More cost effective to buy loaded .223 for brass

Let's go at this from the other direction,
Just how much do you spend on reloading components in a year?

Then figure your time reloading, even if it's your 'Hobby' or 'Man Time' or whatever,
Since we are talking money, figure that time at minimum wage.

Now, Consider This,
1. All COMMON dies, gauges, primers/bullets, virtually everything on the market is geared to SAAMI specifications.

2. Common firearms will shoot way more $$ in ammunition than they cost.
Since the equipment & components are (more or less) SAAMI spec. why not get the chamber of the firearm to shoot SAAMI specification ammunition well?

That alone will save you a TON of time (time is money).
And that factory ammo will shoot SO much better when you have a chamber it fits and a rifling twist that stablizes the common bullets...

3. Now *IF* you have a (More or less) SAAMI chamber, rifling that works BEST with commonly available components, and since your components/dies come in the door SAAMI, you are on your way to reducing TIME, since there isn't any measuring every case to see if it's +/- SAAMI to fit YOUR particular chamber,
Common case gauges confirm you got the brass beat back into shape or not, and a glance confirmation...

4. 'Brass' is only 'New' ONCE.

If you are going to spend time on something, why not spend that time restoring the brass to 'Like New'?
(Instead of trying to make brass conform to some off specification chamber?)

The 'Crunch & Shoot' guys say brass ONLY has to fit their specific chamber,
They don't bother throughly cleaning the brass, they don't bother annealing cases, they don't bother making the dies fit the brass so they aren't overworking the brass...
They don't bother with neck tension or anything else...

All of which 'Premium' ammo takes time with getting right...

My particular objective is to get my cases returned to 'Like New',
Spotlessly clean, shoulder/neck annealed removing work hardening giving consistant neck tension and producing a brass that sizes more easily & consistently.
To load that brass consistently with quality components so it shoots well through a chamber/barrel that matches the bullet & velocity, for the best possible results.

To set out to load 'Crap' is failure from the outset.

I'd MUCH rather spend money on a re-chamber or re-barrel that shot COMMON ammo well, shot premium ammo even better, and try to make premium ammo...
Since it takes about the same time, effort, money to make premium ammo as it does 'crap' ammo...
 
Outside of brass for things like a long range or hunting rifle, people actually buy brass for reloading?

I can leave the range with 10x more brass than what I came with - no need to buy brass when it's essentially free IMO.

And I can make "blasting" ammo way cheaper than I can buy it for. With less headaches. No reason it can't be good quality and accurate ammo - but i certainly don't spend all of my time making match ammo for things like my AR, .45 ACP or 9mm pistols either. That would be a waste of my time personally. I can crank out as good as, if not maybe a smidge better, plinking/range/target ammo than I can buy, and using the components I like to use in the comfort of my home without having to go to the store. Works for me.
 
I think random range pickup is fine for straight walled handgun practice ammo reloading. But for carry, when it counts, I prefer factory loads in nickel brass.
For rifle, 223 and 308/5.56 and 7.62, I sometimes will pickup abandoned LC if years are similar. But I sort it, inspect it, and dont load it hot.
I stay away from mixed ""any brass and primer" type reloading , becauae it introduces too many unknown variables. I value consistency over free. So yes, I buy brass for reloading.
 
JeepHammer wrote "I've often tried to point out, with little success, that you can't load blasting ammo at home for the price you can buy it for...

And, more to the point, why would you want to spend your time, equipment & components to make inaccurate ammo?

Your figures are correct,
To make an accurate round, from quality components, is going to run around 34 to 45 cents a round,
While the same accuracy/quality from 'Super Premium' ammo is going to cost $1 to $5 a round, depending on caliber...

You simply can not make 'Cheap' or 'Blasting' ammo at home,
You can't screw it up that bad using USA made components & loading hardware."

I see your logic but I disagree.

Just finished loading 630 rounds 223 ammo for ~14 cents each and it is wonderfully accurate ammo.

Brass is range pickup. Lots and lots of 223 brass free for the taking and you can cull what you don't want.

Bullets are sourced from trading other range pickup brass that I don't reload for but collect it until I get enough to trade for bullets. Took delivery of 630 premium 55 grain 22 caliber bullets for the cost of postage shipping the range pickup brass ~$21.

Powder and primers are bulk purchase. Pretty cheap per round cost.

Been doing this for years. Even for my big boomers.
 
Like I've pointed out before, I don't 'Scrounge'.

I weigh bullets, I check for under/over size,
The culls become 'Range Ammo'.

I roll/anneal/size/trim every case.
The cases that have scratches, dents, rim problems, primer hole sizing inconsistencies, etc wind up as range ammo.

Now, I'm NOT shooting low to make 'Blasting' ammo,
Or even range ammo,
I'm shooting for premium accuracy ammo,
The components dictate where they wind up...

'Serviceable' and 'Premium' are entirely TWO different things.
I don't see the point in setting out to make crap blasting ammo when it's so heap to start with... I guess I'm missing the point/attraction of setting out to make an inferior product when you are going to invest my time.
 
Same attention to detail and same quality is in every round I load. Whether for my precision bolt rifles or my "blasting" guns.

Just pointing out you can make great quality accurate ammo for a lot cheaper than you stated.
 
The whole point I was making when I started this thread was this: If you want premium once fired brass, just buy loaded factory ammo I.e. lake city 55 grain or 62 grain fmj ammo, shoot it and have fun, and save the brass.....you can then load match quality for as cheaply as you buy crappy blasting ammo. Also, the federal lake city 62 grain green tips shoot sub moa in both my 556 AR's.

Now the factory ammo I mentioned above is not March grade stuff, but it is a cut above blasting ammo.

On the other hand, if you are reloading just to save money, and the result you are looking for is something on paper that goes bang, than the low end blasting ammo is just too cheap to compete with.....my time is worth more than that.

I do not do every step jeephammer said, but I trim and check case volume, I sort bullets by weight, I meticulously work up each load, and if I'm not able to group under 1.5" at 200 yards, I rework the load with different components.

So, in summary, it is cheaper to buy blasting ammo, cheaper to make premium ammo, and buying loaded ammo with quality brass is a cost effective way to get ccases .
 
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