Reloading .223 for Beginner

[kbm6893]

I’ve been loading handgun ammo for 7 years and have loaded and fired many thousands of rounds with no issues. I think I’m ready to dive into rifle. I’ve been saving .223 brass for years.

I like the Lee 4 die sets since I crimp separately. The one I see on Amazon is a 4 die set in a silver box. The dies are slightly different. There’s a full length sizing die, a collet neck sizing die (in place of an expanding die for pistols?), an easy adjust bullet seating die, and a factory crimp die.

I know I have to trim my brass. I use Hornady lock and load bushings would once they’re set I don’t have to touch them. I set up all my other pistol dies by following the video instructions on the Lee website.

So after properly trimming, will my method be the way to go? Is it really all that different than handgun loading? I’m just looking to punch paper. Thanks.

 

[Pisgah]

The one thing I can think of that you might encounter is based on the assumption you will be loading for a semiauto. If so, and if you are using brass from a variety of sources, you may find you'll need a small-base sizing die. They size the base of the case just a bit smaller to slip easily in to any chamber. It's something that, along with case length, may need adjustment for uniformity's sake.

 

[BC38]

I'm just about to get started loading .223/5.56 myself.

First thing I learned is you want to resize THEN trim. You may already know that but based on your post I figure it can't hurt to mention it.

From what everyone is telling me the neck sizing die is only useful if you are loading for bolt guns. For semi-autos you need to do full-length resizing.

Just resizing the necks has a high risk of creating jams in semi-autos. So if like me you are just reloading for an AR the 3 die set with the full length sizer and the FCD may be what you want. If only loading for bolt guns the 4 die set may be what you want. You use the full length sizer on any once fired or range brass you pick up, and you use the neck sizer on brass that has already been fired (fire formed) in your gun.

For resizing you need to LIGHTLY lube the cases and remove the lube afterwards.

In place of the neck-expanding/powder drop die you use for pistol cartridges you need to get a Lee Rifle Charging Die (#90194)

Those are the things I have picked up so far and I'm sure others will have some more tips & tricks to share.

 

[Peak53]

You will need only the full length sizing die (FL) or the collet neck sizing die depending on the caliber and rifle. The best possible accuracy in a bolt gun can be obtained using the neck sizing die only, since the brass expands to an exact (fire formed) fit for that chamber. If you are shooting .223 in a semi-auto, you will probably want to full length size every case to facilitate fool proof feeding and chambering. This takes a little more effort and lubrication. Lever guns also generally require FL sizing. You will need to experiment to see if your brass in your gun needs to be trimmed after every firing. If it don't feed, you need more sizing and more trimming. Happy shooting.

 

[6string]

Make sure you understand the fundamentals of bottleneck cartridge reloading, especially headspacing and outside neck diameter vs. chamber dimensions.
These two things can cause dangerous problems outside of the usual issues of bullet weight, powder charge, etc.
Especially important if reloading with mixed, once fired brass.

Enjoy!
Jim

 

[kbm6893]

I’ll be loading for an AR.

 

[rockquarry]

I’ll be loading for an AR.

Then be sure and get a case gauge. Brownells has several. I use a JP Enterprises gauge, but there are others. Cheap insurance to make sure your ammo will chamber with 100% reliability.

 

[kbm6893]

Seems to be quite a bit more involved than pistol loading.

 

[SMSgt]

I've always reloaded for my .223 rifle and AR using standard RCBS .223 dies and have never found a need for small-base dies.

You're better off learning by full-length sizing for reliability, but once you're up and running, you can pick up a Hornady headspace comparator and adjust your die so the resized case headspace is .004-.005" less than a fired case and the gun should run fine as well as extend the case life.

Resize & deprime; trim & chamfer (if needed); reprime; add powder; seat bullet. I don't crimp .223 rounds and have not had any issues with function. Crimp if you prefer though.

I don't feel rifle loading is any more difficult than handgun loading, just different. It only takes two dies after all. Have to lube most rifle cases, a task I dislike under the best of circumstances. But one can make reloading as easy or as difficult as one may want, depending on what one is trying to achieve.

 

[kbm6893]

I've always reloaded for my .223 rifle and AR using standard RCBS .223 dies and have never found a need for small-base dies.

You're better off learning by full-length sizing for reliability, but once you're up and running, you can pick up a Hornady headspace comparator and adjust your die so the resized case headspace is .004-.005" less than a fired case and the gun should run fine as well as extend the case life.

Resize & deprime; trim & chamfer (if needed); reprime; add powder; seat bullet. I don't crimp .223 rounds and have not had any issues with function. Crimp if you prefer though.

I don't feel rifle loading is any more difficult than handgun loading, just different. It only takes two dies after all. Have to lube most rifle cases, a task I dislike under the best of circumstances. But one can make reloading as easy or as difficult as one may want, depending on what one is trying to achieve.

Don’t I have to expand the case mouth before seating the bullet?

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Don’t I have to expand the case mouth before seating the bullet?

Not with jacketed bullets. It is especially easy with boat tail bullets. If you use some type of powder through die, it just touches the neck and case mouth to avoid powder leaks.

