.223 ammo

[Skylerbone]

For those looking for brass you might check your local scrap yards. Locally, the price was $2.25/pound. A shooting buddy picked up over 4,500 once fired .223 Rem. cases for just over a C-note. The 1,000 he gave me were roughly 90% R.P. and 10% mixed NATO stamp. After sorting, removing grass clippings and cleaning I had fewer than a dozen rejects.

I had bullets, primers and powder to load a few thousand more but all of my brass was loaded. According to my friend his purchase didn't make a dent in the available supply.

 

[David E]

Not everybody can afford to stock up on EVERYTHING all at once. I am happy for you, that you can. That's good. But it doesn't apply to all of us.

True, and it does little good to tell someone what they "should've done" after that window has closed.

I feel somewhat in the same boat, even tho I've been accumulating stuff for years. In some cases, I had more than I realized (.22 ammo) in other cases, I thought what I had was sufficient, but now realize its nowhere close.

It's a matter of perspective, as well. Not long ago, 500 rds of .308 would've seemed plenty, but now 1500 seems light.

I now regard loaded ammo as gold, reloadable cases as silver.

IF we get thru this batch of anti gun bills relatively unscathed, perhaps we can all do what we "should've done" this time in anticipation of the next time.

If an egregious ammo bill passes, then what you have now may well be it. (which suddenly made my 1500 rds feel even smaller)

I'm reminded of some of the "how much ammo is enough" threads where people were mighty proud of their 200-300 rd "stockpile."

Also, nobody could have predicted Newtown.

Maybe not by name, but we all knew this administration was just waiting to pounce on our gun rights when the perfect moment (for them) happened.

 

[Warp]

Maybe not by name, but we all knew this administration was just waiting to pounce on our gunfights when the right moment happened.

That's what people said 4+ years ago, and it didn't happen.

 

[David E]

That's what people said 4+ years ago, and it didn't happen.

Yes it did. You said it yourself. It's called Newtown.

Or are you the type of guy that waits until there's a fire before thinking its necessary to buy an extinguisher?

 

[Warp]

Yes it did. You said it yourself. It's called Newtown.

Or are you the type of guy that waits until there's a fire before thinking its necessary to buy an extinguisher?

I'm the type of guy who cannot afford to just go out and buy all of the ammo and magazines and guns and spare parts he and his family and his offspring will need for the rest of their lives.

Why is that so hard to understand?

It just so happens that right now, of the above items, ammunition is the one I am seeking the most.

I believed it was reasonable to ensure the firearms and the magazines first since, you know, they are the things that have actually been banned outright in the past and which the current ban attempts are for.

What has it come to that people are insulting other shooters for trying to find ammo at a good price???

 

[gunlover_06]

I'm the type of guy who cannot afford to just go out and buy all of the ammo and magazines and guns and spare parts he and his family and his offspring will need for the rest of their lives.

Why is that so hard to understand?

It just so happens that right now, of the above items, ammunition is the one I am seeking the most.

I believed it was reasonable to ensure the firearms and the magazines first since, you know, they are the things that have actually been banned outright in the past and which the current ban attempts are for.

What has it come to that people are insulting other shooters for trying to find ammo at a good price???

I second that not all of us are able to afford everything we want or need all at once

 

[Skylerbone]

Maybe shotguns are the wave of the future. Walmart still has shells for those.

In all seriousness, I have seen components coming in to local shops including bullets and dies. My current .223 supplies price out to about $275/1,000 using Hornady VMax bullets, CCI primers and BL-C(2). Start gathering, start simple and don't shoot everything, save a little.

 

[vtail]

Remember these days?

 

[Warp]

That's just depressing.

Especially since I"ll bet it wasn't long ago.

I ordered one of those cans from Brownells for $170 shipped not all that long ago

 

[David E]

I'm the type of guy who cannot afford to just go out and buy all of the ammo and magazines and guns and spare parts he and his family and his offspring will need for the rest of their lives.

The smart way for someone in your position to do it is to buy steadily over time. What I often did was buy a 100 pack of WWB every other trip to Walmart, OR buy 100 rds of CCI Mini-mags. You say you heard the call, so to speak, in 2008.....but you ignored it. Then, to justify your failure to act, cite that "nothing happened" then.

(Were you unaware of the year long ammo shortage that began 11-08?)

The warning (one of them) was 4 yrs ago, the event the warning was about happened about 4 yrs later on 12-14-12

I believed it was reasonable to ensure the firearms and the magazines first since, you know, they are the things that have actually been banned outright in the past and which the current ban attempts are for.

Were you unaware of the year long ammo shortage that began 11-08?

The guys that think they have plenty of ammo at 200 rds always baffled me. The guys that blithely stop by WM to buy ammo on their way to the range, else they couldn't shoot, downright perplexed me until I realized its a simple matter of of priority.

Anyone that doesn't have a minimal amount of ammo at this point is either going to pay a lot for it, or be Johnny-on-the-Spot at the local WM when the ammo is put out. Or wait it out.....if that turns out to be an option.

The ironic part is, if everything calms down and returns to normal for a few years, the SAME people complaining about lack of ammo now will be complaining again about it in the future.

 

[Warp]

The smart way for someone in your position to do it is to buy steadily over time. What I often did was buy a 100 pack of WWB every other trip to Walmart, OR buy 100 rds of CCI Mini-mags. You say you heard the call, so to speak, in 2008.....but you ignored it. Then, to justify your failure to act, cite that "nothing happened" then.

(Were you unaware of the year long ammo shortage that began 11-08?)

The warning (one of them) was 4 yrs ago, the event the warning was about happened about 4 yrs later on 12-14-12



Were you unaware of the year long ammo shortage that began 11-08?

The guys that think they have plenty of ammo at 200 rds always baffled me. The guys that blithely stop by WM to buy ammo on their way to the range, else they couldn't shoot, downright perplexed me until I realized its a simple matter of of priority.

Anyone that doesn't have a minimal amount of ammo at this point is either going to pay a lot for it, or be Johnny-on-the-Spot at the local WM when the ammo is put out. Or wait it out.....if that turns out to be an option.

The ironic part is, if everything calms down and returns to normal for a few years, the SAME people complaining about lack of ammo now will be complaining again about it in the future.

And I have been.

But I still don't have NEARLY enough. It's expensive!

It's damn hard just to buy as much as I shoot, let alone MORE to have for later. I shoot as much as 450 rounds of 5.56/.223 in a single afternoon (and none of it wasted).

Please note that I am not complaining about lack of ammo. I AM interested in getting more ammo, right now, for a good price...such as what I quoted and said half the internet would be interested in. He was quoting $0.35 per round for XM855. You do realize how outstanding of a price that is, right?

 

[ilmonster]

It looks to be becoming available in dribs and drabs. I bought 1K rounds of Federal 55 gr. (not in individual boxes, just in a big plastic bag in a sealed box from the factory) from Gander Mtn. of all places for $499 a week ago. They had a flyer with a dozen different types of .223 on sale, but the clerk said that sold out within a few hours. That evening when I went there, the only 223 they had left were the cases of 1000 rounds. I guess not as many folks wished to part with $499 for ammo. With a Gander bucks card and points on my Cabela's Visa, I walked out with a case for $470. I was happy. This should certainly last me for the year, as I also shoot shotguns (skeet and sporties) and handguns.

 

[taliv]

The smart way for someone in your position to do it is to buy steadily over time.

no, that's about the most expensive way to buy it. save up some money. wait to find a good deal on BULK and buy all at once. It's much cheaper that way. And that is doubly true for reloading components.

 

[Gordon]

Received Monday 1000 rounds of Herters .223 from Cabelas I ordered Jan 5th , it cost just under $400 shipped. Once again I am proud of my fellow Americans for buying an ocean of .223 ! It will certainly make the commies in power think twice !

 

[David E]

He was quoting $0.35 per round for XM855. You do realize how outstanding of a price that is, right?

Right now, that's great.

But not as good as loading my own at .23 cents per round. (since I've already loaded up my modest .223 component stash that worked out to .11 cents per round)

 

[Skylerbone]

Wish I could load for .11/round. Even prehysteria prices on primers and powder ate .10/round minimum. Haven't seen any penny bullets round here.

 

[breakingcontact]

I've seen 556 green tip for about 50 cents a round locally, that's getting close to pre-crazy prices.

 

[Warp]

Right now, that's great.

But not as good as loading my own at .23 cents per round. (since I've already loaded up my modest .223 component stash that worked out to .11 cents per round)

Again, I apologize for not doing things exactly the same as you, or exactly how you think I should.

I apologize for not being able afford the rifle I wanted in 5.56/.223 until June of last year. I apologize for only being able to afford the rifle, magazines, a sling, a light (essential to a defensive rifle IMO), critical spare parts, training/practice with it, and ammo for it, but not more ammo and not a huge pile of reloading components + all of the tools necessarily to reload it. I only had so many thousands of dollars to spend at a time.

I am sorry to have offended you by asking where I can find good deals on loaded 5.56 ammunition.

 

[pty101]

I bought one of the Federal cans at that price back in Oct. Those prices are not that far in the past, but its seems like years ago. Now we all wait and hope that we see those prices again.

 

[breakingcontact]

Eh. The reloading guys really promote their hobby. I'd be into it. Just don't have the space or time.

I do feel for those who didn't stock up. However buying at these prices and or complaining about prices is silly. If you didn't stock up before, you should shoot what can be found for reasonable prices now. Or pay the high price but don't complain about it.

We need to take it easy on those who did not prepare or see this coming. In turn they need to have the humility to understand they got in or woke up at the wrong time.

For those just buying ammo to sit on it...not sure what that's about. Good to have a certain amount of stock to keep and not shoot. But when I just see photos of hundreds of magazines or tens of thousands of rounds...kind of makes me just feel people are showing off and not enjoying the hobby/lifestyle.

Imma keep shooting because I prepared. Not sitting around counting my beans.

 

[Skylerbone]

My reloading area is a solid core door cut to IIRC 24" W then fastened to 2 X 4s. Not a big space commitment, storage underneath and on the wall. The only other space I use is the adjacent walk-in closet for ammo. A few steel shelving units holds a fair amount and the door keeps it locked away nicely. Inexpensive and practical.

 

[Warp]

I do feel for those who didn't stock up.

We need to take it easy on those who did not prepare or see this coming. In turn they need to have the humility to understand they got in or woke up at the wrong time.

This ^

For those just buying ammo to sit on it...not sure what that's about. Good to have a certain amount of stock to keep and not shoot. But when I just see photos of hundreds of magazines or tens of thousands of rounds...kind of makes me just feel people are showing off and not enjoying the hobby/lifestyle.

And this ^

Seem to be pretty contradictory to me. What's the deal? It almost sounds like there is a very specific amount of ammo that you personally think is appropriate, and that people with less than you were unprepared and "woke up at the wrong time" while people with more than you are showing off and not enjoying themselves.

I think too many people are close minded and believe that what they have decided upon is the only way to do things.

Kind of the old 'everybody driving faster than you is a maniac while everybody driving slower is just in the way'

Those more prepared are paranoid, those less prepared are sheep.

We have no chance of EVER winning these legal and political battles if we can't stop splitting ourselves up and fighting within ourselves over such petty things as how much ammo other people choose to have.

For the record I have about 3,000 rounds of factory 5.56/.223 at the moment, and I have put more than 2,000 through that rifle (first of the cartridge) that I bought in June. So, at that rate, I have maybe 1 year's supply of ammunition before I'm out. I'd rather have more than one lousy year's' worth or else I'll have to start rationing it pretty soon, and I believe that when people stop shooting due to ammo cost/availability, the gun-grabbers have already won.

I also got talked into reloading last year, and I got set up to start doing so, including 2.5k bullets, 6k primers, and 12 pounds of powder. It's just that I'm getting into it slowly and am only doing pistol cartridges right now, particularly .38spl and .357 magnum, as they offered the biggest difference between retail cost and reloading expense of the handgun cartridges I actively shoot. I have been saving my brass, especially the revolver brass and the 5.56/.223 brass. I will have a 5 gallon bucket full pretty soon.

That isn't nearly good enough though. I wouldn't be comfortable unless I had, oh, 250,00 rounds of .22lr, 50,000 rounds of 5.56 and 50,000 rounds of 9/.45 and maybe 10,000 rounds of .38spl. But I'll NEVER be able to afford to have all that, so I settle for buying what I can for the best price I can find when I have the money to do so.

 

[David E]

Wish I could load for .11/round. Even prehysteria prices on primers and powder ate .10/round minimum. Haven't seen any penny bullets round here.

Me neither. I bought most of the components in the 90's, some before that.

Psychologically, I took comfort in having them on hand, "just in case." I realized, of course, that one can't shoot components until they're properly assembled, yet I put that off. Until a couple weeks ago. I feel much better having them loaded up.

But prices I paid in the 90's and before mean nothing now, other than for comparisons sake.

Currently, Natchez has had 100 baggie-packs of bullets come in recently at $12, or .12 cents each. Powder is about .07 cents, primers add .04 cents for .23 cents per shot. Which is still better than the .35 cents cited earlier as a smoking deal.

 

[David E]

Again, I apologize for not doing things exactly the same as you, or exactly how you think I should.

I never told you what you should've done, I only related what I have done. Honestly, I doubt that anyone cares what you do, don't do or will do, so you can stop apologizing. No one cares!

 

[Warp]

Currently, Natchez has had 100 baggie-packs of bullets come in recently at $12, or .12 cents each. Powder is about .07 cents, primers add .04 cents for .23 cents per shot. Which is still better than the .35 cents cited earlier as a smoking deal.

It is. But then you need to account for the cost of the equipment. I also believe you need to account for the cost of the brass, because if you collected the brass but didn't reload it you could then sell and use the money to offset the cost of your factory ammo. That brass is not actually 'free', there is absolutely an opportunity cost associated with it, and a US$ cost at that.

And you need to account for your time.

I have observed that reloaders sugar coat things and kinda sorta do whatever they can to present their hobby in as positive a light as they possibly can, which necessarily dictates maybe not being 100% truthful (not lying, but not telling the WHOLE TRUTH, either). There are plenty of expenses that seem to just get ignored by a lot of the guys who quote what their ammo costs.


Such as the ever popular quoting of components purchased 10-20 years ago. At that point they should be adjusting for inflation, because $1 in 1996 is a hell of a lot different than $1 today.

Plus I am <30 years old. It's not like I had a whole lot of opportunity to stock up on components or ammo in the 90s.