.223 reloading start up

[IDPA Mike]

I have been reloading 9mm, 40S&W, and soon .380 for my wife's new Christmas gun.
I am heading out to get an AR in the next week or 2.
What do I need for reloading for target?
I have a Hornady LNL Progressive press with the shell plate for the .380 that also does the .223.
Do I need a single stage also?
I have noticed the bullet heads vary from .223 to .224 Is there a difference with either.
Any pointers will help.
I also plan on getting an RCBS Trim Mate Case Prep Center 110 Volt, or similar.
Thanks, Mike

 

[Knob Creek]

IMHO Every reloader needs a single stage press.

 

[Fixxah]

I recently got a single stage RCBS and will size/de-prime on it. Have the LnL AP as well.

After trimming 4k cases on a Wilson trimmer, I will never do that again. Before you get the prep center, try a Giraud. Well worth the $

 

[richc]

I use these bullets:


HORNADY BP 22 CAL 55GR FMJBT W/C BULLETS

They can be bought in bulk at a very reasonable price. Several top shooters I know use them. I'm an amateur, but if it is good enough for them it is good enough for me.

Prepping brass is a PITA, but needs to be done. I'm a huge fan of the Giraud Case Trimmer. It just gets the job done quickly and efficiently.

Good luck!

Rich

 

[highlander]

You want to use .224 dia bullets. The .223 are for the older 22 Hornet rifles and 22 Rem Jet reveolvers IIRC You can load 223 on a LNL just get a case length gauge from Wilson or Dillon so you don't set the shoulders on your cases too far back.
i load on a Dillon 650 and ny reloads shoot very well.

 

[TY43215]

Before I buy a trimmer I will send brass out to be processed. At under $30 per 1000, it is worth it to me.

 

[Jasper]

Before I buy a trimmer I will send brass out to be processed. At under $30 per 1000, it is worth it to me.

where are you getting brass processed for <$30/k? cheapest (complete) processing (thats got a good reputation) was $45/k+return shipping....granted thats sized, swaged, trimmed, chamferred, deburred, and primer pockets cleaned...returned almost better than new.

I dislike Shnarch simple because they seem to over do reaming the primer pockets.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Before I buy a trimmer I will send brass out to be processed. At under $30 per 1000, it is worth it to me.

I tried a place and was dissatisfied with the results. I ended up buying a Giraud and after 50K+ rounds I haven't looked back.

 

[mac1911]

I reload .223 on a Hornady clasic ok if you have long spells in between range days and some time to kill. I would like to get a progressive in the future. I would retain my single stage as fixxah says "to deprime and resize" I also trimmed several k case with a manual trimmer (sucked) so something in the future there. If you will be reloading military crimped brass you need a primer pocket swager of some sort. Some reloaders cut out the primer crimps some swag them. I use the RCBS swager that fits the single stage press. Works fine for me and was not expensive. Full length dies are needed, I have the hornady new demensions dies and they work fine.
All in all you should have most of the needed accesories you would just need dies and needed case prep tools

 

[Gammon]

I use an RCBS power trimmer that trims, deburrs and chamfers all in one function. Best $180 I have ever spent.

 

[highscore]

Depends on what you consider "target". What distance are you going to shoot? It makes a big difference in both bullet weight and barrel twist, and yes, you can load on a good progressive which the Hornady is although mine is blue.

As stated before, .223 diameter bullets are not for the .223 Remington.

I tried a RCBS three way trimmer head and just do not like it. The chamfers were not cut evenly which is probably due to the pilot being a bit small. I'd rather it take longer and be happy with the way they look. Does it matter?

 

[Sprocket]

Jasper, et al - where do you get your brass processed? Even places to avoid would be helpful.

If you don't care to post up please PM

thx

 

[drgrant]

While we're on the subject, what is the lifespan of a good piece of .223 brass? How many loadings can you get out of them before they are unusable/unsafe?

-Mike

 

[01bmf]

4-5X is pretty normal. "Good" brass may get a couple more. Look for small cracks in the necks or loose primer pockets. As always, discard any that you don't get a warm and fuzzy about.

