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Old December 26, 2011, 01:38 PM   #1
4whln
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.270 Reloading

I am new to reloading, and I have read the sticky, but I want to see some suggestions on what to get. These will be hunting rounds. Is it more economical than buying the factory ammo?
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Old December 26, 2011, 01:58 PM   #2
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Yes reloading the 270 Win is cheaper then factory.

I like Winchester Brass. Seems the most accurate in my rifles.

I also like 130 Grn Hornady SSTs, they work and are reasonably priced.

4350 and 4831 seem to work best for the 270, how much depends on your rifle.

Most manuals have an "accuracy load" listed in their manuals, I like to start there and tweak the load until it fits my gun.
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Old December 26, 2011, 04:09 PM   #3
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What brand of powder is the best? Also, what primers?

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Old December 26, 2011, 04:21 PM   #4
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The one your rifle likes best. Sometimes its an inexpensive Ramshot powder and sometimes its a pricey Vihtavuori powder.

In your shoes, because of the temperature variables possible in hunting, I would try to use one of the Hodgdon Extreme line of stick rifle powders. These are temperature compensated to burn at about the same rate over a wide range of temperatures. They claim they are fairly constant from 0°F to 125°F, but a Hodgdon tech told me they actually test from -40°F to +140°F. So, H4831 and H4350 would be especially good choices for rounds to be fired in a cold barrel on a cold or hot day.
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Old December 26, 2011, 08:59 PM   #5
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I'm a long-time 270 fan and reloader, and my favorite bits and pieces are:

H4831SC powder (near max load, but don't let that influence you)
Remington cases (switching to Norma, but I'm also Ok with Winchester or Nosler)
CCI BR2 primers
130 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips

As for comparative expense, if you don't shoot much then it's probably better to buy factory ammo. If you shoot a lot, or plan to shoot a lot, the reloads are a good bit less expensive, but it'll take a lot of reloading savings to pay yourself back for the intitial outlay of funds for the reloading gear. The really good news is that reloading gives you endless options on ammo making, whereas factory ammo gives you few options. And there's just something fulfilling about target shooting and hunting with ammo you made yourself.
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Old December 26, 2011, 09:57 PM   #6
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So far, the load that my Remington 700 on .270 has liked the best has been 46.0 grains of Varget topped with a Nosler 130 grain ballistic tipped boat tail bullet. I use either Winchester or Hornady brass with CCI 200 primers. My first run of these gave me a .335 inch group at 100 yards.

I'va also had good experiences with Hornady 130 grain SSTs with 45.5 grains of H380. I used CCI 250 primers for this load. Just be ready for some muzzle flash with this load. Neither of my loads are max. I usually start in the middle of the road and work from there.
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Old December 26, 2011, 10:37 PM   #7
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Quote:
These will be hunting rounds. Is it more economical than buying the factory ammo?
That depends on what you'll be loading.

For something like my new favorite load, there can be a lot of savings:
(Current, regular prices -- buying on sale can offer even more savings)
.270 Winchester
Norma brass (free)
140 gr Nosler Partition ($0.64 each)
CCI Large Rifle primer ($0.034 each)
55 grains RL-19 ($0.173 each) (7000 grains to a pound)

That comes out to $16.94 per box of 20, for premium load, in premium brass. The closest commercial load I can get retails for $39+ per box (and that's in crappy Federal brass).

With a savings of $23 per box, I could pay off one of the Lee reloading kits with only 4 boxes off ammo.
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Old December 26, 2011, 11:00 PM   #8
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Is it more economical than buying the factory ammo?
I did the math some time back and figured that savings on my handloads, with good bullets, brass and powder would save enough over winchester white box to pay for a Lee 50th anniversary kit and dies in 300 rounds..... better ammo and cheaper, to boot.
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Old December 26, 2011, 11:33 PM   #9
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270 is what got me started, 1952 Winchester model 70.

I shoot 49.0 behind a 130 grain in two of them

4831 with a 140 grain bullet in the other.

Happy 270 shooting.
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Old December 27, 2011, 04:07 AM   #10
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Yeah, right. After you buy $400-500 worth of equipment and supplies, it'll be sooooo much cheaper. The .270 is one of the most economical American calibers to shoot. If I want better ammo, I buy Hornady Custom or Federal Premium. Better price your components before jumping in head first.

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Old December 27, 2011, 05:45 AM   #11
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Quote:
Yeah, right. After you buy $400-500 worth of equipment and supplies, it'll be sooooo much cheaper. The .270 is one of the most economical American calibers to shoot. If I want better ammo, I buy Hornady Custom or Federal Premium. Better price your components before jumping in head first.
Well if one simply dives into the pool head first with out checking it first yep it might cost you.

