Is it worth reloading .223?
- Thread starter Eagleeye
- Start date
It really depends what you want to achieve from your shooting…
You will however spend a fortune in time and money with any load development
You will however spend a fortune in time and money with any load development
I would like to achieve accuracy.
sir-lamp-alot
Well-Known Member
I make .222 rounds for about 60-65p roughly without taking in the cost of brass and .223 are going to be about the same price as long as you dont go over board when buying your kit and buy time your burn through a load of consumables working out a load for your rifle I reckon it will start paying off finacially in about 2 years give or take. You could make better more accurate ammo homloading than off the shelf but if your rifle is shooting brand X bullet on bullet homeloading wont help nor will homloading stop anyone from shooting like stevie wonder if thays there problem, it will take up loads of your time but will also give you a great sence of achivment if you work up a really good load yourself
Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
It need not take very long. This is the first four rounds of .223 I've ever reloaded. I'll leave it at that I think.
That is why I’ve started to reload with the assistance of a friend who has done so for years and has won various F-class target competitions.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of developing a load for my rifle. Fine tuned ammunition for your rifle will give you better results but it can take a lot of time and patience.
I reload .223. Although I do it for accuracy, I'm not fantastically anal about it and do it as an extension of my shooting hobby really. Is it worth it? Probably don't save much, if anything financially. Like most reloading it only becomes financially viable if you do it in bulk and that'll be more than 50 rounds per month.
Perhaps another advantage though, long term is if you keep a supply of the "makings" in hand, is that you can potentially ride those (all too frequent these days) times when factory ammo is in short supply because of some war or another cropping up, or Brexit or whatever.
Perhaps another advantage though, long term is if you keep a supply of the "makings" in hand, is that you can potentially ride those (all too frequent these days) times when factory ammo is in short supply because of some war or another cropping up, or Brexit or whatever.
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
Current market is kind of crazy, and component prices will stay longer on the elevated level than ammunition prices (production capacity will go to ammo manufacturers first, home loaders are the last of bunch to get them).
You really need to look at what kind of ammo you'd use (price) and then figure out what would be the component prices to produce comparable accuracy. Let's say you shoot off-hand target practice, £ 0.75 factory ammo might be entirely suitable. Or you might need £ 1.5 ammo if you shoot some supported position. These were cheapest and dearest price on stuff that's actually in stock, from single UK store.
Home loading the difference in bulk ammo and accurate reloads is usually down to the bullet. So the difference might be £ 0.10 not £ 1.00 that's many times seen on factory ammo. Reloading "the good stuff" is actually better return on investment (gear, time etc.) but you have to go through reasonable amount of that in given time. If you think it purely from financial perspective.
You really need to look at what kind of ammo you'd use (price) and then figure out what would be the component prices to produce comparable accuracy. Let's say you shoot off-hand target practice, £ 0.75 factory ammo might be entirely suitable. Or you might need £ 1.5 ammo if you shoot some supported position. These were cheapest and dearest price on stuff that's actually in stock, from single UK store.
Home loading the difference in bulk ammo and accurate reloads is usually down to the bullet. So the difference might be £ 0.10 not £ 1.00 that's many times seen on factory ammo. Reloading "the good stuff" is actually better return on investment (gear, time etc.) but you have to go through reasonable amount of that in given time. If you think it purely from financial perspective.
Thanks for detailed answer
.
I’m going to sound like a bit of a stuck record here - but it would be worth buying a Lee hand loader (about £35) and loading some rounds with that. You can do the same adjustment of rounds and make superb ammunition with them.
It will be cheaper than most factory rounds - unless (like a friend of mine) you can find a supply of PPU factory ammunitions and your rifle likes it - a friends 223 CZ shoots it under 1 MOA so there is little point in reloading at the cost he’s getting it for!
If you wanted to try a Lee loader I could post one to you so you could try it and see what you thing (I would need it back though!)
