I've been reloading for a while, but I'm just starting to load for .223. Here is my thought process.

First, I don't count the cost of the equipment because I have most of it already. If you will only load .223 and need to buy all the equipment then maybe look at ROI. But for me the equipment cost is spread over lots of calibers and I can add a new one with just dies and maybe a few other things. Also, as a hobby you have to just accept the cost of stuff as part of it.

.223 isn't exactly cheap but range ammo can be found for around .30 cpr or a bit less if you are willing to shoot the steel stuff or find a good deal. For really cheap bullets, you are looking at around .08-.10 / bullet, around .10 for powder and .03 or so for primers. With free brass (I'm loading my own once fired range ammo brass) you are in the .20/round range. Since I don't have a progressive, it's not worth my time for range ammo.

The reason I started was to load more "match" level ammo. This is stuff I'll shoot less of and for different purposes. These will run me around .35/round so not much more than range ammo but better stuff. Granted, I'm shooting in an AR and brass gets beat up a bit so not quite on par with real match ammo but good enough and again it's partly just a hobby.

tl;dr - what he said

Currently the numbers dont really support loading 223 from a straight economics standpoint for regular ammo. A quick bit of math.

--Primer, bullet and brass = Dollar amount / quantity.
--Powder = (Dollar amount 1lb / 7000) * charge weight

Lets take bullets, using  RMR pulled 55 gr
$68 / 1000 = .06 per bullet

Primers from Powder Valley
 $28 / 1000 = .028

Powder from Powder Valley (Note this does not count hazmat or shipping, but if you order bulk you can keep the cost below 25, so 7 cents is the absolute minimum)
Ramshot Tac 1 lb for $22, 24.5 grain charge weight = .07

Assumie brass is range pickup. 

You are at .15 cents a round. Cheapest Wolf is around 20 or 21 right now. Thats a blasting ammo. If you upgrade to a new 55 gr bullet the bullet price jumps up to around 11 cents a bullet or so putting total cost at 20 cents. You can find a really good and lightweight reloading cost calculator here

Put in what *your* costs would be based on what you buy and it will give you the per round total. Simple enough. In my case, I really struggle putting in the time and effort to save a couple cents over what Wolf costs. Mostly because I really hate 223 brass prep. 9mm I'm happy to reload to save a couple cents because of the lack of having to prep the brass. Also precision ammo is a different beat altogether. 

Note that this is a per round cost comparison and does not take in the fact you will be spending hundreds on the equipment. 

My position is if you are reloading purely for economics 223 is not worth reloading at this point. I dont see the need to reload a "premium" ammo to use for blasting, my paper and steel never complained between Wolf or quality reloads. Bite the bullet, spend the money for a case or half case of quality ammo to throw in the closet, then just buy Wolf for your daily plinking needs. 

If you enjoy reloading as a hobby then that changes things significantly. Note that I believe its a good knowledge set to have. As others have mentioned there have been times when the market wasnt nearly so favorable to shooting, and it was nice to be able to load my own and keep going while others were bemoaning high ammo costs, or no ammo availability. 

SO what it means is only you can decide if reloading 223 is worth it. Are you looking at it as a hobby, or purely "red / black" economics?

Never have been able to justify loading .223 in any quantity other than for hunting ammo.

For blasting paper and steel I shoot Brown Bear or other lacquered steel cased ammo.

If your gun won't run it, you need a new gun.

No maybe not money wise, but I do it anyway. Powder is what kills ya.

The biggest thing is to be perfectly honest with yourself.

If financially is your objective, the question is do you shoot enough ammo annually to justify the initial expence?

Or, (like myself) is this just another way to play with your toys to their fullest potential?

MLG

Double post

MLG

I originally started reloading when Hillary the inevitable was going to take our guns and ammunition became scarce because of hoarders.  Then there was Obama who was gonna take our guns and our ammunition and ammo became even more scarce.  I started reloading with the goal of having ammo at any cost.  

I bought any ammo that was available regardless of brand and now have quite a stash including lots of steel case junk.  I don't really count the cost of the setup because I would have spent it somewhere else if not on reloading equipment.  Maybe I would have bought a corvette.  Instead I still drive my 2011 pickup and that sumbitch will pass anything on the road except a gas station.