However, there are always items in the classifieds here and on other sites, that can be had for quite a bit less than the new prices. IF one shops for their equipment while saving or gather up once fired cases, they can save for a new press and beam scale, then go second hand on some of the other items. Going with this thought process, the initial investment could only be around $150 initially, depending on just which press or scale one purchased. Throw in another $50 for calipers, and $30 for dies and your still under $200.

It doesn't take a top of the line master reloading set to produce quality ammo, it takes paying attention to detail, and load data. I put plenty of rounds together on the cheapest presses and dies one can get, and the powder is thrown from a measure after being weight verified. I got the presses for less than $50ea, and the Uniflow for less than $40 in almost new condition. The lee dies were second hand and might have been $10.


They load accurate ammo just the same as my higher dollar ones do.

bottom left spots were final loads,

Same equipment, magnum rifle ammo at 500yds,


One has to decide what their needs will be before hand. For a few boxes a year of your own ammo, go basic and shop around. If you loading for competition then yes it will cost you. If your buying two or more boxes of premium ammo a month, or even the plain ol standard stuff anymore, you can quickly put this same money into an inexpensive press, dies, and a few other tools and start to load your own in a short amount of time.
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Old December 27, 2011, 02:10 PM   #12
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Horsefeathers.

Quote:
Yeah, right. After you buy $400-500 worth of equipment and supplies, it'll be sooooo much cheaper. The .270 is one of the most economical American calibers to shoot. If I want better ammo, I buy Hornady Custom or Federal Premium. Better price your components before jumping in head first.
$400-$500 ?

Pure-D Bullsqueeze.


Press Kit: $143.00
http://leeprecision.com/xcart/50th-A...enger-Kit.html

Case length guage: $5.50
http://leeprecision.com/xcart/GAUGE-HOLDER-270-WSM.html

Dies: $43.98 and $14.98
http://leeprecision.com/xcart/DELUX-...I-270-WIN.html
http://leeprecision.com/xcart/FACTOR...P-DIE-270.html

$207.46...... leaves nearly $200 bucks for shipping and a bench (assuming you don't already have a workbench).......

My handloads cost me $.68 (at current Cabela's component regular prices*) each:

150gr Sierra Gamekings, $31.99/100= 32 cents ea
Winchester .270 WIN brass, $43.99/100= @ 9 cents a shot assuming 5 uses**
CCI 250 Magnum Rifle Primers, $36.99/1000= @4 cents ea
IMR7828, 1 lb. for $26.99 ...... 58gr/round= 23 cents/shot

To get that bullet in Federal Premium (the only factory loaded ammo I am aware of that uses it), it's $1.85 a pop .... I pay for the above reloading equipment in les than 10 boxes of shells...... and their load is not even tuned to my rifle.

Your Hornady "Custom" at Cabela's is only available in 130gr bullet weight for .270, and is $1 a pop....... I still save 30+ cents a shot..... it will take longer to recoup my equipment costs, but i still make better ammo for my rifle than Hornady can.

I can load cheaper stuff, and I'm sure you can buy cheaper stuff..... but this is what I do, and what it would cost me to do it.

Quote:
Better price your components before jumping in head first.
This is irrelavant: You are going to buy brass, bullets, primers and powder one way or another, either assembled by sombody else, or as components. Who cares more than you do?


*Some of the items were on sale when I checked, but I used the regular price, as they likely would not be on sale when you buy them. Also, Cabela's is by far not the cheapest place to buy stuff- Natchez, Mid-way, etc. are usually cheaper.... and none of the components except primers were bought in bulk, so you can save even more that way. I did not include shipping, because I walk into the store and buy this stuff.

**you can get more, but my load is hot.... I use it 5 times and then put it in the grass rat/paper-puncher box

Last edited by jimbob86; December 27, 2011 at 02:24 PM.
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Old December 27, 2011, 02:23 PM   #13
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And if you just want to "load a few boxes" every year, a hand press kit is only about $50 ....

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoot...3Bcat104516280

Lee Pacesetter Dies are on sale at Cabela's for $30 right now

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoot...3Bcat104516280
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Old December 27, 2011, 02:40 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimBob86
Pure-D Bullsqueeze.
I don't necessarily think $400 is unrealistic. In fact, I recently put together a list for my cousin and the total price (using mostly Lee equipment including a Classic turret) came to over $500 with 3 sets of dies. With only one die set, you'd be $50-$75 cheaper.

However, I agree with your assessment on the savings. I have spent over $700 on equipment and supplies and I currently load for 5 cartridges. The equipment has paid for itself in about 1 1/2 years and I am not a high volume shooter.

