.223 Reloading Help

C

csocs_wolf

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Last time I reloaded was close to 20 years ago (showing my age). Couple quick questions I'm hoping someone might be able to help with.

Info: Hornady 2266 .22 CAL 55 GR SP W/C
Received free from a Die Set rebate, or I'd have picked something else.

Powder: I have AR-Comp, PP Varmint, & RL-10X. All 3 listed in Hornady book. Anyone have suggestion for best choice, given projectile? Any personal experience?

Primers: I have CCI #41's to use in all my old M193 and M855 brass. As Hornady book specifies Rem 7 1/2 for it's numbers, and I know 41's burn hotter, suggestions on reducing starting load - or should I be OK at the bottom?

Pressures: How do I know when pressure's are getting close to max as I'm stepping up charges? I would hate to ruin a good gun (or my face).

Thank you.
 
If you can do it. I would advise getting a can of H335 to load up 55 grain bullets. For that weight it is the cat's meow. I would also advise skip the crimp. In an AR it is not needed. Nor is it needed in a bolt action. All of the times I tried crimping bottle neck round other than .30-30 Win. it has given me no gains in anything, and seemed to make rounds less accurate.
 
Cases will last longer if you don't crimp. I wouldn't bother unless you can show it improves your group size.

H335 was developed in the 1960's as WC846. Hodgdon tells me the formulation is unchanged since then. Its ignition consistency will benefit from the higher energy and starting pressure the #41 primer's magnum mixture provides as compared to a standard primer. However, it is a hotter primer than the Federal 205M used by Alliant for their loads. The 205 and 205M are about the mildest domestic SR standard primers you can get.

I've seen experiments to suggest that you should knock a charge down about 5% when changing primer types to allow for the difference. If you read the downloadable version of the Alliant manual, you will be aware Alliant "recipes" are maximum loads intended to be reduced -10% to provide a starting point for load workup. You can make that -15% with the primer change if you want to be extra safe, and then work up, but most of the time the 10% reduction will cover you.

Also available are the Federal GM205MAR primers, which are the mild 205M priming mix and quantity, but which meet military ignition sensitivity specs as the #41 does.

I think you will find the AR-Comp, which has the highest velocity may actually like the #41 better when you've worked the load up. Just keep in mind the fasted velocity powders are the slowest burning, don't like to be run too low in pressure or they burn dirtier, less completely, and produce more muzzle velocity variation. Depending on your rifle, it may actually shoot better with something like 10X, but it won't as much velocity at maximum peak pressure as AR-Comp does. PP-Varmint will be in between and is close to H355 in its top velocity range.
 
I look at the book and select the lowest pressure with the best velocity. Best of both world's in my opinion. Then do a work up similar to this. Of course you would need a chronograph for this method. You must also be pretty secure with your reloading skills. Enjoy.

Bill
 
Looking at Hornady, it shows H335 (#80 in their list) powder burn rate just in-between RL-10x (#72 - bit faster) and AR-Comp (#88 - just slower), with Varmint (#145) being much much slower burning.

Will probably load up some steps on the 2 closest to H335 and see how it performs. Using the CCI #41's and mil brass, I'll be sure to start at least 10% low.

I'll also get some H335 down the road, just no reason to spend the $$$ now when I have the others on my bench and these free bullets are going through paper (to polish my rusty reloading skills).
 
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Good call on using what you have. All of those powders you have, will have a certain combo that will likely shoot fantastic.

Love the ones your with.

On another note. One thing that you do not have is a chronograph. These are very good secondary indications.

I get 3,040 fps out of a 16 barrel shooting Factory NATO XM193 around sea level and 55-60 degrees.

I always figure my reloads will be much less than that.

Don't forget to swage your primer pockets.

Dillon and RCBS both make real nice tools for that.

The Lyman case prep machine has one that works on grinding instead of swaging.

There are about 20 powders that shoot fantastically.

Ball powders tend to work best around mid - max case fill. This depends on the type and if you are shooting light bullets or very heavy ones.

