Bullet Cost - Why is this so much a wild hair?

[Grandhunter]

I am not concerned about the cost, I just want some. Some powder would help too.

 

[Patriot007]

I wouldn't call Berger's or Sierra high dollar. I think my point is more along the lines of what does it matter. I'm glad guys are getting out and shooting. If it lead cast bullets from old tire weight or custom handmade bullets. We all wish shooting the better stuff was cheaper. And cost does matter to most everyone to some extent. Some of us have to have tracking point weapon system some of us are fine with a Savage axis. We as shooters and leaders of our sport need to be careful not to look down on those who have less or try to pinch pennies. I have personally seen $400 gun scope combos out shoot $4k plus rigs and do it with factory ammo.

Spoken like a well seasoned shooter. I also see factory rifles out preforming custom rigs almost on a weekly basis.
90% of the time it's the shooter of course. I see guys like me,(Not Rich by no means).,,, Put their money in proof barrels and do not true the action, or bolt face. And you have the rich guy's who show up with the latest and greatest custom rifle that hasn't got a clue on how to sight it in. At least the poor guys, half of them at least know how to reload, but did not do their home work on every thing necessary to complete the Barrel job, correctly. It's a freaking mess out there some days at the range.( Yes, I donate my free time, when I'm at the local gun range.) It leads to money in my pocket to pay for these expensive reloading tools.( Nothing comes free, in the end game.) Just information. If your new to the shooting world and just starting out, your wallet is feeling what I'm saying. I by choice do not own a custom rifle. I get to play with quite a few at the range. I chose to build my reloading room with the best equipment I can afford. By saving my pennies and making good choices on the equipment I buy and perfect my reloading skills on what I own.( Factory) That way, when I do build my custom rifle. I have a solid reloading foundation to support it.,,, It want be like I just bought a $4500.00 custom and just found out that I need to spend another $2.000 to properly reload for it. Then learn to reload. I'm a firm believer that if a person shows interest and needs help. I will go out of my way to help them any way possible. I started my reloading career off with a set of Lee Dippers and lee safety scales. That's where I come from. I don't think it gets any lower. Thank God for my FIL. Mentor.
Remember, Gun People are suppose tobe the kindest most helpful people you meet. Just make sure that your one of them. Sorry, that's NRA/GOA talk and facts that I live By.

 

[redleg1013]

We build rifles at $$$$, optics at $$$$, Kestrels, rangefinders, ballistic apps, bipods, spotting scopes, hi tech clothing, atv's, utv's, outfitters, tips to guides, tents, ad nauseam. But holy cow a premium bullet at $1+ each is considered too expensive? Its the most important piece of the LRH puzzle and baffles me how we squeeze Lincoln's beard off the penny for a bullet but think nothing of swapping out barrels, stocks, optics at blink of eye. Help me understand this! All I seem to read lately is the cost of bullets being outrageous. I know we like to shoot a lot but to get LRH performance from a bullet it does take engineering and consistent manufacturing processes which does add costs to the final product. No I am not rich, am retired so fixed income but I know what it takes to manufacture a highly specialized product. We ignore the money we drop on equipment but get unglued on cost of premium bullets!

Just a random thought looking at snow coming down!

Because there is a point where the money runs out and wives are no longer understanding.

 

[Turtle566]

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone know where I can buy a RCBS universal hand priming tool? Everywhere I've looked they are sold out.
Thanks everyone.

I will see if l can find one here, and send it over, might have to be a belated Christmas present

 

[Patriot007]

This morning on the blog. Somebody was willing to pay $150.00 to $200 per pd of powder. When I was a kid, A pound of powder was under $2.00, now it's $35.00 or so per pd. My wages were $1.25 per hour then, and now would be somewhere around $70.00 per hr. Back when it took me about 2 hours to get a pd of powder, and now less than a hour. Bullets were under $3.00 per hundred, now up to $1 each. It's all on what you are doing with your loads, and what you want out of them. I feel that if you are shooting under or about 500yds+, you don't need the high end bullets. Longer yards then I feel top grade bullets and other items are needed. A lot more time involved today than 50+ yrs ago to put a round to gather, or should I say more steps in hand loading now that years ago. You do end up with a far more accurate round than days of old. That is why I hand load to get what I want, not what they sell over the counter. Even back in the days of old what I loaded would go 500 yds with accuracies.

