[wingmaster78]

Year ago( 40+ ) I reloaded 20 gauge shells mainly for hunting.
I always bought factory loads for my trapshooting.

15 or so years ago, my sons started trapshooting and when they first started, factory shells were ( if I remember) as cheap as, and lots easier than reloading.
Then they got older, and started shooting lots (3,500- 5,000) shells a season. I bought a MEC 600 Jr. At a yard sale. ( this was a brand new machine) and had thoughts of reloading practice loads for them. This idea was just that, an idea. Loader is still unused and in the garage in it's original box.
They neither one shoot anymore and I don't shoot very much. If I or they do shoot, we just buy a flat of new shells.



Now since I've retired, I cleaned a little out of the gun cabinet and traded for a bolt- action .223 rifle.
This gun is a blast to shoot!
I'm saving once fired brass just in case I start reloading it.

QUESTION

Is reloading .223 brass worth saving maybe 1 cent a round over buying bulk ammo and investing in all the equipment to do so?

 

[frostyman]

No. Not unless you are really into precision shooting.

 

[50ralph50]

Well worth it if you work up a load that shoots well in your 223. If you buy bulk it may or may not shoot well in your gun. Then if you run out and buy another brand it may shoot different. By reloading you can shoot the same load everytime. Primers are about .03 each, bullets are from .10 to .15 each and powder is about about .10 per round.

 

[wingmaster78]

Well worth it if you work up a load that shoots well in your 223. If you buy bulk it may or may not shoot well in your gun. Then if you run out and buy another brand it may shoot different. By reloading you can shoot the same load everytime. Primers are about .03 each, bullets are from .10 to .15 each and powder is about about .10 per round.

Thank you. That makes sense shooting the same every time.
That's still .28 per round reloaded.
I can buy bulk at .25 per round.
Still, shooting the same round all the time is intriguing. And would occupy some time.
I live in St. Charles Missouri where Graf and Sons is.
I'll have to check out their equipment and components. They have to be cheaper than anyone else. Saw a Hornady kit at Academy Sports earlier for $320?, not counting components.
We also have a Basspro and a Cabelas real close.

.
.

 

[Jack R]

Midsouth shooters supply is worth a look for reloading tools..they are in Tenn

 

[rosebear]

Year ago( 40+ ) I reloaded 20 gauge shells mainly for hunting.
I always bought factory loads for my trapshooting.

15 or so years ago, my sons started trapshooting and when they first started, factory shells were ( if I remember) as cheap as, and lots easier than reloading.
Then they got older, and started shooting lots (3,500- 5,000) shells a season. I bought a MEC 600 Jr. At a yard sale. ( this was a brand new machine) and had thoughts of reloading practice loads for them. This idea was just that, an idea. Loader is still unused and in the garage in it's original box.
They neither one shoot anymore and I don't shoot very much. If I or they do shoot, we just buy a flat of new shells.



Now since I've retired, I cleaned a little out of the gun cabinet and traded for a bolt- action .223 rifle.
This gun is a blast to shoot!
I'm saving once fired brass just in case I start reloading it.

QUESTION

Is reloading .223 brass worth saving maybe 1 cent a round over buying bulk ammo and investing in all the equipment to do so?

You don't really say how much you shoot so it is a bit hard to say if reloading will save you much. If you only shoot 100 rounds a year then probably not. If you plan on shooting 1000's of rounds a year then you probably should make the leap into reloading. You'll recoup the initial cost of equipment quite quickly.

 

[wingmaster78]

You don't really say how much you shoot so it is a bit hard to say if reloading will save you much. If you only shoot 100 rounds a year then probably not. If you plan on shooting 1000's of rounds a year then you probably should make the leap into reloading. You'll recoup the initial cost of equipment quite quickly.

I just got the rifle a week or so ago. Yesterday was the first chance I had to get it zeroed an do some shooting because of all the rain recently.
I plan to shoot at least 100-150 rounds every couple of weeks.
One of my sons and I are doing a prairie dog hunt in North Dakota in late August.
I want to be as familiar as possible with the gun and load as I can.

 

[waverider]

With a bolt action 223 you should be able to shoot less than 1 inch groups at 100 yards. If you can find factory or commercially reloaded ammo that can do that, buy all you can of that lot number. If you can get a 3 or 4 cases for your prairie dog hunt, then it would not be worth reloading, JMHO of course.

Now if you want to find out how good a rifle you have, you need to tune the ammo to that gun. You pretty much need to reload.

Jason

 

[frostyman]

Thank you. That makes sense shooting the same every time.
That's still .28 per round reloaded.
I can buy bulk at .25 per round.
Still, shooting the same round all the time is intriguing. And would occupy some time.
I live in St. Charles Missouri where Graf and Sons is.
I'll have to check out their equipment and components. They have to be cheaper than anyone else. Saw a Hornady kit at Academy Sports earlier for $320?, not counting components.
We also have a Basspro and a Cabelas real close.

.
.

