reloading 5.56 vs. buying cheap 7.62x39

[tostada]

Steel 7.62x39 ammo is pretty cheap, but it's my understanding that reloading steel ammo is questionable.

Good brass 5.56 ammo is significantly more, but I could reload it.

For me, it feels like a coin flip. Is reloading rifle ammo significantly more difficult? I don't want to have to get a ton of equipment. I'd like to just start with a turret press and good dies.

For a frame of reference, I don't really think 9mm is worth the hassle to reload, but I definitely think 10mm is worth reloading.

I'm new to reloading. I'm planning to reload 10mm with a simple Lee turret press. I'll probably start with reloading 38 special at first until I get some experience.

I'm looking to consolidate my rifles to either all 7.62 or all 5.56.

Thanks for any input!

 

[bullseye308]

Reloading 223 is definitely worth it even if you just want blasting ammo. Where it really shines is tailoring the ammo to your specific rifle. Just depends on what you want out of it. I reload everything but .22 & 12 ga. I shoot 9mm, 38, 357, and 223. Buying in. I'll really brings the cost down and if you reload and stock up should another shortage come you will still be shooting.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Most 7.62 x 39 has Berdan primers, which are now harder to find than unobtainium. 223 is more difficult than handgun cartridges, but it isn't that hard. Check the classifieds here and other sites for used brass. It is cheaper than buying new ammo.

And I was wrong 3 times last year. Jan. 1, Dec. 31 and every day in between. Just ask my ex.

 

[mdi]

I'd start with choosing a gun. An AR or an AK. Cheap steel cased ammo is available for both and premium ammo is available for both (I reload for an SKS using Hornady brass). Wolf, for one, sells cheap .223/5.56 ammo as well as 7.62x39. For me and many more reloading isn't about money...

 

[readyeddy]

If you're not willing to load 9mm, then you wont want to load 5.56. There's more hastle with 5.56 (case lube, primer crimp) and it doesn't save much when compared to steel 7.62x39.

 

[BSA1]

Your question is confusing as .223 is made in steel cases also. So you can enjoy the same savings as with 7.62 x 39.

As for a single stage press go green with a RCBS Rockchucker. It is a strong press that will reload everything that fits it. I have had a Rockchucker on my reloading bench for over 30 years and still gets regular use. I have dies for about 24 different cartridges so it gets plenty of work over the years.

I have a Lee press but the Rockchucker is by far a better press for a lifetime of use.

 

[Hondo 60]

Where it really shines is tailoring the ammo to your specific rifle.

That's the ticket right there!

I have an old AR-15A1. It likes cheap 55gr FMJs
Factory ammo is about 4" across the target at 50 yards.
I can cut that down to about 1" with my ammo.
The rifle is more accurate with a steadier shooter too.
I'm just too shaky to show the real potential.

 

[SlowFuse]

I buy steel 223 and 7.62x39.

I only reload 223, nothing I own in 7.62x39 seems worth reloading for.

The 223 on the other hand, I load mostly heavy projectiles for longer range. It would cost a fortune to buy a decent amount of match grade ammo. For blasting, I'm probably using steel. And on reloading steel, you can. And I have. It's just not generally recommended by most people.

 

[hdwhit]

For me, it feels like a coin flip. Is reloading rifle ammo significantly more difficult? I don't want to have to get a ton of equipment. I'd like to just start with a turret press and good dies.

Add a powder measure, powder scale, a case trimmer and some sort of case length gauge (which could include a micrometer or a digital caliber) and you should be okay. Bottleneck cartridges have more steps than their straight-walled breather, but are no more complex.

 

[Jmoreno88]

I load for 9mm, 45 and 223, and as stated that while I may not be saving massive amounts of money, I also when not be paying double or triple the price or running dry when another drought hits and shelves are empty. Pistol is extremely easy and while 223 is a bit more of a pain, it's not enough to make me stop reloading it. Its well worth it if you're willing to make the investment

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

 

[splattergun]

Steel 7.62x39 ammo is pretty cheap, but it's my understanding that reloading steel ammo is questionable.

Good brass 5.56 ammo is significantly more, but I could reload it.

For me, it feels like a coin flip. Is reloading rifle ammo significantly more difficult? I don't want to have to get a ton of equipment. I'd like to just start with a turret press and good dies.

