.223 ammo cost?

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boxjeff

New member
Is .223 ammunition cheap for everyday target shooting or would purchasing a rifle in another caliber be cheaper...excluding 22?
 
I expect delivery tomorrow of Wolf 223 Performance ammo - 55gr Copper HP - $4.49 per box of 20 - $61.77 includes shipping and insurance for 10 boxes - good ammo - I usually go through a couple of boxes of 20 every week -

Tomorrow's the day :D
 
A reloading setup doesn't have to cost much. I use a Lee Hand Press.

Primers are $28.
Powder is $21, makes about 500 rounds (or thereabouts).
Brass is free.
Bullets are ~$70/1k.

Too lazy to do the math, but it sure isn't $270/1k.
 
Steel cased should be about $200 per 1000 rounds.
Around here 5.56 steel run $96-$106 per 500 rounds.
7.62 x 39 runs a few dollars higher per 500.
That is all Russian steel cased.

Remington Brass runs about $80/200rds
 
A rifle in .223 is hard to beat for target/range shooting (plus a whole host of other sports aspects)! Cost of ammo is low even for some of the better known quality loadings. And, the cost of the rifles don't have to break the bank either. Shooting the .223 can be an all day event with it's mild recoil, lower sound levels, and often light weight- whereas the larger calibers do tend to be more expensive and punishing. Not saying a milsurp in 7.62x54, 7.5 Swiss, 8mm Mauser, or those similar will be brutal- but like I said- the .223 can be fun all day if you like and I'd ruther not have to run more than 100 8mm's if I don't have to. You'll enjoy it a lot I'd think. Don't forget eyes, ears, and safety... and have fun!
 
Cheapest brass .223 is usually around $0.30 per round
And steel is somewhere between $0.20-$0.26 I think

Only thing cheaper might be the 5.45 stuff that AK74's shoot

I bought a bolt gun in .223 because of the cost of ammo and im very glad I did. Nice fun round and great for varmints. And if you have a 1:9" twist you can shoot some long distances with some heavier ammo.
 
.223 is as about as cheap as it comes, above .22
the premium hunting ammo is on par with any other center fire hunting ammo...................................................but .223 plinking ammo abounds and is very affordable.................................dont let that stop you from buying another rifle if you desire..............
 
A reloading setup doesn't have to cost much. I use a Lee Hand Press.

Primers are $28.
Powder is $21, makes about 500 rounds (or thereabouts).
Brass is free.
Bullets are ~$70/1k.

Too lazy to do the math, but it sure isn't $270/1k.
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$0.14 per round or $140/1000. This is assuming that you get 1000 primers for $28. If it's 500 for $28 then it comes out to $0.168 ($0.17) per round or $168/1000.

Reloading is definately the cheapest route, if you have the time...

If not, then usually mil-surp ammo is the cheapest "loaded" ammo...
 
.22 LR
.22 Mag
.223

Price doesn't really go down much if you reload -- people always leave out costs like the amortization of the equipment you keep buying, the time you spend, the Hazardous Goods shipping fees, shipping fees, taxes, the price of components TODAY vs. a decade ago. They almost ALWAYS seem to have a vested interest in underpricing the real cost -- it is like listening to fishing stories. Or gamblers! Ever meet one who wasn't always a little ahead of the game?

When components were impossible to get during The Great Obama Run on ammo, alot of folk STIIL argued centerfire ammo cost less to make than buying cheap rimfire ammo.
 
Respectively and strongly disagree with your statement. I have no clue how you ever came up with any information to support that claim about reloading.

In any event 223 is among the cheapest center fire to shoot.

If you look for sales you can find some inexpensive 223 out there.
 
Not bad...better then 308. How about surplus military stuff?
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Surplus 5.56 is not really good ammo, all the LC stuff is reject or factory seconds. Don't get me wrong, it shoots but there is a reason it was surplus and its not the cheapest ammo on the market. Reloading is the way to go if you want really good ammo cheap ammo.
 
Using the data:
"Primers are $28.
Powder is $21, makes about 500 rounds (or thereabouts).
Brass is free.
Bullets are ~$70/1k."
It comes out to $2.80/box of 20; but, there are some irregularities in the numbers. If you get 500 loads from a pound of power, then you're loading only 14-gr per round. Most folks load .223 Rems closer to 25-gr per round, which is about 280 loads per pound. Also, I suspect chris in va's prices are out of date and/or based on bulk quantity sales.

My LGS prices are in the neighborhood of:
Primers $4.00/100
Bullets $15.00/100
Powder $25.00/LB
This works out to over $5.50/box of 20.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a reloader; but, I try to be realistic about the costs. I think a lot of folks will agree, you don't save big bucks when reloading, you find yourself shooting more for the same money.

If you really want to save money, shoot handgun rounds with home cast bullets -- my 38 Special reloads are about $3.00/box of 50.
 
OJ: You might have loyalty for where you buy your ammo, but you are getting royally RAPED on shipping charges. $45 for ammo, and $16 for S/H. That is really bad. You really need to check out Sportsman's Guide or even Cabelas. You will see a lot of "Free shipping on $99 or more" and similar. That includes ammo. Same with Centerfire Systems and CDNN. I regularly buy ammo where shipping is on average $5.

Go to Weaponsworld.com . ALL AMMO is flat rate shipping of $9.99. Whether you buy 1 box or a case of 50. Anyway; nothing against the ammo you are using. I use a lot of russian ammo. But I'm not going to pay 30% shipping. For the $6.17 you paid PER BOX SHIPPED, I can go to my local hardware store about 5-6 times a year, and get PMC Bronze for $6.49 out the door.
 
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Also, I suspect chris in va's prices are out of date and/or based on bulk quantity sales.
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Nope, prices here at my local gun store, and I get 'pulled' bullets online for cheap. I was off on the powder estimate though.

Want to see the price sticker on the powder bottle?:p
 
Glen's Army Navy Store has XM193F 5.56 for $152.95 per 500 with free shipping. That's about .30 per round. It's Lake City brass loaded to 5.56 velocity with a 55 grain bullet. I've put over 500 rounds of XM193 through my AR in the last couple of months with no problems.
 
Chris;
THERE'S a new marketing approach:
Buy our factory-new ammo with semi-used bullets! Because they were pulled out of previously manufactured ammo and used again we can charge you a little less! That'd go over real well...

See what I mean guys? There's always something left out. I love the never-ending lb. of powder. "I get 7,000 rounds per lb. can." Oh yes, I reload. For real savings it is preferrable to buy 4 and 8 lb. cans (well, more often "plastics" nowadays) but most people won't sink the big-dollars into this inventory. And even if they do they won't consider the value of having extra hundreds of dollars in their pocket to spend elsewhere or invested vs. sitting in a cool, dry, dark place. Knew one guy who figured his cost-per-round with 8-lb. cans because he COULD have reloaded with them but bought 1 lb. cans individually due to cash-flow and couldn't understand why we laughed at him. Again, there's always something left out.

I wonder if that Federal ammo uses "pulled" bullets. Lotta guesses floating around as to what it is -- no facts. I say it is ammo.
 
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