Just starting rifle reloading

B

BuckeyeWally

Inactive
Hey everyone,

I've been reloading pistol rounds for 4-5 years and have that end of the universe down well. I am now undertaking reloading .223. I have learned a lot on this forum. I have learned that a lot of people have a lot of differing techniques. I am a bit nervous on the case prep. I have the Lee Classic Turret and love it. My dies are carbide and the auto powder loader has been working very nicely for handgun - checking throughout a loading session with the RCBS 10-10 scale. I just purchased the RCBS Prep Station for my new load adventure. I have CCI small rifle primers, a tin of Reading Reloading sizing wax, an 8lb container of Varget that I snatched up in a local store about a year ago and 500 VMax 55 gr.

Now I have to figure out what I do with all this stuff. Can anyone give me a "step 1, step 2..." so I can have the sames success with my AR rounds that I've found with my handgun rounds (9mm, 38/357, 45)? I just need advice as it's obviously a more involved process regarding the case. I'll be loading both new and once-fired rounds and I have a Franklin scrubber to clean the brass.

Any input would be most appreciated.

Play Safe Gang,

Mike
 
223 loading

lube,size,check length,trim if necessary, chamfer,deburr,remove primer crimp if necessary
Prime,charge case,seat bullet

im still learning as well.
Others will be along shortly with their experience, and I'll learn along with you.
 
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First, the good news. You can't put enough Varget behind a 55 gr 223 bullet to hurt yourself.

With fired cases:

- following die instructions, size the case. Use case lube, but keep it off the shoulder.
- clean the primer pocket (some skip this step)
- trim the case to suggested length (suggested by reloading manuals)
- de burr and chamfer the case mouth
- prime the case
- throw the powder charge, weigh it, trickle as required
- with funnel, put powder in the case
- seat bullet to factory spec (Cartridge Overall Length)

This is the basic approach. As your skill level progresses, case sizing and cartridge COAL can be varied to fit your rifle.
 
What 603 said above is absolutely correct. However if you are worried about screwing up case prep on .223, you can relax. With many .223 cases I don't even need to trim (thus skipping trimming , chamferring, and deburring) and I certainly don't bother cleaning primer pockets.

Fixing crimped primer pockets add an extra time-consuing step to any .223 brass prep, though. There's plenty of reading material out there on that subject.
 
Good information above.
I would like to add a couple points, though.
1) Buy a case gauge by Wilson, Forester, Sinclair, etc. for your caliber. (They are made caliber specific.) Or buy the RCBS Precision Mic, which is my preference, because it does so much more than a case gauge.

2) Pay close attention to how the resized case fits your rifle's chamber. I am assuming (we all know about what "assume" does) you are loading for an AR. If so, it is very possible you may have chambering issues with resized brass. If this happens, buy a Small Base Full Length Resizing Die. Nearly all die makers produce them.
What has likely happened in this instance is that the chamber of your rifle was finish-cut with a worn finishing reamer or the reamer was made on the minimal side of the SAAMI spec. Semi-autos, lever actions and side/pump action rifles do not have the mechanical advantage a bolt action type does. When a cartridge is fired, the brass expands to fit the chamber walls and contracts slightly back towards its original dimensions. If your chamber is already near the SAAMI minimum spec, the resizing die may not be able to squash it small enough to provide a less than snug fit in the undersized chamber. (This all has to do with machining tolerances and such.) I have had both a semi auto in 6mm Remington and a slide action in .30-06 that required use of a small base die to function reliably.

I hope this helps.

BP
 
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There are a whole lot of advanced theories and techniques you may wish to try at some point, like Beepy and some others suggest.

I suggest to keep it simple to start. Follow your loading manual instructions. Set up your dies the way the manufacturer recommends. Trim each case to the proper length. Follow their cartridge overall length instructions. Inspect each case for incipient head separation. Load this way until you feel confident in the principles involved, that you fully understand what you are doing before interjecting these other variables into your procedure.

When you start to make modifications to the book procedure, do so one variable at a time to see how, if at all, that modification affects your finished product. Take good notes, so you can refer to them as you progress.

Reason your way through suggested variables and test the results of what you have done. This part of the hobby can become aggravating as you work your way through it. Speaking for myself, once it becomes aggravating to experiment, I return to the instructions provided in the manual to return the joy and fun of shooting.
 
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Ahh, the world of rifle reloading. Case prep is different for rifle than it is for pistol. You will need to prep your cases in batches (clean, re-size and trim) prior to using your Lee Classic Turret press. I do all my cases using the press as a single stage press with the indexing rod out, then process them on the turret. Depending on the powder measure you have, you may need to get a double disk set to load rifle cases as well as the Universal Powder Through die to load those 223 cases. Otherwise the process is basically the same.

Good luck and stay safe.
Jim

How I do 223.
 
Like Beepy said, I highly recommend a case gauge. It is very helpful in setting up the sizing die so you set the shoulder back enough to chamber but not too much to over work your brass. We are talking loading for a semi-auto AR here. If it were a bolt action, more precise methods can be used. Screw the sizing die in a little less than the instructions say, size a case, check it with the gauge. If it doesn't fit flush, turn the die down just a little, repeat till the case head is flush, or in the case of the Wilson gauge, between the upper and lower step. You can also use the gauge to check case length at the same time to quickly see if it needs trimming.

