Yes, steel cased ammo is reloadable. I have never seen boxer primed steel .223, but it might be out there. The .45 ACP is usually boxer primed and easily reloaded. Most .40 S&W and some 9 is too.
The trick to reloading steel cases is use PLENTY of lube! WAY too much lube is just about right for steel rifle cases and even if using carbine dies for handgun cases, it never hurts to lube any/all cases (brass/steel) as it works so much easier.
I have loaded plenty of steel cases and .30 M1 Carbine and .45 ACP were made in WWII for Allied use and were reloaded many times when there was nothing else. The problem with steel cased Russian .45 is the primer lets go with a BANG! and it can scare you the first few times you punch one out. They seem to last a long time, as I lose them before they wear out.
As to cheap surplus/steel cased ammo (Hornady is using steel cases for some of their lower priced ammo), for plinking and the like, sure, why not? For serious use, buy the best you can, a couple nights in the hospital will pay for a few cases of good ammo, needed because you bought the cheapest reloaded junk at the gunshow and "couldn't afford" the good stuff.
I use my reloads at IPSC shoots and I'm pretty sure I can hit the note book paper at 50 yard with no problem with my reloads. Yes, we do get cops who come in (they shot free with duty gear) and brag how they are great shots and super fast and all, then can't hit, at all, a standard target at 10 yards and can't clear leather under ten to twenty seconds. No I am NOT kidding!
As long as the ammo goes bang and is safe, most any trigger time is good, but I also have to agree, spending enough money to buy a car and then going "Hey, you got any ammo for $2 a box I can shot in it?" does sound kind of silly. SOME surplus is about as good as you can find (7.5 Swiss for example) for ANY ammo, but most is 2"-3" ammo and some of the junk is 8" or more out of any gun. Like I said, for killing cans, who cares?
Get a strong magnet man! that will save you a bunch of aggravation.
