The 223:is it worth reloading

[mjsdwash]

im at 21 cents per round for 55 gr, 3200 fps, accurate as i can shoot stuff. bulletworks.net bullets, H335, and federal primers. Thats about thirty percent less than steel case in my area.

 

[Hacker15E]

If anyone thought it wasn't worth it three weeks ago...they sure do now!

As of today, you can't find anything 5.56/.223 at practically any price!!

 

[Beau Bo]

I reload every caliber I shoot except .22lr. Biggest pain about rifle calibers is case trimming, but that's what I have a Giraud for. I have thousands of rounds of .223, yet I've never bought a box of new .223 ammo.

And there's NO WAY I'm going to buy any of that steel-cased Russian....."stuff". Pisses me off to see that garbage laying all over the ground at every range I go to. The people that buy it seem to be the ones that refuse to pick it up. "Why pick it up? It ain't worth nothin', and my time and energy's worth more than that. Besides, it's steel, it'll rust away into dust in about 10 years of so."

I bought a large round magnet on a handle at Harbor Freight, and carry that and a bucket with me to pick up as much of that garbage as I can. I have a general dislike for guys that shoot steel-cased crap, unless I see them picking it up afterwards. Then they're OK Joes.

Same with shotgunners....pick up your damned empty hulls! Freakin' slobs. A leaf rake and a flat shovel with a bucket works wonders, and your fellow shooters won't talk about your mamas.

Well stated...

 

[CraigC]

It depends. If I had a .223 boltgun, I would definitely reload for it. Blasting ammo for an AR that slings brass all over hell's creation? Handloading is not what I call fun but a necessary chore. So I ALWAYS figure in my time and for a .223 semi-auto, it ain't worth it to me. Brass catchers can be problematic and I don't always shoot in the same spot. So recovering brass is definitely more trouble than it's worth. For standing in the corner or popping coyotes, I just buy a couple boxes of V-Max loads. It lasts me a while.

 

[Hacker15E]

And there's NO WAY I'm going to buy any of that steel-cased Russian....."stuff". Pisses me off to see that garbage laying all over the ground at every range I go to. The people that buy it seem to be the ones that refuse to pick it up. "Why pick it up? It ain't worth nothin', and my time and energy's worth more than that. Besides, it's steel, it'll rust away into dust in about 10 years of so."

I pick up as much spent Tula and Wolf .223 (and Tula/Wolf .45 and .40) as I can at the range I go to -- it reloads (and shoots after reloading) quite nicely. It is perfectly possible to be as recycle-friendly with some kinds of steel as it is with brass.

 

[lead slinger]

as much as i shoot hell ya i reload the 223

 

[GLOOB]

Brass catchers can be problematic and I don't always shoot in the same spot.

223 brass is a lot easier to recover than pistol brass! Just shoot a lot from each spot, and your piles are easier to find.

I prefer to reload 223 than pistol. Pistol seems more inefficient, because every round I make for a pistol feels like one pellet of a shotgun load compared to the accuracy and range from one centerfire rifle round. Of course, if I had a progressive press, I'd probably find rifle tedious. On a SS press, it's only one more step, and an oddly fun one with a cheap Lee trimmer and Zip chuck in a drill. (Plus the lubing and delubing adds another minute per 100).