.223 Rem - reload or buy factory?

[Three50seven]

I had been looking for a compact .223 bolt action for coyote and groundhog work, and I recently acquired a CZ 527 Carbine in .223 Rem. With realistic max range around here being 200 yds, a lightweight fast-handling rifle trumps a long, heavy "varmint rifle" any day.

Anyway, since I won't exactly be trying to win benchrest competitions with this rifle, is it practical to set-up and load .223 when reasonably-priced factory ammo of decent quality is readily available? I reload now, but only straight-walled handgun calibers. I have never messed with trimming cases or anything to do with rifle reloading...

Opinions please...

 

[Mobuck]

There's plenty of accurate varmint .223 ammo on the market and it's reasonably priced. You just have to determine which variety works best with your rifle. Even though I reload, I also buy factory ammo when the price is right because I have a couple of rifles with very tight chambers.

 

[Clovishound]

The good news is .223 is an inexpensive rifle caliber to load for. Brass is generally available for free at the range. At least it is around this neck of the woods. Bullets are about as cheap as jacketed rifle bullets come. The bad news is factory stuff is about as cheap as rifle calibers come.

I can load Sierra semi points at around $5-$6 per 20 using local sources. You can shave a couple bucks off that ordering bullets online in bulk.

That is bottom line for factory ammo, which is normally FMJs. Look for hunting ammo in .223 and you will see a big difference in price. Hard to say how much more accurate ones you role yourself will be over decent factory ammo.

Loading rifle calibers is a different animal, but not that big a deal. You will need a set of dies, a case trimmer of some description, and a bottle/tube of case lube.

If you don't shoot a lot, then it may not be worth it. If you are shooting a lot of non-plinking ammo, then I would say go for it.

I don't shoot that much .223, but it feels good that I can make my own.

 

[contender]

Good info above.
I'll add a bit.
While in general, 223 ammo is "inexpensive" it can get costly REAL quick. Just look at what happened recently with the SUPPOSEDLY armor piercing stuff. Talk of bans & it went sky high.
Next, look at hunting ammo, vs. plinking stuff. Bigger difference in price.
Availability of ammo may be fine, but "what if" it isn't? Having a set of dies, keeping brass, buying some primers, bullets, & powders to set back is a good insurance policy. Reloading bottleneck calibers isn't hard, or super expensive. A case trimmer isn't too bad, and in a worst case scenario, you can use a hand tool. (Slow but it will work.)
Since you mentioned varmint work, working up a good reload may be better than some of the more expensive hunting factory ammo. A few hundred quality bullets, primers & a pound of powder can go a long way. Dies aren't too expensive. Even a case trimmer can be had with a bit of careful shopping around. You likely have all the other tools necessary.

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

Reload and find out what your rifle likes/shoots the best. That is a large part of the fun for me. I have, maybe, bought 3 boxes of factory center fire loads in the last 10 years,and I shoot a lot. Most of my guns have never seen a factory load outside of the factory test firing station.

 

[Three50seven]

Thanks for all the good info guys. I may have to try my hand at rolling my own. I've been threatening to do it with 30-30 anyway, but I really don't shoot it that often. That may change if Indiana decides to change the caliber restriction for deer though...

Also, since this is the only .223 I own (I've had two AR platforms in the past and don't care to have another) It would be pretty easy to work up one or two good loads for this rifle and be set.

 

[Chief 101]

i think it is a good idea to at least have what you need to reload...as long as you plan on keeping and shooting .223. Everytime somebody in DC opens their trap about banning or controlling this or that, .223 starts getting rare and expensive

 

[badcopnodonut!!]

Load your own. Ive got a BUNCH of brass. I would be more than willing to mail you some to help get you started.

 

[Mobuck]

Your specific firearm may determine your choice. I happen to have an AR that's set up with a tight chamber. I've not found a sizing die that will reduce ALL fired brass enough to reliably function in this rifle. In this case, I have to choose between an occasional choke with handloads or using only certain brands of factory loads OR having the chamber polished out slightly.
As I said above, there are at least 2 or 3 moderately priced varmint type loads that have produced bragging size groups for me from multiple rifles during test fire and sight-in sessions.

 

[Twoboxer]

If you only shoot the 223 for hunting, you might not shoot enough to bother reloading that caliber. OTOH, you are already reloading pistol, so the startup costs could be quite small.

