Been reloading handgun practice/target ammo a long time but never considered reloading rifle brass until recently... so I'd appreciate all the guidance you guys are willing to offer. I'm reloading for a Bushmaster carbine just for 50-100 yard fun.

I'm looking at these two Lee die sets. One description mentions being able to "produce ammunition that is fire-formed to the chamber of one rifle." How exactly does that work?

Lee Deluxe 3-Die Set 223 Remington - MidwayUSA

Lee Pacesetter 3-Die Set 223 Remington - MidwayUSA

I imagine the "fire-formed" part refers to the neck sizing die of the first set. That is to be ignored, since you will want to full length size everything for any semiauto. I'd go with the second set, though I don't see a real need for their factory crimp die either. I have used their cheapo two die set with complete satisfaction. I don't think I have ever crimped anything that I ever loaded for this cartridge.

Dave Sinko

FWIW, My two bushmasters would not cycle ammo made on std spec .223 dies ( including the lee set I had). It required the use of "small base" dies. This is not uncommon with AR's I'm told. I'd research further before spending your $.

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Dave

I have been reloading .223 for about 3 years now. I agree with the previous posters regarding small base circle dies to correctly size cases for AR style rifles. It's been my experience that reloading for rifles requires more care and attention than for straight wall pistol cases. I have found that I need to trim brass to correct length after about the third firing. Cases must be lubed for resizing (lubing the inside of the neck as well reduces effort and reduces neck stretch). You will need a chamfering tool to chamfer the inside and outside of neck after trimming to allow the bullets to seat without buckling the case mouth. If you don't have one already, a micrometer caliper is invaluable for checking overall length of cases and loaded cartridges. On an AR rifle, overall case length is limted by the dimensions of the magazine. If you wil be reloading mil-spec brass cases you will need a primer pocket reamer to remove the crimp around the primer pocket. Some powders that have worked well for me are: Varget, W-748, H-335. My favorite bullets are hornady V-max in 50 or 55 grain weights. Check out www.6mmbr.com for more detailed info on the .223. One bonus- many .223 shooters don't reload their brass. I usually come home from the range with lots of once fired cases from the guys shooting next to me

While I have absolutely no experience with Lee dies, I have loaded plenty of .223/5.56, .308/7.62 and .30-06 for semiautomatic rifles using standard RCBS reloading dies. I have never found small base dies needed. The rifles have been Colt (.223/5.56), G.I Springfield Armory and H&R Garands, about a dozen brands and models of .308/7.62, mostly FAL variants but also H&K and CETME rifles, and M-14 clones using GI barrels. Standard, full length resizing has always been adequate.

A case measuring gauge is very, very highly recommended when handloading for semiautomatic rifles.

Generally, neck-sizing-only is not suited for rifles other than bolt action and falling block single shots where the brass being used will be fired only in the same rifle that fired the brass previously. Manual action rifles like bolt actions and Runger single shots have a lot more camming power to chamber and then extract the loaded cartridges and then the fired cases. Semiautos, not so much...

Don't buy Lee .223 dies -- it ain't worth the aggravation. I found out the hard way about saving money with Lee dies.

My two Bushmasters run great on brass fired in them and full-length resized with standard RCBS dies. Now all those hundreds of pieces of range brass (not Wolf steel lacquered cases) that you get for free need to be resized with a small base sizer die. It can be down-right entertaining getting a loaded round out of an AR that is stuck in the chamber and out of battery. How far do I drive the bullet into the case before the case comes out of the chamber?

A dial caliper and trimming tool are needed to properly care for your Bushmaster. For 50 to 100 yard shooting fun, I would suggest 50 gr hollow points (cheap and bulk buys) with Accurate Arms 2230 loaded to the starting charge + 1 grain. For 50 yards, you don't need 3,400 fps bullets. Lighter loads are easier on the rifle, brass, and check book.

I take lubed & loaded ammo right from my Dillon 550 and run it thru a vibratory tumbler that has media + 2 tablespoons of mineral spirits. In 20 minutes you have clean unlubed ammo. I know there are different opinions on tumbling loaded ammo. I've done it for 25 years without a problem. It is the same as opinions on cleaning primer pockets.

Happy shooting an enjoy that Bushmaster!!

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S&WHF 366

In my opinion , Lee dies are junk. My preferences for single stage presses are 1. Redding 2. RCBS 3. Hornady

I do use Dillon dies in my RL 550B. Don't see why they can't be used in a single stage press.

I have Dillon Carbide dies in .223. I use them in a single stage press right now. The Dillon .223 dies are small base dies. They produce top notch ammo.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.

I'm guessing there is a downside to using the small base die on brass fired from my rifle? Does it significantly shorten the life of the brass or require more case trimming? I've collected a couple thousand pieces of .223 brass but have not kept them separate from the stuff I was shooting so I'll have to use the small base on all of them the first time. After that, would I be better off going with the standard or just keep using the small?

Lee dies are not junk. I have great success with them in all calibers. I get dime sized groups at 100 yards with a 223 bolt action with Lee dies. But I do know that some ARs prefer the small base dies. I have used the RCBS small base die without any problems. Lee does not make a small base die. Check with RCBS. I think if you buy a set of regular 223 dies and find that you need the small base they will exchange it for free.

I concur with BillyWayne. Lee dies are inexpensive but none of the many sets I own are junk. In fact I prefer the innovative Lee design features-easier adjustment, powder charging through a die, BETTER neck expanders. I have dies from RCBS, C&H, Redding, Lyman, Hornady/Pacific and Lee. All are good. Some of the other brands are "better machined" (at least fine examples of more complex machining operations) and have more corrosion resistant steel or plating but all of my Lee dies do what they are supposed to do very very well.

I have not used Lee dies for .223, but I agree with Treeman's comments. I get great results with my Lee dies, too. I do see that my Redding dies are a 'step up' in terms of machining/finish 'quality,' but I have not seen any disadvantages using the Lee dies. I also agree with the comments on the Lee 'powder thru expander' dies, they give great results.

I actually use my Lee powder measures, with PTX die, instead of my high quality Hornady powder measure for some of the calibers I reload, because the Lee setup is the best solution I've found for combining neck expansion and powder drop in one step. I like to use the RCBS 'Lock Out Die' in one of my four stations (I use a Hornady LnL progressive), so combining expansion/powder drop is necessary for me...

Good luck with your .223 reloads!

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NRA Life Member