Is reloading .223 worth it?

[kuduman]

Like some other posters here, I am rethinking loading .223 at the current prices. I'm saving myself maybe-- MAYBE $8/hour for my time. If primers and powder get cheaper, or ammo goes up-- reloading makes more sense. If I can't get more than 3 loads out of the brass due to loss, I'm probably not saving anything at all.

I feel the same way about 9mm... at the moment, it's probably not worth reloading. .45 still is, for sure.

Wolf Gold... But even Federal American Eagle is getting reasonable. (Palmetto, etc.)

If you are willing to shoot Wolf steel-cased, there's no way you can beat that reloading.

 

[Boregauge]

I have not run any numbers either but I have reloaded over 12,000 rds. I have had a few hiccups by not paying attention to detail, I didn't push the handle fwd to put in a primer on my dillon550b. you end up taking it apart and cleaning gunpowder from every crack. I know I am saving but how much I don't really know. I know that brings up a question of how do you know your saving. I try when I order to always buy in bulk and sometimes they will give you free shipping. by buying in bulk I mean I buy around 4,000.00 dollars worth at a time, powder ,primers & projectiles. keep in mind its not just about saving money its about being able to sustain yourself, in all this panic buying I have been reloading steady every since. People who don't reload are at the mercy of the store shelf's and prices. also its a good idea to learn to cast projectiles yourself and stock up on wheel weights, melt them down into ingots that are ready to put in the soup when needed. The way I reload is tumble in walnut 2hrs,remove, lube and decap, size is the first step then I run all of them thru a case trimmer which also has a size die, then I run all thru a primer pocket swager. if you have already reloaded this brass you omit the primer pocket swager step. then I have a tool that you put in the mouth of the case and it centers and rounds and cleans the flash hole and bevels the inside of the hole. then they all get checked with a case gauge and final inspection for defective cases. then they go back into the walnut media for about 15 min to debur and get any oil off the cases. Then I start reloading, when the cases are sized 2 times already reloading goes smoother. a common problem I see is some people don't check the rim for being bent, I dress them with a small flat file and have no problems or haven't had any problems yet with feeding. Good Luck reloading, read the book and adhere to it and you will be shooting when others are conserving their ammo or are out completely. be independent when at all possible.one more thing after loading and inspecting the finished rounds I run them thru the tumbler 1 more time to get the oil and finger prints off and use cotton gloves for taking them out of the tumbler and putting them into .30 and .50 cal. steel ammo cans. just don't put the loaded rds. in the tumbler and walk away it can affect the powder by breaking it up into smaller pcs. Good luck with reloading .223 it is rewarding being able to sustain yourself.

 

[Clarke123]

I can buy .223 range brass delivered to my door for ~ 6.9 Cents each in batches of 1,000 OR 6.5 Cents each in batches of 1,600. "Fully Processed" .223 brass is being quoted @ $139 per thousand TYD!

I have a progressive press and use it to resize / deprime my cases @ ~ 400 per hour. Afterwards, I soak the brass in a mild detergent and citric acid solution overnight. I then rinse and clean the brass in a small ultrasonic bath at the rate of ~300 per hour (15 minutes per hundred). After rinsing and drying (again: overnight) I begin the trim / de-crimp process. Up until now, I have spent ~ 7 hours on 1,000 pieces of brass.

I have a Gracy Trimmer that trims and camphers as fast as you can feed them to it. I also have a primer pocket swager that works at about the same pace. However, even if you can process 300 per hour it will take around 4 hours to process one "pass" on a 1,000 piece batch of brass to trim, then to de-crimp the primer pocket. So, this gives me an additional 8 hours + the 7 hours from above.

Add that to a "pass" for priming @ 400 per hour, and a "pass" for powder / projectile seating @ 400 per hour totaling another 6 or 7 hours.

OR, ~ 21 - 22 hours in total.

So, the question becomes: What's it worth to save 15 hours and buy "processed brass"?
There are guys right here on the forum who will do just that for you!

 

[07JKX]

completely not worth it... send me all your .223 brass so that I can convert it into .300 blk

 

[Clarke123]

Also available on the Internet: 500 "Full Processed" AAC Blackout Cases $110 + Shipping

 

[sparked1]

Thanks all for the info and great insight. I think I'll stick to factory .223 for the time being. The additional cost definitely seems to be worth the time savings.

 

[Twitch2120]

Thanks for the input. That's how I've been doing it too. Though, I decap first then wet tumble. Then resize and prime the clean brass several hundred at a time. That way I can charge, seat, crimp later at a much faster pace.

What about trimming the cases? How much time does that add? Besides lubing and trimming, any other steps differ from handgun loads?

invest in a chamber length gauge. most chambers are WAY oversized compared to spec. i can let my 308 cases go .05 past "max spec" in my 700

 

[woodstock]

Commie

 

[Old_School]

Thanks all for the info and great insight. I think I'll stick to factory .223 for the time being. The additional cost definitely seems to be worth the time savings.

Probably a good move. I'm a lifelong reloader and if I didn't have the time or didn't enjoy reloading, I probably wouldn't start on 5.56/.223. However, once your brass has been prepped, the process speeds up significantly. I figure 4-5 reloads before I need to trim again. (And the 3bucc case catcher ensures I don't lose those cases!).

One thing that appeals to me is not being dependent on retail ammo availability, but reloading components are another story....

 

[YOTESHOOTER]

Wishing you well, and may all of your shots be in the 10X Ring.......................