Regards,
Gixer
It will be cheaper than most factory rounds - unless (like a friend of mine) you can find a supply of PPU factory ammunitions and your rifle likes it - a friends 223 CZ shoots it under 1 MOA so there is little point in reloading at the cost he’s getting it for!
If you wanted to try a Lee loader I could post one to you so you could try it and see what you thing (I would need it back though!)
Regards,
Gixer
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
This is why for me.
I found that the Sako Racehead 144 grain Creedmoor ammo was really accurate and cheap so bought 200 rounds but since then GMK have said Sako aren't making it for a while (only the 120 grain Racehead). This lead me to buy 500 SMK 140 grain to reload the empty cases.
Homeloading definitely can keep you shooting when supplies run low elsewhere if you keep sensibly topped up.
If you're shooting a lot or targets or competitions then you will probably save money reloading and have a decent accurate round tailored to your rifle.
If you're just stalking or hunting then you probably won't save any money once you factor in costs of equipment and sundries not to mention time spent reloading and testing.
I’m going to sound like a bit of a stuck record here - but it would be worth buying a Lee hand loader (about £35) and loading some rounds with that. You can do the same adjustment of rounds and make superb ammunition with them.
It will be cheaper than most factory rounds - unless (like a friend of mine) you can find a supply of PPU factory ammunitions and your rifle likes it - a friends 223 CZ shoots it under 1 MOA so there is little point in reloading at the cost he’s getting it for!
If you wanted to try a Lee loader I could post one to you so you could try it and see what you thing (I would need it back though!)
Regards,
Thanks this is so kind of you I was thinking of starting with PPU ammo as your friend did and if that works well brilliant if not start with single stage press.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
My expereince of the 223 is that its a pretty forgiving round, and that it's pretty easy to realod for, especially if you are using cheap flat based bullets that are well with the twist rate of your barrel. I am running a 1 in 12" and the 50grn flat based Hornady's shoot really well regardless of what I put behind it.
You can find cheap bulk ammo. I bought a box of 50 Magtech FMJ's the other day for £35, I have also used PPU and Sellier & Bellot, which you can purchase for similar amounts. But everything ammo related is rather up in the air, as supplies are getting held up big time in customs. Suspect a lot is to do with paperwork, and relatively small sizes of shipments which are in the slightly too difficult box to process so we will prioritise all the FMCG goods for the big supermarkets category.
Talking with one of my clients the other day. He had just recieved an order for about £1,000 worth of goods - not firearms related, more a conusmer item from one of his distributors in Norway. Total weight about 50kg in a couple of decent sized cardboard boxes. He had two quotes for transport from their corporate account with one of the major international distributors. To ship from his Belgian based hub was €35 and 3 days. To ship from his UK main office was €1,000 and an unspecified length of time. I have another client with it's own clients in Australia. Sending an electronic motor control system as a trial version to customer. Cheaper and more reliable to buy an airticket and fly down to Perth, than sending it by a courier.
You can find cheap bulk ammo. I bought a box of 50 Magtech FMJ's the other day for £35, I have also used PPU and Sellier & Bellot, which you can purchase for similar amounts. But everything ammo related is rather up in the air, as supplies are getting held up big time in customs. Suspect a lot is to do with paperwork, and relatively small sizes of shipments which are in the slightly too difficult box to process so we will prioritise all the FMCG goods for the big supermarkets category.
Talking with one of my clients the other day. He had just recieved an order for about £1,000 worth of goods - not firearms related, more a conusmer item from one of his distributors in Norway. Total weight about 50kg in a couple of decent sized cardboard boxes. He had two quotes for transport from their corporate account with one of the major international distributors. To ship from his Belgian based hub was €35 and 3 days. To ship from his UK main office was €1,000 and an unspecified length of time. I have another client with it's own clients in Australia. Sending an electronic motor control system as a trial version to customer. Cheaper and more reliable to buy an airticket and fly down to Perth, than sending it by a courier.
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