whats the cheapest elk cartridge to reload?

kykamo

kykamo

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Hey,

I want to get into shooting for fun and elk hunting and really want a trouble free and the cheapest setup. so what cartridge is the easiest to find and cheapest to buy for hunting elk out to 400 max yards???? I have no experience in reloading yet and assume thats the cheapest way to get the best ammo, but I live in calgary, alberta and have no idea what the easiest and cheapest places are to get the materials. Nor which cartridge is the easiest and cheapest.

I preferably would like to use the 7mm-08 because I dont like kick back, but will this cartridge be a pita to reload over a different one? Or cost way more???? If there are much easier loads to come by that have more kick id rather just learn to deal with kick then spend lots more or jump through hoops.

I do have access to all the equipment already except a particular die or something like that. I just have no idea where the best places are to go get the stuff and whats the easiest components to come by.

So whats the easiest way to reload for a calgary boy and whats the cheapest elk cartridge to reload?

Thanks
 
Not sure if you emphasized "cheap" enough times. If you're worried about the cost of a box of ammunition then you owe it to yourself (and the Elk) to get your meat from a store. The ammunition would've likely been the "cheapest" part of your Elk hunt anyway.
 
If you have an android phone there's an app called reloading calculator made by rcbs.

You plug in the prices of your bullets, powder, primers and cases and it will tell you exactly what it costs to reload.

I can load my 7mm with premium bullets for around $20/20 rounds. To buy them from the store? Premium ammo is around $60. Heck, the cheap federal stuff costs around $25.
 
Probably cheapest way to get into reloading is the Lee Loader kits, they are more time consuming and they aren't available for as many cartridges. You can find just lots on the used market in less common cartridges but price can vary wildly. I really like my kits and with a few things (powder scale, and measure) I can load rounds as accurate or more so than those loaded any other way. Down side is it only neck sizes so scrounged range brass doesn't work.
A simple Lee anniversary press kit is a good solid investment as far as I am concerned, if you have the space and are serious about reloading. I was renting a very small place when I started loading with the lee kits and while i love that they fit easily in a back pack and I can load anywhere there is a flat surface with them, I probably would have gone with the press kit just for the ease of finding dies for cartridges I want to load.
Reloading did not work out for being cheaper for me, I just shoot way more, but I have become a much more proficient marksman and gained considerable confidence in my abilities.
 
For someone just starting out, I think 7mm-08 might be a marginal elk cartridge.With that caliber you are going to require good bullets and practice which is far from cheap. If budget is a real concern, you really should look at buying what you can used because presses,scales and powder measures tend not to wear out.
 
Game meat is essentially the most expensive meat you can acquire. If you are looking to save money, look at a less expensive rifle. From my standpoint, ethically you owe it to the animal to use the best components along with proper shot placement to humanely dispatch it as quickly as possible.
 
Handloading is less expensive than purchasing the same combination of components in factory ammo because the brass is reusable, and you only have to pay for it once. The more reloads you get from a piece of brass, before having to cull it due to an expanded primer pocket or some other case failure, the less expensive your reloads are. Do you purchase factory ammo on the basis of price alone, or do you attempt to get the correct load for the job you intend to do? Handloading for a 7-08 is no more tedious than loading for any other cartridge, and there are plenty of good 7mm bullets to choose from. I have a spare set of never used Lee 7-08 dies I could let you have for a reasonable price, PM me if you're interested. I urge you to consider a 160 gr Partition over the recommended charge of 4350 or R-19 that gives you about 2700 fps, and plan to shoot your elk well inside 300 yards. Its not that a 7-08 won't kill an elk at 400, but guys that put the price of ammo ahead of all other considerations, are unlikely to shoot enough at extended ranges to be competent.
 
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I'm not sure you understand reloading, as in you've never done it before. In general, most big game cartridges have similar case capacities and roughly hold about the same amount of powder, give or take a few grains. large rifle primers cost the same regardless of .270, 308. or 30.06, ect, they all use large rifle primers, with exception of magnums, where they would use a magnum primer. The projectiles themselves are also similar in value, and as a matter of fact, a 150gr 30.06 is the exact same bullet as a 308 150gr.


Many bullets are in the same family, meaning they were adapted from one caliber to another by reshaping the case. 30.06, 270, 280, 308, ect are all the same family, with only slight differences in case/powder capacity.


Having that said, many costs are fixed if you compare apples to apples, or peaches to peaches. The largest cost is the projectile, primers are the same, and a difference of a few grains of powder is only pennies. The greater cost is the loading equipment such as scales, dies, presses, trimmers, ect.

If you know someone who has all the presses and only need to purchase dies and loading components, you can make a superior load for less than what it costs to purchase premium commercial loads. If you have to buy the equipment just so you can save money of a few boxes a year, you will never break even.

Shooting is a money sport. You can make better choices of how you spend your money for more shooting but if you think you will save money hand loading, it won't happen. As said, this sport takes money, if you don't have it, then look for a cheaper sport.
 
marcoman said:
Not sure if you emphasized "cheap" enough times. If you're worried about the cost of a box of ammunition then you owe it to yourself (and the Elk) to get your meat from a store. The ammunition would've likely been the "cheapest" part of your Elk hunt anyway.
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Exactly. The people that are obsessed with cheap, are almost always the ones that never practice, and as a result, their shooting skills never get developed, and they never really get to know their firearm, or the trajectory.
 
For availability of brass and bullet selection, anything in 30 cal - 30.06, but if you are a little recoil sensitive then 308 will do the job.

I have a 7-08 but brass costs more (just because) and you can't find it laying around the range or in the "fired once" bags.

And if you plan on shooting 400 yards you are going to need lot's of range time - with 308 you can usually find "on the shelf" surplus ammo cheaper than you can reload. And while it's no good for hunting, you shouldn't be hunting @ 400 yards until you can put 10 out 10 shots on an 8x8" target at that range in all kinds of weather conditions.
 
Why would people think that 30.06 is cheaper to reload than another caliber?


I load for many calibers, I'm not sure where the math applies that make it cheaper than another bullet?
 
I agree with those who say 30 06 because you can scrounge brass from the range, ammunition is found in more stores/more places than most, it offers a little more power than .308 at less pressure/longer barrel life, and if you're REALLY cheap and want to practice in the off season, it will do very respectably with cast bullets(more mold choices in .30 cal than anything else) which you can cast yourself and load for $4 to$6 a box - not counting labour of course. If the recoil bothers you, you can either reduce the loads or add weight to the rifle.
Grouch
 
fiddler said:
Why would people think that 30.06 is cheaper to reload than another caliber?


I load for many calibers, I'm not sure where the math applies that make it cheaper than another bullet?
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a lot of guys just buy factory ammo, for hunting or plinking, and then use the brass. with a basic lee loader without all the frills, you can actually reload pretty reasonable. In some areas of Canada you just can't walk into a store and buy new brass. 30-06 is a good powerful cartridge for elk and cheaper than 270, 7 mm mag 300 win mag or anything else in that power range. Just saw at Walmart Winchester 30-06 $24.97 and the same in 270 was $29.97
 
The cost of factory and reloaded ammo (suitable for elk) is similar, if you ignore the belted magnums.

As I read the original post, I was thinking "30-06" until I saw that recoil was an issue. I nominate 270Win with a premium bullet.
 
The cost of factory and reloaded ammo (suitable for elk) is similar, if you ignore the belted magnums.

As I read the original post, I was thinking "30-06" until I saw that recoil was an issue. I nominate 270Win with a premium bullet.
 
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