How many of you AR shooters also reload?
- Thread starter snipersyn
- Start date
Hotwheels81
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- South of GP
Reloading is half the fun of shooting!
Anybody know the recipe for prvi 5.56 ammo? Sold in the white/blue box as .223... Shoots like a lazer thru my M4!!
Anybody know the recipe for prvi 5.56 ammo? Sold in the white/blue box as .223... Shoots like a lazer thru my M4!!
I will be reloading once I get my AR...should be here in a week or so....first one
. I plan to buy 500 or 1000 rounds of factory ammo first just to get a brass supply started. Could someone tell me which bulk factory 223 ammo has decent brass? I'm looking at buying that bulk American Eagle 55gr stuff unless someone tells me the AE brass sucks...
. I plan to buy 500 or 1000 rounds of factory ammo first just to get a brass supply started. Could someone tell me which bulk factory 223 ammo has decent brass? I'm looking at buying that bulk American Eagle 55gr stuff unless someone tells me the AE brass sucks...
Hotwheels81
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- South of GP
I will be reloading once I get my AR...should be here in a week or so....first one
I would be looking into either Winchester ammo or a dillon super swager if I were you.... Read up on primer pocket crimps before you get too deep into the romance of reloading .223 in any volume... But that's just my .02
My reloads cost about $.50 a pop.
I reload for only one reason ... one hole, 5 rounds on my targets. So far never happened but at 200M I am very pleased with the results.
For brass: Winchester Federal Hornady all work well for me. Try to stay away from the crimp primer brass, it's more work for you.
I reload for only one reason ... one hole, 5 rounds on my targets. So far never happened but at 200M I am very pleased with the results.
For brass: Winchester Federal Hornady all work well for me. Try to stay away from the crimp primer brass, it's more work for you.
I shoot American eagle brass, and Lake city both with crimped primers.
Haven't got a swager yet so I just take as much of the crimp out as I can with a small Lee chamfer tool.
Works good, but it's kind of tiring on the hands.
Haven't got a swager yet so I just take as much of the crimp out as I can with a small Lee chamfer tool.
Works good, but it's kind of tiring on the hands.
I have a little lathe for this, but an electric drill works too... I grab the chamfering tool in the chuck, then press each primer pocket on it. Reverse the case and inside chamfer the neck. After I've run through the batch, I reverse the chamfering tool and do the outsides of the necks. Fast and easy.
- Location
- big sky country
I've reloaded for the AR-15 since the late 80's. If you have any questions: shoot. (punn intended)
- Location
- big sky country
Plinking - 26.0 - 26.5 gr Win748 or H335, 55 gr FMJ
Med distance - 23.9 - 24.5 gr RL15 under a 69 gr SMK
Longer distance - 23.1 - 24.5 gr RL15 under a 77gr (berger or SMK) or 70 VLD berger
I used to be a Varget fiend, but recent back to back testing has put me squarely in the RL15 camp. The load weights are essentially interchangeable between RL15 and Varget, but RL15 just seems to work better in my AR-15's.
My #1 tip: Instead of relying on a hot load to push yuor rounds further, lean on a bullet with a good ballistic coefficient. Cooler loads will save your brass and rifle. Let the slick bullet do the work.
- Location
- Ottawa, Ontario
i reload, just huge batches of bulk ammo, 62 grain fmj with 24.5 grains of 748.
Guys -
Kudos for all the replies. Lots of insight here!
Kudos for all the replies. Lots of insight here!
I was afraid I might get a response like this! The reason is that figuring my attraction to building things from the ground up, I think I may very well like reloading as well
Damn it, that's a good point!
"I shoot American eagle brass, and Lake city both with crimped primers.
Haven't got a swager yet so I just take as much of the crimp out as I can with a small Lee chamfer tool.
Works good, but it's kind of tiring on the hands. "
Home Hardware (all hardware stores) sell a countersink tool for about $7.00 I buy the 3/8" size one. It has a shaft for the electric drill. I clamp the drill in a vice, and stand by the drill with a bin of sized and de-primed brass (all of it - I don't sort) and then touch each primer pocket to the tool. It skims off the pocket edge, with the crimp, if there was one.
Easy on the hands, fast and cheap. I have made several thousand rounds of CQB ammo this way. As noted, I do not load CQB ammo at full power.
Haven't got a swager yet so I just take as much of the crimp out as I can with a small Lee chamfer tool.
Works good, but it's kind of tiring on the hands. "
Home Hardware (all hardware stores) sell a countersink tool for about $7.00 I buy the 3/8" size one. It has a shaft for the electric drill. I clamp the drill in a vice, and stand by the drill with a bin of sized and de-primed brass (all of it - I don't sort) and then touch each primer pocket to the tool. It skims off the pocket edge, with the crimp, if there was one.
