Is reloading .223 really worth it?

For having fun with the AR or "shoot the chicken night" (it's a FMM thing) I use bulk stuff....for precision in my 5R I use reloaded. With reloaded I can get .5-.75 MOA @ 100yds.....with bulk stuff I'm glad to get 2-4 MOA @ 100 yds. Sure I could get it cheaper if I reloaded for the AR but with a job, wife, kids, etc m time is too valuable to spend all that time on case prep! Granted I only go through about 1000 rnds/yr of 223.
 
If there's a better way to trim brass I'd love a the answer...
Click to expand...

There are better ways....

Of course the dillon rt1200 comes to mind but you can also get a small bench top drill press and chuck the lee cutter with the pin into the chuck and use the steel drill press bed for the stopper thus eliminating the lock stud and time it takes to lock the brass into it... Wear gloves :D
 
Even with unlimited free range brass (everyone seems to throw them out) still 27c/rnd. Best deal on 7.62x39 was $300/1200rnd= 25c/rnd.

For plinking 7.62 all the way.
 
good idea, so just hold the casing with gloved hand. Can even cut a slot into scrap wood for guide.
Hotwheels81 said:
There are better ways....

Of course the dillon rt1200 comes to mind but you can also get a small bench top drill press and chuck the lee cutter with the pin into the chuck and use the steel drill press bed for the stopper thus eliminating the lock stud and time it takes to lock the brass into it... Wear gloves :D
Click to expand...
 
If you are reloading for a 1/7 twist why not get the most out of your rifle and move up to the 69-77 trainers? There will be a marked difference in accuracy plus you use a little less powder.
 
Someone once told me that you don't actually save any money reloading, you just end up shooting more. Once I started reloading, I realized that he was right. You'll save a little money on calibers like .223 and a lot on other calibers and you'll end up with better quality ammo.
 
Longshot said:
If you are reloading for a 1/7 twist why not get the most out of your rifle and move up to the 69-77 trainers? There will be a marked difference in accuracy plus you use a little less powder.
Click to expand...

I shoot steel at distance and paper close up, I don't use my AR as a precision target rifle so as long as I hit what I am shooting at I am fine with the cheaper 55g
 
Hmmmmm

My breakdown is sorta like this

7lbs wc735 $120 shipped (bought off the EE) 2000 charges +
2000 CCI small rifle primers from WSS = $80+ tax -$25 coupon =$55
Brass = free
Armscor .224 FMJ's $140ish per thousand shipped =$280

$455 per 2 thousand rnds or $227.50 per thousand....

I can get that number down to under .20 cents a bang by going to cheaper bullets by the case lot and finding cheaper primers but I am happy with 2-3MOA from an AR...

Of course when you look at what I spent on gear and what I still need to buy the numbers get a bit higher...

From the top of my head
Dillon XL650 $600
Case feeder $250
Swager $135
Conversion kit $110
Shell plate $40
Stand for press $120
.223 4 die set $60
Xtra pickup tubes $20

And I still am debating the RT1200 trimmer for $400 so I can do .223/.308 on the press.
 
It is timely to do a good job .. but to me it is more of hobby that provides me with alot of satisfaction and "quiet time". I't not about the money for me.
 
If you have the right gear, reloading is quicker and easier.
I use a Giraud power trimmer and a Dillon press...

If you're able to sourse components at a better price you're ahead as well...

I started reloading .223 when the price of the stuff started to climb to what I thought was unreasonable... I reload it now because I have enough supplies on hand to load up thousands of rounds... That and I like making my ammo.
I don't have to rely on the retail supply chain.
 
If the price of ammo goes up, the price of reloading components rises too. If ammo comes down, reloading components come down too. It will always be cheaper to reload. But, it's an economy of scale savings and the time investment is high. It's true that I probably could've saved alot of time and money just buying factory ammo and shooting it, but I'm still relatively young and plan to get decades of use out of my reloading press for myself and eventually my two boys.

I would love to find a cheap source for the Dillon RT1200 case trimmer that's also in stock. If anyone knows, drop me a PM. Trimming on my RCBS hand crank unit is exhausting. A Mr. Bulletfeedet is also on the must buy list... :)
 
Epps has the Dillon trimmer in stock, can't remember the price... I stayed away from it and went with the Giraud because it makes way less noise and only a few bucks more.... :)
 
Reloading lets me make match grade ammo for the same price as bulk factory ammo.

A power trimmer is a must if you want to do .223 by the pale. I owned the RT-1200, but switched to the Giraud. The Giraud ends up costing less if you're doing multiple calibers. It's easy to make case holders for it for wildcat cartridges if you have access to the reamer. And, if you make them with the same reamer as your chamber, you get a perfectly square and symetrical cut and chamfer. It works so well that I sold my Wilson trimmer and do all of the brass for my boltguns on it too.
 
powder 12c each
primer 4c each
case 33c each
bullet 30c each

That's 79c each.

Now, I can buy those nice 40 round boxes of winchester 45gr jhps for $20 which makes 50c each. They shoot accurate as heck!

So, no, I would say it's not worth Handloading them. RE-loading them, though, comes out at 46c each which is cheaper than buying. Then you also get your choice of powder and charge for optimum accuracy, and you get to use a nice ballistic tip varmint bullet too! You also get to control your own consistency and QA.

From a strictly financial standpoint it might not be worth it. If loading is your hobby as much as shooting, well, it's every bit worth it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom