It has exploded in popularity over the last 10 years but back then there weren't many option in the way of factory ammo and components - now there are. Lots in fact. If you want to go economical, you can get cheap brass, use cheap powder and shoot cheap bullets. But what's the point of going economical with a cartridge designed for precision beyond a mile? When you're shooting to 1000m, you can cut corners, but when you try to shoot the same targets at 1600m you really have to focus on uniformity and that means quality components. Getting into ELR shooting is a commitment and ammo costs are just part of the price of admission.
If the costs scare you or, more importantly, you don't plan to shoot it past 1200m, then be smart and choose a .300WM instead. You can still take it far - as in 1400 yards far and it's quite a bit cheaper to feed, either with factory ammo or on your own.
PS. on annealing, you'll get more life out of your brass if you do it every 3-5 loads. And that's why you don't skimp on quality brass, because it'll last longer and give you more uniformity.
