So I use a Lee Pro 1000 to do 45 auto and it does the job but is finicky. I do 308 with a lee classic loader (the one you use a hammer not a press) but that can't do volume. I'm looking to start 223/556 and was wondering what everyone suggests for a press. I don't know if I should go turret or single stage, I am only planning on 100-200 at a time. I don't have the money to invest in a Dillon. Any ideas would be great.
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Advice on starting 223/556
- Thread starter Lsgun1
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If your just blasting I wouldn't bother reloading 223 223 cost about .25 a round to reload depending on what you pay for components. Russian steel cost .25 and brass costs about 33 a round Shoot russian for the price of reloading and shoot brass and sell the once fired cases to get to the same cost per round. 223 is worth reloading if your doing hi accuracy rounds for 600+ yards but for under 300 yds the over the counter stuff is fine. With 223 you have to size, trim to lenght, ream or swedge the primer pocket the first time before you start reloading your first round. Thats extra cost for equipment you may not have yet. Other members will chime in but this is what I calculated for cost.
Dave
Dave
You could do likewise with .223 Remington...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeEl9wZyabc
As said above, it's almost not worth the effort, but it is satisfying to roll your own, even if it's 55gr FMJ. If you can acquire a turret press for reasonable, I suppose that would speed things up versus a non-turret single stage. You won't go much faster, but you will save a few seconds not having to change dies between each step. If you intend to do a lot of full-length resizing, I'd suggest a press with a beefy mounting base and hardware, not something anemic like the Lee Challenger press. Beyond that it's purely a matter of funds available.
You might want to obtain a die set with a bullet alignment collet, such as Hornady, when working with the tiny .224" bullets.
I reload my blasting ammo on a Lee pro 1000. The same issues you had with 45 will be there with the 223 but that's lee for you.
My 223 reloads with 55 grain hornady FMJ with H335 cost me at current prices
.10 for powder
.08 bullet
.03 primer
The brass I consider free as it's loaded with brass given to me btw friends or from my match load brass that's been loaded 5 to 8 times.
It's better than any factory ammo I have used under 35 cents per round.
I load my match loads on my hornady single stage. I use them from 100-600 yards.
The cost dffience from my match loads is about 8-15 cents more depending on the bullet.
I have a,lot of time to reload so it doesn't bother me to crank out loads on the single stage. My 223 plinking reloads ....well I loaded up the last of my 2000+ 55gn loads on the pro 1000 over a few hours spread out between 2 weekends.
Then set it up for 30 carbine and loaded the 1500 or so I had of those. Next I'm loading up my 9mms. This should last me for a few years as I don't shoot to much of these.
Not to be wise or anything but liget question....where are tou finding 223 for 5$ unless in bulk? The places i go are like 10$ so i just buy 762.39 for about 5$
You won't go wrong investing in a good single stage - like a Rockchucker. RCBS has a rebate going on now too. You can equip it with a Hornady L-N-L adapter to make die changes really easy.
This is my setup for small batch rifle ammo. Rockchucker with the L-N-L Bushings, works very well.
My cheap bulk 55gr FMJ-BT reloads (about .22 each) shoot 1-1.5 MOA out of a cheap PSA upper, that steel cased crap shoots closer 3-4 MOA...well worth it to reload if you want to keep costs down and have ammo accurate enough to make shooting somewhat interesting.
When you start making quality .223 you really start to see huge savings. Match ammo for $.30-.35 vs $1.00-1.50 for factory loaded.
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You can prime on the RockChucker. I prefer hand priming for feel, but the press works ok.
You can prime on the hornady single stage, but I have found the priming mechanism can get finicky.
I usually use a hand primer for 223 due to crimped pockets, I can recover better that way if I forgot to remove one.
The quick change L-N-L bushings from hornady are great. set up the die once, and chnage it out any time.
I usually use a hand primer for 223 due to crimped pockets, I can recover better that way if I forgot to remove one.
