Cheaper than 223?

Yes.

I load my 17Fireball pretty cheap but it's only cheap after you own the brass. It costs $19.00 for 100 premium bullets and only uses around 15gr of powder per charge. Pretty cheap.
I guess it all depends what components you are going to use with 223. If you buy bulk (1000 or more) bullets and bulk once fired brass and find a good supply of powder and primers 223 can be done pretty cheap but if you want premium bullets and Nosler brass you are going to pay more.
 
What kind of rifle, and what kind of shooting do you want to do?

Tactical - 9mm - JR or Thureon Carbine
Rimfire - .22 mag, or .17 hmr

Personally I think reloading .223 is pretty cheap, especially with FMJ Bulk.

One of the biggest expenses reloading is Brass, and there is tons of free .223 brass for next to nothing. This is not the case with most other small cal brass...

The other big expense is projectiles, and 55 gr FMJ Bulk is pretty damn cheap. I use 55 gr Hornady FMJBT and they are pretty accurate.
 
hometownhero said:
Do you often reload 22lr yourself?

22 hornet would be very cheap. Only uses 10gr of powder ish.
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no, but the OP said either or,

calvados.boulard said:
Hi everyone,

Is there a rifle round, either factory or one I'd reload myself without casting, that's cheaper than 223?

Thanks everyone,
Cal.
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also it was a joke... but now that you mention it i may just try and jam a 224 bullet in a 22lr case... or maybe i will let the beer wear off first.
 
Spawn-Inc said:
no, but the OP said either or,





also it was a joke... but now that you mention it i may just try and jam a 224 bullet in a 22lr case... or maybe i will let the beer wear off first.
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Oops. I r stupit.

Maybe we can actually help OP by recommending a round that's cheaper than .223 but has acceptable performance for his/her application.

OP, what are you planning on shooting with the round, and at what range?
 
Hi everyone, and thanks for all your responses.

I don't have a specific use case just yet. Currently I'm sending .22lr and 7.62x39 into targets between 50y and 225y downrange. I guess I'm looking to do the same with something that has a bit more oomph and a bit more legs than the .22lr and maybe/hopefully/perhaps cheaper than 7.62x39 or .223?

Thanks again everyone,
Cal.
 
calvados.boulard said:
Hi everyone, and thanks for all your responses.

I don't have a specific use case just yet. Currently I'm sending .22lr and 7.62x39 into targets between 50y and 225y downrange. I guess I'm looking to do the same with something that has a bit more oomph and a bit more legs than the .22lr and maybe/hopefully/perhaps cheaper than 7.62x39 or .223?

Thanks again everyone,
Cal.
Click to expand...

Then the answer is no, you can get better accuracy from 17HMR but it costs a lot more than 22LR, I love mine but I don't care how much ammo costs. One of my rifles is a 338 Lapua so everything else seems cheap to me.
If you get into reloading 223 just to make it cheaper you will be buying cheap bulk components and that's not going to give you the accuracy you want. If you load with good bullets and take the time to prep your cases well you're going to spend a lot of time at the reloading bench and it will cost you close to the same as just buying bulk.
Then you need to factor in the cost of a new rifle. Most 223's are going to cost you $1000 minimum and they will work but if you want something decent you will need to spend $1200-$1500 to get a decent AR and $2000 or more to get a good AR or a decent non restricted rifle. To get a high end non restricted 223 it will cost $2500 or more.
 
The more common the projectile, and more importantly the smaller the amount of lead downrange and brass ejected out the side, the cheaper the cost of the cartridge.

Pretty much as simple as that.
 
cr5 said:
Then the answer is no, you can get better accuracy from 17HMR but it costs a lot more than 22LR, I love mine but I don't care how much ammo costs. One of my rifles is a 338 Lapua so everything else seems cheap to me.
If you get into reloading 223 just to make it cheaper you will be buying cheap bulk components and that's not going to give you the accuracy you want. If you load with good bullets and take the time to prep your cases well you're going to spend a lot of time at the reloading bench and it will cost you close to the same as just buying bulk.
Then you need to factor in the cost of a new rifle. Most 223's are going to cost you $1000 minimum and they will work but if you want something decent you will need to spend $1200-$1500 to get a decent AR and $2000 or more to get a good AR or a decent non restricted rifle. To get a high end non restricted 223 it will cost $2500 or more.
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When I was looking into the calibre of my next rifle, I found that .17 HMR costs almost as much to shoot as the cheapest .223. Usually it's around $.25 - $.30 per round, which is what you can (used to be able to, now) get cheap surplus .223/5.56 for. 22 WMR is a bit cheaper, but not by much. Usually around $.20 per round.

In terms of reloading, .223 benefits from availability. You can get once fired .223 brass practically anywhere. I pay between $.08 and $.12 for mine, but you can just pick it up off the range for free. I guess with smaller calibres that you would think would be cheaper, you're more likely to be reloading your own store-bought stuff. You have to factor that cost in.

IMO, .223 is the best combination of price and availability for reloading.

In terms of a rifle, you can get a damned good bolt-action .223 for under $1000 if that's your thing.
 
5.56x45............cheaper to load for then the 223..........as far as brass goes one can cut down 223 and make their own......because we all love to tinker.....or.......

38/357 or 45 colt lever action rifle...........

45/70 with cast bullets and trail boss.......

30-30 with cast bullets and trail boss......

the possibilities are endless when you think outside of the box.........
 
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