1st time reloaded the 223

[anthony]

Hi im thinking of reloaded the 223 and i was wondering what the cheapest reloading setup to get me going?
its for hunting only i don’t intend to do any target shooting.
and what price we taking per round agents factory ammo is there much of a cost saving?


Thanks Ant..

[bullbarrel]

I doubt it will be cost effective.

Set of Lee dies £30.
Lee hand press £40 or normal press for ~£60.
scales of £15
Trickler £15
Electronic measure off £15
100 .223 bullets ~£25-£35
1lb powder ~£50
Resuse brass £0 or PPU ~£40
Primers 500 for ~£18

And that will give you enough powder for about 350 rounds.

But if you look at your first 100 rounds ~£220
Or 400 for ~£360.

I've not looked up any of those prices and bound to have missed something.

So its unlikely to save you any money but it will give you the best rounds for your rifle and reloading is a whole lot of fun. And when you add extra calibres it then starts to make economic sense.

[ZAKDINGEL]

I doubt it will be cost effective.

Set of Lee dies £30.
Lee hand press £40 or normal press for ~£60.
scales of £15
Trickler £15
Electronic measure off £15
100 .223 bullets ~£25-£35
1lb powder ~£50
Resuse brass £0 or PPU ~£40
Primers 500 for ~£18

And that will give you enough powder for about 350 rounds.

But if you look at your first 100 rounds ~£220
Or 400 for ~£360.

I've not looked up any of those prices and bound to have missed something.

So its unlikely to save you any money but it will give you the best rounds for your rifle and reloading is a whole lot of fun. And when you add extra calibres it then starts to make economic sense.

Pretty much as bullbarrel has said ------ you can get a lee anniversary kit for around £100-110 ish it's better to get a different scale around £60 ish then your dies powder and bullets of your choice ----But if you gun shoots privvi ammo then its cheaper to buy that you find that most who do reload shoot a few different calibre's or there guns only like home loads to get good accuracy

[tacfoley]

Thinking that reloading is cheaper than factory CAN be misleading.

IF you shoot less than 100 rounds of any particular calibre a year, then reloading will be costing you for many years before you reach the break-even point, let alone the 'reloading is cheaper' point.

However, reloading, for most people, is a way of shooting MORE, and given that, is a fast-track to not only getting the best possible ammunition for your particular rifle, but EVENTUALLY saving some money. If, like me, you have a few calibres that are utterly crazy prices as factory stuff, or shoot obsolete calibres, then reloading is not really an option.

With something as common and cheap as .223Rem, particularly for hunting, I would leave reloading alone.

tac

[bhodge]

Hi im thinking of reloaded the 223 and i was wondering what the cheapest reloading setup to get me.

Change the question to "what's the cheapest way to reload"...
Answer - check out the Lee Loader system. It's cheap, for around £35 and you're on your way. There are several videos on YouTube worth looking at. I use the Lee Loader for .303 reloads.

[anthony]

Change the question to "what's the cheapest way to reload"...
Answer - check out the Lee Loader system. It's cheap, for around £35 and you're on your way. There are several videos on YouTube worth looking at. I use the Lee Loader for .303 reloads.

yha thanks ill have a look bud

[warbucks]

I'm reloading 53g v-max for around 40p, your bullet choose which type you choose will be the biggest cost of the consumables.
I only hunt with my 223 and i was reluctant to go down the reloading route, i'd buy 40 factory rounds to find i'd used them up quicker than i expected, go for some more, sorry sir we haven't any of then left in stock, so you end up coming away with some other make that you dont know weather it will suit the rifle or not, then the supply of these's runs out, at one stage i was nearly caught out without ant amo that my rifle liked, so next time they got some new stock in i bought 100 rounds in, when i got down to my last box of 20, i thought i better buy some more, too late, out of stock again.
I have had what i call some unexpected misses with the rifle, this with the amo shortage problem sent me down the reloading route, truth be known it hasn't done owt for the unexpected misses perhaps because it might not have been an amo problem, but after the initial money outlay i can now have a endless supply of less than half price amo, that i know is Tailor made to suit my rifle.

If you decide not to reload try to make sure you don't end up running out of the factory amo your rifle like's.

Dave(warbucks)

[Daveo]

Change the question to "what's the cheapest way to reload"...
Answer - check out the Lee Loader system. It's cheap, for around £35 and you're on your way. There are several videos on YouTube worth looking at. I use the Lee Loader for .303 reloads.

I use a lee loader for my .22 hornet, cost me 32p a round to reload v-max,
factory is 83p a round.
It's time consuming but very satisfying.
I started off just with a lee loader, did alright
Since added a lee case length guide and cutter and s/H Lyman powder measure
And an ultra sonic cleaner and it's much easier.

[tacfoley]

I use a lee loader for my .22 hornet, cost me 32p a round to reload v-max,
factory is 83p a round.
It's time consuming but very satisfying.
I started off just with a lee loader, did alright
Since added a lee case length guide and cutter and s/H Lyman powder measure
And an ultra sonic cleaner and it's much easier.

