Cost of PRACTICE would be the issue.
“Cost of PRACTICE would be the issue.”
Not sure I follow. Either you can shoot a rifle or you can’t. Use the cheapest .223 you can find if you need practice. It should not take many rounds to get a hunting round dialed in. Write down what scope adjustments you need to make for different rounds. I doubt very much that you would ever recoup the cost of the rifle based on ammo usage unless you are in prairie dog country or you live next door to a large kennel.
I never practice with any of my rifles. I shoot a couple of rounds at paper to make sure they are still dialed in once a year or if I miss what I think I should have hit. Handguns are different story.