Here is the thing.  You can get your per round cost down, way down, by buying in bulk as others have stated.  Beware though.  I have a thousand round lot I bought of nominally 62 grain rounds that go from 60.3 grains to 63.4 grains.  I don't know if that is even plinking grade.  However if you can get Hornady  55 grain in bulk you are golden.  Every box I weigh is within .2 grains in weight.  

I look at it like this.  Searching for bargans and sales and reloading is akin to the difference between teaching a man to fish and giving him a meal on wheels.  If you lay in a good supply you will be able to shoot forever.  As for the setup.  Well boys have to have their toys.  You would have bought something if you didn't buy reloading equipment.  

Oh and as for reloading equipment, start slow with cheap stuff and a single stage press.  Then when it's not good enough go forth and grow.  The Lee turrets work great for me.

My wife knits, I reload. These are hobbies with some practical application but cost savings is not the main motivator,

Adam Smith, the father of economics, probably would have thought reloading to have too high of an opportunity cost. However, he did not experience the satisfaction of handloading 300 BLK pistol loads out of recycled 223 brass he trimmed and loaded by himself. I wear a goofy grin with pride, with every mag dump.  

I'll throw my 2 cents in. I started reloading strictly for precision 223 using a rock chucker. I found that I enjoyed it quit a bit so I started doing plinking ammo. 

I now have a Hornady lnl ap that I load 9mm on and as soon as I get another powder measure I'll load my plinking 223.

Now for me, I like being able to spread the cost out. I prefer buying some bullets here, powder there, I've got plenty of primers, then I'll load up some ammo. I just prefer not drop a lot of cash if I can help it on ammo. 

Now if you look at reloading as a chore, it's probably not for you. I love it. I'm a big DIYER. When it all comes down to it, I load 55gr plinking ammo for about 20cpr, match 223 for about 35 cpr, then 9mm for about 11 cpr. 6.5 creedmoor I load for about 55 cpr. No brass cost in all those numbers.

I started reloading in 2012 mainly because ammo was scarce and 5.56/.223 was pushing $1.00/rd if you could find any. I enjoy tinkering and reloading is in my wheelhouse.

I started buying and stockpiling components in 2012. I have enough stuff now to last me 4 or 5 years of my average shooting.

Using the stuff I have on hand I can reload a 55gr FMJ plinking round for about $0.18 per round. That does not include brass which I got from friends, commercial ammo and range pickups.

I have bought some bullets and powder recently which was a killer deal since it was too good to pass up. When I get to these components I can get the cost to under $0.15 per round.

The initial outlay for reloading equipment and tools will make it years before I break even on .223 alone. I have stuff to reload .30-06, .308 and .45. I will also be loading for .44 Magnum and .45 Colt. There will be more savings with these other calibers.

If your only reason for reloading is to save money, think again. Reloading is a hobby within a hobby. I jumped in for a couple reasons. One, like I said above, is I enjoy tinkering in my workshop. Second is I wanted to be able to have an alternative to commercial ammo should there be another dry spell. Third is there is big savings to be had if you load precision rounds or less popular calibers.

This is me, also

Something else to consider is when ammo spikes again (hopefully never), you don't have to worry about it (until you need more powder, etc).

Is that using current component prices? 

The only thing that may be different is the 55fmj bullets.  I got 1000 projectiles for about $50 several months ago.  I bought in bulk at the time and my brass is free.  Everything else is holding steady.

Prep time on the cases isn't worth it to me.  If I had a Dillon with the case trimmer built in I would do it but the amount I would have to shoot wouldn't justify the purchase.

I would rather buy the cheap Russian ammo to shoot with.

Ahh, ok. With current prices I cant get below about 19ish, and given my hatred of the case prep.....I've shelved reloading any 223. But the 44 Mag is falling out of the press as fast as I can get components! 

.223/5.56?

Damn right I'm going to reload it.

Firstly, I'm not shooting steel Bullets down my barrel for two reasons. I don't want to wear out the barrel faster(cost savings be damned), and I don't want to pay foreign workers to make my bullets.

Secondly, I was given a progressive as a Bday present, so my time investment is not that great.

Thirdly, I make what I want, not what someone chooses to make for sale. My 5.56 plinking/training stuff is mouse fahrt. It runs with absolute reliability in my SBR and 3-gun rifle. Most of my shooting is done inside of 100yds, and the bulk of that is inside 50yds. I'm at $0.028 for the primer, $0.06 for the powder, and $0.07 for the bullet. The cost of brass is negligible as I get better than 10 reloads per case. An aside to this is that if you stockpile you may be able to keep shooting when store bought becomes unavailable.

