Cheapest round for reloading

[pandamonia]

Since im pretty new to all this can someone tell me which is the cheapest round to reload yourself?

 

i heard that .223 was supposed to be cheaper than HMR for factory loads which is promising for home loading this round.

 

is reloading the 17 fireball work out cheaper than the HMR?

[cooter]

I reload .223 and it works out at 29p per load using Dog Town bullets, CCI primers.

I normally use 21 grn or 23 grn of powder, but it depends on which type I am using.

 

A shooting buddy runs a Hornet which uses less powder, about 9 or 11 grn.

[pandamonia]

so thats there or there abouts then

[pandamonia]

any one know how much per round the 204 ruger is to reload with vmax heads for eg?

[6br]

Depends what you want it for. a hornet is about the cheapest but no good for foxes after about 200- 220 yards.the smallest round I use is .222 and can be reloaded very cheaply and has a bit more range and very accurate.

[pandamonia]

if the 222 is cheap does that mean the 204 should be cheaper since its a 222 variant?

[henry d]

What is it you want, just to make things go BANG ? or is it to get accuracy, shoot vermin/game ?

[steve_b_wales]

It's not about cost, for me, although the saving certainly helps. I re-load for better accuracy, and the sheer enjoyment of re-loading. I started many years ago, with pistol reloading, which included casting my own heads, but now just enjoy what I do.

[pandamonia]

i want a centerfire vermin rifle for the same price per round cost as 17hmr, i refuse to buy a 17hmr since im sure its a monopoly and £12 per box takes the ****

[stevethevanman]

I dont know for sure without looking it up but I suspect the 204 uses more powder and has more expensive bullets as all bullets are getting pricey now but .224 ones are far more common. I dont think the 204 is a .22 variant off the top of my head, I think it is a .222 Magnum variant but I cant remember.

 

You are right fister, it uses a .222 magnum case, basically, small bullet, lots of powder, fast velocity.

 

However, moving at light speed doesant increase your killing power when you weigh nothing...its got a significant trajectory increase over other .22CF's though, the 22-250 comes close to it though.

 

Steve

Edited January 2, 2010 by stevethevanman

[Goldfish]

223 can be reloaded for the same price as 17HMR and is much the better round, depends on you needs, setup costs and time to reload. I dont regret selling the HMR for the .223 and would reccomend it if you have the right land/FAC conditions.

[Vectra26]

i refuse to buy a 17hmr since im sure its a monopoly and £12 per box takes the ****

Especially when you see how cheap they are in the States.

[macca]

17 fireball -benchrest primer , 25 gn hornady hollow points, 18 grains benchmark powder - super accurate, very destructive and cheap to load

Cheers

[njc110381]

My .17Ackley Hornet is cheap to load for, as was my .22 Hornet. The .222/.223 doesn't cost that much more. If you want something that will perform like the HMR then the Hornet is the answer in one form or another. The .223 is good but is a little big for what I wanted.

 

If you want it to be easy then as many others have said the .223 is good. Everything you need is easy to find and cheap and there's loads of second hand loading kit around.

[al4x]

i want a centerfire vermin rifle for the same price per round cost as 17hmr, i refuse to buy a 17hmr since im sure its a monopoly and £12 per box takes the ****

 

 

the only issue I'd have with this is its very different using a centrefire versus a rimfire, energy levels are massively higher and certainly takes eating the quarry out of the equation. Also even with the best moderator there is a big noise difference as well, you won't have 5 rabbits sit in the same field when using a .223 but you will with a .17

I use my .17 for bunny bashing and general vermin the .223 comes out for foxes and a bit of longer range vermin so cost isn't really an issue ammunition wise as you never use that much. My .17 ammo is still about £10 a box so not far off shotgun cartridge price and certainly the kill ratio is much better