I owe you an apology, Sir. When I saw the post above, and you mentioned that your .22 Hornet ammunition cost you 83p per round for factory stuff. I thought that you were off your head.

However, having looked up the prices in an effort to come back with a scathing remark, I realise - looking at Kirklees Guns - that 83p per round is actually toward the lower end of the price of this unbelievably expensive ammunition, with £103-something at the top.

WTF? x 1000

Anybody here, especially an RFD, like to comment on this utterly ridiculous price?

tac, still reeling........metaphorically, that is.

[loiner1965]

tac....
i remember a few years ago my mate let me have a go with his hornet and that was £1 a bang.....i must have rattled off a tenners worth

[Daveo]

I owe you an apology, Sir. When I saw the post above, and you mentioned that your .22 Hornet ammunition cost you 83p per round for factory stuff. I thought that you were off your head.

However, having looked up the prices in an effort to come back with a scathing remark, I realise - looking at Kirklees Guns - that 83p per round is actually toward the lower end of the price of this unbelievably expensive ammunition, with £103-something at the top.

WTF? x 1000

Anybody here, especially an RFD, like to comment on this utterly ridiculous price?

tac, still reeling........metaphorically, that is.

No apology needed, at least you were Gentlemanly enough to check before Calling me out.
It is indeed that expensive for the diminutive .22 hornet
The thing is it suits my permission, a hmr would for 90% of the time but we all know how hard they are to feed at the moment.
Reloading for the hornet is the obvious choice, a lb of powder lasts a while at 12.6grains per round.

[223AI]

I owe you an apology, Sir. When I saw the post above, and you mentioned that your .22 Hornet ammunition cost you 83p per round for factory stuff. I thought that you were off your head.

However, having looked up the prices in an effort to come back with a scathing remark, I realise - looking at Kirklees Guns - that 83p per round is actually toward the lower end of the price of this unbelievably expensive ammunition, with £103-something at the top.

WTF? x 1000

Anybody here, especially an RFD, like to comment on this utterly ridiculous price?

tac, still reeling........metaphorically, that is.

Same down this way, £100+ / 100.

Seems a lot but what are you really saving over .223 which everyone expects to pay £100-120 / for, 7-10 grains of powder, that's about it!

[anthony]

I'm reloading 53g v-max for around 40p, your bullet choose which type you choose will be the biggest cost of the consumables.
I only hunt with my 223 and i was reluctant to go down the reloading route, i'd buy 40 factory rounds to find i'd used them up quicker than i expected, go for some more, sorry sir we haven't any of then left in stock, so you end up coming away with some other make that you dont know weather it will suit the rifle or not, then the supply of these's runs out, at one stage i was nearly caught out without ant amo that my rifle liked, so next time they got some new stock in i bought 100 rounds in, when i got down to my last box of 20, i thought i better buy some more, too late, out of stock again.
I have had what i call some unexpected misses with the rifle, this with the amo shortage problem sent me down the reloading route, truth be known it hasn't done owt for the unexpected misses perhaps because it might not have been an amo problem, but after the initial money outlay i can now have a endless supply of less than half price amo, that i know is Tailor made to suit my rifle.

If you decide not to reload try to make sure you don't end up running out of the factory amo your rifle like's.

Dave(warbucks)

thanks dave ill take that all on board mate

[RobinC]

I owe you an apology, Sir. When I saw the post above, and you mentioned that your .22 Hornet ammunition cost you 83p per round for factory stuff. I thought that you were off your head.

However, having looked up the prices in an effort to come back with a scathing remark, I realise - looking at Kirklees Guns - that 83p per round is actually toward the lower end of the price of this unbelievably expensive ammunition, with £103-something at the top.

WTF? x 1000

Anybody here, especially an RFD, like to comment on this utterly ridiculous price?

tac, still reeling........metaphorically, that is.

Could be worse!! Much Worse!!

We shoot the 300 mt match with 6 mmBR, factory match 106 gn ammo is £1.75 a pop, and thats if you can get it! One match is 70 shots with sighters, and the wife and I shoot 2000 a year between us. And No, we can't afford the factory ammo, thats why we reload.

The price is high because world wide the demand is low, and the precision is high, I suspect .22 hornet is similar.

I paid for our reloading investment halfway through our first seasion.

Have Fun
Robin

[tacfoley]

I understand the rationale - I've been reloading since the early 70's, and now reload for eight different cartridges, thus saving myself untold amount of money.

What I don't understand is how such a common or garden calibre like .22 Hornet, or as it is called in Europe, 5.6x35, is priced like that.

Guess I've been out of buying factory stuff here in UK for so long that it has all passed me by.

Good, eh?

tac

PS - I've often meant to ask, but what does the list of guns of one kind or another at the underscore to your post signify?