Extruded types are more stable in different chamber & outside air temperatures. Extruded types can be little easier to get shooting pretty good.

It has been thought that ball powders can deliver the most extreme velocities and be a little kinder to your barrel throat. At the cost of smaller accuracy windows.

Who knows right??

Your 5.56 chamber will give you a very nice safety cushion on those max loads.

You can start at the bottom or in the middle of the range really.

I usually start in the middle with ball powders. Reason is they normally shoot better real close to that mid - max region. YMMV

Measure your bullets and find the shortest one. (normally not FMJ's)

Set your die up to match X manufactures recommended COAL using "the short bullet". (so long as the crimp rings line up with FMJ's) Then seat the rest without changing that die setting. If you set your die up for the longest couple on accident you end up shoving the short ones way down in there. Sometimes .15-.20 under the manufactures recommended COAL. This is normally not the case with FMJ's

For long bullets it is the opposite. Find your longest bullet, set up your die to ensure that combo fits in the mag. Then seat all the others.

HP's can and will have .15-20 difference.

Here is a fella who has a lot of good videos you can watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5tkDJSiBWI&list=PLTTrjvDib94mGnOlwzzwOPCreXUiGp1dH&index=21
 
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Concur with m&p45acp10+1 on the crimp. I use to crimp everything in hopes of less oxygen entry, longer shelf life, more durable in the pocket of my hunting jacket,...

I quite crimping and noticed an immediate "tightening up" of my MOA. My Howa .243 bull-barrel varmiter shoots < 1/8" groups @ 100 yards with 95 grain Sierra TMK's and 41.6 grains of IMR 4350.
 
That is not a bad bullet. Not great, but certainly shootable. Probably will end up grouping 1.5" - 2.0" for 5 shots@100 yds.


I think I would start with AR-Comp due to the name, but maybe the others are better. I look for a powder that delivers high pressure and high velocity. Higher pressures result in better bolt seating and better powder burn.

Load your #41's. They are a nice hard cup primer.

Now, this is where my advice will vary from the rest. Load them mag length. Sort them by headstamp and weight, if you want accuracy under 1" at 100 yds.....otherwise load and shoot. It will be darn near impossible to shoot under 1" without reloading effort and possibly rifle changes. Accept that.

Lee factory crimp die works well on AR ammo. I would pull from truely accurate ammo, but it is advantageous for plinking/working ammo. If your ammo lives in plastic boxes, maybe this is overkill.
 
So, I have never reloaded military 5.56 brass, have a TON of it.

What's the deal with getting the primer out??

Tools, special considerations?
 
Arbrn Rngr said:
So, I have never reloaded military 5.56 brass, have a TON of it.

What's the deal with getting the primer out??

Tools, special considerations?
Click to expand...
The deal isn't getting the primer out. The crimped primer just requires a bit more force when depriming. The challenge is seating the new primer, if the case primer pockets was crimped. The primer pockets need to be either swaged or reamed to remove the crimped in order to seat a new primer. RCBS and Dillon offer tools to swage the pockets, others offer tools to ream the crimp. The only bright side of crimp removal is that you only have to do it once.
 
I use a Hornady primer pocket reamer in a older low power cordless drill. I got a pile of the 5.56 LC years ago and I will do 300 round batches. They all have the annealing stain so I just resize/deprime, ream the primer pocket, and trim. I reuse them about 4 reload cycles. Then they get the annealing, sizing, and trim for another 4 cycles.
 
What's the deal with getting the primer out??
Click to expand...

I would get the Lee Universal Decapping die. Otherwise be prepared for broke pins!

Then you will want to swage the primer pockets. Then, imo, you may need to debur like 1:50 because of a burr formed swaging sometimes. It is a super thin burr raised sometimes as the swage tool does its work.
 
I do. It has worked quite well for me, even with mixed brass....the only issue is that occasionally, it raises a small burr on the head of the case that a slight hit with deburring tool fixes.
 
Like others here, H335 works well. I use it for 55gr Hornady SP and 65gr Sierra game kings. I also use the cci 41 primer with Lake city brass.
 
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