Varmint Calibers shooting economics 101

Algonquin

Algonquin

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
75   0   0
Location
Ottawa Valley
Hey folks,

Just bought a box of 22-Hornet ammo at a hair under $20 for 25 rounds. Does this compare to other small centre fire ammo costs?

Also would like to consider reloaded rounds cost effectiveness if someone would provide some experience with approximate unit cost there, too.


Thanks!



FM
 
About the best centrefire varmint cartridge bargain I can think of is the Winchester white box 223 ammo that is around $20.00 for 40 rounds of 45 grain hollow points. They shoot well out of my Ruger bolt action.
 
x2

the winchester white box 40 round varmint value packs (walmart generally carries them) come in both .223 and .22-250 and IMO are the best deal going right now unless you drop down to rimfire. generally between $17-22ish.

never tried the .22-250 but the .223 does a pretty nice job on varmints.
 
Once you get past the cost of investing in reloading equipment, you can certainly save a lot of money by reloading, or at least shoot more for the same amount. For example, one hundred 223 rounds could be loaded for a total of $31.90 (assuming that you already have one hundred 223 cases).

100 Hornady 55 Gr SPSX Bullets - $18
100 CCI small rifle primers - $3.20
1 Pound of Varget Powder - $30 (280 rounds with a 25 gr powder charge), so powder for 100 rounds would be about $10.70

You could save more money by purchasing bulk bullets and primers. You also save more money when you load harder to find ammo such as your Hornet.
 
it doesnt take long to make back the money you invest in reloading, plus you get better accuracy since you can tune the loads.

buying my first CF rifle, and the reloading set up is being bought at the same time
 
The 223 is by far the better between the Hornet/223.

The Hornet case is very thin by modern standards so life is relatively short.

The 223 is built like a tank by comparison and if all you want is hornet performance, it will last several lifetimes.

however, you still have the option of opening up the throttle for longer shots/more velocity/whatever suits your fancy.

Reloading is simply the best way to balance performance and economics.

Fun pastime too.

Jerry
 
I can load my gopher loads (55gr Vmax - about 25gr of H335) for approximately $290/1000. That's with powder at $30/lb and primers at $30/1000.

With my AR FMJ plinking rounds, I reload for about $210/1000.

I'm not counting brass cost, because I have thousands of once fired in my basement!
 
Last edited:
Depending on what components you use, the .22 Hornet can be loaded for almost the same price as premium .22 WMR ammo. For example using a 13gr load of H Lil'Gun gives you about 530 rounds to the pound, and at $23.99 a pound thats only $0.045 per round. An 11.5 gr charge of IMR 4227 works out to over 600 rnds/lb is a bit cheaper. Primers are only about 3 cents apeice if you buy in bulk, and bullets can be anywhere from 16.99 for a hundred bulk Win or Rem 45 gr Hornets, or up to 19.99 for Hor 40gr V-max. The total out put is about a quarter a round, and is much more accurate, and deadly than .22 WMR or 17 HMR. If you can save on bullets it can be even cheaper. Cases are thin, but if you're careful, you can get 6-7 loadings at least, especially if you use Lee neck size only dies ( these reduce the amount the brass is worked compared to full length resizing). Reloading will definitely save you about 2/3 over factory, and give you a round tailored for your rifle.
 
Last edited:
Another option, esp. with the Hornet, is cast bullets, which will allow you to cut reloading costs down about 30%.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom