Is it worth reloading .223 vs bulk ammo?
- Thread starter schumy
- Start date
Oh man, I have thousands of pieces of 223 brass with crimped primer pockets and no swager! Do you trim all your brass? I gauge all of it, and toss about 10%, but I try to avoid trimming as much as I can. If I'm looking for accuracy I just use new brass. I'm constantly debating about spending juuuust a little more money on a Dillon swager and a RT1200 trimmer.
I almost enjoy reloading the ammo as much as emptying it. Almost
I have a box full of crimped pocket brass that's going nowhere. I do length check everything and trim when it exceeds, tho I don't find a lot gets too long in my AR or HK. I also throw out the dam federal FC stamped stuff with the stupid ring in the primer pocket - that just seems to be a pia in getting new primers in - grr. I've kinda slowed down on picking up range brass as, I just find it a pia to go through them looking for crimp / fc / whatever. Either way, for my plinking cases they get FL sized every time.
I've seen the Dillon trimmer, but I'm not sure how much faster it is over a std trimmer. I use the rcbs trimmer but have taken the handle off and put a cordless drill on the shaft to power it. Trims quickly, then onto the rcbs case centre for chamfer/debur etc.
I keep my .223 "target" brass separate and treat it about the same way, length check, trim etc, just keep them separate as I am neck sizing only for the most part.
It really depends on you and if it is worth your time.
In my case, I reload custom high quality 55 gr soft points for $0.27, whereas the same stuff factory is a dollar per round. Big savings. The catch is that I am putting in a rediculous amount of time to load these single stage (blame my OCD), and time is money. That being said, if you reloading just to have some basic, cheap rounds to shoot, it wouldn't take you nearly as long to crank them out, even if you're using a single stage.
In my case, I reload custom high quality 55 gr soft points for $0.27, whereas the same stuff factory is a dollar per round. Big savings. The catch is that I am putting in a rediculous amount of time to load these single stage (blame my OCD), and time is money. That being said, if you reloading just to have some basic, cheap rounds to shoot, it wouldn't take you nearly as long to crank them out, even if you're using a single stage.
herpinator45
Regular
- Location
- Southern Ontario - Just off 401
Pick two of the following, because as with anything its the way it works with a gas gun: Cheap, Accurate, Reliable Performance
This is going to be the devils advocate here. When people who are reloading usually fail to equate both value of their time, and the cost of purchasing and maintaining their equipment.
I do reload 12 Gauge, 223, and 9mm (fairly cheap to buy) however I am feeding 2 x competitive shooters. I have yet to figure out my "cost per round" including equipment and time costs but if I did, buying it would probably be cheaper;
I know the following things:
I have enough components on hand to last me to the end of the outdoor season.
How my loads perform in regards to accuracy and positive functioning in my firearms
I have consistant loads from match to match
I do not trust Norinco ammo during a match
Being cheap when buying your components = poor performing ammunition (EG, CJ Brass or similar, oddball powders, oddball projectiles)
Rushing to output large quantities of ammunition in short timeframe = PROBLEMS
I do know I wear parts out on my 1050 so I keep spare parts kits on hand
I do not know the following things:
When I can get a sufficient supply of factory ammo of same brand or lot (not that I am a good shooter, just all things being equal)
Whether or not it would have been cheaper to buy cases of ammo instead of reloading equipment
This is going to be the devils advocate here. When people who are reloading usually fail to equate both value of their time, and the cost of purchasing and maintaining their equipment.
I do reload 12 Gauge, 223, and 9mm (fairly cheap to buy) however I am feeding 2 x competitive shooters. I have yet to figure out my "cost per round" including equipment and time costs but if I did, buying it would probably be cheaper;
I know the following things:
I have enough components on hand to last me to the end of the outdoor season.
How my loads perform in regards to accuracy and positive functioning in my firearms
I have consistant loads from match to match
I do not trust Norinco ammo during a match
Being cheap when buying your components = poor performing ammunition (EG, CJ Brass or similar, oddball powders, oddball projectiles)
Rushing to output large quantities of ammunition in short timeframe = PROBLEMS
I do know I wear parts out on my 1050 so I keep spare parts kits on hand
I do not know the following things:
When I can get a sufficient supply of factory ammo of same brand or lot (not that I am a good shooter, just all things being equal)
Whether or not it would have been cheaper to buy cases of ammo instead of reloading equipment
I reload 223 for plinking. The problem is you have to be set up for volume reloading and you have to buy components in large enough quantities that you can make it worth it. I have a XL650 with a casefeeder and I bought a case of 6000 Hornady 55gr FMJ. Not including brass, and buying powder in 8lb kegs and primers 5000 at a time, my ammo costs me just a little bit less than Norinco, around $0.22 per round. It's much cleaner and more consistent than Norinco ammo of course, but I certainly wouldn't consider it match ammo. As mentioned, if you factor in the price of your time, it might not be worth it to you.
https://flic.kr/p/oqYYhXhttps://www.flickr.com/people/40728450@N08/
That is an awesome box of bullets. Where did you get it?