For a frame of reference, I don't really think 9mm is worth the hassle to reload, but I definitely think 10mm is worth reloading.

I'm new to reloading. I'm planning to reload 10mm with a simple Lee turret press. I'll probably start with reloading 38 special at first until I get some experience.

I'm looking to consolidate my rifles to either all 7.62 or all 5.56.

Thanks for any input!

An awful lot of us load 9mm and would respectfully disagree with you, it certainly is worth the hassle of reloading. Especially when you can't find it in a store when politicians go on power trips. The LCT will work great for 9mm. For 10mm too.

5.56 brass is a lot easier to find and much less expensive than 7.62x39 brass.

.38Sp is a fun round to load, and pretty simple to learn with as well.

 

[splattergun]

Also, as you are learning to reload, you will also be learning to tune your handloads to be most accurate in your weapons. Not only will they cost you less to shoot on a per-round basis, they will also likely outshine that cheap steal ammo downrange at the target.
You might even decide to keep your 7.62x39 (not to mention 7.62x51 or 7.62x63) gun and let it perform better than what you have become accustomed to.

 

[Swampman]

I assume that you want to do something with your rifle other than make noise.

The use to which you'll put the weapon has more to do with caliber choice than cost does.

You can buy cheap steel cased ammo in either caliber. AR's and AK's are available in both calibers as well.

If you enjoy 500 yard target shooting, an AK with cheap steel case 7.62x39 is unlikely to perform anywhere near as well as an AR shooting good handloads.
If you want to hunt hogs in thick cover, the AK with 154 grain soft points would make an excellent choice.

Decide what you're likely to do with the rifle and your ammunition choice will probably be a lot easier.

 

[RecoilRob]

Once fired 5.56 military brass is very economical and a great way to stock up on components, but if you choose to go that route remember than pretty much every single case will need trimmed to length as well as the crimp removed before reloading. I find trimming the 5.56 a tiresome task...especially if you're loading several thousand at a time. If I was doing more of it...would have to invest in a better trimmer I guess.

 

[entropy]

Why not do both? I do. And I reload 7.62x39.

 

[Blue68f100]

You can buy brass already processed if you don't want to take the time or have the equipment to do it. BrassBomers.com offers it that way. This is where the drill press (or press) mounted trimmers shine, though it gets hard on the hands after a while. And presses setup to remove the primer crimps.

A great company to do business with.

 

[RussellC]

Once fired 5.56 military brass is very economical and a great way to stock up on components, but if you choose to go that route remember than pretty much every single case will need trimmed to length as well as the crimp removed before reloading. I find trimming the 5.56 a tiresome task...especially if you're loading several thousand at a time. If I was doing more of it...would have to invest in a better trimmer I guess.

75 Bucks gets you a Little Crow Gunworks trimmer. Stick an old corded drill in a vise and cut loose. Add the Dillon "Super Swage 600" and 1000 Lake City brass are no problem.

Russellc

 

[thomas15]

Go to any large USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge match and see if you can find any of these consumers of 9mm that doesn't handload their own 9mm ammo. Almost everyone that shoots that amount of ammo handloads 9mm if that is what they use. Personally I will burn through (between me and my kids) just short of 8000 rounds of 9mm this year, all reloaded.

 

[FROGO207]

I want to assure ALL my firearms (no reloading rimfire though) can be used whenever I choose. Consequently I have reloading dies, brass, bullet molds, propellant, and worked up/proven loads that cross a multitude of propellants already to reload if needed. Presently you can buy inexpensive ammo for the common calibers so I do not bother reload for those. Shotgun reloading is another venture that is different depending on the gauge. 12 GA target loads are not presently worth reloading due to lead prices but any GA buckshot or 410 of any type are still worth it. Presently it is cost effective to buy 12 GA target rounds and strip them down to reuse the components to reload 28 GA/410. I also like the fact that you can craft more accurate ammo tuned to a particular firearm than can be purchased in most cases. YMMV

 

[eldon519]

The type of press you own may change whether or not it is worth it for you. It might not be worth reloading 9mm on a single stage, but on a progressive, the math might be different for you.

