Bolt action in .223 (NATO 5.56) is fun, pretty capable and cheaper to shoot. .22 is always cheap. 9mm too but it’s more a handgun round. I have a reloading set up for .223 as well.
We Know you Ride, But do you Shoot?
- Thread starter Triple
- Start date
Bolt action in .223 (NATO 5.56) is fun, pretty capable and cheaper to shoot. .22 is always cheap. 9mm too but it’s more a handgun round. I have a reloading set up for .223 as well.
What do you estimate your .223 reload cost per round is? How much would you have to spend for a decent setup to reload your own rounds? That sounds like something that I would be interested in.
CTC is often quite expensive compared to a gun shop or box sporting goods store. Military calibres are sometimes available as surplus , so can be cheaper. Hard to beat a .22 rimfire for inexpensive fun. The more "common" a caliber is , the more likely to find them on sale .
Old dudes and/or widows are another good source of cheap guns and ammo. A lifetime of collecting followed by the realization that they will never be used again. Going to another shooter keeps the government from destroying them.
Difficult to say now as my set up is several years old and it’s also not bottom or top tier (not an automated set up and not just hand tools). I do it more for fun and reuse my spent brass but it is a lot cheaper than buying high quality rounds and comes a bit cheaper than mass produced stuff. Instead I can reuse lower quality brass rounds and take my time to upgrade them for consistency (size, trim etc etc). I can also just swap my dies and reload 38 special and .357 and 9mm which is all I use in addition to .22.
I would look for a Lee lever set up on sale with the basic equipment and go from there. You’ll need caliber specific dies as well. Look at the prices of powder and primers too. You can always upgrade the equipment as you go and used stuff is fine too. You can do it cheaper with something like a Lee manual hand loader but it’s going to be slower.
Gaoler
Well-known member
No one with half a brain buys their ammo at CT or any other box store... and certainly DO NOT go to any box store like SAIL, Bass Pro or Cabelas for anything firearm related including advice.
There are lots of places that specialize in firearms who actually know what they're talking about.
Gaoler
Well-known member
.223 remington and 5.56 nato are not the same.
Dimentionally perhaps, but 5.56 ammo. is loaded to higher pressure.
5.56 chambers differ in throat length, to accommodate the higher pressure...
Practically speaking, its safe to fire .223 rem. in a firearm chambered as 5.56, but it's not necessarily safe to fire 5.56 in a .223.
ETA: you're not going to find commercially available bolt action rifles chambered in/marked as 5.56 NATO anyway and the only truly 5.56 NATO surplus ammo thatvwas ever avsilable has pretty much dried up.
Last edited:
True that. My current rifles can fire both. My dies are .223.
Gaoler
Well-known member
"Can" and "should" are two different things..
Of course... a .223 Wylde chamber can handle both no problem.
Where is a good place to buy ammo? I use to get some cheap surplus from Marstar ( I think that’s their name) in Montreal but that was a long, long time ago.
That’s what I have.
In person. Shipping fees will chew up most savings. Occasionally there’s decent offers online but otherwise make a trip to one of the big stores.
Gaoler
Well-known member
'Depends what you're looking for and where you're located...
Tenda Canada is pretty good. They offer free shipping over $300 I think. I've ordered cases of rimfire ammo from them no problem.
Shotshells....I usually go to Hummisons in Ancaster or Lawry's in Caladonia.
If you're closer to downtown TO, Al Flaherty's on Dufferin St. is a good shop to deal with. I've driven in from far away to buy from them. The deal I got on my 694 and TM22 was worth the hour+ drive.
Gaoler
Well-known member
That may be, but I prefer to support the specialized shooting sports businesses.
I'd encourage anyone new to firearms to do the same. You'll get better advice and information.
Gaoler
Well-known member
An aquantence of mine owns a gun shop.
He is licensed to and open carries a pistol at work.
I asked him about it and he said it was the local police service that suggested/recommended he do so.
SFRC have regular sales. Not sure what their minimum is for free or discounted shipping though. I go in person to pick things up. I stay away from commercial reloads though, they might be cheap but the only time I had a serious issue with a projectile stuck in the barrel of a handgun was with a commercial reload. That was mid magazine and could have ended very badly if I wasn’t paying attention.
A Ruger American Ranch has a 5.56 chamber (at least in the shorter barrel variant) that can shoot both calibers and is cheap and upgradeable. I have one in an MDT chassis and it’s a really fun little gun that doesn’t break the bank. Relatively accurate too.
A step up would be a Tikka T3 in .223 (don’t think this is multi caliber) but still pretty inexpensive compared to some more boutique options. I like Tikkas but the base T3 stock is nasty plasticky but better than the Ruger.
A step up would be a Tikka T3 in .223 (don’t think this is multi caliber) but still pretty inexpensive compared to some more boutique options. I like Tikkas but the base T3 stock is nasty plasticky but better than the Ruger.
That's where something like an FRT could bite you. I'd be shocked if you brain could process the weird sound fast enough to prevent the following shot.