Also, there are many people (of whom my cousin is one) who may only shoot 20-40 rounds a year, not for want but for cost. If he invests $400-$500 in equipment, he can shoot 3 times as much for the same price.

The rifles that I load for average about $7/20 reloads for "standard" ammo. Most factory ammo starts at around $17 a box if you're lucky, in places like Gander Mountain, WalMart and Bass Pro, which is where most people will buy their ammo. That's a savings of at least $10 a box and it would take 400 rounds to pay for the equipment.

After the equipment costs are recouped, you're saving AT LEAST $1 every time you pull the trigger on a rifle. What's not to like?

Beyond the cost savings, I literally can not buy ammo loaded with the bullet that I want to shoot in any of the 3 rifles cartridges I load. In one of them (7mm-08), the closest factory equivalent ammo loaded with Barnes TTSX bullets costs $2.40 a round. I load that same round for $0.85
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Old December 27, 2011, 03:22 PM   #15
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I don't necessarily think $400 is unrealistic.
I just laid out why it was unrealistic.....without buying anything that was on sale, or used ...... I listed stuff that would make, with a bit of care, match quality ammo.

I came up with a bit over 200 bucks.

If someone were patient, and watched ebay, went to Lee for their Factory Seconds, etc., they could probably cut that in half.
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Old December 27, 2011, 03:46 PM   #16
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Just because you CAN do it cheaper doesn't mean $400 is unrealistic. Yes, it can be done cheaper. My initial investment was about $250, that was a Classic turret, associated paraphernalia and only 1 die set..... and then I realized that there were a lot of conveniences missing. $400 is pretty close to what I ended up spending to get everything I wanted to have initially.


Like I said, I just put together a list for my cousin. 4 sets of dies (now that I looked), 22 hornet, 25-20, 270WSM and 270Win, and everything I wish I had purchased originally ended up being $515.32 from Graf and Sons. That included the controversial Lee Safety Scale, which I recommended that he not purchase in favor of an RCBS which would have pushed the price up another $50.

Subtract 3 die sets and you're at about $425.


Yeah, you can be ready to load ammo for a lot less than $400. Probably $75 or so. You can also spend well over $2000 on a setup. Neither of those numbers makes $400 unrealistic.
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Old December 27, 2011, 03:47 PM   #17
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4whln, I haven't priced factory ammo but reloading does cost money and it's just like a business with start up cost.

When I started reloading 60's you could by 5 boxes unprimed brass,100 primers and 100 bullets cost out enough powder to load those 100 cases and you be pretty close to what factory ammo cost. the saving was you could reload those cases and you got better ammo and shoot more for less.

I was loading two rifle at the time and I never figured in the cost for the reloading equipment as I knew I would more than likely add other rifles in the years ahead. I loaded lot of pistol ammo on that single stage press.

We have some guys in the gun club that shoot factory ammo reason they don't have the time to reload and they just like to come out and shoot.

Reloading take on a life of it's own I've got 15 varmint rifles and that many deer/elk/antelope rifles plus couple target rifles good hobby to have.
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Old December 27, 2011, 03:54 PM   #18
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.270 Load

My rifle likes W760 and Speer 150gr. Spire Point Boat Tails.
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Old December 27, 2011, 03:58 PM   #19
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4Whln, reloading is cheaper but start up cost do take time to recoup. It is also a better quaility product IMO and there is just something about reloading the round that you shoot an animal with that makes it that much more special.

I would not start getting into powder/primer type/brands until I had picked a bullet. Once you've done that then you can purchase a reloading manual from that bullet company and it'll best tell you what you should buy.

Welcome to the wonderful, sometimes head scratching world of reloading!
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Old December 28, 2011, 03:37 PM   #20
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My goto 270 load 130gr hornady SP over 58.3gr of H4831
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Old December 28, 2011, 10:12 PM   #21
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Cheaper? It depends---

I need to post a picture of all the jugs of powder on the shelf, all of the boxes of bullets that are partially used and sit there because they didn't suit me. As well, unless you are bench rest shooter or use the gun for varmint shooting, you may tire of going to the range and shooting a couple of boxes of ammo every month or every week.

If that is a hunting rifle, you might shoot 5-10 rounds per year. Once you get a favorite load that works for your game, then buying a box of shells now and then is pretty comprable.

That being said, most of us start with something we want to shoot a lot, like a 38 special, and get addicted. Then another gun comes along in a different caliber, and presto---new dies, shell holder, powder, bullets, primers. Well heck, then maybe a varmint rifle, and repeat that scenario again. It is a vicious disease. I may never be cured. My wife has serious doubts about the future of our finances, as my habit has worsened lately.
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