I also load .223 on the LCT. I size and deprime on a single stage, but you can remove the index rod from the LCT and do it there. I then run the sized cases back through the vibratory tumbler for 20 to 30 minutes to remove lube. I have found that it is more efficient to just run each piece of brass through the case trim/prep center than it is to check the length first and only process the ones that need it. I use the Frankford Araenal trimmer/prep center. Look out for crimped primer pockets. Many .223 cases have them, particularly NATO marked cases, but also some commercial cases. My only problem with brass has been primer pockets getting loose. The worst offender for me has been FC cases. I have gotten to the point where I separate them and set them aside.

I would recommend you weigh each of your charges for your initial load work-up, but once you find the load you like, go to the case actuated powder drop. I am guessing you have the Auto disk. Like Jim243 said, you will need the double disk kit and the rifle powder through die. However, if you haven't already done so, check out the new Lee Auto drum pm. It is a definite improvement over the auto disk. I have both and never had a problem with the auto disk, but the auto drum is better. You can very easily dial in just the right charge.
 
Thanks for all the great, great, great information. I knew I came to the right place. This helps me beyond words. Yes, this is for my LMT AR-15 - I owe her this much :D

I'm sure I'll have more questions. Thanks again for the generous info.

BuckeyeWally
 
Start with clean brass. Lube the case & neck not the shoulder.
Set up full size die, bring the ram to the top, screw the die down until it hits the shell holder.
Measure the case, trim if needed. I trim my brass every time to .003 under max. For consistency
Remove lube.
I uniform my primer pockets, makes priming trouble free.
Priming, make sure your primers bottom
Charge the case, safe to say mid range in load book
Seating, what ever listed in load book for that powder & bullet.
After firing your reloads, measure your fired brass. I use the RCBS Precision Mic. Great tool.
Your next sizing, using the mic, you size .002 less then fired case.
I forgot to mention, after trimming, chamfer inside & out of case mouth.
Hope this helped.
 
I got to go with the other guys on the case gauge,
Not the length gauge, but the round piece of metal the case goes into.
Most are cut to show you minimum & maximum at both ends,
The base shows you headspace, from the shoulder 'Datum' line back the the end (head stamp) of the case,
The top shows shoulder (datum point) forward to see if the case needs trimmed for length or not.

I don't recommend following some die manufacturers set up directions,
Go with what the case gauge tells you.
Some say to screw in until the die hits the shell holder, and that might, or might not be correct.

Case gauge will also tell you if anything went wrong during reloading,
Roll/taper crimps tend to flair out some cases at the shoulder, keeping the from headspacing correctly and causing jams in the chamber.

A 'Factory Crimp Die', which uses a collet to crimp, stops that shoulder flairing on cases that aren't exactly the same length.
They push a crimp in from the sides of the case, instead of trying to redirect downward pressure to form a crimp,
So they are a lot more tolerant of case length.

Clean, decap, resize, hit them with the case gauge,
Since you are pushing the sides back in,
And the shoulder back where it belongs, case gauging before resize is a waste of time.

*IF* you get case necks that are too big, and the bullet doesn't stretch the neck slightly,
Take the decap/expander ball rod out of the sizing die,
Chuck it up in a drill, and use a little emery cloth (NOT sandpaper) and some oil and emery the sides of the ball a little...
GO EASY and sneak up on the case neck tension you want.

With ARs, a lot of case neck tension or a crimp may be required to keep the bullets seated properly in the cases,
AR loading cycle isn't gentle and has a tendancy to push the bullet back into the case...
If it loads 'Easy' then a lot of the time just case neck tension is all that is needed,
If it loads 'Hard' I recommend a Lee 'Factory Collet Crimping' Die over the taper/roll crimp built into the seating die.
 
Lube the case & neck not the shoulder.
Click to expand...

I agree that it is not necessary to lube the case shoulder, but it's pretty hard not to if you roll cases on a pad or apply lube with fingers.

Should you begin to see small dents in the shoulder of the case, it is caused by too much lube on the shoulder. Clean die with a Q-tip and then use less lube on the entire case. Over lubing is a common error when you are just starting to reload bottle neck cases. You don't run into this problem with straight wall handgun cases.
 
If you are aiming to do VOLUME loading for your AR,
Use a case gauge for uniformity, and as a 'Last Word' gauge on the finished product.
Saves a TON of time over a caliper when setting up and as QC while cranking out rounds.

Once cases are clean & you separate the cleaning media,
Use a large 'Fluffy' bath towel to dump cases into,
Then pinch ends, roll the cases back and forth in the towel for a few seconds,
This takes polishing dust from dry media off them so it doesn't collet in the dies.
Also keeps you hands off the cleaned (polished?) brass.
Dump them in a cardboard box large enough they can roll around a little...

Carbide dies!
They don't wear, generally size more uniformly, and don't take nearly as much lube... (Stuck Cases Suck!)
The decapping die that DOESN'T break/bend (Popps Up) when you hit a full case, something in the case, or a Berdan primed case will save you aggrivation if you do range pickup.

A cardboard box and spray lube (Can or pump spray) of LIGHT lube,
Shake cases around so the rub lube on each other.
Saves rolling and spraying again,
And you can dump them directly into the case feeder.

Some people dump in a box in bulk,
I use cases/boxes with chambers for each round (or some times stripper clips).
Since I'm handling each round anyway, I run mine through a case gauge again to see if anything went wrong in the processes.
Good way to find bent lips on the neck, primers that didn't seat, shoulders that got bent while seating or crimping, makes sure you get uniformity so the rounds fit/function properly...
Drop them in the gauge, drop out of the gauge into your box slot or your hand for stripper clip loading.
 
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