Lastly, I enjoy reloading. There is a huge satisfaction in the DIY aspect. Sending stuff downrange that you produced has its own satisfaction.

Oh, and :

Attached File

It is marginally cheaper than factory for general purpose rounds but you end up with a better quality tailored for your needs/wants. Precision or custom loads the cost savings increases while still retaining the quality (assuming you do your part).

If you are reloading for purely cost savings you may not be long lived in the hobby of reloading.

My recommendation would be to look to see if you would load other calibers. Starting with a straight walled pistol caliber allows you to learn many of the basics with out diving into many of case preps that are required for bottle necked cartridges such as 5.56. I know several people that jumped straight in to bottle necked calibers and they have all said they would have done straight walled first if they had known better.

I for one enjoy reloading as much if not more than shooting. I used to keep track of my overall ROI on my equipment but that ship has long ago sunk. I know I am in it for the long haul so I will see the returns. You think Black Rifle Disease is bad? Obsessive Compulsive Reloading is worse.

I have never understood why reloading has to 'pay for itself" or have a ROI.

How much money have you saved buying and shooting factory ammo?

I hear that

I've seen some bullets going for around $.06 or $.065 per bullet off and on lately.  American Reloading has good deals a lot of the time.  Get a code and check the prices...that's what I ended up doing to get those so low.

Oh yeah, case prep ...

Here in Australia everything shooting related is expensive. For someone who only shoots the odd few hundred a year may not be worth the money and time to get into reloading. For me when I was a kangaroo harvester I would go through tens of thousands of .223 rounds in a year.

So naturally reloading was more economical for me not to mention the better prices when buying in large bulk quantities. My reloading gear has all paid for itself years ago. These days I still reload, mainly for my now uses of the firearms, I can not obtain what I am chasing in a factory offering. There is a similar factory load that's not tailored to my guns available that shoot well but the price for a bix of 20 I can make 150 of the performance rounds that one of my comp 223 bolt guns loves.

Is reloading worth it? In my case. Yes! Is it worth it to someone that shoots a few rounds here and there, not really as you would never recoup the initial layout for the gear. If you shoot plenty of rounds, then sure I would be considering it. At first your not saving, but in the future you will be "shooting more for less."

Skip

Well....Would you still reload plinking rounds if the cost per round was *more* than buying ammo from the local gun store?? 

Absolutely not. I find that how much I enjoy the hobby is directly proportional to how much I save per round. Loading for 30-40 Krag: yuuuge fun. Loading for .223: very little fun.

All this crap about the price of your time during reloading is <snip> cool down. dryflash3

How much do you make sitting on your ass and reading / posting on this site?

Now as to costs vs commercial ammo.  Just like anything else, it's how well you buy that determines if you make money on something.  For reloading that means that you need to buy your components in bulk and on sale.  Go in on group buy with others to cut your costs, look for sales, buy primers in large quantities; a 5,000 unit sleeve at the minimum combined with powder to save on Hazmat charges. 

I still have over 6K of components (bullets, brass, powder, and primers from an initial buy of 40,000rds worth some years ago) to handload 55grn pulled XM193 55grn bullets for 8.1¢ per rd.  That's a whopping $1.62 per box of 20 or $81.00 per 1,000rds and that's premium ammo, not Win White Box level junk.  Try to top that with cheap commie junk ammo.  I have components to handload thousands of components to handload 165grn plated 40s&w for under 5¢ per rd ($2.30/box) and thousands of components to handload 200grn 45acp for under 6¢ per rd ($2.85/box).  Thousands of components to handload hot 158grn 357mag for 13.1¢ per rd ($6.55 per box), thousands of components to handload 147grn M80, 7.62x51 and/or M2 ball 30-06 for .28.7¢ per rd ($5.74 per box).

On common calibers you may 'only' save 2/3 but the less common calibers like 10mm, 45 Super, 300 Savage, and the hot 357mag, you can save a crap ton of money. For example, my hot 165grn 10mm ammo costs me 11.8¢ per rd ($5.90/box of 50) while Double Tap sells it for $51.45/box; almost 9 times as much.  Again, the secret is to buy the components at the right price and this means in bulk.  I've saved so much on ammo in the last 15yrsthat it's more than paid for the entire cost of my full blown Dillon XL650 press, casefeeder, trimmer, primer swage, tumbler, and all the necessary equipment to handload 16 different calibers many, many times over.

