is it worth reloading 223?

hardly. plus I suspect people will be unloading their .223 stashes soon, now that the guns are gone, driving down price
 
if your happy with bulk at 1.5 to 2.5 inches its not worth reloading. if your looking for a half inch load then its far cheaper to reload than buy factory quality ammo.
 
I personally don't think so. I think there is (or at least was) so much different variety of .223rem loads that amongst the variety you could find something that you gun liked... Especially if you can shoot 55grain bullets. There's also a wide price range, which can certainly impact the value of reloading.

My SL8 needs heavier bullets to stabilize because of the twist rate.... 68gr or heavier... those can be #####y to find but I had bought a case of Black Hills ammo and my gun shoots that stuff just fine. Because of the picky barrel I did start reloading for that gun, I developed a good recipe and used cheap Sierra bullets... but 68grain bullets aren't easy to find and they aren't cheap either. Considering I got the gun for enjoyment of shooting and how quickly you can blow throw ammo with the thing I found it less of an impediment to use to just suck it up and buy copius amounts of Black Hills.

Like I said if you can take 55grain bullets then you can shoot some pretty cheap plentiful bulk ammo, and just blast away enjoying shooting...not toiling away trying to reload .223
 
Hornady soft point can be found for $15-$17/100. Cost calculator puts me at .39/round, or $7.80/box of 20.

Cheaper AND more accurate. Can't even find fmj for that cheap anymore, and let's face it, fmj doesn't cut it on animals.
 
This is the same as the 9mm reload argument. I can reload 9mm for half of what it costs, I will always reload 9mm and .223.

Corey
 
Hunt&Hook said:
Hornady soft point can be found for $15-$17/100. Cost calculator puts me at .39/round, or $7.80/box of 20.

.
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is this including Powder and primer?

an do we factor in Brass cost or is that basically '$.0c' after initial firing, speaking of once fired factory perhaps?

i was working out my costs the other day.......... im interested in hearing the answer here from Canada, where the prices vary much more in favour of the shooter.... here we get a bit price jacked, but the factory ammo is crazy that reloading is almost always cheaper even without going the whole hog an bulk option with 1000 pieces of all for bargain pricing.

so , yup, im keen to know!

i think ive worked out my .222 to reload is around 50c without factoring brass cost. Vmax 55gr - 17.5gr AR2207- SR primer...
 
Claytom Magnet said:
I've been trying to work out the math but unless you're looking for precision you're not saving a whole lot or are my math skills off?
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you answered your own question - I reload for precision that's all is it really worth it - unless you get enjoyment being OCD it isn't for plinking bulk 223 will do - for average good accuracy try a few soft point hunting loads and you will find a good one -
 
I reload .223 for shooting long range. Yes you can shoot a .223 with heavy bullets out to 1000 yards and keep up with a .308. I am shooting 80 gr bullets out of a 1:7" twist, 30 inch barrel. Factory ammo is not an option for this application.
 
If you shoot enough .223 it is worth reloading. I do. I also reload 9mm and I save money in both cases.
 
Pre or post Ban Canada, I've never seen the benefit of reloading 223 / 5.56.
Using the cheapest components availble and brass that is free (because I bought factory ammo in bulk), I would be saving $0.10 round.

Especially since my press is single stage, I can't justify the time spent at the bench to save $100 per 1,000 batch.

I used to buy Federal bulk 1,000 whenever SFRC would have one of their sales...... keep the brass which I use to sell (now I just give it away).
 
As others have mentioned, shooting the heavier bullets for long range accuracy is where reloading is beneficial.

I've spent money on Lapua brass, premium bullets, match die sets etc.. in the end I reload cause it keeps me out of trouble and I enjoy it.

Though I must admit.. its way more expensive than hookers and blow (and cheap factory ammo).
 
Definitely worth reloading....
Work up several loads. I use a 65 gr. sierra for coyotes,and then the cheapest 55 grain I can find for gophers, usually the hornady sp.
Reloaded 223 is cheaper than 17hmr and 22wmr, plus way more accurate, and you do have the option to make reduced loads if noise or recoil is an issue.

Once you find what your gun likes, hoard away a good amount. This way you have good a supply of quality ammo.

The Lee hand press works great for 223.
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