently bought a box of Hornady American Whitetail 150gr .308 rounds (box of 20).

 

[joepistol]

Didn't check your math , but the most costly component in ammo is: the brass case.
Buy 1X fired brass & save quite a bit of $$..there are sites that specialize in selling used , 1X fired cases.
Google:" Used rifle brass"

Also 308 caliber isn't that fussy about powder used.. I've had very good accuracy results used surplus bulk powder (WC-846) unfortunately,
it doesn't seem to be available anymore..at least I can't find it. It worked very well in my 223 & 308 loads..
I can shoot about 1 moa ,using it & 147 gr FMJ pulled bullets, with my not so-great shooting skills. Not bad for my bargain plinker loads.
Same accuracy in bolt rifles or my PA-10 (AR-10)

I've used A/A 2230 2460, 2520, ...Win 748, Shooter's World Precision Rifle & Match Rifle powders, + a "few" others, all with similar results.
Find an inexpensive powder. I buy my "plinker" bullets from "American Reloading"..they have great bargain prices on their projectiles.

I may not get bench rest quality results, but I'd say my loads are = to ( or better than ) most std. factory ammo in accuracy.
My shooting /accuracy is more limited by my shooting "skill" than it is by the ammo I load & shoot... IMO.

I do get a little OCD on assembling my loads, i.e. weigh each charge, keep within + or - (.1-.2gr.) of my powder charge..

I'd bet my 308 loads are well below $1.00/rnd.. but I buy bulk and have a stock of primers, considerably less than @ today's prices.

 

[ButchA]

Thank you.... I would (obviously) need to buy a reloading press, dies, scales, etc.. etc.. and slowly learn how it's done. I would mainly reload .45 ACP and .308 rifle, and that's all. But again, no knowledge, no skill, no idea where to even begin!

 

[joepistol]

Read the section on reloading in your manual, not sure about the Speer manual, how much detail that it goes into the steps of reloading.
Hornady and Lyman manuals are very detailed, with great explanations. Check your local library for books on hand loading / reloading..there's a bunch of good ones. Read a lot, then ask ?'s. It's not high science.Simple steps, need remain focused on what you are doing. No distractions.

Actually the process is simple.. 1) resize brass & remove fired primer 2) seat new primer 3) add measure of desired powder 4) seat new bullet..
the devil's in the details..

Almost any press will work well, even an inexpensive one. Same with a simple balance scale.
A digital caliper to measure case & overall lengths, when setting bullet depth.

 

[Mike A1]

Give this a look.

Old School .308 Winchester Match Loads — Proven Reloads and Handloads

This first article covers a topic that I field a lot of questions about. When I say "a lot," I'm not kidding you at all (average runs 15 to 20 request for help/information per week). Regardless of how many other great match cartridges are out there (and there are quite a few), the venerabl

www.provenreloads-handloads.com

 

[CECannonJr]

Confession: I have nothing.... No equipment, no press, no dies, no anything at all. But at least I DO have the giant Speer manual that I bought a while back (still has current data).

I was on Midsouth Shooter's Supply (Midway USA is too expensive), and looked up this, looked up that, and decided to make up an Excel spreadsheet and have it do all the calculations and whatnot for me.

Nothing fancy... Just a common, garden variety, 150gr .308 bullet with 43.5gr of IMR 4064 (according to the manual).
Does this look right?

To buy all the supplies for 100 rounds, it would cost me: $171.35.
A 1lb bottle of IMR 4064 actually computes to 7000 grains of smokeless powder.
For a cross reference, I recently bought a box of Hornady American Whitetail 150gr .308 rounds (box of 20).






View attachment 27891

That site in your spreadsheet for primers is a scammer. I hope you haven't been burned already.

1. 1st red flag is the price. Primers can't be found at that price right now.
2. $200 minimum purchase.
3. Does not take credit cards.
4. Only acceptable payment forms make traceability nearly impossible.

 

[CECannonJr]

Also, while saving money will happen, it is no longer the primary benefit with reloading. The benefits are many, including control over every aspect of your ammo; immunity from ammo shortages like we've seen if you stock up on components; simply knowing how to do it and having the right equipment, etc.

If you depend on commercial ammo being available, you're taking a big risk. It's less expensive to stock up components than commercial ammo.