While we're on the subject, what is the lifespan of a good piece of .223 brass? How many loadings can you get out of them before they are unusable/unsafe?

-Mike

 

[scooter]

If you use lapua brass you will get many more reloads than 5. But much $$ for the stuff

 

[highscore]

I've gotten 10-12 reloadings on LC brass without any failures, even the primers didn't loosen up. I do check them over very well each time. And my kid wondered why I'd get pissed at him for not bringing them home after shooting a match!

While we're on the subject, what is the lifespan of a good piece of .223 brass? How many loadings can you get out of them before they are unusable/unsafe?

-Mike

 

[Jasper]

as of now, i'm processing my own brass. if i had to send it anywhere, i'd send it to Dick Whiting. (PM me for contact info). $45/k + return shipping, but it's absolutely pristine/perfect when it comes back. cleaned, deprimed, swaged, trimmed, chamferred, deburred, flash holes deburred and primer pockets cleaned (seperately, not just by tumbling). it's literally almost better than new. he'll cull out the rejects too, and send them back to you in a separate bag.

Avoid RVO. they used to be awesome. guy who ran it died a few years ago...his wife tried to keep it going, but it's a crapshoot. its not uncommon to not get your brass back for a couple of years.

i also avoid Shnarch.(sp?) IMO, they overdo the primer pocket reaming, and remove WAY too much material.


as per brass/reloads....i'm up to 5 or 6 loadings on some of my Winchester brass (rather *warm* loads too, was using win brass for my 600yd ammo), 3 or 4 on my Lake City processed brass (also quite warm...77gr sierra matchking going ~ 2800fps). i've had to cull a few here and there do to loose primer pockets, or split necks....but no signs of case head seperation yet.

i do have ~ 800 pieces of Lapua (200 are 1x fired now, 600 are still virgin). cant comment on number of loadings, but there is no finer brass out there for real precision work. cases are all within a couple of grains of each other, ive heard (havent done it) they're usually very consistent if you water weigh them...neck thickness is almost perfect, and primer pockets are PERFECT. every primer feels as though it seats exactly the same...every time. it IS pricey (last batch i bought was ~ $50/100pieces with shipping), but to me, it's worth it. im gunning for 20 rounds inside a 6" circle @ 600 yards. i'll eliminate every possible variable i can get.

plus, unlike new winchester brass. it needs NOTHING. with Winchester, i had to trim every brand new case (necks were horribly uneven). with the Lapua. i open the box, prime them, drop powder, and seat a bullet. that's it.


(so far, my results have been good. averaging 5-6k rounds of match ammo a year right now that i'm blasting through)

 

[bpm990d]

While we're on the subject, what is the lifespan of a good piece of .223 brass? How many loadings can you get out of them before they are unusable/unsafe?

-Mike

A lot depends on how much the brass is worked and the type of loads. You can toast any brass with a single excessive load.

A tight chamber will improve brass life because the brass is not stretching. Something like a NATO chamber is going to stretch the crap out of a case. The more stretching, the more work hardening and the more likely the case will fail. Also using regular dies will reduce the life of a case. They over size the necks, and then rely on an expander to size up the neck. Going to a collet or bushing die will greatly improve brass life. The same can be said of using something like a RCBS precision Mic. when you are setting up the die for the correct amount of sizing.

Also a semi auto will tend to reduce case life because in some of them the case is being extracted while it is still under pressure. A bolt gun does not have that problem.

B

 

[1903Collector]

plus, unlike new winchester brass. it needs NOTHING. with Winchester, i had to trim every brand new case (necks were horribly uneven). with the Lapua. i open the box, prime them, drop powder, and seat a bullet. that's it.

I bought five bags of new Winchester 308 brass at a good price, had all the same isuues you describe but I also had the run every case thru the expander ball because the mouths were so banged up. Hornandy and Nosler brass is better but your right about Lapua, perfect out of the box but expensive as hell at about 75-80 bucks/100. I have never tried Norma brass but I hear that it's excellent as well.