Assuming a person has the equipment to reload, how much does it cost per round not including brass? Basic powder, fmj bullets, etc.

How many times can 5.56 or .223 brass be reloaded?

I have a relative in another state that reloads. If I fly there, can I bring back his reloads in my luggage when I return?

Don’t count on flying with reloads.

Your question needs to further define what type of ammo you wish to load?

How long have the components been purchased?

Example using current prices:
RMR 69 hp- .13
Remington 7.5 primer -07
Ram shot Tac-08

Vintage stash

Wolf Gold 55 fmj-.05
Tula primer-.02
Powder-.03

Both examples are using existing brass.

I was flying out of Phoenix one time and got lost inside the terminal.  Looking for a bag check I came up on the metal detectors and put my large suitcase on the conveyor.  Then they were whispering and looking at the screen.  I had a couple of bags labeled 44 magnum 240 grain case bullets.  No actual ammo.  No gun.  They sent me on my way, found my gate and left.

When I got home I remembered my hunting knife.  Was in the suitcase at the checkpoint.  And still there at home, awesome.  Should have been visible on the xray, but I guess they got focused on the bags of lead.

Paladin

At today’s prices, $.30/round of blasting ammo is a fair bet. That obviously doesn’t include your time, though.

I figure:
Ramshot TAC, 26.2gr 17c
CCI 400 primer say 8c
Bullet - Hornady 55gr BTHP 10c
33c/rd, but more accurate than most ball ammo.

The ammo would be range/blasting ammo. Nothing fancy.

I'd have to pay him according to current replacement prices, so the first figures are more accurate to go by.

I recently bought 1k of Win factory 55 FMJ for 35 cents a pop after rebate.  I do not handload blasting ammo.

Just have him show you his reloading routine and if it's interesting to you then get your own setup.  

You can't fly with very much ammo.

15 to 20 cents for powder
10 cents for primer
10 cents for bullet

No - don’t count on flying with reloaded ammo in any meaningful quantity. Note .223 /5.56 is one of the most miserable of all calibers to reload if you start with crimped primer pockets. Not as bad if you start with new Lapua brass. To be really cost effective for buying reloading equipment you need to be loading something like 45-70 or .375H&H where the loaded ammo is very expensive. If a guy could limit to loading only one straight wall pistol caliber say 44 mag and bought Dillon Square deal using carbide dies he would be a happy man. Where things get complicated is making multiple calibers and making rifle brass that needs trimmed. It’s really pleasant to load calibers that do not throw the brass into the poison ivy.

nm.

 Yeah, the juice ain't worth the squeeze for mag dump type stuff.  Quality over quantity is my goal. I simply can't buy the quality I seek at least not at any decent price.
 That's always been the magic of hand loading to me, tweaking a load to a specific gun to shrink groups. Any monetary savings is just dumped into more plinking so there's really no advantage to me unless you have an odd/rare caliber.  Not that more shooting is a bad thing.
 Still, the ability to manufacture/reload has a certain prepper appeal. FATF.

Each airline has it's own rules on how many rounds you can pack in your luggage. Check the airline's website for their rules on carrying ammo.

One time a particular airline had a limit of 200 rds per gun. No limit on the number of guns...  SWA has a weight limit of 11lbs/ passenger. I've packed 22lbs in one bag and 2 of us were flying together... no problem.

I load frangible 223 for 0.06/bullet, 0.06/primer, 0.05/powder... so 0.17/round. I buy components in bulk when I see a good price.

There is cheap and there is good. Loading Sierra Match King bullets is more expensive, but worth it. I recycle all brass fired from semi-auto rifles after the fifth firing. IMO brass one of the cheapest components, because I divide the initial cost by four or five, depending on whether the brass was new or once fired when purchased.

Agree.  Target ammo, precision target, get the TLC from me as well as defense ammo.  That is the only place where you actually can save money.

There was a time when I would handload practice ammo, and that was even during the 17¢ 9mm era.  I suppose I could get into casting

You can ship ammo UPS and FedEx, but the cost and hassle probably aren't worth it for a situation like this.