Ivan

 

[Twoboxer]

Don’t I have to expand the case mouth before seating the bullet?

After resizing and trimming, you will probably need to deburr the outside of the neck to remove burrs. But you will DEFINITELY want to chamfer the inside of the neck to remove burrs and to provide the bullet a start for seating. This is why you don't need to expand the neck.

The above posts give a pretty good list of the differences - might be a good idea to take each point made and make a list. To that list I'd add:

Mixed brass is usually not a noticeable issue when reloading pistol cases. But rifle brass from different manufacturers or batches will have different internal volumes causing the same powder charge to generate different muzzle velocities. The longer the target range, the more noticeable the change in POI will be.

Whether you will want to worry about that or not depends on your goals. Many folks shooting AR's are happy with (eg) 1.5" at 100yds with the occasional flier when that same rifle may have produced 1" groups with consistent cases.

 

[BC38]

LOL, just speaking for myself, but I'm quite happy with 1.5" groups at 100yds. Thrilled even.

 

[austintexas]

I use spray lube, much simpler than roll on type, for blasting I use a ball type powder, it meters better.
Austintexas

 

[rwsmith]

It's a different world......

Make sure you understand the fundamentals of bottleneck cartridge reloading, especially headspacing and outside neck diameter vs. chamber dimensions.
These two things can cause dangerous problems outside of the usual issues of bullet weight, powder charge, etc.
Especially important if reloading with mixed, once fired brass.

Enjoy!
Jim

I second that. Bottleneck cartridges have more parameters that need attention in reloading. Don't just jump from straight cases to bottleneck without reading up on them thoroughly.

 

[kbm6893]

Ok. You’ve all been a big help. I’m OCD about things in general but reloading especially. I know to chamfer and deburr the cases. I know to size them before trimming.

So I need a three die set. Resizing, bullet seat, and crimp die. Why do I need the Lee rifle charging die?

Lots of videos to watch and reading to do before I do this.

 

[rosewood]

Ok. You’ve all been a big help. I’m OCD about things in general but reloading especially. I know to chamfer and deburr the cases. I know to size them before trimming.

So I need a three die set. Resizing, bullet seat, and crimp die. Why do I need the Lee rifle charging die?

Lots of videos to watch and reading to do before I do this.

It depends on the press you are using and how you plan on adding the powder. The rifle charging dies is for adding the powder on the press when using a Lee powder dispenser or a manual funnel. If you use a Dillon like I do, you would use the Dillon powder dispenser setup and the appropriate powder funnel for the .223.

You may want to order the 4 die set with the neck sizer die in case you ever load for .223 bolt guns or the like. You may or may not use it, but it cheaper if you buy it with the Deluxe set instead of buying it individually later.

For lubing .223/5.56 brass, I use the Hornady One Shot Lube. I put the brass in a gallon zip lock bag, put in several pieces of brass and spray some One Shot in the bag. I close the bag and massage the brass inside the bag to thoroughly cover it with the lube. Works great and supposedly you don't have to clean off the One Shot. I run my through the tumbler again anyway to clean off lube (OCD like you). This is way faster and better than spraying them on a rag and rolling them around individually.

Rosewood

 

[Mike0251]

• Decap cases (throw out any deformed ones during this operation)
• Clean cases (I wet tumble)
• Swage primer pockets in case of military brass in the mix (I use a Dillon super swage 600)
• Deburr flash holes and or brush primer pockets (optional)
• Lube and resize cases (I only resize at this time on a single stage press, full length)
• Trim cases (I use Giruad Tri-way trimmer, trims and chamfers)
• Clean cases in IPA to remove lube (easiest and fastest to dry since you already cleaned above)
• Load cases (I use a Dillon 550 with the exception that station 1 has a Lee decap head only as I have already resized. This makes sure I never missed a primer during decap. And then of course it seats the primer. Dillon dies at stations 2, 3, and 4)
• I run batches of 200 at a time through each process before moving to the next step. It’s involved but well worth it.

 

[federali]

Inspect Brass

If after full length resizing you notice flat spots on the shoulder of the casing, you're using too much lube and your FL die needs to be disassembled and cleaned of excess lube. After lubing, I often wipe the outside of the neck to prevent lube build-up.

I also lube the inside of the neck with special brushes for the purpose. This reduces case stretching as the sized casing is pulled back over the expander plug and the amount of trimming that needs to be done.

 

[rosewood]

Don’t I have to expand the case mouth before seating the bullet?

Some flat based bullets are hard to seat. Lee makes a universal neck expander die that you can use to put a slight bell on the mouth. Seems like they are like $12 or so. It works on most all cartridge sizes and has 2 different inserts to cover the spectrum. If using a progressive press and you have prepped the brass like everyone said, you can put it in the sizing die hole on your press in lieu of the sizing die.

I too do all of my resizing and brass prep on a single stage for bottle necked cartridges. When I start loading a rifle cartridge, the brass is ready to go and I leave the first hole in my Dillon 550B open, unless using the neck expander. I have a cheap Lee Challenger press I use for my resizing.

Rosewood