Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters On The Cheap-- 223 Small Game Loads

Calling Seafire, Rocky, and others.

I started running low on reloading projects a couple of weeks ago. I've got until about Mar 1 to fill before I can start getting down to the farm and chase turkeys. I've had all sorts of goofy projects come into my head, but one that percolated to the top was to finally get around to finding the cheapest alternative to 22 LR.

First off, I'm not knocking .22 LR. I've shot buckets of the stuff over the years. I have a slew of pistols and rifles. There are two problems with 22LR in my context. First, the ammo is the weak link in coming up with an accurate load. Second, the ammo is generally not reloadable. I don't mean to get into an argument with you on these two points. I'm just saying those were my reasons for excluding 22 LR.

9X19 mm seems to be the cheapest centerfire round out there, but nobody is making a 9mm bolt gun or a 9mm single shot. I have a 9mm carbine, and it does okay out to 75 yards, but it doesn't afford a good platform for accuracy.

As best as I can tell, 223 REM is the way to go for my project. I've got several rifles and 2 of them are bolt guns. I've got two sets of dies.

First off, as a platform for cheap plinking with a rifle, is there anything better?

My criteria:
1) Centerfire
2) Reloadable
3) Accuracy not limited by the cartridge design
4) Cheap and affordable components.


The only other candidates I can think of would be a 22 Hornet. A new rifle, new dies, etc. all put together, and I still have kind of a weak relative of the .223 REM. The other option might be Herr Regwell's 6X45, but I'd rather not get into a custom rifle, dies, etc. That sounds like an expensive way to shoot on the cheap.

Then it dawned on me that I had a pound of Bullseye laying about that I'd bought for a similar project, and I went back and found:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/13496394/1

I had originally thought about playing with light bullets, but the 55 grain FMJs are the cheapest to get. Even casting lead, 55 grain seems to be where it's at. Cool, I'm fine with that. I've got boxes of cheap military brass. .17 bullets are about 25% more expensive. So are sub-45 grain varmint 223s.

BTW: Jump in here if you know of a cheaper solution, given the criteria.

So, I'm going to finally play with "small game loads" in the .223 REM using pistol powder. My goal is to make holes in paper that are close to each other at 100 yards, and if a stray groundhog or starling wanders onto the field, I might take a poke at them. The only reason I'm picking 100 yards is I have a good solution for mounting targets at 100 yards, and 50 yards is kind of jenky.

My big question to y'all that I don't have an answer before is what load? I know I can start at 22 LR velocities and work up to 223 REM. However, what's going to be a good place to start when looking for an accuracy. I plan to work off primed brass and load at the bench, so I can start anywhere on the spectrum. Second, folks seem to use any sort of primer that would fit in a .223's pocket. What are your favorites?

Once I have a pet load developed, my next goal is to take my Hornady LNL AutoProgressive and run up a metric $hit-ton of the stuff and make this the official shamanic plinking load.

I have a cz527 in 223. Midwayusa has a 46 grain hollow point for 22 hornet.. Loaded with a moderate charge of RL7 or IMR 4198 shoot very small groups, quietly.

I’ve never owned a 22 magnum, but I’ve got a real itch to get one, but the practical side of me says download the 223 with IMR 4198 to bunny thumper velocity.
I’m familiar with the blue dot loads and have used them for years at 12 to 13 grains but my stash of blue dot is almost gone and I’ve got plenty of 4198.

.22 magnum.
Downloading .223 isnt worth the hassle IMHO.

Nothing wrong with your goal! In .223 I've used Unique and Red Dot for loads in the 1600-1700 range, with 55gr. cast bullets with squirrel-capable accuracy. Never tried that trick with jacketed bullets - no need to when you have a bunch of .22 caliber molds and a ton of lead - but I don't see why you couldn't.

Never tried Bullseye but would do so by lowering Red Dot data by a couple 1/10's of a grain as BE is ever so slightly faster burning than Red Dot. My Red Dot load was 5.0gr./55gr.cast, for around 1700fps. If all I had was Bullseye I would drop to something like 4.8-4.9 grains. Pressures shouldn't be too much different with jacketed, which is say low enough regardless so as not to be a concern. Just don't go too low speed with jacketed - risk of sticking one in a bore is real. Ask me how I know.

If .22 caliber catches your fancy for the role you describe, the .22 Hornet is the classic choice. 2.5 grains Bullseye and a 40-50 gr. cast bullet yields a load kind of like a HV .22LR. Up it a tad to 5gr. Unique or 6 gr. 2400 and you have a .22WRM. I'm sure similar results can be had with jacketed bullets, but why pay for bullets?

If you don't have a copy, get a Lyman manual. It lists reduced loads for everything, but does so with cast bullets not jacketed. Still, it's a valuable resource and powder charges can be extrapolated for jacketed stuff. The Lyman Cast Bullet Manual is even better in that regard.

All that said, for my money if I were building a purpose-built centerfire plinker, small game/close-up small varmint rifle I would do so with a rifle built around the .32 pistol cartridge, and buy a 100 grain bullet mold. Oh wait, I am doing that! (Ballard #2 action with a lined barrel, .32 S&W Long.) Lots of potential donors out there for doing something similar -break-open single shots, Martini's, etc., use your imagination. Not my first rodeo with a .32 plinker rifle - loaded with 1.5-2.0 grains Bullseye and have an accurate noiseless plinker squirrel load out of a long rifle barrel, ridiculously cheap to load. Up the game to 3gr. Unique for 900fps+ of smack out of a rifle, and get the attention of a critter out to 100 yards.

Seafire has done a LOT of that kind of thing - and I believe Digital Dan can help as well.

