Cost of Reloading????

[jcountry]

Hi-

I am considering handloading some .223s. What does everyone think about the cost involved? It seems like everything has just gotten terribly expensive ammo-wise these days? Can one really save money handloading?

-Just as a qualifier-
-I never shoot steel-cased ammo in my .223. So I am not even considering fooling with any of that mess in the first place.
-Thanks
-J

 

[Petro_58]

Depends if you have anything at all or what. I don't personally load for the .223 but there are several good threads here in the reloading forum. Do a search of the forum I'm sure you'll get some useful information.

 

[rbstern]

Not including equipment cost, assuming you will buy supplies in bulk and load pickup brass, figure cost per round will be about 50% of brass cased, new ammo.

 

[Clarke123]

You will have an inital investment in training and equipment that will pay for itself over time ... IF YOU SHOOT A LOT

Before you buy any equipment, read up on the subject. A reloading manual is the best place to start.
Like SCUBA Diving, Reloading can be “The Safest, Most Dangerous Sport” if you get the proper education and always, always, always follow the rules. After you understand what is required, you may want to stop right there or proceed … You will be at the point of making an informed decision.
Here’s some other useful information, but for use only after you do some reading..
http://www.handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=33

 

[Chuckdog]

Saving money is really a small part of handloading for me. I subscribe to the theory that the weakest link will always have the largest effect on performance and accuracy. If you aren't into precision shooting then loading for the .223/5.56 probably ain't worth the time. But if you load for other calibers that you enjoy shooting, and would shoot more if ammo wasn't so expensive, 300 win mag or the likes the savings are quite significant. Brass is usually the most expensive component, and it can usually be loaded a number of times without much work. I load for better ammo than I can go buy. The money savings is gravy. With what I spend on equipment I don't know ho much I save, but I enjoy sitting down and handcrafting a load for a rifle that will give me the best groups it and I are capable of producing. Once you have your brass, it cost just pennies more to load for a 300 Win. than it does for a 30-30 or .308. "Shootem up" ammo in bulk for calibers like 9 mm and .223 may not be worth your while. I load for them all, as I'm long past the spray and pray with my stuff. Handloading is much like shooting for me, I enjoy putting it together and watching it perform.

 

[Outsydlooknin]

I haven't saved friggin dime one. But I shoot a whole lot more.

 

[BHJ]

I haven't saved friggin dime one. But I shoot a whole lot more.

+1 a lot more.

 

[Going Postal]

Here is a link to an area in the one that Clarke123 posted. It is more to the point of a cost calculator.

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

Saving money is an important thing, but to me it is not the most important thing.
I spend hours out in my reloading building, enjoying being by myself.
I can create some ammo that is much more accurate than any I can buy.
I think I enjoy it even more when I am interrupted by my 11 yo granddaughter, who wants to learn everything. My 17 yo grandson seems to care less about the reloading part of shooting, he just wants to shoot!!.

 

[dawgm]

1. allows you to shoot more, doesn't save any money
2. reloading is a hobby in itself
3. you can brew up more accurate loads

 

[gordie]

i don't reload for my semi-auto guns...
but i do for everything else, but it can
get expensive if you have alot of guns.

time is money.