Easy on the hands, fast and cheap. I have made several thousand rounds of CQB ammo this way. As noted, I do not load CQB ammo at full power.
^ Another tool that works well is a princess auto "cone shaped" carbide die grinder bit. Makes quick work of the pocket. Loads perfectly into a drill (an actual die grinder spins too fast for this operation). I may buy a dillon super swager soon though...mainly just cuz I want one .
Also a 223 reloader. Reloading is almost as fun as shooting. Something about a hand full of cartridges that you made yourself instills a "cave man create fire" type experience.
.Also a 223 reloader. Reloading is almost as fun as shooting. Something about a hand full of cartridges that you made yourself instills a "cave man create fire" type experience.
I bought a reloading press and all the tooling, but I've only managed to reload about 200 rounds (had trouble with my press at first, and had to develop loads, which is time consuming). That said, I've only shot about 200 rounds since I got my press anyhow. Young family and work consumes all my time.
My reloads are 55gr Hornady bullets, with 23.2 gr of WC735 in IVI brass with CCI primers. Groups wander between about 1-2.5 inches in my 20" HBAR at 100 yards, but I'm only using a fixed 4x scope. I suspect the groups would get more consistent with a higher power optic. That said, I suspect WC735 has enough deviation in velocity to render it primarily a close quarter powder. Anything beyond 200 m and I'd be tempted to get some Varget.
Oh and the Dillon Super Swage is a great little item to have for people reloading crimped primer brass. I've probably processed over 2000 pieces of IVI and Federal brass, doesn't take long with a super swage.
Anyone using a Mr. Bullet Feeder in .223/5.56?
My reloads are 55gr Hornady bullets, with 23.2 gr of WC735 in IVI brass with CCI primers. Groups wander between about 1-2.5 inches in my 20" HBAR at 100 yards, but I'm only using a fixed 4x scope. I suspect the groups would get more consistent with a higher power optic. That said, I suspect WC735 has enough deviation in velocity to render it primarily a close quarter powder. Anything beyond 200 m and I'd be tempted to get some Varget.
Oh and the Dillon Super Swage is a great little item to have for people reloading crimped primer brass. I've probably processed over 2000 pieces of IVI and Federal brass, doesn't take long with a super swage.
Anyone using a Mr. Bullet Feeder in .223/5.56?
I should probably be posting this in the reloading section, but I want to keep this as AR-specific as I can.
As mentioned previously, I shoot my AR predominantly at my range's action section - we are talking about maximum 25 yards for distance.
At each range session - I will happy if I can shoot around 150 rounds as I want to be deliberate in each shot and mix plinking occasionally.
I'm looking at single-stage kits but gradually looking at turrets as well ... any recommendations?
As mentioned previously, I shoot my AR predominantly at my range's action section - we are talking about maximum 25 yards for distance.
At each range session - I will happy if I can shoot around 150 rounds as I want to be deliberate in each shot and mix plinking occasionally.
I'm looking at single-stage kits but gradually looking at turrets as well ... any recommendations?
If you're shooting a decent volume, I'd just get a progressive. Don't bother with single stage, it's not that much cheaper, and you'll save a substantial amount of time using the progressive.
Hornady and Dillon both make great presses and stand behind their equipment. You'll be happy with either. As for accessories, my reloading bench is a real rainbow. Whatever's cheap and works well gets bought, regardless of paint colour.
Also, Hornady is still giving away bullets with the purchase of a press. I got a whole case of 150gr .30 cal rounds sitting under my reloading bench that came free with my LNL, they're just waiting for me to clear enough time to start tinkering with some M14 loads.
Hornady and Dillon both make great presses and stand behind their equipment. You'll be happy with either. As for accessories, my reloading bench is a real rainbow. Whatever's cheap and works well gets bought, regardless of paint colour.
Also, Hornady is still giving away bullets with the purchase of a press. I got a whole case of 150gr .30 cal rounds sitting under my reloading bench that came free with my LNL, they're just waiting for me to clear enough time to start tinkering with some M14 loads.
^ Another tool that works well is a princess auto "cone shaped" carbide die grinder bit. Makes quick work of the pocket. Loads perfectly into a drill (an actual die grinder spins too fast for this operation). I may buy a dillon super swager soon though...mainly just cuz I want one
Also a 223 reloader. Reloading is almost as fun as shooting. Something about a hand full of cartridges that you made yourself instills a "cave man create fire" type experience.
*grunt and slap chest*
Grog kill paper with own fire pill!
I love it.
