Economical non conventional chamberings

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calvados.boulard

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Hi everyone,

This may be a bit of a dumb question, but I'm wondering: outside of 223 and 308, (which are rather economical rounds to reload due to the prevalence of components for these chamberings), what would be the next economical (cheapest) round to reload? Shooting for groups not dinner.

Thanks everyone,
Cal.
 
I'm looking at it from the other side, so I dunno if it helps answer you. I'll be reloading due economics for the less popular rounds. There's a few (like .308, .223, 7.62x39, and 7.62x54R) that I won't start reloading for because bulk ammo is cheap enough.
Some of the less popular rounds are where I'll be starting with my own reloads (6.5x55, 8x57) when factory ammo starts at over a buck a shot.

Components for the gems I'm looking at are plentiful so far. In all fairness, I haven't made my first round yet...
 
calvados.boulard said:
Hi everyone,

This may be a bit of a dumb question, but I'm wondering: outside of 223 and 308, (which are rather economical rounds to reload due to the prevalence of components for these chamberings), what would be the next economical (cheapest) round to reload? Shooting for groups not dinner.

Thanks everyone,
Cal.
Click to expand...

Reloading is more the equalizer actually...

223 and 308 aren't actually AS economical to reload due to the prevalence of loaded ammunition and not so much components.

Reloading makes different chambers more equal as the components all cost give or take the same... certainly the primers and powders are the same in cost. Bullets are the same in cost as .223 and .308 if you're reloading in the same diameter... and they're aren't that far off for most other calibers (6, 6.5, 7 mm...) Hell... you can even go as far as pressing your own boolits! Then it's just the weight of the metal. So the only real cost difference is the casings... and the idea of reloading is that you use them over and over.

So in short, the more rare the chambering, the more economical it is to reload.
 
^^^Good answer, it's like having a really nice 300 Savage where factory ammo costs $40-$50 for regular Rem Core Lokt (if you can find it), the .308 round is almost identical and is $15 to $20 cheaper for that box. If you had a nice 300 savage that you want to shoot and have fun with then hand loading for it is more economical.
 
calvados.boulard said:
Hi everyone,

This may be a bit of a dumb question, but I'm wondering: outside of 223 and 308, (which are rather economical rounds to reload due to the prevalence of components for these chamberings), what would be the next economical (cheapest) round to reload? Shooting for groups not dinner.

Thanks everyone,
Cal.
Click to expand...

Give the 222 Rem (triple deuce) a try... wonderfully accurate, sips powder and uses lighter very accurate bullet. For range paper punching, this is a gem and accurate.

you can make brass from 223 with a little work.

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
Give the 222 Rem (triple deuce) a try... wonderfully accurate, sips powder and uses lighter very accurate bullet. For range paper punching, this is a gem and accurate.

you can make brass from 223 with a little work.

Jerry
Click to expand...


I was going to suggest the OP look for chamberings where common brass can be resized to something less conventional. Using 30-06, 308, or 223 brass to resize to something a little more obscure cuts your cost down brass wise.

The 222 is a perfect example. I resize 223 brass for my 222 and it works like a charm. Same could be said for many cartridges if using brass easily found or available. 35 Whelen, 338-06, 9.3x62, 280, 8mm-06, etc from -06, or 7mm-08, 260 Rem, 243, 270-08 and so on. Or a 6mm from the 223 case is fun. Naturally the .224 bullets can be had cheaper, and the smaller cases use less powder.

So I think Jerry's suggestion is spot on.
 
Wildcatting is a ton of fun and really a lost art these days... There are plenty of factory chamberings that leave very little to want BUT there might just be an itch that needs to be scratched... and making it your way might just be the way to solve that.

For target shooting, you need to look back in time to the Post WWII era to the 70's. here you will find the vast majority of what we today call, NEW cartridges. Yep, it has all pretty much been done long before the internet was even a concept. Hell, phones were still attached to walls with a "friendly" operator connecting your calls.

Parent brass was not easy to find so shooter mucked about with what they had and came up with some real gems. Also, alot of brave and curious engineers making all sorts of weird stuff including SMALL Primer 308 cases which eventually spawned the BR family. No, the 6BR NORMA is not a Scandinavian idea... nor is the 338 Lapua.

From the 22-250 (also a wildcat in its day), you can build the X47 Lapuas, Creedmoors, XC's. you can thank Handgun Silhouette for many of these mid sizes cases... google Elgan Gates and IHMSA.

From the 7.62X39, you can build the PPCs, Grendels

From the 223, you can build 222, 6X222, 6X223, all the TCU family (you want fun, have a look at these), Fireballs, Black out/Whisper (yep, the AACblack out is a copy).

From the 308, everything from 22 to 358.. not sure if they ever got to 40cal (more then likely they did?)

From the 30-06, from the 6-06 to the 401 something or other

From the 30-30/225 Win, TONS of wildcats and companies that exist playing with rimmed cartridges and single shot firearms.

From the Mauser, 6mm Rem to kind of Swede (at least the 6.5X57 which IS a cartridge) to large metric bores

From the 300H&H, you can get to all the belted magnums including many Wby's

From the 404 Jeffery and 416 Rigby, pretty much everything else in the boomer world including the Lapua, Lazzeroni, RUMs, Dakotas, etc.

There are literally hundreds more that I have not listed that have been modded from rimmed, rimless, rebatted and belted cases.

Get the book Cartridges of the World for a really cool look through time at the thousands of cartridges that have been created... and this book is no where near complete.

Enjoy... lots of fun and if you want to perfect your knowledge for reloading, Wildcatting is how to you do it.

Jerry
 
calvados.boulard said:
Hi everyone,

This may be a bit of a dumb question, but I'm wondering: outside of 223 and 308, (which are rather economical rounds to reload due to the prevalence of components for these chamberings), what would be the next economical (cheapest) round to reload? Shooting for groups not dinner.

Thanks everyone,
Cal.
Click to expand...

6BR no question.
 
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