From 22 cal to 9mm What's in between in factory ammo

silverfoxdj

silverfoxdj

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There is a lot of talk about saving the price of ammo by buying cheaper calibre guns and conversion kits so one can save money and get more range time.

But how is it that there is such a wide gap from .05 cents to about .25 cents with not much in between ? (And don't say reloading is the answer)

I am looking at stepping up from a 22 cal target rifle to a 223 because it was supposed to be so much cheaper, is it? (compared to what)

There is a gap in the pricing / product scale somewhere what am I missing..
 
Why can't we suggest reloading is the answer. I reload .45ACP for approx. $0.14 per round. That would be about the middle of your price span wouldn't it?

have you considered one of these?

tumblr_lfbvvz1ru61qdaxh1o1_400.jpg
 
bydabeav said:
Why can't we suggest reloading is the answer. I reload .45ACP for approx. $0.14 per round. That would be about the middle of your price span wouldn't it?

have you considered one of these?

tumblr_lfbvvz1ru61qdaxh1o1_400.jpg
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Simple dude to stay on TOPIC and to answer the question for folks who don't want to, or can't.. think deeply now..
 
Reloading IS the answer to cheap ammo. I'm now paying $66 to load 1000 rounds of 45 ACP. If your set on factory ammo between.22 and 9mm prices, you have 17 Hm2 and 17HMR to choose from. 9mm is the cheapest centre fire ammo you can buy.
 
17 HMR is a rimfire on roids and does not compare to .223. It's a good small varmint round and usually very accurate in most rifles I've owned. On a calm day, my wife would put 10 rounds under a dime at 100m. 17gr projectile travel at 2600fps and have a very flat trajectory. Cost is around $12-15 for a box of 50.
 
I too have pondered this, and have come to the following conclusions. This is only my opinion mind you. As the 17hmr is a rimfire round I would be limited to factory rounds, there is some choice but not a great deal, and as we know quality and thus accuracy may vary from lot to lot. The price is reasonable, about a nickle per shot. The .223 is a reloadable centrefire, with a reasonable range of components available; as well as surplus ammo. I have the room and necessary security available, but when I factor in the cost of all the reloading equipment, which I suppose I could amortise over a period of time, I believe that I would be better off with the .17hmr. However if I could see another centrefire rifle or a pistol in my future than could easily justify the expense of the reloading equipment. I would check with my insurance company before making the commitment though as I understand that some will not cover you if you are reloading.
 
silverfoxdj said:
But how is it that there is such a wide gap from .05 cents to about .25 cents with not much in between ? (And don't say reloading is the answer)
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There is a wide gap because rimfire is simply much cheaper to produce and is the highest volume round produced. It uses a tiny powder charge (<2gr, IIRC), has a very small case, no separate primer and a plain lead bullet (no jacket = much cheaper). By comparison, .223 uses ~24gr of powder, a case that has probably 7-8 times the brass in it, a separate primer and a heavier jacketed bullet.

Reloading IS the only answer to cheap(er) centerfire ammo, no matter how much you don't want to hear it.


silverfoxdj said:
I am looking at stepping up from a 22 cal target rifle to a 223 because it was supposed to be so much cheaper, is it? (compared to what)
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.223 is the cheapest centerfire rifle round to shoot. That doesn't mean is going to be anywhere near the cost of rimfire, though. Larger calibers like the various .308's (.308 Win, 30-06, 300 magnums, etc.) cost $1+ per round instead of the $0.30/round that cheap .223 sells for.


If you want to learn to shoot, stick with your .22LR target rifle and spend all your money on ammo.