I dabbled in 3 Gun competitions.

I could not stomach the idea of running through a 30 round mag during a stage and thinking "There goes fifteen dollars!"

Edit. Nvm. This new format is causing problems with my posts.

I reload .223 for accuracy and cost savings.

In the prairie dog fields there are two types of AR shooters .... those with store bought ammo who are frustrated and praying for a close one to stick up it's head, and those with reloads tailored to their rifle who are happily banging away.

Is there a rare exception from time to time... yes ......but the ammo they are buying is not 25 c blasting ammo unless they got really really lucky.    

I reload because I enjoy it, and because I can make ammo much more accurate than I can buy it, and because I can make high quality ammo cheaper than I can buy high quality ammo (donating my time).

IMO... If a reloader doesn't "enjoy" reloading....it can get to be a chore real quick...and this whole deal is supposed to be fun right?    So I typically tell guys to start small and see if you enjoy it.   If ya do, then start making a larger investment into reloading equipment and ramping up over time.  

I think at the end of the day....most reloaders end up shooting more....cost per round is lower but overall shooting cost probably isn't .... but it's different for everyone's situation.

For friends who ask my opinion ... I tell them not to get into reloading to save money ..... get into reloading to see if you enjoy it ... the rest will take care of itself.

ymmv

Another Personal Perspective (Mine) -

I don't shoot blasting ammo.  I don't go to the range to just blast away.

I am loading the equivalent of Federal GMM or Lapua match grade ammo (or other premium makers).

My reloads costs about $0.25 per round.  Premium ammo costs $1.00 per round (or more,... when you can get it).

That price includes top quality, new components including the cost of brass and does not assume using "range pick ups" (although I am not above collecting good brass left behind by non-reloaders).  

I had ammo during the entirety of the last drought because I reload.  I had powder, primers, bullets and brass in inventory.  I was shooting my $0.25 match quality reloads when others were paying much more for "blasting ammo".

If you are wealthy reloading is only worthwhile for the performance and hobby aspects.

If you are poor guns and ammo are kind of expensive hobbies that can suck you dry.  Reloading won't save you.

Most of us are in between and have to do the fancy figuring suggested here previously.

Here's my story:

Almost three years ago I bought Hornady LnL AP progressive, accessories to load .223 and 5 other calibers, for about $700.

Spent another $1100 on components for 6,000 rounds of .223.

$1800 out of pocket and I had everything I needed to reload every caliber I shoot plus I had 6,000 rounds of AR food.

This past summer I picked enough range brass to pay for components for another 6,000 rounds of .223,

2,000 rounds each of 9mm and 45ACP, and 1,500 rounds each of .357 and 44 Magnum.

All that ammo was FREE except for my time.

What else would I have done with my time?

Sat on the couch watching TV, eating junk food, getting fat, and dying young.

Short answer: reloading is definitely the way to go.

if you have to ask you shouldn't bother

I disagree. There have been a lot of great responses which outline that for plinking ammo, reloading may or may not be worth the time and effort. However, for any sort of premium type ammo, with hunting bullets, match bullets, or varmint bullets, it certainly is.

I was like the original poster. I thought I could save money and load my own. For 223 I don't see any savings. 308 and 6.5 for sure and I can make ammo for my specific gun.

Basically take the plunge you may find that you enjoy it. I found I like spending a couple hours a month "playing" at the bench. I use the winters here in Michigan to load everything I need for the summer.  Get a progressive for high volume and a single stage for the more precise rounds.

I disagree
Simple plinking ammo is what most shooters use and where the most savings will be.

The art of reloading is when a reloader understands there is no such thing as plinking ammo. Plinking ammo is for suckers that pay $.25 a round for ammo that goes bang when they hit the loud button.

It all starts with free bullets.


Cheap ammo ='s $.25 a pull of the trigger.
reloads ='s $.10 a pull of the trigger

Nothing more then a cheap $250 rifle, free mixed range brass, free lead cores, free 22lr cases for jackets, & $.07 in powder and $.03 for the primers. Doing a ladder test with bl-c2 and the free 62gr hp's I make/swage.