Cheapest way to load blasting 55 gr 223 today would be to use 20 gr of Shooters World Blackout powder ($0.08/rd), Hornady 55 gr FMJBT ($0.10/rd), Imported SRP ($0.07/rd). ~$250/k at current market rates.

If you lower your expectations, you could use pulled M193 bullets and reload 223 for ~$200/k. YMMV.

Once fired LC brass is often available on the EE for ~$100/k too and can probably go 4-5 reloads in a gas gun. Mixed once fired brass is usually half that, and I've seen some processors selling completely prepped mix 5.56mm brass for ~$110/k delivered.

I haven't used the Shooters World powder listed above, but the load data from them does show that 20 gr will work:
https://shootersreference.com/reloadingdata/556-x-45-mm/

Does it work in mid and rifle lengths? Or "maybe" like the 4198s?

I don't think that's possible? Is it?

Man, I don't know. It's pretty fast powder, similar to Reloader 10x I suspect. They show ~3200 fps, so I suspect that's from a rifle length barrel/gas system.

Not a lot of inexpensive options out there.

Hopefully the OP likes prison if he takes this advice. Because shipping ammo via USPS is how you go to prison.

Unfortunately it is. I wish it wasn't, because flat rate boxes are great for heavy stuff.

https://www.uspis.gov/news/scam-article/prohibited-restricted-and-non-mailable-items

Yeah, US postal service is a no-go for shipping ammo.

UPS and FedEx are good to go. I'm not sure on cost

I am sure that the USPS Postal Inspectors would love to question someone caught shipping loaded ammo via USPS.  Great Advice!

Spent brass and processed brass not a problem with the USPS flat rate boxes.  The problem then is the shipper needs to take extra care in packing the brass.

I used to fly with guns a lot... as said by someone above, check the airline regs, it was always "11lbs" for me when I looked, but that is airline dependent.  I would declare it for sure even if it is just ammo/no guns.  I know people who flew with well over that, and it was never weighed, but I didn't want to take the chance.
If I needed more than a couple mags of carry ammo wherever I was going, I would ship it to myself.

Reloading 223, my current-component-cost loads are about 25c all in, so $250/case, taxes, shipped, delivered, all in, to your door.
That's about half the cost of most any commercial equivalent (brass case) I can find normally with all the above expenses included.
It doesn't take much shooting for that to start adding up, unless you're richer than me.

Brass is range pickup, and loaded till I lose it or it splits, whichever comes first.

UPS has a flat rate option as well, it is the go to for shipping ammo.  

Do not ship loaded ammo or primed brass via USPS…nobody is allowed to do that, not even FFL’s.

And when I have flown with ammo, it was indeed 11 lbs only, had to be factory ammo, in factory boxes.  So you want to save your factory ammo boxes on any carry ammo if you are doing that.  

Whole thing was a joke the times I have done it.  Once, I went thru the whole security nonsense, had everything checked and buttoned up tight, then at my destination they literally threw my pelican case on the luggage carousel, with nobody around at all…it had a machine gun, a couple pistols, and a bunch of ammo inside it.  What a joke….I got lucky it didn’t walk off and I was the first person to arrive at the carousel.  

Next time was just a pistol for CCW needs on vacation, the TSA folks used gunpowder residue testing swabs on my pistol.  Like WTF- of course the pistol has gunpowder residue on it!  Just ludicrous, a complete waste of time…l

So yeah, if you truly need to take reloads on a flight, doubt you will get away with it unless they are repacked into a factory box of some kind.

Primed brass wasn't an issue until a year or two ago.

I don't think I've ever had it done any other way... once the tsa guy at the counter closes it back up, it's just another checked bag.

I doubt most would know a factory box from not, doubt that would ever be an issue, but the more "factory" you can make it look, the better I guess.  I think they just don't want to see it literally rolling around loose, or loaded in mags.

Sir:
I have to honest................I'm skeptical of some, but not all, of your comments............ and I've flown alot with firearms.  
See above.

OP:
Just mail (legally)the ammo to yourself if you are so determined to do this.

