Is AR15 ammo worth reloading?

Ok so here is my take on reload, I started around the month of May, I Found the hardest part was finding all the equipment you need. Once you do find it your all set. Then comes the cost, I have never figured it out so I used the Handholding Calculator and here is what it comes to Tax Included, based on 1000 rounds

4lbs powder H-335 88.20 Acutall 4lbs at 23.0 makes 1200 rounds
Powder Charge 23.0g
Primers WSR 29.40
Case 0.00 Just look around the range For PMC cases
Bullets 99.75

Cost / Round .202
Cost / 20 4.04
Cost / 50 10.08
Cost / 1000 201.60


Summary:
Cost of 1000 reloaded rounds 201.60 tax included
Cost of 1000 Factory rds Cheapest PMC 450.00 + tax
The look on my face when I empty a 10 round LAR clip PRICE LESS :dancingbanana:

Hope this Helps
P.S don't forget the hours included with this about 4 hrs per 500 rounds of labour.
 
acrashb said:
So 667 pays about $250 per K. I do it for about $180 per K, with really cheap powder, cheap bullets, and lots of brass reuse. Bullets may have gone up, but your two best sources AFAIK are msg.drew (on the board) and higginson powders.
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X2

I used to be in general disagreement with the notion that one could save $$ reloading common rounds like 9mm, 45 ACP, 223, etc. Then again, 223 Federal used to sell for around 27 cents apiece. Now I get supplies from Higginson and reloading is part of the sport for me. IMHO acrashb has got the numbers about right, not counting initial setup costs, which haven't gone up in line with the cost of ammo & reloading supplies.

Don't be timid about buying in bulk if your budget will handle it. Ammo is like toilet paper, you're eventually gonna run out no matter how large a package you buy and bulk purchase savings are worth it.
 
gushulak said:
My bad.

Primers, $90 for a case of 5K.

I also use a Giraurd case trimmer for keeping my brass in spec. Greatest trimmer on the planet!
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Man, you had me going but even $90.00 for 5K is a good price, where do you buy them?

You can always start out with a single press and used equipment. A lot of people on here will say buy Dillon and be happy, yes they are good machines, very expensive and depends on how much you shoot. If you shoot 10 boxes of ammo a year there is no point, if you shoot 1000's of rounds well that is a different story.

Look on ebay and in the EE forum. Right now you will be surprised at some of the prices and equipment you can get out of the US. They are in a huge recession and some people need to unload stuff to pay bills, be careful of the exchange rate and make sure when you get something shipped across the line it is by USPS and not FedEx or UPS.

Reloading equipment is like anything else, depends on how much you use it and how often and of course your budget. I discovered casting about 5 years ago and I actually enjoy making bullets more than reloading, for me it is a hobby so I don't count my time. I have never tried making .223 bullets and I probably never will but for handguns, casting is the way to go especially if you get the lead for free.

Reloading lets you shoot more and with tailor made ammo that is actually better than store bought.
 
the only thing i have to say is just keep up with the checking of case length thats the longest prosses for me the ar family likes to strech brass and i forgot to trim a few cases once and it caused some hard extracts but othar then that its worth your time and check out the hodgdon websight for a base line to start your loads ar's like them hot or at least mine dose but the best part about reloading is you get to play and pick which your shooting wich you cant do with factory rounds mine fires nice with hornady a-max but if im feeling cheep i go serria fmj
 
hunter64 said:
Man, you had me going but even $90.00 for 5K is a good price, where do you buy them?

\QUOTE]


Like I said, I stocked up on primers a few years back when the primer shortage was causing everyone to hoard. I bought about 50K of WSP and WSR primers for about $90/5000 from Farmer's Supply/Wholesale in Wpg.

I do all my loading on Dillon presses, the make the best reloading equipment in the world! Loaded tens of thousands of rounds on my 550 and don't think I've broken anything on it yet, runs like a dream.
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gushulak... a few years back wouldnt happen to be 20 lol my dad has boxes of ammo that have the prices back when he bought them along time ago 5.75 for a box of 270's... he has all the recipts from everything he bought firearms related I look at it and just go... those where the days... remington 700 bdl's for $275
 
You guys are the greatest! Lots of practical and useful info. Since I also have an AI clone and reloading for the .308 will be a must, I guess I'll do the .223 as well.
 
msg.drew said:
gushulak... a few years back wouldnt happen to be 20 lol my dad has boxes of ammo that have the prices back when he bought them along time ago 5.75 for a box of 270's... he has all the recipts from everything he bought firearms related I look at it and just go... those where the days... remington 700 bdl's for $275
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I hear you Andrew, I have some ammo in my stores that I got for great deals, stuff like Win Ranger 147gr. SXT's (500rd case for $180), when I bought my primers I cleaned out the store, got them for all $90 per 5000. Bought tens of thousands of 230gr. FMJ's from Marstar before the prices went through the roof, the prices on them are double what they were just last year.

