Re: 260 Rem. Reloading Cost & Advice Please
I'm in a similar boat, I'm just getting geared up for reloading .260. Thought I'd share what I've read here. Keep in mind, I've not loaded this way...yet.
A lot of folks are using Winchester 7mm-08 brass. You simply run it through a FL sizing die and you have 260 brass that generally has better 'respect' in terms of brass life. It's not Lapua brass by any means, but it beats out the Rem 260Rem brass according to my extensive research on numerous sites. Obviously the Lapua brass is going to win hands down, but it's 2x a much.
I haven't found out which FL sizing die works best for this...yet.
The biggest complaint is the Rem brass is considered soft and the primer pockets tend to loosen up. The Win 7-08 brass is cheaper and will likely last longer, but you have an extra step. One might argue you should FL size each piece of virgin brass.
I personally plan to use a Redding Body Die and a Lee Collet neck sizer. Each are about $25. The beauty IMHO here is that you do not need to lube your cases with either die (someone correct me if I'm wrong). You will have to change the die out if that hurts your feelings for whatever reason.
The Lee collet die, which a lot of folks despise (Ford vs. Chevy in my book) seems to generate brass with very little run out and is drastically cheaper than the bushing dies. If you turn necks, the bushing dies are probably right up your alley and may be better. YMMV.
Then grab a seater die. I'm very happy with both my Forster 308 micrometer seater and my Redding 6.5CM seater.
Hope this helps and sorry to get off topic.