223 cost analysis complete

Well I've finally done the cost analysis on reloading the .223. Here's the roll-up on how much it costs per shot:

Brass: .21        Remington Bulk

Bullet: .07      55 gr. hornady FMJ

Powder: .06  Hodgdon 4895

Primer: .03    Winchester Small Rifle

That's right. .37 a shot, initially. Commercially loaded ammo runs about .50 a round so this is a huge savings. Also keep in mind that the brass can be used multiple times. So you can divide the price of brass by 8-10 depending on the number of uses I can get out of a given case. This brings the cost to between .18-.20 per shot.  So we're looking at a difference of .50-.20 = .30 per shot savings.  It'll take me only 1,000 rounds of .223 to pay off my Dillon 550B. I also reload for my .45 ACP. I haven't done a detailed cost analysis on the .45 yet but that further reduces the cost of my reloading.

And by the way, the Dillon 550B is metal so I will be able to sell it one day for at least what I have in it. Reloading the .223 is worth it if you shoot over 1,000 over the life of your .223. This doesn't include the extra ability to customized your own ammo.