What did you do at your reloading bench today?

[DsGrouse]

Loaded my balance of 50 325-grain Hornaday Flex Tip bullets. I meant to grab 350 flat points. I actually grabbed three boxes at the store. One was 300-grain flat points, one was these 325s, and one was 350-grain flat points in .452. Groan. I didn't notice for a week.

I despise Hornady's Flex Tip ammo. I don't want to trim my brass. An hour or so of load development and poof. I've got some 325-grain plinking loads.

My 300 grain campro plated bullets arrived. They should be good up to 2000 fps, but I am elderly now and a wuss. I'm looking for right around 1600 fps.

I still need to find a decent deal on 405-grain bullets, plated or coated for subs.
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[DsGrouse]

I picked up a 100 405grain proofmark bullets for the 45-70. I worked up a subsonic load using the powder I've already had good luck with. IMR-3031.

In 90 degree heat, 32grains of IMR 3031 produced an average velocity of 1062fps.

[DsGrouse]

Swapped over the rcbs progressive from 6mm arc to 6.5 Grendel. I ran off some 100ish rounds of 6.5 using 8208xbr, and Nosler 120grn ballistic tips.

Up next are Hornadays 123 grain A-Tips and 120grn-ELDMs. I also have a partial box of 120grain sierra soft points to load.

We'll see how the next few days of loading go.

[DsGrouse]

Loaded the ballance 500 pieces of 6.5 gren. Hornaday eldm, factory second plinkers, noslet lead free expansion tips, sierra spitzers. Thinking about it, it might have been closer to 700. I used three pounds of powder.

[DsGrouse]

Yeah, did the math, somewhere around 700 cartridges, adding the day before and the two partial powder jars, around 950 total, but the math I put together below is for 700 rounds.

[Hatchdog]

Loaded the ballance 500 pieces of 6.5 gren. Hornaday eldm, factory second plinkers, noslet lead free expansion tips, sierra spitzers. Thinking about it, it might have been closer to 700. I used three pounds of powder.

Yikes, that’s a lot of powder.

[DsGrouse]

Here is the breakdown of the 6.5 Grendel.
Numbers for the 6.5 Grendel loading.
I always figure based on the current replacement value.

Once-fired brass, cost 10c, will drop by half each firing.

Primer 4 cents

Powder, 27grains 8208xbr. 22cents per round

I used 5 or 6 different bullets, all 120grains. Average cost .25cents per round(again, current replacement value)

Total, 0.10+ 0.04+ 0.22+ 0.25=61 cents per shot

61 cents per shot is $12.20cents per box of 20.

I loaded 700 rounds, give or take. My cost 427. That 427 was spread out over months of buying components.

My low price wholesale cost per 20 is 25.30 x 35 boxes is 885$ On the low end, taking the lowest factory ammo box I tried to replicate.

I averaged the closest factory load for all the bullet types I loaded. That averaged out to 30.168 per 20. That brings the 700 rounds wholesale price to 1,055.88

Retail cost of the 700 rounds averaged out between the different factory-loaded bullet types would be 37.96 per 20, or 1,329.65

[DsGrouse]

Loaded the ballance 500 pieces of 6.5 gren. Hornaday eldm, factory second plinkers, noslet lead free expansion tips, sierra spitzers. Thinking about it, it might have been closer to 700. I used three pounds of powder.

Yikes, that’s a lot of powder.

That it is. but it was good to get it done. I didn't realize I'd shot it all up. LOL. I'm now sitting on plenty of loaded 6mm arc, 6.5grendel, 6.5x55 swede, 375 win, 45-70, 44 mag and 38spl/357.

What I need to work on next is 30-30. I went out a few weeks ago and blasted through 200 rounds going from 100 to 250 yds.