That 25.5gr load is typical of bl-c2, there's always a couple touching (3 in the same hole in the test pictured above) and a couple out. I have yet to see a 233 that didn't shoot 25gr to 26gr of bl-c2 with a 55gr to 62gr bullet.

More free 62gr hp's with 20+ year old pull down powder doing moa @ 100yds.


Those 62gr hp bullets pictured above are the 1st 224 bullets I've ever swaged/loaded. Hence the 20 year old powder and mixed range brass. Wasn't expecting anything other then noise when I hit the loud button. New $250 rifle, new swaging dies, 1st time swaging with the new dies.


Surprising the group was that round, it was under moa no matter which way I measured it.


Anyone can buy cheap blammo ammo.
Monkeys with broken hacksaw blades can put together blammo ammo.
Reloader's will make some surprisingly accurate ammo for little $$$.

At the end of the day that's where it's at. A reloader can make ammo that not only more accurate then the cheap blammo ammo that's out there. The reloader can make it for less $$$.

Hence my statement:
If you have to ask don't bother.

All of the guys saying how much their time is worth:  Let's get a run down on how much time you waste watching mindless Tv shows or cat videos on YouTube. This is a hobby. Either you enjoy the process or you don't.

OP -  watch for deals and stock up big time. In the next couple years with the Rs in control we may see figures closer to what we saw a few years ago - $90/8lbs of wc844, $.02 primers, $.05 plinking bullets.

You can load cheaper, better, more accurate ammo than steal case if you are willing to put in the effort and stock up when prices are right. But if you don't enjoy it forget about it.

I enjoy loading.  I like to screw around with load development.  I like to tinker.  I like to build rifles.  I like to see how far I can push myself and the rifle.

Financially, it will always be cheaper to load your own and reloads are generally going to be more accurate.  The stuff you buy for 30 cents a shot will never be as good as the reloads for 20.

If you buy cheap, and stack your supplies up, you will always have something to shoot.  I went thru that this last 18 months, got divorced, lawyer bills, PITA ex-wife, but I fought for my kids and won.  But I had lots of reloading materials on hand, so I could always go shooting.  It could be for any other reason, but that was mine.

You dont have to spend a $1000 to get into reloading.  I actually tell people to buy a Lee Classic turret kit if they arent sure.  That will get you going.  Add in a cheap tumbler to clean cases, a trimmer of some sort for rifle, so maybe a $400 investment.  Figure out if you like it, and go from there.  Or make friends with someone that owns all the equipment, and is willing to let you try it out to see if you like it.  Ive mentored a few guys, one decided it wasnt for him, the other decided to go in cheap so he could save a few bucks on precision ammo, one decided to go in expensive and load everything.  

If you load expensive ammo like precision stuff, odd or expensive calibers, reloading is the way to go with no doubts.  If loading cheap blaster, thats a choice you have to make on your own.  Its your time after all.  I choose to shortcut the time thing with a progressive, and all the right tools, so its not an issue for me, but the price paid for the equipment has to be factored in as well.  With roughly 20000 rounds loaded since I started again a few years ago, my $2500 worth of equipment has paid for itself.  Plans for 2017?  Probably buy another progressive to setup and run 9 and 223 on to cut my time investment further.

For high precision target shooting?  YES

For making plinking ammo?  NO

Brass, Primer, Powder, Bullet prices are high enough now that it's hard to justify if you are just wanting to make cheap shooting rounds.......

No one is reloading for 10 cents a round at todays components prices. Bullets alone will run you almost 10 cents apiece. Moreover, almost no one wants to scrape around on the ground for rimfire cases so they can save a few bucks on their shooting by actually swaging their own bullets.

Thats an herculean amount of effort to save a buck, and a pretty inaccurate way to show what reloading costs to the average reloader.

To get back on track, I would recommend that for general plinking, a case of tula or similar ammo will satisfy you more. I really don't like shooting my plinking grade 223 reloads, because of how much work it took to make them, and the comparative margin of savings. Even if your brass is free (it's not), and you buy 55 grain bullets in bulk (6000 at a time), your cost will still be

3 cent primer
8 cent bullet
8 cents powder

For a total of 19 cents. Right now you can find tula, wolf, and similar ammo for something like 23 cents shipped. Granted, reloads will probably be more accurate. But if general outdoor plinking is what you seek, I find that the steel cased stuff is adequate, and I can spend my reloading efforts on much more interesting calibers, which bring in a 20, 30, or 50 cent savings. Heck, reloading one box of 30-40 Krag saves me more money than loading 500 rounds of 223. (comparing $28 a box for factory to $6.40 for mine). This is just my opinion.

