Remington .223 to reload or not to reload...that is the question

[Dearhunter61]

I just purchased a Remington .223 and was wondering if someone could tell me about the cheaper ammo I have seen online? I reload for my other rifles but after seeing how cheap the ammo is I am wondering if it would not be better to just use the cheap ammo?

[p99guy]

If you allready reload there is no reason not to go ahead and pick up the dies.
You can make more accurate ammo for an individual rifle than the factory can.

[sholling]

Well if you have a true .223 and not a 5.56 NATO then you're going to find cheap ammo scarce. There is just enough difference that it matters. Assuming you have a Mini-14 or an AR15 then you have a 5.56 and you can pick up 500rds of reloadable Federal Lake City XM193 for around $230 shipped. You should be able to reload them to near match grade for 30-50% of that.

If you have a bolt action rifle it's probably .223. While some ammo is labeled both 223 and 5.56 they aren't quite the same. I'll leave it to the experts to get technical about the differences but the cheapest I've found true .223 was about 55 cents a round - about a dime more than the XM193. Those dimes add up fast!

[Dearhunter61]

It is a true .223 and based on info provided it apprears I will be going down to buy some dies to start reloading for it.

Thanks,

[Shooter 973]

If you think that factory 223 is pretty cheap, you must have a better job than most folks I know!! :) Reloading is a savings of approx. 50% for me. It's the only way I can do the shooting I want to do.
As a reloader we love guys like you that leave us all that shiny, new brass. Thanks :)

[Dearhunter61]

You definately have the wrong guy with these assumptions...but I have seen .223 rounds advertised for $5.50 for a box of 20. That is .28 cents per round. My point was simply with the cost of brass, bullets, primers, and powder along with the cost of dies and the time it takes to reload...it was just a matter of what is more cost efficient. And no I do not leave my brass laying around the range. I never have. I started reloading only this past December but I have saved brass for over 20 years. That being said I did not shoot as much back then but still always thought about reloading and so I saved it. The only other question I have is about out of the box ammo and its accuracy for this gun. I know I have used Hornady ammo for other guns of mine in the past and was able to consistently shoot 1 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards and tighter groups than that for a couple of my guns but then Hornady 223 ammo costs about $19 for a box of 20 which I will reload before I spend this much. So the question was really about the CHEAP ammo and its performance at this price and if someone has actually been able to shoot tight groups with it or not? If it performs well in my gun then of course I will use it.

I have attached a photo of the gun for your viewing pleasure.

[Dearhunter61]

Ok i tried to attach a photo and could not get it to load. Sorry.

[nbkky71]

The only .223 ammo I've seen for $5.50 per 20 is Wolf 55gr military classic, and that's the steel-cased stuff.

If you've already got the brass saved up, then you can definitely save some cash by reloading. Not to mention that you should easily be able to get better than 1.5" groups by fine-tuning a load to your gun.

I shoot a lot of NRA highpower and I load all .223 match ammo. The cost savings is significant, especially with quality match ammo costing upwards of a $1 per round nowadays.

[res45]

This might help you. Difference between .223 Rem VS 5.56mm
http://www.winchester.com/lawenforcement/news/newsview.aspx?storyid=11

[22-rimfire]

If you reload, I'd reload the 223 or 5.56 depending on what rifle(s) you own. I don't shoot enough 5.56 Nato to matter whether or not I reload or not.

[Dearhunter61]

I want to thank everyone for your input on this. I went out and shot my 223 today. I used factory ammo and after doing so I was not very happy with the results. 2 inch groups at 100 yards was the best I could do. I wanted to make sure it was not me just having a bad day at the range so I pulled out my 22-250 and sure enough it shot 1/2 inch groups. So now there is not a question about reloading but where I can get the best prices on a Die for my .223. And after I looked at the reloading stats I figured out I am going to need to purchase more powder. AGH! The powder I have did not come up in any of the reloading manuels I have. I thought there would be some reloads which would use W760 but did not see any. So not only am I going to have to buy the die but also the powder. I have heard a lot of good things about Varget and had planned on getting it and trying it with my 22-250 so now I will get it sooner than later.

[2ndtimer]

For dies, you might check here: http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=776391
I have used Lee dies before and they worked fine. I currently use Hornady for my .223 and they are okay, I like their seating die. I also use an RCBS neck sizing die. The Lee 3 die set linked from Midway includes their neck sizing collet die, a full length sizing die and a seating die. A very good deal for $25 plus shipping. Even includes a shell holder.
I don't know what kind of ammo you were shooting that only gave 2 inch groups, but I have had better results than that with the Remington UMC 46 gr HP and the Federal American Eagle 50 gr HP .223 ammo. It is a lot cheaper than the regular .223 Remington ammo on the shelves, but with the hollow point bullets shoots better in slow twist barrels than the 55 gr FMC or 62 gr boat tail FMJ loads. I prefer the Remington UMC to the Federal, because the Federal ammo has crimped primers, a pain to remove before reloading. The Remington does not use crimped primers. Much more convenient.

[p99guy]

I really like that Lee factory crimp die...I always get one of them no matter what brand of dies I use for a given caliber.

[Dearhunter61]

I went out and bought RCBS dies yesterday but bent the resizing rod this morning...AGH! I looked at Lee yesterday and decided to stay with what I had been comfortable with. I think when I get another one I might like to see what Lee will do. I shot Monarch 55gr. yesterday morning. I had never heard of it before but the only other ammo was Hornady and it cost $19 for 20 rounds so I decided to shoot the cheaper ammo. For $19 bucks I figured I would reload. So as soon as I get another resizing die I will try it again.

[Deaf Smith]

I reload my ARs. Got to!

Here is a good way.

Get 55gr FMJ slugs from Midway ( http://www.midwayusa.com/ )

1000 of them for 72 bucks. 6000 of them for 435 bucks.

Seveal good powders can be had in 8 lb canisters (the way to go!) about $100 for the 8 lb cans.

Small rifle primers run $126 per 5000 (again, the way to go.)

Brass you can either buy or pick up on the range (I find lots of nice Winchester brass now and then at the outdoor range.)

As I write this I have over 200 rounds of reloads for my .223, using FMJ 55s. I also have over 1000 9mm reloads! I reload 50 rounds a day. Don't take my 20 minutes for the 9mm, and if I have already resized and primed a 1000 or so .223s, it's easy to load 20 .223s in a few minutes.

Do that every day and by Friday you will be sitting on plenty of practice ammo for the weekend.

Buy in bulk. Reload a handfull every day. Do that and you will have plenty of practice ammo.