Bulk Ammo & Reloading component cost - .223 rem vs. 10mm auto?

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Which is cheaper to buy bulk ammo and components for reloading - principally the bullet cost, but also brass, primers, & powder, if there is any difference? Is the difference significant? I'm trying to determine whether to keep or sell my 10mm auto carbine.

I want a fun range gun, but need to simplify my guns if possible (so I'd rather sell it) - the substitute for the 10mm carbine is an AR15 type. But with ammo prices (and my budget) being what they are, I'm going to be reloading a lot more for this range gun, which will see a lot of rounds downrange, and so I want to reload cheaply and keep the 10mm IF it is *significantly* cheaper to load for. I have dies for 10mm, but no components and never reloaded for it yet. Also never yet tried to reload .223 and don't have dies for that.

Lessee, pistol cal has the advantage of slightly easier reloading, being straight walled - an advantage I need to consider. But besides that, what of bulk ammo & bullet/brass cost between cheap FMJ 10mm vs. cheap FMJ 5.56/.223? Sorry, too lazy to look up this morning...

Funny how this metal prices crunch gives us more to talk about....

 

[JonB]

I reload 10mm for my Glock. I buy plated bullets for around $48/500. Not a steal, but I can reload a box of 100 for around half of what a box of 50 costs retail (which is around $25 locally).

What carbine do you have in 10mm? That would be one I would definitely want! 10mm is a great round.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Hmm, maybe I will sell it to you..... I'll PM you with pics and price and description.

So to stay on topic - here, I'll try to answer my own question:

1. Cheapie .223 bullets run $10 /100:
http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/Bro...lts_by=price_low&pageNum=0&numberOfResults=20

Cheapie .223 brass runs $19-20 /100
http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/Bro...lts_by=price_low&pageNum=0&numberOfResults=20

for a total of $29 /100 rounds, at least.

2. Cheapie .40 cal bullets run $12-13 /100
http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/Bro...lts_by=price_low&pageNum=0&numberOfResults=20

Cheapie 10mm brass runs $19-22 /100 (NON-sale price anyway)
http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/Bro...lts_by=price_low&pageNum=0&numberOfResults=20

For a total of $31 /100 rounds, at least.

Assuming primers & powders are a wash, then looks like the .223 wins out, but not by much. If so, then is the ease of the straight walled cartridge in reloading worth costing $2/more per 100 rounds?

Bur ARE powders a wash? Which costs more per pound generally - rifle or pistol powder? And we have to look at powder quantity per round as well - the .223 is gonna use more powder per round (22-25 gr/round), versus 10mm (8-12 gr/round) - that will definitely add up.

Key factor is the amount of powder per round - almost twice as much. Sorry, looks like I'm keeping it.

I love conversing with myself...but maybe this will help someone with the search function down the road hopefully.

 

[ashtxsniper]

10mm brass last longer, is easier to reload, and takes less of a powder charge than 223.

 

[HJ857]

Powder costs are roughly the same no matter what. Figure 7000 grains per pound and divide by the grains per round and that gives you your rounds per pound. The difference between rifle and handgun is significant.

Processing fired rifle brass is typically more labor intensive than handgun brass. Straight wall brass will last a lot longer and your sizing die is likely to be carbide which does not need a lube, while a rifle brass will always need a lube. And will have to be trimmed while handgun brass probably won't need to be.

.223 brass is usually the easiest brass to scrounge at a range. I can get hundreds at a time if I need to. Buying .223 brass seems like a last resort. I think handgun brass is a buy-once-and-use-forever proposition.

Hornady bulk bullets are pretty poor performers, at least for me. The Midway Dogtown JSP bullets are really good, but at a higher price. Check out MidSouth Shooters Supply. Better prices for similar bullets. Also look for pulled milsurp bullets at gibrass.co or a similar place for better deals on a real basic bullet.

Buying powder and primers in large quantities will save you a lot of money. 8 pounds minimum at a time and 5k primers. This really offsets the hazmat and shipping fees, compared to buying locally.

No matter what I don't think that rifle loading can ever be less expensive than loading a handgun round.

 

[BeJaRa]

I think 223 remington will be alot cheaper per round compared to 10mm. first, brass is common at pretty much any range and the cheaper bullet cost of the 223 will easily/quickly offset the increased powder cost. 10mm will definatly be easier to reload. the bigest cost will be projectiles. Unlike, HJ857 I have had excellent luck with Hornady bulk bullets, but then again I have only used 30 cal hornady bulk not 223. lubing and trimming have little monetary cost, but alot of time cost. All that considered 223 projectiles will generally cost you half of what the .400 projectiles will. While the 10mm is a great round, I think the 223 will have the edge in cost, power and availability and versatility

 

[TheGrouch]

Reloading Calculator

If you haven't seen this before, here is a reloading costs calculator:

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp


Also consider that you will generally be able to reload pistol brass many more times than rifle brass. Always check brass for cracks and splits before reloading.

 

[Tarvis]

I made a spread sheet that calculated my costs. For .223 shooting 55gr fmj's from Midway, 24 gr of win 748 and brass I think it was around .264 cents each. The link to the cost calculator does the same thing my spreadsheet does.

 

[Jacka L Ope]

If unable to scrounge brass at the range, buying once-fired military surplus brass in bulk will save you some hard-earned $. Granted, you'll have a bit more case preparation work to do but at a price of about $70/1000, they certainly beat the price of commercial brass at your local or remote (add shipping cost) outlets.

 

[Markbo]

Here is an excellent way to do all the calculations yourself:

http://www.midwayusa.com/reloading

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/deptsearch1x.asp?dept=Reloading

Subtract whatever costs you can for 'free' range brass (ONLY if it is allowed!) and what you will probably find is that it will not be any cheaper than buying ammo over the counter.

Why? Because you will spend the same amount of money you normall do. You will just have more ammo to shoot!