The quick change L-N-L bushings from hornady are great. set up the die once, and chnage it out any time.
xtry51
NES Member
I still load my 223 on a 4 hole Lee turret. I have two Lee auto disk powder drops with the adjustable charge bars and two seating dies. I prep the brass and prime separate. I have a spare turret disk for .308 and a third one with my full length sizing dies for 223 and 308 along with crimp dies for each (which I don't use anymore).
I can do 400 rounds an hour with primed brass, significantly faster than using a single stage.
Someday I'm going to actually buy a Dillon 650 and dedicate it to 223 with a case and bullet feeder. That day is probably the next time I finally wear out the square guide bushing on the turret.
I hand prime all my 223 brass while watching TV. I really don't like any of the single stage setups, including the RCBS RC which I have. I find the hand priming is a lot faster and easier to feel brass condition with.
I can do 400 rounds an hour with primed brass, significantly faster than using a single stage.
Someday I'm going to actually buy a Dillon 650 and dedicate it to 223 with a case and bullet feeder. That day is probably the next time I finally wear out the square guide bushing on the turret.
I hand prime all my 223 brass while watching TV. I really don't like any of the single stage setups, including the RCBS RC which I have. I find the hand priming is a lot faster and easier to feel brass condition with.
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Hornady also makes locking rings that don't s*ck...I put them on all my dies.
http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/23...ady-_-236200&gclid=CPfJ-JXLpMsCFZRahgod4V4DDQ
genrally buying ammo in bulk is not cost effective in MA. Remember even shops are dictated by the same storage regulations (with larger quantities) as residents and then its even more regulated by local FD chief.
So most shops can not give decent quantity prices.
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I load my .223/5.56 on a Lee Pro 1000, but I do all my case prep (Depriming / sizing / trimming) on a single stage lee breechlock and I use a hand primer to prime them. The Pro 1000 does the powder in station 1, seating in station 2 and crimp in station 3. Priming really sucks on the Pro 1000!
That's how I reload the precision rounds for .223. On a cost analysis the savings is about $.25 per round once I do second batch. The first time though the cost savings isn't much.
xtry51
NES Member
I definitely wouldn't call that affordable. Yikes.
I can reload 223 in 55gr and 62gr for $200-220/k.
Stick to 8lb jugs of powder, buy primers in bulk when possible and heads in lots of 4k-6k.
RCBS has the rock chucker master kit for 300 with a 75 rebate and I found a place that is giving a free set of RCBS 308 dies too. Sounds like a good deal right? I don't need the scale as I already have one so I could probably sell that off and recover a little bit of cash too or trade for 223 dies.
This logic falls apart when ammo becomes unavailable. When everything was scarce a few years ago the well prepared reloaders were still able to shoot at a reasonable price while others were paying $1 a round for 223/556.
this is what drove me to reload in 2006. It was a simple fact that I was tired of going to 5 stores to find 60 round for a cmp match. I grew up always having enough ammo around to shoot and learned to replenish.
when I got into shooting 30-06 223 and 8mm I was not very well stocked on those. after 1 summer of wasting a Saturday after noons driving around to pick up ammo, that alone was the final push. If a local gun store at the time had a selection of ammo in 1k round cases I most likely would have started reloading later.
reloading for me is not money saving driven. I get to load what I want how I want when I want to do the best in my guns. Yes there is some savings there especially if your frugal about how you get your equipment. I came into a lot of shotgun reloading presses at a time when there where what seemed to be a influx of loaders getting out and the shot gun presses could be found cheap.
same with casting equipment I found a lot of stuff old timers where just glade to get out of their basements.
centerfire equipment I bought new because I wanted that "fresh start" for myself. The best deals I found over the years where on line just days before xmass
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I use an RCBS hand priming tool. Seems to work fine for me. I was just running them through a Lee Loadmonster to prime them, but with the hand priming tool I can sit in front of the TV making myself stupider while I prime brass.
