5.56/.233 reloading costs

[pow]

Before the current rush on ammo, how much would you have to shoot for it to make sense to reload this round? I've never reloaded, but it seems like you would have to shoot quite a bit to realize a gain. Is it more of a consistency than a cost benefit?

 

[chazroh]

It really depends on what you are loading. If you load a high end bullet you will save a lot of money

 

[OKCHunter]

It depends on your component cost and the number of times you reload the brass. I've loaded some .223 10 times before I finally got concerned. I typically load it 4 or 5 times and toss it. Lately, you could pick-up 5.56 brass laying on the ground and many ranges. That made the brass cheap, as in free. What you need to look at is a cost calculator like this:

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

 

[pow]

When there is a shortage of ammo, does that tend to spill over into the reloading components? Do the bullets and powder become more difficult to obtain? It seems like there is a bit of a capital expenditure to get started.

 

[OKCHunter]

When there is a shortage of ammo, does that tend to spill over into the reloading components? Do the bullets and powder become more difficult to obtain? It seems like there is a bit of a capital expenditure to get started.

To some extent, yes. There has been a component shortage of one kind or another since 2008. First it was primers, then 55 gr bulk bullets got rare, and then new .223 brass was hard to find. Powder for pistol / shotgun has been in short supply and difficult to find over the past two years but is starting to show signs of improvement. Rifle powder has not been effected too much over the last year or so. Right now is a good time to buy primers.

 

[streak]

1 cent for brass
10 cents for powder
3 cents for primer
9 cents for bullet

That is 23 cents per round is what I am doing right now. I should have gotten a better deal on primers and powder but it is what it is. And I won't have to buy brass again for another 10/12 loading's. When you buy 4K at a time that takes a minute.

 

[dennishoddy]

I just bought 6K Hornady 55 grain SP bullets before the current BS going on over the M-855. First time in years that had that much in inventory, so I stocked up.

Powder valley still has lots of bullets in stock. Not as cheap as three years ago, but the prices were just getting back to normal levels when the M-855 debacle developed.

I don't have an exact cost, but with the older primers I have, I'm betting .20 a round is the top end of what it costs me. Maybe a little less.

I use range brass.

 

[Reloading Rod]

I reload Hornady Vmax's and my cost per round is .22 about .50 cents savings over buying factory. The main reason I reload is that I can tailor make each round to shoot best in each different rifle I own, I also use range brass.

 

[Cedar Creek]

If all you're looking for is a little price savings on a specific cartridge, then reloading may not be worthwhile. The real advantage to a good reloading setup is the verstility it lends to each caliber and configuration of firearm you own. It also gives you the ability to generate good ammo for obsolete, osolescent, and other hard to find calibers.

Cedar Creek

 

[Larry Morgan]

I load match .223, and I can get savings of up to 50% or more a round. Be warned, though, that the upfront costs (especially if you like to experiment) can make it take a long time to realize this payoff. I could have bought hundreds of rounds of match ammo by now with what I've spent, but I enjoy having the control and experimenting. Plus, having a good stock of components allows you to decouple yourself from market crazyness.