Actually Graf and Sons is in Mexico Missouri (and has the online website). Graf Reloading is in St. Charles Missouri (no real website that does anything). Different companies, run by different people. Both are helpful.

Saving money reloading can be done IF you are loading some odd ball caliber, but you are going to save very little loading .223, 9mm, 40s&w, .308, and a few others. You will have to have at a minimum a press, dies, shell holder, scale, reloading manual, powder, primers, and bullets. You also need a reloading block, a way to lube cases, case lube, reamer to ream out primer pockets (more on that), etc. Also a lot of the brass for a .223 is made so the primers are crimped in so after knocking out the old one you have to ream the hole out so it will accept a new one. Some commercial brass does that and all the military brass does that.

If you spend $750 to get setup, it would take forever to save any money loading .223.

 

[Nebs]

Excellent choice of titles for this thread.

 

[phatkaw]

This is my .223. I've had it for probably 17-18 years. When I bought it I asked the owner if he'd throw in a box of shells since I just dropped over a grand on the thing. He said he'd throw in some plain old factory loads... Well, I said "no thanks I'll buy some premium shells"... When I saw the price of those I said "No Way !" I bought the dies for .223 and left... This gun shoots sub-sub MOA with my handloads and I'm building them for a lot less money.

 

[rosebear]

Most of the "cheaper" factory ammo is FMJ stuff which wouldn't be my first choice for a prairie dog hunt. What are you buying for $.25/round?

 

[bobby ward]

Sir, you have had some great advice here and I concur. Reloading for rifle should come down to your decision on what you want to do. If your desire is to wring every ounce of accuracy out of your rifle, then reloading is they way to go. I did this for a lot of years and LOVED the challenge. I was shooting a LOT of .223 and .22-250 and it was really fun and exciting to experiment with things never before known to me in the search for the ultimate load. Different bullets, individually hand weighed powder charges, bullet seating depth, etc. Reloading while fun for me, was a drag for others and they bought premium grade ammo which for them (and most recreational shooters) was as accurate as they can be anyhow. There is a lot of surplus ammo out there in .223 and reloading can be as cheap or as expensive based on the quality of components you buy, as you want it to be. Choice is yours. Good Luck!

 

[50ralph50]

Even steel cased 223's are more than .25 round now days.

 

[rosebear]

bobby ward is spot-on with his assessment. When I started reloading metallic cartridges 25+ years ago the so-called "premium" bullets were only available to handloaders. That isn't the case nowadays and there is some extremely accurate factory ammo out there. At least for me cost has never really been the issue. Trying to find that elusive .000" group is what keeps me tinkering and I love every minute of it!

 

[Doc!]

IMO - Good advice given in the above threads. it all depends on you intended purpose. If you shoot a lot, or want specific ammo for a specific rifle or purpose - YES.
If you just want to go out every once in a while and "plink" or ring steel - maybe not.
However, bulk prices for ammo are a little higher than you may think.... then there is tax and shipping. Watch for free shipping deals from Midway to Palmetto State Armory - even then you will be paying north of $0.40 per round for good ammo.

If you choose to reload - a kit may fit your needs - but I suggest you buy once and cry once.
Find someone you know who reloads and get advice before you buy presses and dies - everyone has their own preferences based on their experiences and purposes -- personally, for factory available reloading equipment, I like Redding and the old Bonanza COAX (Forester stuff)

 

[wingmaster78]

Even steel cased 223's are more than .25 round now days.

There are so many bulk ammo sites on line. Several, names escape, are offering free shipping if you order online.
Several are offering steel case, 55-65 grain hollow point ammo at as low as 21 cents a round!
Every thing I've read says shooting steel case ammo from a bolt action is no big deal.
I guess I'll have to experiment and buy several different ones to see which works and shoots best from my rifle.
I bought a relatively cheap, ($369) Remington 783. It has a 3-9×40 scope on it but I'm going to put a 4-12 scope on it.
So far it is shooting a 3/4" 3 shot group at 100 yards with Hornady 55grain soft point bullets!
I had a stroke back in September so due to that, I don't know if I'm capable of getting any tighter.

Sure is fun to shoot!

 

[waverider]

I would definitely hold off reloading.

Do experiment with different ammo. If you can buy a little locally would be best. If you find a good round, go back and buy all of the same lot number. Some times different lot numbers will shoot differently.

Do some research about the twist of your barrel, to find out what weight of bullets work best with your twist.

Buying bulk on line is a toss up, getting the same lot the 2nd time you buy.

Jason

 

[wingmaster78]

I was going through the specs on my rifle. It is supposed to have a 1 to 9 twist if its chambered in .223 which is the caliber I have.

 

[waverider]

I am can't remember what twist goes with what weight of bullet.

The other thing is I read that .223 and 5.56 ammo are not all the same. I read that one chamber size will one will fit in both, but not visa versa. Here to can't remember the specifics. I may have read the above here, so try a search.

Finally, your head line should be more specific that just "Question".

Jason