I have no problem loads 223's for $.10 a pop.

I also have no problem collecting 22lr brass to use as jackets. I shoot a lot of single shot 22lr's so it's nothing to get a case (5000 round lot) of the same lot of brass a year.

You see they make these things called shooting mats. When I shoot 4p with the single shot 52,s/40x or anschutz the brass falls on the shooting mat. At the end of the day everyone is responsible for policing their area's. I have to pick them up anyway soooooo I choose to toss them in a container to turn into bullets.
They also make these things called tarps. I put them down when I shoot the semi-auto's to catch the brass. For some odd reason the catch 22lr brass just as good as they do the 9mm & 45acp's that I use/shoot.
They also have these 5-gallon buckets at the ranges. Everyone is supposed to police their area after they are done shooting. All the brass is tossed into these 5-gallon buckets. Anyone that want's the brass can have it. It take it home and sort it out and use what I can and scrap some of it. And it's always good to see new reloaders at the club. I meet a new reloader and if I have the brass I'll get them started with a bag of free brass if I have it.

Some people see the value of free bullets, others do not. Myself free is free. I only go thru 7,000+ bullets a year. By your blammo ammo bullet standards that's a $700 a year savings.

This is important, you have to think outside the box to really grasp this!!!

When you swage your own bullets they don't have to be 62gr hp's only. YUP!!! You can swage 40gr, 52gr, 55gr, 62gr, 69gr, 75gr, 77gr, 80gr, 90gr for free. Heck I've made up some 100gr bullets with huge hp's to test. And yes when I make my own bullets I can make fmj's, sp's, hp's, partition bullets, bonded cores or anything else I put a mind to.

My bullets are free. Any idea where you can buy 69gr, 75gr, 77gr, 80gr, 90gr  bullet for $.10 apiece???

Some people play checkers, other's play chess.
I have nothing but time. It's nothing to make/stockpile bullets during the winter to use all spring/summer/fall. I also go thru #300+ of lead a year casting/swaging my own lead bullets. The #300+ of lead averages 20,000+ bullets for several different calibers. And yes, the lead is also free.

Even at $.05 a bullet that's $1000 a year savings.

At the end of the day you're trying to figure out how to scratch around for brass & I'm shooting anything & everything I want, when I want & how I want. And save $1700 on bullets while I'm at it. That buys a lot of powder, primers, reloading equipment.

Myself I could care less what it is, if it's centerfire I reload it.

Fundamentally what you are describing is called a "corner case" scenario. Most people havent the time to do that much work for a bullet. Most people also dont have the desire to. You have to realize your position here is similar to if someone asks "Should I use coupons to save a couple bucks" and your reply would be "If you arent extreme couponing and shopping for free it isnt worth it." 

I dont doubt *your* numbers are accurate *for you*. My point is those numbers in no way represent the norm for most reloaders or shooters. You've presented numbers which represent the absolute best case scenario and told someone if they havent figured it out to just go away. That doesnt seem like a reasonable answer to the initial question asked from someone who probably doesnt even know how to reload does it?

That said, on a personal level your methods are very intriguing to me. I've no idea how you landed free lead, I didnt think local tire shops would give away the weights anymore? How many bullets can you swage out in an hour? Maybe thats all best for a different thread.......

Break that down?

I call bs on that price figure

Real world buying off of graf.com is more like 19 cents a round.
And, even if you were buy on dealer account there goes free shipping......

With the election results I think a lot of the OEM were hedging their inventory that it swung the other way.
You can find quality 223 wholesale fo less that 300 per K.

But, that is either going to be 55gr FMJ or 62gr FMJ

Not soft points or hollow points or poly tipped or match grade ammo.

Granted some reloading chores are tedious and such.  It is relaxing to me!

Tailored ammo shoots better!

To each their own!

+1

No one asked for my opinion but here it is -

Making your own bullets from 22LR cases may seem bizarre ("a corner case") right now.  However, just a few years ago, when bullets were not available, the swaging die makers were so backed up you couldn't get the dies.  I almost bought a set up myself but the lead time (backlog) turned me off.

