View Full Version : Handloaders: How much per round?
How much are you paying per round for loading .223? I'm just getting set up to start loading this cartridge and I'm wondering if there are ways to get my figure down some. Here's how mine break down per round:
Brass: 2-4 cents per round. (~20 cents per round for virgin Lake City, amortorized over 5-10 loadings).
Projo: 8 cents per round. (SS109 Pull downs)
Powder: 6 cents per round. (25 grains of TAC @ ~18$/lb)
Primer: 4 cents per round (Delivered, assuming hazmat fee and today's craziness)
That comes out to 22 cents per round, assuming upper limits on each component. For those that are doing much better than this, what's your secret? What can I do better on?
Tennvol12345
10-13-09, 22:02
My figures are a little bit cheaper due to buying powder, primers, and bullets several years ago. I also didn't buy brass as I used range pickups.
I have data on some rounds that would cost around $0.15 a round using pick-up brass. I can drop it down to aroun $0.09 with some of the discounts I can get.
Use once fired brass and reuse it multiple times. Once fired is 10 cents or less per casing.
Primers should not be 4 cents, even delivered now. Buy in bulk -- 5000 or 10000 at a time and the shipping and hazmat should not be a penny a primer.
I use WC844T and WC846 surplus powders so am paying about 14$ per pound at current prices, when bought 4 kegs at a time, in bulk delivered from Pats Reloading.
7-8 cents for a projectile is about right now when buying in bulk.
Of course, I bought my powder at Pat's last year for $10 a keg less, my primers were bought anywhere from 1994 to 2007 and cost me less than the going rate by 1-2 pennies, and my 55 and 62 gr slugs are either 1990s IMI at 3-3.5 cents a slug to 2007 PRVI for around 6-6.5 cents a slug. So my actual costs are lower but you should be able to do a little bit better than you listed -- buy in bulk, don't pay stupid prices, and use once fired brass (or pickups of other people's brass if you can)
Chad
Use once fired brass and reuse it multiple times. Once fired is 10 cents or less per casing.
Primers should not be 4 cents, even delivered now. Buy in bulk -- 5000 or 10000 at a time and the shipping and hazmat should not be a penny a primer.
I use WC844T and WC846 surplus powders so am paying about 14$ per pound at current prices, when bought 4 kegs at a time, in bulk delivered from Pats Reloading.
7-8 cents for a projectile is about right now when buying in bulk.
Of course, I bought my powder at Pat's last year for $10 a keg less, my primers were bought anywhere from 1994 to 2007 and cost me less than the going rate by 1-2 pennies, and my 55 and 62 gr slugs are either 1990s IMI at 3-3.5 cents a slug to 2007 PRVI for around 6-6.5 cents a slug. So my actual costs are lower but you should be able to do a little bit better than you listed -- buy in bulk, don't pay stupid prices, and use once fired brass (or pickups of other people's brass if you can)
Chad
How well does the surplus powder meter? And what primers are you using and where are you getting them?
For 55gr bullets, loaded to 556 performance. .144cents/round with todays prices. And that's using Varget which is a little bit higher cost then the benchmark that I usually use. Brass is the most expensive component. I don't buy my brass. I am fortunate that I can pick up range brass.
For 55gr bullets, loaded to 556 performance. .144cents/round with todays prices. And that's using Varget which is a little bit higher cost then the benchmark that I usually use. Brass is the most expensive component. I don't buy my brass. I am fortunate that I can pick up range brass.
Is that $0.144 per round or less than 1 cent per round?
About 14and a half cents per round. I wish it was less than a penny.:cool:
How well does the surplus powder meter? And what primers are you using and where are you getting them?
The WC844/T and WC846/T (they come in both T and non T variants -- T burns a little hotter for tracer ignition) are both ball powders.
Supposedly WC844 is a non canister grade version of H335. It is in the ballpark anyway for burn rate. Supposedly the WC846 is a non canister grade version of BLC2 / Win 748.
Being ball powders, they meter just fine. I also use the Russian SALUT shotshell powder surplus you can get (for example at Pats though I got mine from Hitech-ammo.com or some place like that and they are out) for pistols (9/40). Also meters just fine.
My primers are Wolf, Win, CCI, Remington, Federal, Magtech. Whatever I could find at the time. They range from mid 1990s purchase to the last batch in 2007.
Wideners, Powder Valley, Graf and Sons were the last places I got them. I have not bought primers since 2007.
http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp
I'm about $.17 a round using Hornady 55gr FMJ.
Where is the best place to pick up primers?
MarshallDodge
10-20-09, 17:34
I'm about $.17 a round using Hornady 55gr FMJ.
It was around 12 cents a couple years ago. Early last year I bought a bunch and it put me at about 16 cents a round.
Most of the brass that I have, I picked up. Last class I went to I picked up about 1400 empties because nobody wanted any.
Use once fired brass and reuse it multiple times. Once fired is 10 cents or less per casing.