 

[boom boom]

I actually reload 7.62x39 using Accurate 1680 and H 4198 and hornady bullets. I find it fires cleaner and more accurate than the steel plinking grade with less felt recoil. About 1.5-2.5 MOA in my SKS at 50 yards using tech sights.

Try Prvi Partisan loaded ammo and reload the brass. Not too happy with Fiocchi brass though in this caliber.

Accumulating the brass to reload for .223 in the near future but right now it is too cheap for me to reload as I have a bunch of other calibers old military calibers that are more cost effective timewise for me to reload.

BTW, watch out for the military brass that has been used in SAWS and the like, as the brass will not hold up as long as that fired through regular rifles.

 

[wbbh]

Warning, I built a 7,.62x39 AR to shoot cheap ammo, it works great and shoots very well.

However as a handloader it wasn't long before I ordered a set of dies, started collecting 7.62x39 brass and ordered bullets.

 

[forrest r]

Interesting comments, all good answers.

What is steal cased blammo ammo now??? 20/25 cents a round??? I really didn't think it mattered 223 or 7.62 x 39. The real questions are:
What type of firearms do you plan on using them in?
At what distances do you plan on using those calibers?
What are your realistic accuracy standards for 100/200/300/500 yds???

There's allot of talk about the processing of the brass for either caliber. This is where the 223 really shines. Don't want to mess with primer pockets? Then buy processed brass or 1x commercial brass. Don't want to mess with trimming brass? Then call a couple different companies that process the 1x military brass and ask about their 223 brass that's too short (20/1000th's to short). Seeings how your buying dies to reload with buy the rcbs x-dies. They flat out work!!! Trim your brass 20/1000th's below max and you will not have to trim them again. I get 10x reloadings out of a case processed this way and then pitch them in the scrap bucket.

Don't know about where your at but I find 1000+ pieces of 223 brass a year at a local gun club. I toss at least 1/2 of it and get $$$ from the scrap brass to buy equipment/powder/primers/etc. But that still leaves me with 400+ pieces of 223 brass to reload every year. Is it the most accurate??? No, not by any means!!! But home made 223 blammo ammo is 1 heck of allot more accurate than their cheap steal cased counterparts. Cheap bullets/cheap brass/8# kegs of powder/5,000 primers at a time ='s allot of range time.

The 223's are extremely easy to reload for and while it takes the right combo to find a accurate load. It's hard to find a bad load. Most 223 reloads will do 1 1/2 to 2" 5-shot/10-shot groups @ 100yds. Getting moa accuracy take a little more work.

Home swaged 223 bullets made from free range lead and free 22lr cases that were laying around at the ranges.

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I also make a deeper/lighter hp, a 55gr hp.

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Typical groups from either bullet.

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Nothing more than home made bullets and free mixed range brass (actually I did sort them to all commercial in 1 pile/nato in another) those groups above were with mixed nato range brass.

I'm not saying these are "target" grade/quality reloads by any means. All's I'm showing is that the 223's are simple enough to reload for. Nothing more than cheap blammo ammo reloads shot from a $250 cheap savage axis.

Home made bullets, free mixed range brass, $250 rifle ='s 7/8" outside to outside @ 100yds.

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Reloading for the 223 isn't that hard.
I wouldn't know the next time the shelves are empty of ammo, haven't bought any since 2006/2007 (22lr).

Just something to think about.

 

[Bugster]

You actually can reload steel cased ammo, and Berdan primed can be converted to Boxer. But it's more of a last option than what to do every day. I have some Russian steel converted in my cabinet, just to be sure I can do it if need be. If you're going to go 7.62x39, you'll have a time finding once fired brass. And it's a little higher than most.
That being said, I have an AK and I found some brass cased, boxer primed ammo for it locally. It's Red Army Standard Elite, comes in 30 round boxes and I get it on sale for 15 bucks a box. It shoots pretty good, no pics but at 100 we were shooting a 1 1/2 inch MOA. If you decide to use the 7.62x39, get a brass catcher, it's easier than retrieving from yards away. Mine can sling brass about 10 or 15 yards easy.

 

[Swampman]

Home made bullets, free mixed range brass, $250 rifle ='s 7/8" outside to outside @ 100yds.

How much were the bullet forming dies?
What kind of press does it require to use them?
Don't you have to use commercially produced drawn lead wire for the cores?