I shoot alot and like to have a swak of components and ammo in my stockpiles. I will always buy in bulk to save money. Its stuff I will always use and its never gonna get cheaper.

I have a whole room in my house that is full to the ceiling with ammo, compoents and all the good stuff to keep a collections of guns going.

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH AMMO OR COMPONENTS!
 
zykopat said:
in Pat Sweeney's book that reloading for the AR15 is no for the faint hearted."?
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Pat Sweeny can get a case or two from wolf for just mentioning how great the bullets are in the magazine. So for him it probably isNt worth it.

"And now a word from our Sponsors"

223 has a couple of issues. One you might run into military crimp cases. These require a 10$ tool from Lee to remove.

Second I found that cases needed alot of lubrication or the decrimping pin would get stuck in the case. I broke a couple of decrimping pins 4 bucks each learning this. Besides that the cartridge is the same as any other.
 
I wanted to go with a Dillon 650 for .223 and 9mm & maybe .308 , would that be a "no go " ?
will it take a Giraud case trimmer as well ( with all the other things...):confused:

I'm new to reloading, so I have been squating here a bit... but a lot of post from newbies gets different answers...:redface:
 
Al: You can always start off with inexpensive equipment and move up from there. Take Lee single stage or turret press kits, for under 140.00 plus the price of your dies you can get going. This setup will pay for itself in short order and when you want to do more reloading or quicker then you can move to a high end machine. As far as case trimming goes you can get a Lee trimmer for under 10 bucks for each caliber and they work just fine, all you are doing is removing brass if needed. I know a lot of people on here will say you have to "Buy a Dillon" and be happy, start off with the best and be done with it etc. I have a Dillon and it works great, does it produce any better ammo than a single stage, NO. Does it produce ammo quicker, YES but at what cost. Buying the best right off will set you back about $1000.00 for a 650 and a couple of caliber conversion kits, far cry from 140.00.
 
Al Baker said:
I wanted to go with a Dillon 650 for .223 and 9mm & maybe .308 , would that be a "no go " ?
will it take a Giraud case trimmer as well ( with all the other things...):confused:

I'm new to reloading, so I have been squating here a bit... but a lot of post from newbies gets different answers...:redface:
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The 650 will handle all of those calibers.

The Giraud trimmer is a stand alone item that only trims and chamfers the cases (inside and outside). They are relatively expensive for what it is they do, but what they do is critical for properly functioning ammo - especially in a semi-auto, and they do it very fast with precision. You can get by with a tool that you hand crank, as with a single stage press, and yes you can cheap out on all of the tools that perform the same or similar functions and still possibly produce similarly functioning ammo - but you will pay for it in the time it takes to complete tasks, possible reliability of the tools, and potentially the quality of the ammunition.

Only you can be the judge of what each item is worth:
-Your time (and do you view loading as part of a hobby or a chore)
-Quality of ammunition required or desired
-Quantity of ammunition required or desired
-Cost of equipment compared to return on the investment
-Loading as a long term or short term sollution
-...and other variables that I'm possibly missing....
 
You can trim on-press with a Dillon 1200B - faster than a Giraud or Gracey. But I'd start out with a standard trimmer (RCBS, Forster, Lyman, etc.), and only move on-press if the time savings warrant the cost.
 
If your going to load .223 and .308 just get a single stage press... I can set you up with everything you need to start turning out great ammo just pm me.

learn how to do it on basic machines first then you can spend $2000 get you dillon 1050 and crank out ammo like no ones business... because anything less then a 1050 is for amatures lol
 
I've been reloading 9mm and .45ACP for about a year using a Lee hand press moving up to a Lee Turret.

I ordered a Nork 97A from CanAm and have been giving some thought as to how what I'm going to feed it. I'm thinking about reloading - but not sure how to go abouts it.

What's so different from reloading .223 to 9mm and .45ACP? What's the whole idea of trimming the case, and how do you resize bottleneck cartridges?
 
I think these guys are a bit preoccupied with case trimming... honestly I have shot the same Reminton R-P .223 brass thru my bolt action and semi's and never have trimmed it... I have about 1200 pcs and have been using it for close to 8 years...

If you can load 9mm and 45 you can load .223 the process is the same... you just need a basic 2 die set or you can get more commplicated with a 3 die neck sizing set or even add a 4th die to factory crimp its all up to you.
 
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