500 yard 22LR is available.

Yeah, sadly the Commonwealth of KY says I can't use centerfire on tree rats-- only rimfire. Otherwise I'd have explored this long ago.

Right now, I'm thinking this project in terms of hole-punching with the emphasis on thrift. There's bound to be other applications later on. I like the idea of taking a single-shot and relining it.

Q: In regards to sticking on in the barrel, I figure if I start out at the high end of 22 LR velocity and work up, I'll never get into the danger zone. N'est pas?

I thought of 7.62x39 and 300 blackout as well

Yes, and a chronograph is your friend when seeing how low you can go in this regard.

Shame about not being able to use it for squirrels. On the other hand it's illegal only if you get caught......

I thought of 7.62X39. If I had a 5 gallon bucket of 7.62X39 brass laying about, I'd prolly be thinking about it. For me, it'd be an extra expense, because I don't own the gun, or dies to do the job either. Bullets?

I just bought an extra batch of 500 223 FMJs for about 50 bucks-- $.10/round. The cheapest jacketed .311 plinker I'm seeing is $.27 a round and the cheapest .308 is about $.14-$.17.

My son found a .32 flinter last year that is giving me ideas as well. Probably the next time I increase my squirrel battery, it's going to be something like this.



Now THAT is budget plinking with a side of squirrel brains thrown in.

tag

Not to be a party pooper, but unless someone already has a stash of primers and powder, purchased during better times, the cost of those loads is going to be pretty close to .22 mag factory ammo, currently .$23-$.30 a pop if you shop around online. Figure primers at about $.09 once hazmat is figured in, softpoint jacketed at $.12-$.15 (FMJ may still be illegal in some places for hunting, and requires some care to avoid ricochets). Add the cost of even a smidgen of powder and a penny or two for each loading for the brass and you’re working for free, so to speak. An accurate .22 Mag can use ammo with bullets weighing from 20-something to 50gr, at velocities from about 1150 to 2200, if you count WRF, and some non-toxic stuff too.

I have an accurate .22 Hornet and have worked up some loads for special jobs like turkeys, but for niche performance, not economy. In the very unlikely event I ever get caught short on RF ammo in the future, I have data, courtesy of Mule Deer, and components, but I just don’t see that happening as I’ve prepared ahead. For carefree plinking when something with more oomph than .22LR is needed, I’m going with my .22 mag AR that cost me maybe $500 with transfer fee, shipping, and a couple magazines, optics separate. While I just got started, I have enough of the two ammo types I’m going with to see me through most market blips.

A lot of truth to this. With current prices I can think of be trying to load down when I can buy 2 factory loaded .22s for the price of 1 primer. Even the expensive stuff doesn’t make sense $$ wise when you look at components

Gnoahhh shared some good thoughts, maybe I can toss in another few.

Cast bullets are cheaper than jacketed. Fella can scrounge or buy pure lead cheap enough, and with a bit of luck these days find some good wheel weights. 7,000 grains to a pound, so a 45 grain cast bullet will give you about 150 bullets. Lead's going for $2-3/pound so we're talking about 2-3 cents per round.

Case volume is the conundrum with light loads, and small case capacity is your friend when it comes to making accurate ammo. An option to remedy conflicts is to use heavy bullets in some cases. Another option in this puzzle is to load lead round balls with light charges.

.30 Sneezer w/round balls (.310" sized to .309")



I also loaded 5 rounds with Lord Black and the roundballs. They shot better groups but were cooking along at 1440 fps avg. for 5 shots.


.30 Sneezer w/180 gr cast at 20 yards


Were I in pursuit of your objectives I'd put the 5.56/.223 on the back burner, and consider a single shot with a more amenable case size. You may note the powder charge in some of the targets. Lead is cheap, a very few grains of powder is also. If you're really feeling inspired you can recharge primers as well.

Yeah the primers are the wild card these days, but that's a factor that cuts evenly across the board no matter what you load. So even retail prices for primers plus a couple pennies for powder it's still only half of retail for .22 mags. I honestly don't know a soul who builds light centerfire loads with jacketed bullets, but I know quite a few who make and shoot cast ones. I really don't understand the fear/aversion/reluctance/laziness guys have about not wanting to cast and shoot their own bullets.

As far as lead cost goes , I honestly can't remember the last time I actually bought lead. Tin yes, but not lead. I categorically don't factor in lead costs when I make cast bullet ammo. (And yes, I also have a metric sh*t ton of jacketed stuff on my shelves, it's just that I shoot fewer of them with each passing year and some of them have a deep layer of dust on them.) Basically I refuse to be a slave to the bullet companies, when I can help it.

Yup. Round balls are the ultimate in cheap shooting. Don't even need a press or dies.

Not every shot one fires has to be a barn burner. You're no less of a macho he-man if you shoot reduced loads.

Blue dot..........Trail Boss

Seafire will tell ya

It’s always the money with you, ain’t it you old skinflint?😜

Anyway, shaman was the one that started with the jacketed slugs. For me, it’s time; I have too much other stuff I want to do to bother with trying to coax accurate bullets out of raw materials. I’ve noticed most of the guys who talk about how easy it is to scrounge free lead are already sitting on small mountains of the stuff. Besides, I’ll likely never shoot up all the bullets I already have (like you and your lead), jacketed and commercial cast. I admire the art of casting, especially Dan and his jewel-like beauties, but I’m on another path.

I like your idea about the .32, have thought about one often, just never found or had one built. I have just found an outfit that makes inserts for break action shotguns for a host of cartridges including the H&R, and might give one a try when the weather breaks and my new knee has settled in.