buying .223 Rem dies

Brocolt

Brocolt

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I need to buy some .223 Rem dies I haven't reloaded .223 for about 8+ years. So I need to buy some new dies. I see Lee has some yellow boxed 4 set dies which I know nothing about. What do you recommend & why?

type of shooting will be varmint & target, I also plan to use IVI or LC .223/556 brass & yes it will be a bolt action

Hornady
Lee
Redding
RCBS
Lyman
other
 
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Brocolt said:
I need to buy some .223 Rem dies I haven't reloaded .223 for about 8+ years. So I need to buy some new dies. I see Lee has some yellow boxed 4 set dies which I know nothing about. What do you recommend & why?

type of shooting will be varmint & target, I also plan to use IVI or LC .223/556 brass

Hornady
Lee
Redding
RCBS
Lyman
other
Click to expand...

I have a set of 223 in Lee, RCBS and Dillon. If I were to buy another set it would be the Dillon.
The Lee decapping rod is friction fit. The RCBS and Dillon are threaded in.

They all work decently well, I just prefer the Dillons for some reason.
 
The Lee dies (yellow box) has the neck sizing die. If you going to reload bolt action, then you'll need the neck sizing die as well.

I would go with Lee personally in the event that you don't put enough sizing lube on the brass, the extractor groove and head may rip and you'll get a stuck shell. The Lee although friction fit can be drifted out once you loosen up the collet.

I only reload .223 for plinking. I have no experience with the other die brands at the moment.

What I usually do when I get new Lee dies are to tighten the collet further to ensure it doesn't get pushed out if there is a primer stuck tight.
 
Brocolt said:
I need to buy some .223 Rem dies I haven't reloaded .223 for about 8+ years. So I need to buy some new dies. I see Lee has some yellow boxed 4 set dies which I know nothing about. What do you recommend & why?
Should I also buy a 223 Case Length/Headspace Gauge or is this just a waste of money?
type of shooting will be varmint & target, I also plan to use IVI or LC .223/556 brass
Click to expand...

If you are reloading brass that has only been fired in your gun and it is a bolt action, I would suggest the Lee 2 die Collet Set. If you are shooting a semi auto, reloading for multiple guns, or using range brass pickups, I will leave it to others to make recommendations, as that is a different ball game.

For overall case length, I would suggest the Lee Cutter and Lock Stud, along with a length gauge/holder for your .223. About $16 total cost, and you need no dedicated trimmer. Just trim by hand if your cases grow a small amount. Or chuck the holder in a drill if you have a lot of cases or more to trim off.

For case length to the shoulder I would use a Hornady Comparator Body for about $20, and the 0.330 bushing for your .223 at about $10. However, if you do go with the Lee Collet die, your ability to adjust the shoulder may be limited, and perhaps unnecessary at least initially. It is a more useful tool if you get into full length resizing at some point, when the collet die no longer sizes enough for the cartridges to fit your chamber easily.
 
Ron AKA said:
If you are reloading brass that has only been fired in your gun and it is a bolt action, I would suggest the Lee 2 die Collet Set. If you are shooting a semi auto, reloading for multiple guns, or using range brass pickups, I will leave it to others to make recommendations, as that is a different ball game.

For overall case length, I would suggest the Lee Cutter and Lock Stud, along with a length gauge/holder for your .223. About $16 total cost, and you need no dedicated trimmer. Just trim by hand if your cases grow a small amount. Or chuck the holder in a drill if you have a lot of cases or more to trim off.

For case length to the shoulder I would use a Hornady Comparator Body for about $20, and the 0.330 bushing for your .223 at about $10. However, if you do go with the Lee Collet die, your ability to adjust the shoulder may be limited, and perhaps unnecessary at least initially. It is a more useful tool if you get into full length resizing at some point, when the collet die no longer sizes enough for the cartridges to fit your chamber easily.
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The RCBS FL Size Die works well for "Everything Brass". Range pickups and stuff that's been fired through an AR and Swiss get run through these and work well in my bolt varminter after.
 
just to update info:

I would be loading for a Bolt Action rifle & using once fired range brass. After I load the first set then it would be fire formed to the rifle. Will I use the loaded brass in other guns? maybe down the road but no plans yet.
 
I use the Lee 4-die set. Works great.

The friction fit on the decapper seems like a good idea to me. It's saved me from broken pins a number of times with crimped or Berdan primers.
 
Brocolt said:
I would be loading for a Bolt Action rifle & using once fired range brass. After I load the first set then it would be fire formed to the rifle. Will I use the loaded brass in other guns? maybe down the road but no plans yet.
Click to expand...

When you consider that you need to use a primer, charge of powder, and a bullet to fire form range brass, I have to question the economy of doing it. However, if that is your choice, you will need a FL Sizer die to run all the cases through before you load then the first time. Not all brass may size down enough to use them if you have a tighter chamber, so you could have rejects. Also check into issues with crimped primers... Since Lee does not seem to sell a FL die alone, you probably are best to go with the 4 die set. No real use for the crimp die though, as it is not needed in a bolt gun loaded for accuracy.

