Reloading .223

[Sibb]

I'm looking to start reloading, and since I'm shooting my AR more than anything else. I figure I'll start with .223.

Can someone point me in the right direction. On what to buy, and maybe point me to some books\videos?

 

[EddieCoyle]

Search through the reloading forum (which is where I'm moving this).

...and get this book first:
http://www.amazon.com/Abcs-Reloadin...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1286803940&sr=8-1

 

[bpm990d]

Sierra bullets has a nice basic section from their reloading manual on line.

B

 

[Sibb]

Search through the reloading forum (which is where I'm moving this).

...and get this book first:
http://www.amazon.com/Abcs-Reloadin...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1286803940&sr=8-1

Thanks Eddie, I didn't even know we had a reloading section. Shows how often I stry out of General and off-topic

 

[BillO]

.... and before buying 223 dies, look into purchasing a RCBS small base "X" resizer die. I took a tip from EC and it works great.

 

[bpm990d]

I would not buy a small base die unless regular dies wont take the brass down enough to fit in the chamber.

B

 

[swampy]

First reload on all my .223/5.56 brass goes through the small base die. But, most of my brass is aquired from sources where full or select fire is possible. Once all my brass is small base sized it will only be fired in my guns with nice chambers.

I would suggest becoming very familiar with processing brass before you get to the point of reloading it. Case cleaning, sizing, trimming, depriming and decrimping are all necessary operations before you start loading powder and bullets. . Getting all these right the first time will save you a lot of frustration when you actually get down to the reloading. It all sounds difficult and confusing. Approach it one step at a time. Read about each step then do that step before you read the next. Eventually the process comes together and becomes very rewarding. Starting with .223/5.56 is challenging. Loading target ammo for a handgun like a 38 special is much simpler as a starting point. There is plenty of help available here.

I would not buy a small base die unless regular dies wont take the brass down enough to fit in the chamber.

B

 

[Dnotarianni]

Is it worth it to reload when you can buy it for .28 rd? Comes out to $279/1000 with shipping. I'm just a plinker though when it comes to rifle.

http://www.crenshawammo.com/product....56x45-M193-55-gr-FMJBT-{47}-Pack-of-200.html

Dave

 

[amb]

Is it worth it to reload when you can buy it for .28 rd? Comes out to $279/1000 with shipping. I'm just a plinker though when it comes to rifle.

Depends? If you just want to send lead downrange, and ignoring the $50-1000 you could spend on the reloading equipment itself, figure two cents for the primer and 7 cents each for the powder and bullet. That's only a little over half of your quoted price.

What's your time worth, and (maybe most importantly) do you find the reloading process itself fun?

 

[drgrant]

Depends? If you just want to send lead downrange, and ignoring the $50-1000 you could spend on the reloading equipment itself, figure two cents for the primer and 7 cents each for the powder and bullet. That's only a little over half of your quoted price.

What's your time worth, and (maybe most importantly) do you find the reloading process itself fun?

The problem with reloading rifle calibers is the frigging case trimming... course things like the X die can reduce the need to do it, but generally speaking you'd still need to do it at least once.

Brass often doesn't last as long either, although I'm not sure what the best lifespan is for a piece of 5.56/.223 brass is. I know it's not like a lot of pistol cartridges where you can reload the same piece of brass a few dozen times with little ill effects.

Cost recovery on common rifle calibers is a difficult proposition, although it gets better with the more obscure stuff. These days you can probably save a lot of money reloading .308/7.62 NATO, if you can get the materials at a reasonable price.

ETA: ; One case where I think you would always make out like a bandit is making match ammo. Premium grade match ammo is always stupidly expensive, and if you rolled your own you would probably always make out ahead compared to having to buy it fresh. I don't doubt that you can load up things like the 77 gr SMK for less than what it would cost you to buy something like Federal GMM, etc. That stuff is stupidly expensive now, probably over a $1 a shot or something. It was a different story when it was under $15 a box.


-Mike

 

[swampy]

Reloading isn't only about saving money. There is a satisfaction to being able to produce the ammo that you shoot. It is also a fun hobby all by itself. Some people find the hunt for components a challenge. Others seek the perfection of being able to produce ammo of a quality that produces consistant cloverleaf or better accuracy. Some just like playing with all those shiny thingies!

Is it worth it to reload when you can buy it for .28 rd? Comes out to $279/1000 with shipping. I'm just a plinker though when it comes to rifle.

http://www.crenshawammo.com/product....56x45-M193-55-gr-FMJBT-{47}-Pack-of-200.html

Dave

 

[Gammon]

Reloading rifle ammo is a PITA compared to pistol. Case prep is a bitch. I solved the problem with an RCBS power case trimmer that trims, chamfers and deburrs all in one operation. I buy once fired military brass for my target loads (Dillon Super Swager for the crimped primer pockets) and scrounge range brass for practice/short range ammo which helps keep costs down. My 69 gr Sierra/once fired military brass loads will group just over 2 in at 300 yds, but who needs this accuracy at 100 yds or less? For 100 yds or less I use 55 gr IMI bullets and scrounged brass. At the Harvard rifle match on the 10th (75 yds or less) I left almost 200 cases on the ground, thank God it wasn't my painstakingly prepared match brass. Had a blast, by the way, and would have shot the match with the expensive stuff if I had to; the Harvard matches are that good.