Cost to Reload .223 ammo

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Poppa9

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Hello everyone,

I have a Dillon XL 600 press and currently reload .45 ACP, .45 Long Colt and 9mm.

I just purchased a .223/5.56 rifle, and while I still need to purchase the reloading dies etc, I am having a hard time determining the reload costs, especially when it comes to the cost of the bullet. There is such a wide variation on the bullet costs, and they all seem to be quite expensive.

As a reference point, I am able purchase 1000 bulk .223/55g rounds made by Federal or by UMC for $750-$800 (and then add tax). So, 75 to 80 cents per round before taxes.

Can this pricing be beat by reloading? Is it worth reloading .223?

Looking forward to your comments and guidance!

Thanks,

Poppa9
 
A quick search from site sponsors indicates

SRP = $15 per 100, so $0.15 each
Campro projectiles = $63 per 500, so $0.13 each
I use BLC2 powder at $41/lb (on sale) which works out to be about $0.15 per round.

Brass is, for me, free (range pickup).

So, $0.43 each, plus prep time. Worth it to me.

I've seen primers cheaper, and when powder is on sale I buy lots.

YMMV
 
As Wasa suggested depending on what you are loading it can be worth it. IMHO if you are just shooting ball ammo, it may not be worth it. Having to buy components at current prices makes me consider just buying ball ammo as oppose to loading it. I keep an eye out for sales. I have more .223/5.56 brass than I can count but buying new components, bullets,powder,primers and all the prep time to only save a few cents for each round is not always worth ones time. You can keep an eye out for sale of components and that will reduce your costs.

Now if you are talking about using premium bullets it very quickly can end up saving you money and give you a much more accurate load compared to factory. So it depends on what you want out of the rifle and what you plan to do with it.
 
Depends on what you time is worth to you. One thing that is different with necked vs straight (pistol) cartridges is trimming. You'll have to measure and/or trim your .223 cases after resizing. I have a Giraud which made quick work of that when I was loading high volume .223 but if you have to use a hand trimmer it adds some time.
But all that said, .223 ammo is so expensive now that it might be worth your time.
 
Dillon has a cost calculator on their website

Clint

edit....I used it 4 years ago when I was on the fence about 9mm. I don't shot much 9mm. But after factoring in $100 for a used dies and conversion set for my SD, it was only 425 rounds before I was ahead.
 
There is no need to trim cases after every firing. Every few (2-3) firings will be fine.

Reloading allows you to make stuff you cannot buy. It also acts as a hedge or buffer for when factory ammo becomes scarce and/or prices rise. Have a stash of components ready and you are good to go.
 
I Dont Care About You said:
There is no need to trim cases after every firing. Every few (2-3) firings will be fine.

Reloading allows you to make stuff you cannot buy. It also acts as a hedge or buffer for when factory ammo becomes scarce and/or prices rise. Have a stash of components ready and you are good to go.
Click to expand...

Measuring after resizing will tell you if trimming is needed. I set my calipers to the max case length to use as a go/no-go gauge.
 
For reference my reloads at current prices are $.657 each for a match grade load.
25.2gr Varget ($70/lb), Ginex Primers ($115/1000) and Barnes MatchBurner 69gr I got on sale at $29/100.

Compare that to factory match ammo at $2+ per round and not guaranteed to shoot as well and I'd be crazy not to reload.
 
IMO, 9mm and 223 aren't worth reloading unless you want something that isn't available in the store.
 
MiG25 said:
IMO, 9mm and 223 aren't worth reloading unless you want something that isn't available in the store.
Click to expand...

I guess it depends on much you value your time and if you have to buy components at today's inflated prices. Even with today's component prices a 223 round (assuming you don't have to buy new brass) will cost around 60 cents to reload vs 70-80 cents for ammo at current bulk prices. To me a $100-200 savings per 1K is nothing to sneeze at. That said I'm sitting on bunch of yesterday's components, so reloading 1K of 223 realistically saves me around $400-500 over current bulk ammo. Heck if I really wanted to go cheap I could load up with some hard cast, gas checked and or powder coated 223 projectiles for as little as 18 cents a round. If your reloading a fancy 223 varmint round its not hard to save $1-2 over the commercial ammo(assuming you can even find that ammo). Even if one is new to reloading, wait for the inevitable sales and like they say "buy them cheap and stack them deep".

Money aside the real reason I got into reloading nearly 3 decades ago was more for supply security. I was tired of driving 40-60 minutes to the closest ammo retailer to be told they were out of the ammo I needed. I remember not that long ago folks telling how it was not worth reloading 12 gauge or 410 shot shells. I still invested in a shot maker and the appropriate components and now with the benefit of hindsight it was the right call. Frankly its not hard to imagine how ammo security will get even worse in the future. Just wait for the fun when the government starts telling us we can only store limited amounts of ammunition and only for the calibers we have on license like they do in the UK.
 
MiG25 said:
IMO, 9mm and 223 aren't worth reloading unless you want something that isn't available in the store.
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing a few years ago when I got into reloading. Now I reload 9mm on a manual scale using a single stage press to the tune of 3000 rounds a year. I do not like the minus 35 winters we have, and I quite enjoy listening to podcasts, and find reloading quite relaxing and rewarding. Load all winter, shoot all summer
 
DiMP said:
I thought the same thing a few years ago when I got into reloading. Now I reload 9mm on a manual scale using a single stage press to the tune of 3000 rounds a year. I do not like the minus 35 winters we have, and I quite enjoy listening to podcasts, and find reloading quite relaxing and rewarding. Load all winter, shoot all summer
Click to expand...

Hey I do the same thing and I really enjoy reloading. Its just another aspect of shooting that can be done at anytime or any weather.
One thing i didnt consider is that now that I reloading is that I shoot a ton more.
I went from shooting around 1000 rounds of 9mm and 223 to shooting 3-4 thousands of each.
 
Obviously YMMV, but I'll spend my reloading efforts on things I can't buy like 22 K-Hornet or unleaded 303 or where there is both a significant (to me) cost saving and performance advantage like 44-40 and just pony up for 9mm.

I do get it that reloading is a hobby unto itself. But I just don't see the savings on 9mm.

13 cents bullet
16 cents primer
6 cents powder
5 cents case (approximation)

Thats 40 cents each plus time (specific dies I'll amortize to zero).
 
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