What are .223 reloading costs per round?

[punkwood2k]

No matter where I buy my supplies at, I always buy them in lots of 1000 for primers and bullets, and 8 lbs of powder. This saves me money by buying in quantity.. But I simply cant get my reloading costs below $0.35 per round.. This weekend at a training shoot, one of the guys we were talking to claimed that he reloads for $0.13 per round, but for the life of me, I cant remember where he said he gets his supplies from..
Was this guy just blowing smoke at me? What are your guys reloading costs per round for .223? Not talking carefully crafted target rounds, but more of the plinking quality rounds.

thanks

 

[0311@LAR]

What kind of bullets was he using? I've seen the 55 grain FMJs offered as blems for pretty cheap sometimes. Maybe he's also figuring in that he will get x amount of firings from his brass?

 

[OF&B]

The best I can do these days is:
Free Brass from the local cops
$9/100 Hornady SP w/ cannelure - 9 cents each
$35/100 Primers - 3.5 cents each
$200/8# 4198, 21 grains/round - 7.5 cents each
20 cents/round for something that generally outperforms the white box stuff and has some terminal performance.

 

[Abq-Defense]

I have to pay for brass, but aside from that, my costs are similar to OF&B. My cost is 28 cents a round.

The key to your question, may be the bullet cost. You can get the Hornady 55r FMJ for 9-10 cents a round.

If you are buying brass, factor in about 5 reloads per case.

 

[BobinNC]

My load: 77gr Nosler CC, 24.4 gr RL-15, CCI 450 primer, Speer Brass.

Cost per round based on today's values:

Powder = 7.3 cents
Bullet = 16.0 cents
Primer = 3.1 cents
Brass = 3.0 cents (brass was $89. per 1000 and calculating 3 reloads per piece.)

Total = 29.4 cents

 

[Twoboxer]

Using Powder Valley's current prices assuming a single order to check . . . H335@25gr (0.078 incl ALL shipping and Hazmat), CCI41 (0.038), Hornady 55gr FMJBTw/c (0.09) works out to about $0.206 per round without brass. Under $0.20 if not using military primers.

 

[rjacobs]

I buy the 6000ct Hornady 55g FMJ's for like 450-475 which puts me around 8c a bullet.
7c a round for 25g of H335 when bought in 8lb jugs for 170ish.
3c a piece for primers when I buy 5k.
8c a piece for LC 5.56 brass.

So 26c a piece. I generally get 4-5 loadings on the LC brass so anything after the first load is only around 18c a piece.

 

[173rdabn]

When surplus powder was aroind .13 cents was about average for me. $40.00 ($80 for 8# /2).

This is what I'm paying now.
55gr hornady fmj w/c for $75 per 1k
$20 for 1k primers
$75 for 4# powder ($150 for 8# jug)
Brass is free. Pick it up at the matches I attend.

I do have a really good hookup for supplies locally and get things for super cheap. But this cost still puts me around .17 cents these days.

 

[ArmyJerry]

Gotta factor in Tim\e Take your annual salary and divide by 2000 then see what you come up with.

 

[Milo 2.5]

Gotta factor in Tim\e Take your annual salary and divide by 2000 then see what you come up with.

You must draw your salary 24/7? I guess a guy would have figure in time and travel that it takes to shoot it too. Even remotely turning a hobby into a job is the quickest way out of it!

 

[kansas]

I've got some .07 bullets, $85 a lb pull down powder and some .03 primers but...I lose about half my brass at 3gun matches so brass cost me .03-.04 a piece. Brass takes cleaning, sizing, cleaning again to get the lube off, trimming, chamfering and deburring so if you factor anything in for labor then factory is cheap. My rifle will shoot 55 gr American eagles into a 1"-1 1/2" which is pretty good and I can find it by the 1000 round case for $350 and before the panic was buying for $275 delivered from Cabelas. I kind of wish I hadn't bought all these components.

 

[pelican]

Hang on to the components (primers) for when they go up again. And group buy what you can afford. Create your own once fired fire form brass for the hobby...it really only counts for odd balls like 6.5 Grendel, or Creed-more. Even 308 Fgmm is what I've got a pile one once fired and holiday pricing.... quality problems....

 

[ArmyJerry]

This is how I value my time, if yours is worth less, then good for you.

I havent shot a factory round in 20+ years so yes, its worth it to roll your own for each rifle or you are just throwing lead and brass down range with in cover fire mode.

You must draw your salary 24/7? I guess a guy would have figure in time and travel that it takes to shoot it too. Even remotely turning a hobby into a job is the quickest way out of it!

 

[Milo 2.5]

I havent shot a factory round in 20+ years so yes, its worth it to roll your own for each rifle or you are just throwing lead and brass down range with in cover fire mode.

You kinda lost me with this?

I was just implying trying to figure a guys hourly wage into the equation, or the cost of ones equipment is futile. Given the fact that equipment is re-sellable and if a guy broke his wage down to a 24 hour period, most of us wouldn't get out of bed for work?

 

[ArmyJerry]

Yeah I am not being clear, and you are right I hate getting out of bed for work. My point is , the cost doesnt really matter when you consider that shooting sub par ammo is a waste of money 99% of the time (only exception is getting a kid started and used to recoil). The usual goal is to get the bullet to where you are aiming in a consistent manner no matter what type of shooting you are doing. If you spend 15 cents per round and cant hit what you are aiming at you just wasted 15 cents, once you start doing full cost economics on good equipment, good components, good rifle, good optics, time value spent making your own quality rounds it gets expensive and the3 cents per round you might save with possibly sub par ammo is really irrelevant.