If you already have a tumbler or other way to clean brass, calipers to measure case length and OAL, a powder measure or dippers or whatever that can drop charges in the 20-30gr range . . . all that's needed is a case trimmer in 223, some case lube, and a set of dies for whatever press you are using. So the startup costs can be as low as maybe $50. You can also spend much much more on case prep tools if you shoot high volumes and/or like toys

If you were shooting eg 55gr FMJBT or SP, current costs are around $0.22 per round when using primer cost (~$0.03) 8lb powder costs (H335 ~$0.10), and 1k bullet costs (Hornady ~$0.09). Those costs are all-in except shipping, which IMO can be ignored because you'd have to drive around locally and pay sales tax anyhow. If you purchase in smaller quantities, costs go up. But so does the cost of factory ammo

If you would use different bullets, price them in whatever quantity you would buy and substitute that cost above. If you need to buy brass, add that in. Remember if you start out shooting reasonable factory ammo, you can reload that brass 5 to 15 times.

Reloading good ammo for YOUR rifle is easy and fun if you like reloading. It's not totally easy to get performance as good as or better than SOME premium factory target ammo, but it is relatively easy to beat straight factory ammo.

Tell us more about your current reloading setup and what volume you expect to shoot for more precise suggestions/answers.

 

[Three50seven]

Tell us more about your current reloading setup and what volume you expect to shoot for more precise suggestions/answers.

Well, I have two Lee single-stage presses, an RCBS uniflow powder measure, and a Hornady digital scale. I don't expect to go out and burn up 100 rounds every weekend, but i would like to be able to keep a decent supply of ammo on-hand.

I ordered a set of Lee pacesetter dies, and bought some items at my LGS yesterday: 100 Sierra 52gr BTHP bullets, 1lb of Varget, 100 pcs of new Remington brass, and 300 Win. SR primers. So far, I'm right at $120 and haven't bought a case trimmer yet...Tell me again how economical reloading is :lol:

 

[mikld]

There are waaaay more reasons to reload than money. First you learn more about your gun (you will need to make some measurements checking dimensions for your ammo/gun), you will learn more about ballistics (ammo performance at various distances for a particular load/bullet), you will be able to customize your ammo for your particular gun and type of shooting, and your reloaded ammo will always be available to you (stores often run out of ammo!), and it's a good pass time to keep in touch with your guns/shooting.

Can you tell I don't count money as a reason to reload? :lol: :lol: I reload because I like to. I couldn't tell you what my ammo costs 'cause I would have to find costs of 1992 primers, 1987-2012 powders, 2000 bullets and ??? brass. Plus if one really needed to know costs they would have to amortize the equipment costs, the utilities for the loading area, the fuel to go buy components or shipping costs (hazmat if you gotta order powder or primers to be shipped to you). I would rather just enjoy the whole process of researching a load, gathering components, carefully assembling those components, shooting the finished custom ammo, and recording/comparing the results...

 

[Three50seven]

Well, I finally got around to loading up my first test rounds of .223. They are 50 grain V-max over 26.5 and 27 grains of Varget. Between a busy schedule and bad weather, I haven't had a chance to try them out yet. What I do know already, is that Varget doesn't meter worth a darn through my RCBS :?

 

[RSIno1]

I've got about 5 reloads on some of my 5.56 brass and haven't needed to trim it yet. 30-30 I ended up trimming each time.

 

[Bryan]

I reload for my 223 because I can slow it down to 22lr velocity and load it up to near max velocity. Thats pretty handy to my way of thinking.

 

[Pat-inCO]

Also, since this is the only .223 I own ... It would be pretty easy to work up
one or two good loads for this rifle and be set.

I started with Varget for powder and never went any further.
My disclaimer is I only shoot 52Gr bullets.

It also is "bulky" enough that you can not get past rated
maximum loads. In fact I'm running close to a grain below
max loads and the case is full into the neck.

Everyone has their own favorite.

P.S. Just over 2,800 fps and measurably under 1 MOA. 8)

 

[Three50seven]

I noticed the same thing. 27.5 is max, but the case is completely full at 27...

 

[andyo5]

Just be sure to buy ammo marked .223, not 5.56 NATO.
The NATO ammo is higher pressure and is not safe in a rifle not chambered for it.

 

[Rumrunner]

When all I had in 223 was 3 mini-14's I didn't reload because of how far brass was thrown plus the mouth on each piece was dented. When I started shooting an Encore handgun in 223 I started to reload them. Now I also have an Encore 223 rifle. My fat fingers don't do well with those little bullets. But at least brass is easy to save now.
I also purchased a bunch of Fiocchi 223 when Midway ran them on sale a few years back. I bought many 50 round boxes of them with both 40 grain V-Max and 50 grain V-Max bullets. These shoot under an inch in my Encores and my Les Baer shoots them in .6" at 100.
I have loaded 223 with the V-Max and H-4895 and gotten very good accuracy with these in my loads as well.

 

[BillyTee]

Reload to get the best out of your rifle.