GFA, don't get discouraged. FWIW, I think the .223/5.56mm is kind of tricky to load for, particularly if it's your first cartridge right out of the box. My first rifle reloads (.30-30) were completely unshootable and went into the trash. Mix in the AR platform for further difficulty.
After I junked my first set of rifle reloads, I actually just took 10 cases and, without powder, fooled around with my dies and such, figuring out what worked and what didn't, and how to properly set up my dies. Without the danger of a 'loaded' cartridge, I was able to see what I needed to do... and my next try produced ammos I could actually shoot.
