I don't see that .223 brass is really any more work and once you've got them trimmed and sized they are just as easy to reload. Watching a few friends working with .221 brass I would say that it is much harder to deal with and you still have to trim and size. There seems to be a lot of split necks though some guys seem to have it down to a smaller percentage. The purchase price for the .221 brass is a lot higher as well and a much longer wait since everyone has been out for a while. I guess in the end you have to choose for yourself and sometimes its simpler to pay more for whats available than to try and save by doing it yourself. I guess I prefer the .223 route and I get to shoot a lot more for less. Bullets are still a major cost though and they are the same whatever way you go...>