So I bought a new Dillon rl550

What caliber are you reloading?

i did 9mm today. I'll also reload .45, .38, and 6.8.

Nice piece of equipment you bought there bvd!!!

You should load 5-10 rounds per powder charge, starting with lowest recommended of course. Bring your chrony to the range and get aveverage velocity per each loading. Find the loading that functions and is the most accurate in your firearm then go back to the bench and load those.

Do not load hundreds of rounds without testing your loads first.

Eta: keep a log book with all load data...including velocity, oal, primer, powder, velocity, barrel length used to test, etc. This is a great reference over load books.

I use a 550 and normally can load about 400rds an hour. Typically I pull a round every 75 or so to test powder charge, oal. I have never had an issue but I like to be cautious.

I got mine for a little less than that at Graf and son's

LINK

I love mine. I have a 550, 650 and a Square Deal B.
I Reload 9MM,.38,.40,45acp,.38 Super,.223,.308,7MM-08,7MM mag,30-06,444,.300 blackout,

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Do the .223 make economical sense to reload? I only ask because I have a bunch of brass and my FIL brought me dies to reload them. I just didn't know if it would make sense to do it. I guessing it does if you can get the bullets at a good price.

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Depends on how much brass you have, if you already have the equipment, and what your shooting habits are. Dont forget you can work up a load and be more accurate than most match ammo.

I find it passes it the time. I dont load a ton of 223, just when I get bored.

For powders, I use Varget or 8208XBR if you can find either.

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Do the .223 make economical sense to reload?

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I can load .223 at a slightly lower price than steel-cased ammo. I think the lowest I've been able to go is 23 cents per round. This is also with free brass I've picked up over time.

If you plan to load them in bulk, it will take a while to make your money back from savings if you compare your brass ammo to steel ammo.

Lucky Gunner did a test that showed how much quicker steel-cased ammo with bi-metal jackets deteriorates the inside of a barrel. But, the cost savings of using steel ammo over brass ammo can be used to buy a new barrel. It's also worth mentioning that they fired 10k rounds of Federal 5.56 through a Bushmaster AR with 0 failures. That just shows how well the AR works with brass ammo.

So to sum up, loading 223 is a pain and can be time consuming. But with the right equipment ($$$) it can be done well and you won't be dependent on stores for 5.56 ammo. But make sure you buy EVERYTHING in bulk if you do - powder, primers, bullets, cases (if you buy them).

I can pick up thousands of cases at the range I shoot at up here. The last few weeks spending 30 minutes I picked up probably 300 .45 and 300-400 9mm.

If I shot a .40 I could get enough for the rest of my life. It's everywhere there.