I use my salary as my base for my time value.

You kinda lost me with this?

I was just implying trying to figure a guys hourly wage into the equation, or the cost of ones equipment is futile. Given the fact that equipment is re-sellable and if a guy broke his wage down to a 24 hour period, most of us wouldn't get out of bed for work?

 

[Milo 2.5]

Yeah I am not being clear, and you are right I hate getting out of bed for work. My point is , the cost doesnt really matter when you consider that shooting sub par ammo is a waste of money 99% of the time (only exception is getting a kid started and used to recoil). The usual goal is to get the bullet to where you are aiming in a consistent manner no matter what type of shooting you are doing. If you spend 15 cents per round and cant hit what you are aiming at you just wasted 15 cents, once you start doing full cost economics on good equipment, good components, good rifle, good optics, time value spent making your own quality rounds it gets expensive and the3 cents per round you might save with possibly sub par ammo is really irrelevant.

I use my salary as my base for my time value.

I'm on board with you now.
I know it's not cheap, but I look at like this, I couldn't afford, or wouldn't shoot if I didn't reload. It's a way of life, or hobby? As for the estimates in this thread, other than cheap blasting ammo, which a guy might make under .20 per rd, using quality bullets alone puts a guy at .25, unless you're not paying for brass. Prices for stuff sure isn't dropping where I buy from.

 

[Pinecone]

When I run into people claiming super low relaoding prices, I start asking them what bullet? Where are you getting them? For what price? And the same for powder and maybe primers.

It turns out, a lot of people quoting 13 cents per round for .223 last calculated their costs a while ago and have not paid attention that the prices have gone up. So they are quoting based on using 55 gr pulls and WC844 surplus powder, when it was like $20 for 8 pounds.

I saw this when shooting a lot of shotgun. Back then, I could buy Winchester target loads for $45 - $50 per flat in bulk (10 flats at a time). So $4.50 - $5 per box. People would tell me they reloaded for $2 a box. So I would start questioning. And at current ACTUAL prices, they were paying more like $3.25 - $3.75 a box. And I was able to sell my once fired Win hulls for $1 per 25, so my final cost was $3.50 - $4 per box. So savings of 25 - 75 cents per box. Not enough to make my buy a shot shell reloader.

 

[Belisarius]

Handloading Cost Calculator

 

[samnev]

I usually use Sierra Match Kings. With W748 (8lb jugs) and CCI/Winchester primers it runs me between 25-27 cents depending on the bullet weight used. Slightly less if I use Hornady Match Grade bullets.

 

[Guilty]

My costs to reload 5.56 ammunition excluding the cost of brass with 1x fired brass:
Hornady 55gr FMJ bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Hodgdon H322 Powder: $0.21 ea.
Hornady 64gr BPP bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Hodgdon H322 Powder: $0.36 ea.
Nosler 77gr BTHP bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Hodgdon H322 Powder: $0.30 ea.
Nosler 77gr BTHP bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Varget Powder: $0.31 ea.
Sierra 77gr BTHP bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Hodgdon H322 Powder: $0.39 ea.
Sierra 77gr BTHP bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Varget Powder: $0.40 ea.

 

[Milo 2.5]

My costs to reload 5.56 ammunition excluding the cost of brass with 1x fired brass:
Hornady 55gr FMJ bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Hodgdon H322 Powder: $0.21 ea.
Hornady 64gr BPP bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Hodgdon H322 Powder: $0.36 ea.
Nosler 77gr BTHP bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Hodgdon H322 Powder: $0.30 ea.
Nosler 77gr BTHP bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Varget Powder: $0.31 ea.
Sierra 77gr BTHP bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Hodgdon H322 Powder: $0.39 ea.
Sierra 77gr BTHP bullets, CCI 41 Primers, Varget Powder: $0.40 ea.

I have to say this is more of todays reflection of cost than .17 or under .20. But I must say, you need at some time to find cheaper sources? Hopefully you're able to!

 

[MarkCO]

55 fmj blaster ammo is $0.18/round. 69s end up at about $.30/round.

 

[gunsnjeeps]

I think I'm at 43 cents a round with the recent high prices. I was at 36 cents in 2007. This is 77 SMK, Varget, and CCI 400's. I got primers from Midway last month 10k for $245, Tula 556. Lowest price in 6 years for primers. Brass is free. Imestimating 39 cents each for 77's, 8208, and the Tula's.

 

[bruddah]

People need to calculate shipping and hazmat fees too if their buying internet.

For me, to load match grade .223 ammo it's about 30 cents a round. SLIGHTLY less for blasting ammo.

 

[lazyengineer]

55 fmj blaster ammo is $0.18/round. 69s end up at about $.30/round.

Pretty close to my costs. 6000 rounds of 55 Hornady from Wideners. Funny thing is, 3031 is a remarkably good powder with that bullet, and I use that cheap ball load for high-power out to 200 yards, with great results. But I use a Chargemaster to mass throw 3031 - because it doesn't meter well at all in a throw.

Using old stock of powder. My costs will go up once I start using more recent powder stocks, which are almost twice what I had paid.

 

[rdinak]

I could reload for .13 a round ONLY If I used the old stock Russian Primers, Ram Shot TAC, and existing brass from deep in the rabbit hole. After an unspecified number of rounds, inflation would catch up to me and make the pig noise. After the pig started squealing I am thinking .20 is a very realistic number. My blasting ammo still does better than what Walmart sells