.223 reloading?

[jayz]

I just bought a .223 and was wondering if it is worth it to reload. I have no reloading equip. and I get AE 55 grn for 7 buxs a box. Should I be saving the brass and try to find a person in edmonton that reloads or garbage them?

 

[Helno]

I did the math and it seems worthwhile. Even if it is not a signifigant cost savings it is something to do when you cannot go shooting.

 

[HPL]

Keep your brass. You might not be reloading now, but if we run into another patch where .223 gets scarce, you might want to start reloading.

 

[todbartell]

I can reload 223 ammo for $3.30 / 20 rounds

55 gr. Hornady SP
23.0 grs. milsurp WC845
Federal 205 primer
R-P, F-C, or W-W brass


​

 

[martinbns]

I found the brass a pain in the ass to work with, too small for me and my trimmer. I bought 1000 sized trimmed brass off a guy on this site for $100 shipped and I fill em up, seat the bullet and blast away.

 

[Canuck223]

I found the brass a pain in the ass to work with, too small for me and my trimmer. I bought 1000 sized trimmed brass off a guy on this site for $100 shipped and I fill em up, seat the bullet and blast away.

That would have been me

The biggest problem is simply tooling and patience. If you are reloading for a bolt action, and only need 1-200 cases, it's not too hard to swage the pockets and trim by hand.

If you load for an AR and want 1-2000 cases on the go, it can be a bit much.

I found that buying my powder and bullets in bulk, and having a few k of processed brass on hand saved me a bunch of time and $$$$$$$$.

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

Where did you get $7 .223?

 

[Garand]

Get a copy of Wholesales Sports Catalog, add up the price of the components then compare it to factory ammo available. I did, Norinco 55 grain was $60.00 cheaper than reloading components and would have saved me about 6 days work, cleaning, resizing, chamfering, OAL check with mags, etc.

 

[GIXXER]

Where did you get $7 .223?

American eagle is 7 and change per 20
Winchester white box is $16 per 40

 

[Levi Garrett]

I do so for the accuracy, and reduce velocity a bit(3200 fps). Match 52/53 grain bullets from a 12 twist barrel can't be beat.
Frank

 

[Camp Cook]

I just purchased 1600 once fired Remington 223 brass from Brassman Brass www.brassmanbrass.com located in Nevada, including shipping to my PO box just across the border cost me $57.00 Canadian funds. This was less than a month ago.

I declared them at the border on the way back home and was waved through with out having to pay any taxes.

 

[agit-prop]

Here are some photos that clearly illustrate why reloading .223 isn't a waste of time...

Factory ammo

Reloads

 

[rkaine]

I agree that you can buy factory ammo inexpensively today, and it may shoot fine for your applications, however, handloads will do better. And for long range precision, using .223, you definitely save a ton of money, and get far better accuracy.

 

[prosper]

When you can reload premium match-class ammo for the same price as white-box 'budget' ammo (or cheaper) - what's to think about?