With a Lee Collet die, your cases should last for 20+ reloads each. If you start with Lapua brass at a dollar each that reduces your life cycle brass cost to 5 cents or less a round. Hornady about 4 cents a round. Having all your brass of one brand, out of one batch lot, is a real good start when reloading for accuracy.
 
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I would buy the Forster benchrest die set, the sizer die has a high mounted expander that greatly reduces neck runout. The Forster straight inline benchrest seater die is also well know for making concentric ammo.

Below the floating expander enters the case neck while the neck is is held and centered in the die. This means the expander can not pull the necks off center and induce neck runout. The thick rubber washer (W-10) allows the expander spindle to float and self center in the die.

Sizing_Die_Graphic.jpg


Below the case and bullet are held in alignment preventing the case or bullet from tilting when seated.

Seater_Die_011.gif


Both the sizing die and seating die have the ability to even correct neck runout.

The high mounted Forster expander works so well I installed the Forster expander and spindle assemblies in all my RCBS dies.

Below on the left is a RCBS .223 expander raised as high as it will move. On the right is the replacement Forster expander assembly that fits RCBS dies.


forster%20expander_zpsr3mvpzwv.jpeg
 
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I have the Lee 3 die set and have zero complaints. I have all Lee dies minus an rcbs primer pocket swagger. I have never ever had an issue with Lee dies. When I bought my first 500sw the first dies out were hornady.... By far the worst dies I have ever used in my life. Next came the rcbs 500 dies, much better but still not what I was looking for. Lee came out with their 500sw dies and they are the best dies for the 500 hands down. I stick with Lee. Not because of the price but because of the simplicity and I find their quality just fine.
 
I'm using the RCBS standard FL 2-die set with a Lee Collet neck die and also purchased the Lee factory crimp but haven't used it yet. RCBS seater has the option for a built-in roll crimp and it works well. I noticed that you've been following my thread - I have some more updates to post but am waiting to put together a bigger post at this point. Things seem to be coming together but yesterday was a really poor day for testing here (40km/hr winds ~18mph and -13C).
 
I was sizing some IVI 5.56 cases last night with my Lee full-length sizer and when I checked a couple they wouldn't chamber. Now I know the chamber is on the tight side in my rifle, a Vanguard S2 22 inch heavy barrel, but I never have any trouble chambering factory rounds. I'll have to send Lee an email regarding this.
I have or have had Bair, Lee, Hornady, Lyman, RCBS and Redding dies, and my personal choice for full length sets would be RCBS with Redding an almost too close to call second.
I do however really like the Lee collet dies. I prefer them over a standard neck sizing die. I haven't tried Redding or Forster collet dies, but I'm sure they're great too.
 
I use Lee for my 223. Works very well.

I set the die so that the shell holder hits the bottom of the die and does not cam over. That way I know I have 100% sizing. I use Lee case lube and shake a hundred or so cases inn a pail with a bit of lube. Very fast and uniform.

IMG_1556.jpg
 
Brocolt said:
just to update info:

I would be loading for a Bolt Action rifle & using once fired range brass. After I load the first set then it would be fire formed to the rifle. Will I use the loaded brass in other guns? maybe down the road but no plans yet.
Click to expand...

I have two AR15 rifles and a bolt action Savage .223, I pick up once fired Lake City brass at the range and buy bulk once fired Lake City brass. I use a RCBS Small base RCBS AR series .223/5.56 die to resize all the once fires brass. After the first firing in my rifles I use my standard Forster full length die.

If your standard .223 die gives you chambering problems then try pausing at the top of the ram stroke for 4 seconds. This greatly reduces brass spring back, if this doesn't work then you will need to buy a small base die and bring the cases back to minimum dimensions.

I also would not use mixed head stamp brass for any type of accuracy ammunition. If you are going to spend the time to reload then quality and accuracy should be your goal. I use my mixed .223/5.56 brass for blasting ammo in my AR15 carbine shooting at 50 yards and if the brass is lost I do not cry about it. And my best brass is used in my bolt action .223 after weight sorting and prepping these cases with the same head stamp. (Lake City 5.56 cases)

NOTE, military 5.56 cases are made of harder brass and last longer when reloading. (cheap bastards Lapua brass when sorted)

.223/5.56 - Cleaned, Deprimed & Swaged - LC Only - 500 Pieces $59.00 Free shipping
http://brassbombers.com/223-556-Cleaned-Deprimed-Swaged-LC-Only-500-Pieces-2LC-S0050.htm
 
Also read the link below and look at the weight and case capacity of the .223 cases. The case capacity can vary from 28.0 grains of H2O to 30.6, this capacity difference can cause a 6,000 psi difference in chamber pressure. And a very good reason to be careful using mixed brass, the load I use for blasting ammo was worked up using Quickload with minimum case capacity and well below .223 max pressure.

223 Rem + 223 AI Cartridge Guide
http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/223rem/

I only pick up Military 5.56 cases at the range because they have crimped primers and I then know they are once fired. Anything else may have been fired many times and discarded by the person who reloaded it.
 
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