While this approach may not be the way many think of reloading, I believe there is a long history of truly DIY'ing to save money.  

Also, there are enough people doing it the die makers could not keep up with demand.

Really it has nothing to do with swage/casting/coating bullets.

What it's really all about is it worth the cost of the equipment to save a couple cents a round. I was there back in 1985 and chose to start reloading. Big cost up front??? YA!!!!! Some look at it as $$$ out the door, I thought about it and decided it was an investment that not only pays for itself, it's enjoyable and extremely rewarding to me.

As with anything in life the price never goes down. So I started not only buying equipment to use. I bought anything if the price was right. I remember buying guns and selling them for $20 more and buying molds ($5 to $20 apiece back then). That's how it starts. Buy the basics and expand. Heck at 1 time I had over 100+ molds (good steel molds) because people were selling them for next to nothing. Needless to say I sold them off when prices went thru the roof several years back & invested in $1500 worth of custom molds and pocketed the rest.

The ability to make your own ammo is huge. Blammo 223's or 9mm's might not seem like it but figure out a way to cut the costs. I shoot 7,000+ 223's and 10,000+ 9mm's a year. I also happen to make my own bullets for them. @ even $.05 apiece for 17,000 bullets delivered to my door for free, that's $850 savings. $850 buys a lot of equipment.

I've reloaded since 1985, it's paid for the equipment several times over. When I get old enough to not use the reloading equipment anymore I'm going to sell everything off. On average it's an easy 10 to 1 average at today's prices. 10 to 1 ='s What I paid $1 for and used for years I could sell for $10 at today's prices. At the end of the day I found a hobby that I enjoy and saved me $$$,& when I'm done with the equipment I will easily sell everything and make $$$.

Free lead:
Shooters fill the backstops with lead. Between sets I either pick up brass or take a 1 gallon milk jug down to the berms and fill them with bullets. It doesn't take long to fill a gallon jug. A gallon jug of berm lead will clean up to around #30 to #35 of clean usable lead. Depending on how much junk/jackets are in there. The jackets get saved and sold off for #2 copper.


That's the bucket of jackets I took in and got paid $126 for.


Year before last I worked to darn much. I own my own business since 1995 and try to work 4 mouths out of the year. Took on too many projects and it took away from my range time. Anyway this is what I took in for scrap jackets and scrap brass.


Not only are prices down there just wasn't a lot there. So I picked thru their lead pile and came up with this for $.35 a #.


To make a long story short, I kept what was in the bucket & sold the #10 pigs of babbit (the 3 bars) and the pure lead to bp shooters and the soldier. I took the $$$ I got from selling those off and turned it into this. #25 of powder delivered to my door


At the end of the day you can either reload or or get down to it and do some serous reloading. Hence my statement, if you have to ask. Don't bother.

What you should be doing is laying out a plan with your long term goals. Look at the cost of what your buying. Figure out how to cut those costs. Understand what it is you actually want your reloads to do.

My blammo ammo 9mm's from free lead and free range brass. A lot of people feel 9mm's aren't worth reloading. This is what $.05 a pull of the trigger buys me.


More $.05 apiece blammo ammo, 6-shot groups @ 50ft.


More free bullets made from free range lead and free 40s&w cases to make 265gr hp's for the 44mag.


Testing expansion with those bullets simulating a 100yd hit. Costs $.06 a round.


Free 225gr hp's for the 45apc's They end up costing $.06 apiece for p+ loads.


Free 150gr & 170gr bullets for the 38spl/357's. Then end up costing $.05 to $.06 apice for 38spl/357 loads.



How about some free 147gr hp's for the 9mm. These things are flat out wicked and cost $.06 apiece for p+ loads.


Why post all this???
Because give it a little though and come up with a plan. Every bullet I've posted so far is free and actually puts $$$ in my pocket to make my own bullets.

I wanted swaging dies I bought a lathe and made my own and sold enough of them to pay for store bought dies (couldn't resist/price was cheap) along with the lathe and tooling. Wanted my own gas check makers so I made them for the 22cals/30cal's/35cal's/44cal's along with making enough of them to sell ($1000) to buy more equipment.

Just a different view.

You can still make better ammunition than you can purchase at comparable prices.

The really low price .223 is also pretty bad.

Even for plinking it can be frustrating to use.

Did YOU pull that shot or find the lousy round in the magazine?