tip= learn to reload. Range brass is often free.
I will second this for almost anything but 223. For reloading rifle brass (especially MIL brass) you have the following steps: lubing case, resizing/depriming case, trimming brass to length, chamfering brass, deburring brass, swaging and cleaning primer pockets, priming, charging and seating a bullet. Buying bulk and loading on a Dillon 550, I can get the cost of 55g FMJBT ammo down to $3.90 a box, which is a lot of work for a little return. I load for 20 calibers and cast my own bullets out of scrap wheel weight, and many loads really benefit from that. I can make a 100 round box of 45acp for less than $4; including lube, powder, primers and electricity. About the same cost for 45LC and 44mag, and I can make some sweet cast 30-06 plinking loads for $0.90 a box of 20. My hunting loads are about $.30 a round for Nosler tipped premium ammo. So reloading does save a bundle, but 223 is not really a cost saver, espcially if you factor in all of the work involved. I loaded up 2k rounds before coming to Pcola, and it was a labor intensive nightmare. I can cast 1k bullets in a sitting, and load 1k bullets on my Dillon in a sitting. The prepwork for MIL rifle brass is the kink in the hose; that, and you can't really shoot cast bullets in 223.