Mark
 
bumperfood said:
I too have pondered this, and have come to the following conclusions. This is only my opinion mind you. As the 17hmr is a rimfire round I would be limited to factory rounds, there is some choice but not a great deal, and as we know quality and thus accuracy may vary from lot to lot. The price is reasonable, about a nickle per shot. The .223 is a reloadable centrefire, with a reasonable range of components available; as well as surplus ammo. I have the room and necessary security available, but when I factor in the cost of all the reloading equipment, which I suppose I could amortise over a period of time, I believe that I would be better off with the .17hmr. However if I could see another centrefire rifle or a pistol in my future than could easily justify the expense of the reloading equipment. I would check with my insurance company before making the commitment though as I understand that some will not cover you if you are reloading.
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Some good points especially the debate on Insurance,,
 
Stevo said:
7.62x39 surplus can be had for under 20 cents a rounds, in some cases delivered to your door for that price.
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How is the quality of the surplus when one wants to reach out to 300 yds and is the factory ammo tailored to target or hunting? and easily available compared to 223.

What is the downside if any?
 
Depends. If you're trying to shoot sub-moa surplus x39 won't get there. All the types I've shot in my XCR are about a 3 moa combo. It's corrosively primed so cleaning takes an extra step.

Shooting on steel I don't have any issues hitting out to 500m with surplus in my XCR.

Downsides? Not as consistent as commercial ammo and extra cleaning. Variable supply.

Upsides? Cheap like dirt. Very available right now. You can shoot a lot for less money.
 
Stevo said:
Depends. If you're trying to shoot sub-moa surplus x39 won't get there. All the types I've shot in my XCR are about a 3 moa combo. It's corrosively primed so cleaning takes an extra step.

Shooting on steel I don't have any issues hitting out to 500m with surplus in my XCR.

Downsides? Not as consistent as commercial ammo and extra cleaning. Variable supply.

Upsides? Cheap like dirt. Very available right now. You can shoot a lot for less money.
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Thanks Stevo. that puts things into perspective..
 
You're welcome.

I moved in to 7.62x39 a few years back when .223 got silly priced to $500/1000. It was nice to be able to shoot x39 at less than half that.

Now that .223 is more reasonable I'm shooting more of it, but I still shoot x39 regularly and I'm using up ammo I bought at less than 18 cents a round.

The old adage regarding surplus ammo of any sort is "buy it cheap and stack it deep." It's very easy to secure a multi-year supply of x39 for extremely reasonable prices right now. You save money and ensure your supply when shortages/price hikes come and go.
 
Hmm, when I checked one of our sponors for factory 223 it looked like that $500/1000 level is still around :( hence the review..

Guess I'll have to shop harder:)
 
silverfoxdj said:
Hmm, when I checked one of our sponors for factory 223 it looked like that $500/1000 level is still around :( hence the review..

Guess I'll have to shop harder:)
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Depends on the dealer and the brand. Canada Ammo has Norinco ball for $280/1120 right now. Not match grade to be sure, but good for plinking and practice. Budget Shooter Supply has Wolf steel cased .223 for $315/1000 and it shoots well in my short ARs. Personally, I wouldn't pay over $400/1000 right now for .223, and it would have to be US or Euro brass cased, boxer primed ammo at that price.
 
Stevo said:
You're welcome.

I moved in to 7.62x39 a few years back when .223 got silly priced to $500/1000. It was nice to be able to shoot x39 at less than half that.

Now that .223 is more reasonable I'm shooting more of it, but I still shoot x39 regularly and I'm using up ammo I bought at less than 18 cents a round.

The old adage regarding surplus ammo of any sort is "buy it cheap and stack it deep." It's very easy to secure a multi-year supply of x39 for extremely reasonable prices right now. You save money and ensure your supply when shortages/price hikes come and go.
Click to expand...

I agree!
 
bydabeav said:
Why can't we suggest reloading is the answer. I reload .45ACP for approx. $0.14 per round. That would be about the middle of your price span wouldn't it?

have you considered one of these?

tumblr_lfbvvz1ru61qdaxh1o1_400.jpg
Click to expand...

At this point I don't have the time or interest to start reloading. Perhaps someday, but then there would be a cash outlay to buy all the equipment.
 
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