Is loading .223 worth it?

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Eldraque

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I am building my first AR and i have a Dillon 550b and i load for .40 s&w, and am wondering if its worth it to reload .223, best price ive found is about $.43 a round for Tula (ouch) however reloading isnt much better, .223 brass is EXPENSIVE, same with primers if you can even find them.

I would need a swage, trimmer, chamfur tool, dies, caliber change kit, and new toolhead with powder measure...even after all that with current prices it seems with reloading you still are paying $.35 per round plus your time invested.
 
buy loaded brass rounds with boxer primers , when you have shot up a bunch start buying what you need to reload them , I used to get 44mag for less than I could load them , those days are long gone , but my buckets of brass aren't , and in this case it's not the cost , but what you can find , primers and 223 brass are high and hard to find right now but loaded rounds are showing up more and more , I got some at Cabela's last month for $7.50 a box (20rounds) that's 0.37 a round and now have more once fired brass . so in the long run ,,, yes it's worth it
 
Buying in bulk really saves you money. Since I tend to only shoot brass cases .223 I consider my brass free. Then you can find bullets in bulk for $0.10/ea or cheaper. Then powder costs about $0.08-0.15 per round depending on type and whether you buy in bulk or not. Primers for me never cost more than $40/1000 or $0.04/ea. So I'm typically loading .223 for $0.25 per round. Pre panic the cheapest I could find brass cases .223 was about $0.35 per round. $0.10 savings may not seem like much but if you shoot 1000 rounds per year that's $100 savings. And you can make ammo that's much more accurate that the cheap factory stuff. If you have the free time to process and load the brass it's definitely worth it. The tools cost money up front but they more than pay for themselves over time and they last a long time if properly cared for.
 
You can reload 223 for about $.25 per round not including the brass. You have the right press for making ammo in volume.
 
I've been loading a long time, so I've already acquired a lot of equipment and supplies. In my case, my little reloading calculator tells me that with the stocks I have on hand and a mix of old prices and some new prices for components (like primers for instance), I'm loading 5.56mm for about $.26 / cartridge.

For me though, half the fun of gun stuff is the loading part, so I don't put a lot of stock into costs and whether it's saving me money. I'd never tell someone to start hand loading to save money. :)
 
Yes, it is worth reloading anything:)

If one had components purchased before all the crazy stuff happened it was certainly worth it. With the price of "stuff" in today's market, not sure. I have not calculated.

Buying brass????;) It used to be all over like weeds.
 
Anything is worth reloading just for the simple fact you can customize your ammo to your firearm and make it more accurate.

I never include my time in the cost of reloading. It's a hobby...plus it gives me quiet time away from my 3 daughters and wife. Lol. :D
 
Is loading .223 worth it?

Eventually once you get the needed equipment yes it is worth it. There is the initial outlay for the things you mention:

I would need a swage, trimmer, chamfur tool, dies, caliber change kit, and new toolhead with powder measure.
Click to expand...

Eventually there will be a return on that initial investment.

I don't load just to save a buck I also load with a focus on making accurate ammunition gun by gun. Just in 223 I load differently for my bolt gun than for example an AR type rifle. One real beauty of hand loading is the ability to make really accurate ammunition using a wide variety of powders, primers, brass and bullets.

Just My Take
Ron
 
And remember, you can reload them several times. as to the primers, I see them everywhere. Watch Bds thread "where are the reloading supplies" and they pop up all the time. The first batch of 9mm I reloaded cost 40+ cents a piece or so, but that was with brand new brass. subsequent reloads were 24 cents LESS since I reused the brass.

As to the tools, well yes, they will have to be purchased, but then you have them.

I mean, no it isnt worth it at all...please forward your brass to me where I will take the hit for the team and dispose of it....nasty stuff.

Seriously, it's worth it to me just to never ever be stuck without ammo again, like the next time the current administration does something stupid. And like Reloadron said, accuracy is another good reason to be sure. It wasnt until I began reloading that I found out I was actually quite a bit better shot than I thought. WAY more consistent results.

New brass is expensive. At time the price of ammo comes close to the price of brass, I buy it. For instance, I stop at Walmart regularly looking for 9mm. They will usually have from time to time, winchester value packs for 24.49, for 100 rounds and remington Mega Pacs, 250 for 62.00 or there abouts. Well, winchester brass is 21.99, remington a little higher. For 3 more bucks than the price of bare brass, I get the 100 brass and get to shoot them once first. (although these are not my first choice in ammo.)

In short, yes.;)

Russellc
 
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My shooting would not be as accurate if I shot factory ammo. I have customized loads for my two .223 bolt rifles that factory ammo can't match. Besides, reloading is as much fun as shooting, IMHO.
 
Also look around for outdoor ranges. Often they have .223 brass just laying there waiting to be scarfed up. That's where I got most of my brass. Works great!
 
After reloading 223, I think I would do it even if it was more expensive than buying factory rounds. I bought about 1000 factory rounds and have reloaded a few hundred so far after shooting them the first time. The difference in accuracy between factory and reloads is crazy. I can group within about 1 1/2 inch at 100 yards with reloads, the factory, which some were shot at the same time, were in the range of a 4" group. Quite the difference if you ask me.
 
Surely you've got some friends that have ARs and don't reload. Ask them to save their brass for you. When I got my .223, a buddy gave me a ton of brass he had, because he only wanted to keep one particular headstamp.
 