I always pack ammo/gun separately just so what you described could never happen. Ammo goes in a suitcase with clothes packed around it. I've had my small locked hardcase with pistol(s) inside show up on the carousel several times over the years. Long guns of course are either held for pick up or get dropped off at the odd sized luggage with the skis and boards.

I've never tried to pack ammo on a plane trip w/o a gun. I'd think that would be a red flag.

Can't use a neighborhood UPS Drop off for ammo. Need to have a UPS account and they will pick it up or you need to take it to a UPS operated facility. FedEx is the same. It needs a B&W diamond label affixed on the box by them.

ETA: SWA required factory ammo boxes for ammunition last time I flew to Vegas for a class. TSA didn't open my bag to check though. Usually they throw a tag inside a bag when they open it.

I don’t think it is a problem to fly ammo in checked luggage without a gun, one or two people I know used to do it all the time, taking it to HI as it was cheaper locally than over there (second house/spouse already living there, they were not shooting a case of ammo on each trip).

I have reviewed your commentary.  You are flat out wrong, sorry.  

I too have flown a lot with firearms, but usually not in checked baggage.  Usually it was with proper credentials, for official reasons, and I carried a loaded pistol (or two) onto the flight.  Pretty nice as you skip all the security BS, you get boarded first, meet with the pilots (who were always glad to have some LE flying armed on their flight), etc.  

When the pelican case nonsense was happening, I was flying for training, and was armed on the flight as well.  The other time was vacation.

I wasn’t suspicious, didn’t do anything stupid, packed stuff as they requested on the airline’s website for their rules for flying guns/ammo.  They knew who I was- hell I knew people on the airport PD, had been there to assist them a few times, trained together, and had even commanded them when they were attached to one of our teams.  I casually knew the head air marshal for that airport as well, he had come from another local agency.  I could have wasted some of my time bitching to someone further up the chain of command, but TSA is different than the airport police anyhow.  

I just assumed that if they were going to make such a big deal out of loading up a pelican case before the flight, and sealing it up, that maybe they would do something a little safer with it than throw it on a carousel in Philadelphia, with nobody at all around.  Anyone could have grabbed it.  Just stupid as hell.  Who was I gonna bitch at anyhow- the folks where I came from, who handled it like I expected?  Or the ones in Philly, who clearly had no idea or did not care?  The whole process was a giant waste of time though.  

As far as swabbing the gun, they sent me from the check in to the security guy who swabbed it, he knew who I was as well (I had even stuck my business card in the case with my phone number).  Why did he swab it?  Misunderstood policy?  Stupid policy?  Who knows.  Again, wasn’t gonna waste time complaining up the chain.  The gun case got locked up, it was put into my luggage, luggage got locked up, he took my luggage away.  At least it didn’t have an obvious “steal me, I am valuable” look to it, unlike the pelican case…

I actually have a couple more TSA related stories:
1- they missed a couple rounds of live ammo in a 5.11 backback once that I used as a carryon.  Oops.  Lesson- don’t use the same bag for work as for vacation.  (Though I am not sure I had much choice, as that may have been when I was away at training and decided to fly home for the weekend on short notice- didn’t have a 2nd pack with me).

2- apparently I forgot the above lesson…. Was in line for security, going on vacation.  See K9 being walked along the line.  Realize suddenly that the LBT pack I am carrying was recently used as a work bag for….explosives (amongst other things I kept stored in it- munitions bag-ammo, CS, Smoke, etc).  I had bought the bag, used it for several years, finally got the agency to spring for similar bags for munitions use, and took my bag back.  Then proceeded to take it on vacation- without even washing it.  Oops.  Figure this is gonna take a while to explain…but the dog never twitched.  Concerning actually.  I never was a handler, supervised them though, trained with them.  Some dogs are good, some are not.  Needless to say I was not too impressed.

Or I could just be making all that up I suppose.  


TLDR- TSA is kind of worthless, different airlines might have different rules, and just because it never has happened to you, doesn’t mean it can’t happen to someone else.