.223 Reloading - Cost effective?

[BerksCountyDave]

Yeah I'm thinking it may be worth it. I have the Lee Classic Turret press and not a single stage, thank god. Where is a good place to get once fired brass? The prices on new brass and retarded. And how many times can a .223 case be loaded safely, on average?

[Capnswervon]

Lets also not forget about the accuracy possibilities. I find this is where I really save the money and get the most satisfaction...loading Sierra 69gr HPBT. You figure that you will spend $36.00 for 50 rnds of the Black Hills Blue box (reloaded ammo). I can save almost $35 per 100 rounds...almost half price, and I am getting my loads down and seeing some great accuracy out of my 20" Hbar RRA.

The Capn'

[knight0334]

Yeah I'm thinking it may be worth it. I have the Lee Classic Turret press and not a single stage, thank god. Where is a good place to get once fired brass? The prices on new brass and retarded. And how many times can a .223 case be loaded safely, on average?

I'm not sure where the best(cheapest) place is to get once fired. I try to keep my business with a couple local FFL's even if it's a lil more expensive.

New brass will last between 2-10 times depending on how hot you load them. If you load them to mil-spec 5.56 pressures they wont last as long. ...maybe 2-3 times. Brass acts like a fluid when faced with pressures over 55-60K PSI, it'll start flowing away from critical points in the case(thinning it out) resulting in failures. If you keep the pressures below max 223 levels, 5 times can be expected. It varies though with manufacturer of case and individual case's faults. Powderpuff and mid level stuff definitely last longer.

I've got some Black Hills ammo that was once fired 5.56 Lake City brass. Counting the original 5.56 load, the Black Hills 223 load, and my reloads - I'm getting around 4-7 overall. Thats 2-5 reloads...

[BerksCountyDave]

Lets also not forget about the accuracy possibilities. I find this is where I really save the money and get the most satisfaction...loading Sierra 69gr HPBT. You figure that you will spend $36.00 for 50 rnds of the Black Hills Blue box (reloaded ammo). I can save almost $35 per 100 rounds...almost half price, and I am getting my loads down and seeing some great accuracy out of my 20" Hbar RRA.

The Capn'

I was putting three shots into ragged groups with all of them touching each other at 100 yards with the cheap Sellier & Bellot ammo, so accuracy isn't my goal with reloading. Purely a cost issue for me at this point with this particular rifle.

[Hawk]

Once fired military brass that has been processed is the way to go. I bought 1000 rounds of the stuff for $76 and have reloaded it at least 6 times so far with just trimming to length. If you anneal the neck it will last even longer. I expect to see about 8-10 reloads before annealing. I'm dropping 24 gn's of H335, CCI primers, and Military Ball 55gn FMJ BT.
I can (with iron sights) get 1.5 MOA groups at 100 & 200 yards with this load out of my 20" match upper, probably 1/2 MOA if I scoped and rested it.

No need to get to crazy on the heads, unless you're going out past 300 yards.

Link for brass:
http://store.tjconevera.com/1000-onc...-processe.html

[BerksCountyDave]

Hawk, has the military crimp been removed from that brass?

[Hawk]

Hawk, has the military crimp been removed from that brass?

Yes, It's ready to go! Just resize and check the length.

[Capnswervon]

I was putting three shots into ragged groups with all of them touching each other at 100 yards with the cheap Sellier & Bellot ammo, so accuracy isn't my goal with reloading. Purely a cost issue for me at this point with this particular rifle.

Wow that is some great shooting....3 shots touching should be less than 1/2 moa if I am thinking correctly. What power optic are you using, and do you have a sled type of rifle rest? I have never been able to get that type of accuracy out of store bought ammo....even the $28 box of federal gold medal match. I would love to see a picture of this tack driver and the groups is produces.


The Capn'

[Hawk]

I've also bought these heads from the same site:

http://store.tjconevera.com/wb556mc55-22-cal-.html

They' re OK for plinking.

[andrewjs18]

also..buy heads in bulk..you'll save more buying in 1,000-2,000 bags then a few hundred.

I found a place that sold heads really cheap, but I'm on my laptop and don't have a link for the site right now...I'll post it tomorrow night.

PS-I simply ask people at the range if they want their brass..right there can save you money, too...even if its not a caliber you shoot, you can knock the primers out and clean the brass and sell it...