Reloading .223 is NOT worth the Cost and Time PERIOD

All the Time Cleaning, prepping, prepping again
Searching at every LGS for supplies
Scanning Forums and websites for info and Links to Easter eggs.
Then spending countless hours trying to creat the PERFECT rd.. to only find out you never can create the Perfect rd if you SUCK at shooting:banghead::eek::what::neener:

Personally I wouldnt CHANGE it for the world.... All joking aside... I love reloading...half the fun is the easter egg hunts...

will you save Money... NO..... will you shoot More, have Better ammo, enjoy yer time in a GREAT and rewarding Hobby... YES YES YES

Now Currently I am at $.16-$.20/rd depending on components used... and will rise as I replace and re-stock my current inventory.. I have never purchased an brass... all my brass is from factory rounds ive Shot... i think this is the best way to accumulate brass, well in this day and age anyways. Be carefull with 5.56 military ammo cuz it does have to be swagged... but a cheap countersink bit from Home Depot works like a charm... I have been loading .223 for about a year, and have well over 2000 brass..

I tend to spend an hour here and 20 minutes there and on occasion a Marathon of Loading.... I am constantly stream lining my processes to Increase Production and not lose any quality control and actualy increase quality Control... mainly just for .223... hand gun loads are much easier to load, well less work anyways...

when loading .223 ask questions, dont cut corners youll appreciate it later... if an easy way is $15 and a Better and faster way is $55.. go with the $55... Youll be MUCH happier down the road...

Enjoy.... and have a BLAST!!


Stav
 
Cost to load one 223 Rem. match grade Round

  1. Powder IMR 4198-19.5gr. - $ .06809
  2. Primer-CCI400- .028398
  3. Bullet-Sierra 69 gr match- .2249
  4. Brass-New Rem. - .32
Total is $ .641388 each. Using Range Brass/free brings the loaded round price down to $ .32 1388 Each. Does not include tax & shipping, if any. Prices used are from Midwayusa website. Savings- $ .51 Each round.
 
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Once upon a time, handloaders were a good and decent people. Their craft was pure. Then the barbarians came. Now people don't sort by head stamp, trim their pistol brass, or load for accuracy. Today is the dark age of handloading.
 
OP, only you can answer how worth it it is for you. But according to my calcs, I can load 223 for around .20 a round. This is with free brass of course, and with pre-panic prices. As to match using premium bullets, that was around .25 per.

On brass, just keep your eyes open at the range, and hit up your friends that shoot for their brass. As others mentioned, you don't have to use the big $$ swager on the crimped brass, there are other options.
On the upfront set up costs, how much 223 do you think you'll be loading? If it's over 1 or 2 K, then that will make it worthwhile IMHO.

Eddy
 
the way i see reloading, is as a hobby. shooting is a fringe benefit. shooting factory ammo at paper targets gets boring for me real fast. that is why i do not shoot a lot of rimfire. its ALL factory made. for me, it is about making the best ammo for my gun. once i find a good, repeatable load, i save it, and move on to another powder, or bullet, or primer. when i have good loads for everything available, i will probably give up, and sell everything off! as far as a cost savings reason, that boils down to 2 things. how much you are going to shoot, and for how long. if your a 2-5 times a year shooter, and plan to stay that way, there is no reason to invest in reloading equipment. the more you shoot, and the longer you do, the wiser it becomes. personally, i would not be able to shoot hardly at all, if i had to buy factory ammo. but then, i would most likely be a 4-8 times a year shooter anyway. so it would not matter much. in one way, reloading is like sex. once you start, you never want to stop. and for a while, the more, the better!
 
I couldn't afford to shoot if I had to buy factory ammo. My reloads will shoot with or surpass the highest dollar factory ammo at 1/3 of the cost. I have picked up several thousand brass cases from the ranges near me. All for free. The super accurate stuff, 1/2MOA I use matched brass all sized and weighed the same. For the fast shooter, which still goes into 11/4" I'm not as particular but I use good bullets chosen for the application and weigh every powder charge. Takes a little time but the end results in accuracy are worth it.
 
I enjoy reloading period! It's a great way to enjoy a part of my hobby while at home. As for reloading .223/.556, I have about .19-.20 per round in my current reloads. These trying times with powder being hard to come by has given me a chance to work up loads with other powders that I had never tried in the past. I have found some nice loads with AA2200, AA2230, and Benchmark.
 
Reload for the best accuracy.
th_SavageAxis223R.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] 5 shots ea. - .514" - .374" Unturned left. Turned necks right, using Lyman tool- .773" - .442"
 
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Yes it is worth it to load .223.

Generally you can cut your costs in half and shoot a load that is roughly twice as accurate as factory ammo.

In the case of factory heavy barreled bolt action varmint/sniper rifles, I have seen one inch groups with factory ammo turn into one hole groups with handloads tuned to the rifle.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
I am loading .223 at around 15 cents per. So definitely.

I am saving money, I don't get the stupid argument that one won't. I wouldn't reload if I didn't save money over buying factory ammo.
 
918v said:
Once upon a time, handloaders were a good and decent people. Their craft was pure. Then the barbarians came. Now people don't sort by head stamp, trim their pistol brass, or load for accuracy. Today is the dark age of handloading.
Click to expand...
there is a difference in hand loading and "making ammo"!
 
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