Primers should not be 4 cents, even delivered now. Buy in bulk -- 5000 or 10000 at a time and the shipping and hazmat should not be a penny a primer.
I use WC844T and WC846 surplus powders so am paying about 14$ per pound at current prices, when bought 4 kegs at a time, in bulk delivered from Pats Reloading.
7-8 cents for a projectile is about right now when buying in bulk.
Of course, I bought my powder at Pat's last year for $10 a keg less, my primers were bought anywhere from 1994 to 2007 and cost me less than the going rate by 1-2 pennies, and my 55 and 62 gr slugs are either 1990s IMI at 3-3.5 cents a slug to 2007 PRVI for around 6-6.5 cents a slug. So my actual costs are lower but you should be able to do a little bit better than you listed -- buy in bulk, don't pay stupid prices, and use once fired brass (or pickups of other people's brass if you can)
Chad
we
here the hell are u getting primers for under 4 centavos each?
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here the hell are u getting primers for under 4 centavos each?
Well, most primers are listed as out of stock but they take backorders for those that are listed at powder valley and they are around $25 per 1000 plus or minus for most "normal" primers from CCI, Wolf, Winchester, and Federal. They don't list all the various size and sorts but the ones they list you can backorder.
Grafs is out but it appears you can place a backorder. $22-$27/1000 when ordering 5000 at a time from a quick look.
Other normal places get them in occasionally between $25 and $32 per 1000.
Cabelas was accepting backorders for $30-$32 per 1000 for most sorts / brands and my friend said he got his relatively fast (a few weeks).
If you order 10000 at a time, shipping and hazmat won't add a complete penny to the cost per primer.
I have not bought any since 2007 and my primer stash I bought between 1993 and 2007 so I am much less than 4 cents myself.
I was at my local Sportsmans Warehouse a few nights ago (trying to find some toy cowboy guns for my sons halloween costume) and they had a few 1000 primer boxes of winchester magnum small rifle primers for $30.99. They also had some large pistol and large rifle. A few boxes of Federal primers small rifle magnums were also on hand for about the same or maybe a buck more per case of 1000.
update 10/31: I was back at that same Sportsmans Warehouse and all the SR primers were gone except the federal Match Small Rifle at $39.99 per thousand. I did buy 2000 small pistol Remington primers for $30.99/1000. And got the toy guns for the boy's costume, which was the real reason to stop by again.
freakshow10mm
11-02-09, 08:21
Brass is free, powder is $43, primers are $25, bullets are $60. Case of .223 FMJ runs about $123 per case or 12.3 cents per round.
AlphaTango23
11-04-09, 21:30
My figures are a little bit cheaper due to buying powder, primers, and bullets several years ago. I also didn't buy brass as I used range pickups.
I'm the same. I stock piled a lot of components a while back, pick up brass, and I use military brass as well.
AlphaTango23
11-04-09, 21:32
Well, most primers are listed as out of stock but they take backorders for those that are listed at powder valley and they are around $25 per 1000 plus or minus for most "normal" primers from CCI, Wolf, Winchester, and Federal. They don't list all the various size and sorts but the ones they list you can backorder.
Grafs is out but it appears you can place a backorder. $22-$27/1000 when ordering 5000 at a time from a quick look.
Other normal places get them in occasionally between $25 and $32 per 1000.
Cabelas was accepting backorders for $30-$32 per 1000 for most sorts / brands and my friend said he got his relatively fast (a few weeks).
If you order 10000 at a time, shipping and hazmat won't add a complete penny to the cost per primer.
I have not bought any since 2007 and my primer stash I bought between 1993 and 2007 so I am much less than 4 cents myself.
10,000!!! Wow that is a whole lot of shooting!
10,000!!! Wow that is a whole lot of shooting!
Depends who you are or how long you want the primers to last. They will remain good a long time (a lot of mine are from the mid 90s right now).
Or you go in with a few local buddies and everyone gets a few thousand...
Or you get a few thousand small rifle, a few thousand small pistol, a few thousand large pistol, etc
Depends who you are or how long you want the primers to last. They will remain good a long time (a lot of mine are from the mid 90s right now).
Or you go in with a few local buddies and everyone gets a few thousand...
Or you get a few thousand small rifle, a few thousand small pistol, a few thousand large pistol, etc
Chad is right on this, there are always plenty of locals who would gladly split the costs for primers with you.
10K primers goes a lot quicker than you would expect, especially if you get involved with a competition every now and then, or a carbine class or two.
I bought 10K of CCI #41 thinking I was crazy/stupid. Now that i'm on my last few boxes, i'm getting a little nervous, haha. Hopefully Wolf Magnum Primers will be comparable and my recipes won't be completely different. Accuracy testing with handloads can take a while when the nearest range is 1 hour away from home/work.
freakshow10mm
11-05-09, 22:41
Wolf magnums aren't bad. I've used them with decent results.
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