Hey Mike, I'm in the boat with you on the Reloading. I read where some guys use their Top tier ammo for hunting and the lesser for paper. I guess I'm backwards on that one too. But then again my rejected loads coming off my bench are 10 times more consistent than their top tier factory ammo. Who would of thought. Also I haven't found a Deer that's going to stand their and let me put a three shot 3/8" group in him at 100yds either. And, I have never see a hunter put a 10rd, 10" group in an Elk at a 1000yds either. They just want stand still. LOL I'll have to file this thread away as different strokes, for different folks.

 

[Patriot007]

Here is a group using my "junk" Christensen arms 338 Lapua (which are no longer any good because they're out of the caliber of the month club), shooting those notoriously junk Hornady bullets. I am so embarrassed by my actions you can kick me out of here if needed. Did I mention these aren't hot loads... I'm so sorry. I chose accuracy over bragables... sorry guys.

Nice work Sir. Well done. You can bring that 338 to my range any day of the week. Well played.

 

[Baylor243]

Same scenario...adding to the list:

$70k diesel pickup, $60k camp trailer with $1340 worth of LED lights and front porch accessories so the game warden can find us after dark, $24k ranger with $6k worth of upgrades, a lift kit and new tires on your wife's truck and trailer so she looks cool as a cat when she uses it to tow the ranger, three scouting trips plus the hunting trip totaling 371 gallons of fuel, $3k for a generator setup that will run the A/c and the microwave at the same time, $384 for a week of groceries (not including beers or bourbon) 6 game cameras, $225 worth of new elk calls, new boots, another nee Eberlestock pack, $800 worth of Sitka gear because they have a new camo pattern this year, OnX subscription, $2k binoculars, said rifle setup that the OP referred to (full setup with the cheap bullets), the cost of the tag, unpaid leave from work (cause you're out of leave due to all the lake trips you took this year) cut/wrap fees.......plus many more

All of this and we sit around the campfire eating sirloin steaks because they are $6.99 per pound and the New York strip at $8.99 per pound was just too much of a stretch.

Hey, sensuous, pour me another three fingers of my $70 bottle of bourbon in my $30 yeti tumbler while I throw another log (that I cut with my $350 chainsaw) on the fire.

To be honest, I don't think it's about the money. When life is so good, you just gotta have a reason to bitch about something. Makes you feel real goooood on the inside. Like you're doing your part to balance the budget.

Hahahahahahaha! You can't spend it when you're gone boys

 

[Patriot007]

It all depends on how concentric your centreline is from chuck to tail stock.
I have an old lathe which has .0018" eccentric in the chuck...someone prior to me purchasing it drove the bit holder into the chuck, no amount of shimming would fix it, only made it worse.
I worked for a gunsmith whose lathe was .008" out...he wouldn't replace it.
If those cheap lathes can keep concentricity then it is viable. You can live with a few thou out, but it's better if there is none.
Fixtures made on a lathe that are out will be out too, unless you true them prior to making the finished product.

Cheers.
P. S.
My turned solid bullets are CNC made.
The price is very reasonable for a solid.
The aluminium versions are 3 times the cost and outside my budget or needs.

Thanks for the info. If I bought new, I would expect every thing to be true and squared. That would depend on the quality of the Leith, and the chuck. Knowing the quality of harbor freight products it would be a smart thing to buy from northern tools. One of them, buy once cry once deals. I still have to do a lot of home work on this project before I buy one. 2 grand will buy a ton of lead.

 

[Jluck]

Nice work Sir. Well done. You can bring that 338 to my range any day of the week. Well played.

Since I'm out of the gay bullet closet... I should confess more.... I killed this guy with a Nosler seconds bullet, again I'm so embarrassed and sorry... and yes that's a sub 3k dollar rifle, gawd I'm a disgusting human...

 

[Patriot007]

LMAO,

 

[Patriot007]

Since I'm out of the gay bullet closet... I should confess more.... I killed this guy with a Nosler seconds bullet, again I'm so embarrassed and sorry... and yes that's a sub 3k dollar rifle, gawd I'm a disgusting human...

LMAO,

 

[Jluck]

Here's a couple more pics of a premium hunt. Last day, 3pm... been hunting for couple months collectively. killed this guy with the same queer bullets used in other post..

 

[Jluck]

Killed this guy with a different batch of fag bullets, Barnes this time... sure wish I missed him with more gooder bullets...

 

[Jluck]

Wife's cousin, shooting my hand loaded homos. He was so mad when he found out about his projectiles preferences he wanted to throw the deer back in the water. I just seem to fail.... I need bullets that cost more, don't care how they perform.