I'm just starting to get my stuff together and will be reloading once I shoot enough to collect a good amount of shells. I have all the equipment so I'm good on that front. Now I need to start gathering reloading supplies. C

What did prices of relaoding components look like before all the craziness last December?
This will only be a 308 with 165 gr or heavier bullets. Looking for pre-craziness prices for ya'll typically paid on things like powder (open to suggestions for what people use, please state type and size), bullets (weight and quantity per box), and primers.

thanks in advance.

Powder pricing is a funny thing. If you want the cheapest price, then you'll buy at least $300-500 worth at a time from some place like Powder Valley. If you're careful and buy in 8lb jugs, you should save at least 30-40% off retail. If you buy retail, it will cost somewhere between $27-$30 / pound for ordinary powders, plus tax.

It's a tradeoff of convenience vs price.

Midway and Cabelas has been consistent since Dec with reloading in my experience. The biggest difference I've noticed is I'm not allowed to buy just 100 primers like I used too all the time. I had to buy in bulk. But it's cheaper in long run.

Primers have increased. Before Obama was elected the first time you could buy 1000 primers in the $25-$27 dollar range locally. Then after his election they were up in the $32-$35 range. After this last bout of stupidity they are in the $37-$40 range. I would seriously doubt they come down much before the next incident, whatever it may be, occurs and drives prices higher. I have been buying powder from 5STANDDAN on the forum for reasonable prices. There was a member that just had a large lot of .308 brass for sale.

Great info guys. Please keep this up.

I think I'm set on brass for now. I have about 300 rounds from Chad and a little over 300 more in various match type rounds so that should leave me with enough brass to get started.

What about 100 packs of bullets on 30cals? I was thinking the following for my particular set up

anything 168 gr or heavier
-matchking
-A-max
-hornady match

While on the topic of brass, who has found it useful to buy a set of high end brass such as Lapua?

Grafs has 168 and 175 SMKs for 25.99 and 27.99 per 100.
The name brand (Sierra)isn't listed and they're seconds, but they're SMK's for sure and they shoot the same.
I'd skip the 168's and start with the 175's, depending on
your barrel twist of course.

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/26342
http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/26343

Lapua brass is the best. There are guys getting 40+ reloads from a single pc of brass. Of course, you need to anneal after 5 reloads to acheive the optimum life of each case.

Before december, you could find primers online for 25-27, but paid hazmat and shipping. My costs were running about 32 per 1000. I never could order a mass quantity unless I went together with some other folks, so I took the brunt of the fees.

Academy has primers at 40 plus tax. I will pay the extra 10 bucks to walk in and walk out with 1000 primers, not optimal but i have em.

Midway seems to have bullets in stock. Check grafs and powder valley too.

Powder is the hard one for me. Got lucky at a recent gun show. Prices were reasonable to the online retailers and a couple buck more than December.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/705932/...tail-box-of-100

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/103113/...tail-box-of-100

Loading it on RL-15, which doesn't meter well at all. Midway price is about what I found them for before the rush at Cabela's in Buda and my local shop in Gatesville +/- $2. Price on primers you heard is spot on, have been finding them for $29.99 per thousand as of late in spats, managed to get a box of 1000 of each SRP/LRP(Match)/SPP/LPP, no use for a magnum. Stay away from cheap primers, see the squib thread for more info. Powder's besides the RL-15 I use almost all Ramshot since it meters so well. TAC is real good for 308 as well as Hunter, just got a nail driver setup with those 165's with an Alliant RL-15, TAC with the 180's.
This is from my tables I have compiled and shot using federal match large rifle.

180 gr Hornady SST, Ramshot TAC, 2.74 COL, 38.5gr 2325 FPS, 42 gr 2550 fps

165 gr Hornady SST, Alliant RL15, 2.75 COL Powder 35.5gr 2175 fps 44 gr 2500 fps
Out of a Savage FCP HS Precision with a 24" barrel on a 1-10 twist.