Thinking about reloading .223

[lower lover]

What dose the price come out to per round, also how is the performance better or worse than factory.

[CAT_101]

how is the performance better or worse than factory.

I load my own 223. The performance is always just as good if not better than factory. I usaly buy 2K-3K bullets at a time to keep cost down. I can load 1K for less than $100. depinding on powder used. Never had a jam or mis fire yeat. nock on wood....

[MysteryCereal]

I load my own 223. The performance is always just as good if not better than factory. I usaly buy 2K-3K bullets at a time to keep cost down. I can load 1K for less than $100. depinding on powder used. Never had a jam or mis fire yeat. nock on wood....

May I ask roughly how much you spent setting up your reloading equipment. I'm also very interested in reloading after visiting Wal-Mart and noticing it's not such a great deal anymore.

[CAT_101]

I already had a dillon 550b so all I needed was dies and a conversion kit for it. about $70. I dont use the dillon to load the powder as for some reason it never all gets in the shell.

So I just FL size the shell and prime it. Pull it out, load powder in shell buy hand. put back in the press, seet bullet thin light crimp it. The slowes part is the powder. As I am using a 502 scale.

Do you have any equipment at all or are you starting from scratch?

[anyracoon]

I did not like the Dillon powder measure for my rifle loads so I got RCBSs case activated linkage kit to use with my RCBS Uniflow powdr measure on my 550, it has the micrometer adjustment so I just dial in the number and load. Works great with ball & stick powders. Probally going to try it out on my 650 next.

[Fjold]

I use my Dillon 450B for loading 223. Use a ball powder like BLC(2) etc and the powder measure works fine.

[Whitesmoke]

I can load 1K for less than $100.

I take it that this price doesn't include brass?

[CAT_101]

I take it that this price doesn't include brass?

I pick up allot of LEO brass at the sac vally range. they leve tuns of FC brass in piles. take a bucket and scope away.
My suplayer has run out of 223 bullits. so I must find another sorce. That will probly put me over $120 per 1K. But like I said I buy 2-3K at a time to save on shiping and some times a discount on total amount bought

[ocabj]

I am currently loading the following:

77gr Nosler
24.0gr RL15
CCI BR4
LC Brass
@ 20 cents per round not counting brass

80gr Sierra MK
24.0gr RL14
CCI BR4
Lapua Brass
@ 27 cents per round not counting brass

The cost of brass needs to be factored in on a variable scale since the cost of brass per round decreases everytime you reuse brass. In the case of my 600 yard load using Lapua, the cost of brass by itself is about 45 cents per round. Divide that by 2 after it's once fired, by 3 after twice fired, etc.

The above isn't the cheapest. I'm using CCI BR4 which are pretty expensive locally. Rem 7-1/2s are cheaper and just as good, but I can't get them locally and I prefer to use a primer that is readily available for my competition loads.

If you want to load real cheap, get yourself some WC844 or WC846. Buy an 8lb jug for about $100 from Pat's Reloading, get some 55gr FMJs from Golden West, basic CCI 400 primers, and some range pickup brass and you can load 55gr ammo for about 12 cents a round (12 cents makes a 'box' of 20 rounds = $2.40). That's way better than you can find a box of Wolf.

[jmlivingston]

Thanks Ocabj!

I looked up Golden West and that looks like a great price on bullets. ($48/1K for 55 gr and $50/1K for 62 gr) I'm also looking to do exactly what you're suggesting, with some WC844 from Pat's. OlegK is working on a group buy of powder here in OC to save on the shipping and HazMat fee's, he should be posting something about it later this morning.

John

[ocabj]

Just an FYI regarding Golden West: You can actually do a pickup in person on a weekday from them. So if you or anyone is willing to go to El Monte, then you can buy in person via cash (tax included in the price). But since they do the free shipping for 2000 bullets, it's not a big deal to buy over the phone and have it shipped.

[jmlivingston]

I saw that they were in El Monte, and was wondering about that. But then again, with a 2K bullet purchase having free shipping it's hardly worth the drive up there.

John

[Whitesmoke]

I saw that they were in El Monte, and was wondering about that. But then again, with a 2K bullet purchase having free shipping it's hardly worth the drive up there.

John

I don't think the shipping is free for 2K bullets...I hink it's $10. Which is still real cheap for the weight......

[jmlivingston]

From their website: http://www.goldenwestbrass.com/Golde...EB/BULLETS.htm

FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF 2,000 OR MORE ANYWHERE IN THE U.S.

[Whitesmoke]

From their website: http://www.goldenwestbrass.com/Golde...EB/BULLETS.htm

Huh...what threw me was this:

223 .224 (62 GRAIN)

$28.00 500
$50.00 1000
$110.00 2000 (shipping included)

2000 rounds with shipping included is $10 more per order more than their 1000 round price......so at their quoted price.....their "free" shipping is really "$10" shipping.