Cheapest .224 and .308 FMJ bullets?

erwos · Feb 27, 2018

I need to get some practice with reloading 5.56x45 and 7.62x51 now that I've finally gotten the right gear to do it. The thing I am missing is bullets. What places sell the cheapest projectiles? Accuracy is not a serious concern, as cost is the driver here.

Uncle Duke · Feb 27, 2018

erwos said:
I need to get some practice with reloading 5.56x45 and 7.62x51 now that I've finally gotten the right gear to do it. The thing I am missing is bullets. What places sell the cheapest projectiles? Accuracy is not a serious concern, as cost is the driver here.

Ammoseek........can help to glance with both components and loaded ammo.

https://ammoseek.com/reloading/bullets/.224-diameter/55grains-target

bg71361 · Feb 27, 2018

RMR Bullets
$82 per 1000 55gr. FMJ shipped
https://www.rmrbullets.com/products/327144224817152-224-5-56-55-gr-rmr-fmj-boat-tail-new

Edit: The normal price is $82/1,000 shipped. All you have to do is place them in your shopping cart and the 10% discount will automatically apply!

That’s $73.80 per 1000 shipped

erwos · Feb 27, 2018

Uncle Duke said:
Ammoseek........can help to glance with both components and loaded ammo.

https://ammoseek.com/reloading/bullets/.224-diameter/55grains-target

Thanks! Was unaware that it worked for components.

Uncle Duke · Feb 27, 2018

erwos said:
Thanks! Was unaware that it worked for components.

My pleasure! Enjoy your new hobby! :thumbsup:

Melnic · Feb 27, 2018

Don't forget to take into account shipping.
Buying in bulk always saves in the long run.

I don't know about the cheapest, but good prices when you catch the sales and free shipping:
https://www.xtremebullets.com/223-Jacketed-s/48080.htm

I dont know for certain, but I think a bunch of these places all get the FMJ 55g from the central sources.

I am on the mailing list and have caught the 308 bullets on sail at wideners before. usually order with other stuff to save on shipping

https://www.wideners.com/reloading-supplies/bullets/rifle-bullets/308-bullets

erwos · Feb 27, 2018

Melnic said:
Don't forget to take into account shipping.
Buying in bulk always saves in the long run.

So, I usually agree with this premise, but the plan here is to accrue some mastery reloading rifle calibers first, and THEN bulk-buying the good stuff. I'd rather practice and mess up on cheap stuff than mess up a 77gr SMK or equivalent Nosler.

Uncle Duke · Feb 27, 2018

erwos said:
So, I usually agree with this premise, but the plan here is to accrue some mastery reloading rifle calibers first, and THEN bulk-buying the good stuff. I'd rather practice and mess up on cheap stuff than mess up a 77gr SMK or equivalent Nosler.

Here's one avenue in line with your thoughts.

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/dept/reloading/sample-packs/rifle

There are others as well if you look online. Look for .224 or .308 sample packs.

erwos · Feb 27, 2018

Uncle Duke said:
Here's one avenue in line with your thoughts.

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/dept/reloading/sample-packs/rifle

There are others as well if you look online. Look for .224 or .308 sample packs.

These guys had a bunch of other stuff I needed (lube, in particular), so I went with them. Nice way to get my feet wet.

LGood48 · Feb 27, 2018

Berry's 55 grain FMJ BT from Cabela's. $42 per 500
http://www.cabelas.com/product/shoo.../berrys-mfg-inc-gr-fmjbt/1838858.uts?slotId=0

Uncle Duke · Feb 27, 2018

erwos said:
These guys had a bunch of other stuff I needed (lube, in particular), so I went with them. Nice way to get my feet wet.

They're a good company IMO, with typically very competitive prices on a lot of products. Good Luck!

MG in MD · Feb 28, 2018

Either Midsouth or Midway, not sure which, has had Lake City pulled components in the past. I bought some for the exact same reason.

atblis · Mar 1, 2018

Hornady bulk are both good and cheap. Accurate for what they are too.

Jerry M · Mar 2, 2018

atblis said:
Hornady bulk are both good and cheap. Accurate for what they are too.

+1

Practicing with garbage (cheapest) ammo is not beneficial IMO. Ball ammo, especially 5.56 mm (.223R) is so cheap, I refuse to reload it. Only reload 5.56 with SP for prairie dogs or match for shooting paper, for 3-gun I us factory ball ammo.

Good luck

Jerry

Jerry M · Mar 2, 2018

Duplicate Sorry

Snav · Mar 4, 2018

Uncle Duke said:
Ammoseek........can help to glance with both components and loaded ammo.

https://ammoseek.com/reloading/bullets/.224-diameter/55grains-target

FWIW I used that site and when I checked for more info at the LAX Ammunition site it was blocked as a known Phishing site.

paxfish · Mar 5, 2018

Jerry M said:
+1

Practicing with garbage (cheapest) ammo is not beneficial IMO. Ball ammo, especially 5.56 mm (.223R) is so cheap, I refuse to reload it. Only reload 5.56 with SP for prairie dogs or match for shooting paper, for 3-gun I us factory ball ammo. Same for .308 Win except I don't shoot it in 3-gun.

Good luck

Jerry

. Concur. I had similar thoughts years ago, then ended up selling off 450 out of 500 of the “cheap” projectiles. My goal was accurate ammo, and the bullet is critical even at 100 yards!

Uncle Duke · Mar 5, 2018

Jerry M said:
+1

Practicing with garbage (cheapest) ammo is not beneficial IMO. Ball ammo, especially 5.56 mm (.223R) is so cheap, I refuse to reload it. Only reload 5.56 with SP for prairie dogs or match for shooting paper, for 3-gun I us factory ball ammo. Same for .308 Win except I don't shoot it in 3-gun.

Good luck

Jerry

paxfish said:
. Concur. I had similar thoughts years ago, then ended up selling off 450 out of 500 of the “cheap” projectiles. My goal was accurate ammo, and the bullet is critical even at 100 yards!

Indeed!

With .223 factory brass ammo selling recently at 24 cents a round, what's the point of reloading .223? There arguably isn't one, unless you can make ammunition that is more accurate, or is otherwise superior in some way for your own particular purposes than what you can buy.

erwos · Mar 5, 2018

Uncle Duke said:
Indeed!

With .223 factory brass ammo selling recently at 24 cents a round, what's the point of reloading .223? There arguably isn't one, unless you can make ammunition that is more accurate, or is otherwise superior in some way for your own particular purposes than what you can buy.

So, just to be clear, the point of this exercise isn't to bulk-load blaster .223/.308, it's to teach myself how to load rifle calibers without spending a bunch of money on expensive bullets I have no plans on using right now. The idea is that when I finally spend some money on a precision-style rifle, I'll be in a position to load good ammo for it.

Anyways, update: I got my bullet samplers from Midsouth and successfully loaded a dummy 223 round with one, which involved the trimming, prep, and lube steps that I was less familiar with. So, mission accomplished... I'll finish prepping my remaining .223 and .308 cases and get back to loading my subsonic 160gr 9x19 rounds.

Blacksmith101 · Mar 6, 2018

The least expensive bullets are the ones you make yourself assuming you don't value your time to highly.
http://www.corbins.com/kit-224.htm

Cheapest .224 and .308 FMJ bullets?

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