Reloading .40 and .223 worth it?

[chrisf]

I'm going back and forth trying to figure out if reloading those two just for plinking/hobby is worth it. I don't want to count my time into it as it will be a hobby that I think i will enjoy. I have about roughly 1000 casings each that I've been saving up just in case I decided to reload. Eventually I will be reloading more expensive calibers. What do you guys think? Even if I just save .02 cents a round I'd be happy.

[lpspinner]

Bottom line. YES

[Artsville]

duh......i shoot a lot of 40SW and i save 50% from walmart prices. Same with 45acp....

Now 223 is another story....you save money and can customize the load....but brass prep for rifle takes more time and energy.

[sonnyt650]

Since I enjoy shooting at and hitting little targets my ARs are definitely set up to shoot well. Ammo is a huge part of that though where if I load them wrong I could get 2-3x the group sizes -- who knows what I'd get with bulk ammo. If all I'm doing is "unloading" that's best done with 22LR anyway, so yeah I'd say reloading .223 is worth it.

As for loading .40 S&W or .45 Auto for my handguns, honestly I made a mistake and should have just continued to pay Walmart prices. Since I've got the equipment already I'll use it and hopefully someday recoup the cost of the progressive. Funny though I can't get myself to trust somebody else's reloads, so it's either Walmart or load them myself.

[markm]

No, don't do it, unless....

Hey OP,

I definately am not reloading .40 S&W and have no plans on reloading .223 when I get a .223 gun.

I have been reloading for hunting rifles and my .357 and .44 magnums for 3 decades. Those calibers are definately worth the effort.

My rifles benefit from "pet" loads. My 7mm magnum only shoots two loads well--it is a finicky gun.

I load reduced recoil loads for my revolvers. My Grizzly defense loads are almost "full house" magnums, and for obvious reasons. Otherwise, shooting full magnums through these guns while punching paper is painfull. I am much more accurate with an 80% magnum load and I have more fun. .38 and .44 Special loads are boring.

Reloading rifle cartridges is not as easy as reloading handgun ammo.

My .40 S&W gun is a fun-gun. I don't clean it after every excursion. I don't reload ammo for it. I don't police brass. I just freaking shoot it with the cheapest ammo I can find. My SR40 eats it up. It does not care what kind of crap I run through it. With cheap ammo, it is quite accurate.

markm

[rockdogz]

I agree with the others - brass prep for .223 is a pain but if you don't include the labor then yes. I reload .40 for $6.69 per 50 or $133.80 per 1000. .223 for me is $8.80 per 50 or $176 per 1000.

[rromeo]

Rockdogz, do you buy pulled powder and bullets?

[Artsville]

forgot to add....you won't save money...you will just shoot 2x more.....i have become a much better shooter since reloading........

[Cheap Shot]

Reloading - worth it?

If you don't count your time and the tools (press and dies), then you can reload at about have the price of ready to use. The biggest advantage is you can adjust the rounds to the guns they will be fired in. Customized for accuracy or hotter/softer recoil.....

[rockdogz]

Rockdogz, do you buy pulled powder and bullets?

No I use new components. Although I have seen some pulled bullets that looked nice and I would use. I have been getting 55grain FMJBT from TJ Converas. Also I try to get in on group buys whenever possible...

[Clownpuncher]

Not counting time on .223 yes it will be worth it. Counting time on .40 I think it is still worth it. I use new plated bullets and save brass and I'm under $7 per 50. As a matter of fact I'm under $8 per 50 for every caliber I load. 9, 357, 40, 44, 45. All plated. Obviously I only save $3 per 50 or so on 9's but I save more each caliber I go up. And the quality of my ammo and the sense of accomplishment I get by loading my own makes it even better.

[russt]

Using pull down powder And pulled bullets I reload 223 for under 150 per 1000.

[damndave]

For pistol...absolutely. Just get a progressive and punch out 500 an hour.

For rifle, it really depends on how much you shoot since you will not be making match rounds. MUCH more work doing bottleneck ammo.

[Full Clip]

For making .223 55grn FMJ plinker rounds, it's a wash due to the time and equipment investment involved. But if you're using good Nosler, Sierra or Hornaday bullets (HP or SP or ballistic tip), it's absolutely worth it.

[milotrain]

It's important that you have all the information. Everyone who is saying they reload for less than $200 per 1k of .223 is buying in massive bulk, sharing the Haz shipping with someone else and using pulled powder and bullets which have various availability. In order to do this you have to time purchases to group buys or when Surplus guys have things in stock. That means annual parts orders of around $1-2k at a time. That's fine, you may do that too, but you'll have to lay out a lot of cash up front to reload .223 cheaper than you can buy it in bulk. Now if you care about accuracy then you have to reload, because Black Hills is expensive. But if you just want a plinker then it's going to cost you a lot up front to save a little on the back end. Not to mention you have to shoot upwards of 3k rounds before you actually make the investment in the reloading tools back.

Again, not trying to discourage you. I spent around $2k this year on .223 reloading and while that's a lot of money, I'm making .223 match ammo very quickly for around $200 per 1k (black hills is around $600 per 1k), and I have the parts for 5k. But you have to shoot a lot to make it worth it, and compared to plinking ammo it's a lot harder to make it back.