Snakehunter
CGN Regular
- Location
- Kenora, Ontario
I shoot 2 different .223's - a Norc AR and a Savage Axis I am working at building into a target rifle. For the Norc I don't care about pinpoint accuracy so I feed it whatever I can that's cheap, either bulk or reloading if I get components cheap. All I have to do with that rifle is put 2 rounds in the alpha of an IPSC target and I am chubby!
The Axis however is hopefully going to put cloverleaves together or better, so for that I am building up several loads with several different bullets. I have yet to find a factory bullet that does this but I already get close with my initial reloads. I don't factor time into the cost because I enjoy the challenge.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
Glen
The Axis however is hopefully going to put cloverleaves together or better, so for that I am building up several loads with several different bullets. I have yet to find a factory bullet that does this but I already get close with my initial reloads. I don't factor time into the cost because I enjoy the challenge.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
Glen
I reload 223 for plinking. The problem is you have to be set up for volume reloading and you have to buy components in large enough quantities that you can make it worth it. I have a XL650 with a casefeeder and I bought a case of 6000 Hornady 55gr FMJ. Not including brass, and buying powder in 8lb kegs and primers 5000 at a time, my ammo costs me just a little bit less than Norinco, around $0.22 per round. It's much cleaner and more consistent than Norinco ammo of course, but I certainly wouldn't consider it match ammo. As mentioned, if you factor in the price of your time, it might not be worth it to you.
Where are you buying your reloading supplies in quantities? I'm looking for the best prices. Thanks.
I want to start reloading .223 using my dillon RL 550B....I don't have a case feeder, but...when the kids are asleep and my wife's busy watching TV....I have spare time for me in my little cave man gun room to reload...
You got my attention with that picture! WOW!
That's a lots of bullets!! where can I buy that case of 6000 Hornady 55gr FMJ like that!???
You got my attention with that picture! WOW!
That's a lots of bullets!! where can I buy that case of 6000 Hornady 55gr FMJ like that!???I reload 223 for plinking. The problem is you have to be set up for volume reloading and you have to buy components in large enough quantities that you can make it worth it. I have a XL650 with a casefeeder and I bought a case of 6000 Hornady 55gr FMJ. Not including brass, and buying powder in 8lb kegs and primers 5000 at a time, my ammo costs me just a little bit less than Norinco, around $0.22 per round. It's much cleaner and more consistent than Norinco ammo of course, but I certainly wouldn't consider it match ammo. As mentioned, if you factor in the price of your time, it might not be worth it to you.
Gunnerlove
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vancouver Island
I can load a match grade 69 or 77gr HPBP round for $0.55. Or I can buy it for $1.50 a round when it is available.
I can load a decent 62gr training round that shoots better than IVI (which is better than most issued ammo but still limited by the three component bullet) for $0.33. Or I can pay over $0.60 for mediocre, US 62gr 5.56mm, when available, and availability sucks.
I can load a decent 62gr training round that shoots better than IVI (which is better than most issued ammo but still limited by the three component bullet) for $0.33. Or I can pay over $0.60 for mediocre, US 62gr 5.56mm, when available, and availability sucks.
I think in most situations you could reload and shoot more for your money. If you are shooting ridiculous volume however, unless you can do it efficiently it may not be worth your TIME. Would I want to reload thousands of rounds a week on a turret press? Not really, but I'm happy to do a few hundred rounds.
Higher consumption just means you need more capacity:
[youtube]U0XH_afbbgU[/youtube]
If you're going through ammo at a rate where you need a setup like this to keep up, your component cost will still be much larger than for tooling.
Hotwheels81
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- South of GP
Everyone should have a Dillon on the bench...
I have managed to save money in every cartridge i reload for, 9mm starts to get real cheap with hard cast bullets, 10mm full power loads were substantially cheaper than the neutered AE stuff, .308 for the M14 addiction was brought down 25%...
.223 is a funny thing... The 55gr plinking stuff you buy is 2-4MOA in most semi's, the 62gr can be half that in some rifles... The cheap bulk stuff of either flavour is not really "cheap" either when you look back a bunch of years... Having the ability the lay down $300-$400 on a spam can or bulk box of ammo is still a serious financial decision yet buying $100 worth of components every now and then makes feeding the hungry buggers a bit more gentle...
If faced with financing a supply of ammo on a credit card and paying 18%+ interest over a few months or financing a quality reloading setup that can feed my hobby for a lifetime I'd pick the gear over a straight up consumable... Think of it as a bit of security in the long term...
One thing is for sure, ammo costs are going up and supply is on shaky ground but the same can be said of reloading components... I can still produce my favorite .223 ammo that is more accurate than factory stuff for less then AE bulk.
Where are you getting factory ammo for 25c/round?
