223 Brass Question

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Static030

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Hey guys, been awhile since I have been on. Shooting has kind of taken a backseat for a bit. Been reloading 9mm with some confidence lately but looking at doing some 223 (did some previously). I was sorting thru a bunch of bass that I deprimed (sized) and cleaned. I was sorting the brass by oal. Now this is all once fired, most of it is American Eagle (federal I believe). Anyway, long story short, it appears that a lot of the brass hasn't stretched and it is around 1.71 to 1.75. Will this affect the OAL I should be considering when the round is completed? I understand that the 223 spec, says the brass should be 1.76 and to trim to that length, obviously it being shorter no trimming necessary. Just want to make sure I'm not over pressuring the rounds. All of the once fired winchester brass is over the 1.76, so I will be trimming it. Am I just worrying about nothing here LOL

Thanks for any info / opinions you have. Would rather ask, then tell a story later :)
 
I would sort by size in general and trim to the 1.75 length as much as possible, the shorter ones I leave for plinking as long as it's within the minimum limits and try to get a bunch trimmed to the same size..

Consistency in length is the key IMHO

Others may have different ideas or tips
 
There's a great deal of 'Usually' involved with reloading. Like cases usually stretch the most on the first firing. Unless you're loading for match shooting or a semi-auto, case lengths can vary a bit. Isn't a safety issue by any means(was going to say 'stretch of the imagination' but though better of it. snicker.) However, like silverfoxdj says, having it all the same is far more important. You'll still have to chamfer the inside of the case mouths.
Trim-to is 1.750". And yes, American Eagle is Federal. Federal brass is known for being softer than other brands. Only means it won't last as long.
 
silverfoxdj said:
I would sort by size in general and trim to the 1.75 length as much as possible, the shorter ones I leave for plinking as long as it's within the minimum limits and try to get a bunch trimmed to the same size..

Consistency in length is the key IMHO

Others may have different ideas or tips
Click to expand...

Ditto this...
 
Static030 said:
it appears that a lot of the brass hasn't stretched and it is around 1.71 to 1.75. Will this affect the OAL I should be considering when the round is completed? I understand that the 223 spec, says the brass should be 1.76 and to trim to that length, obviously it being shorter no trimming necessary. Just want to make sure I'm not over pressuring the rounds. All of the once fired winchester brass is over the 1.76, so I will be trimming it. Am I just worrying about nothing here LOL
Click to expand...

Lets think about this for just a second. The term "Over All Length" by its very description denotes the length of the round from the base of the case to the tip of the bullet. Do you see anywhere in there that the length of the case neck could possibly have any effect on the OAL of the round? Take a look at your press and the bullet seating die. Do you see anything in there where the length of the neck would have any effect on the depth to which the bullet is seated?

The answer to both these questions is "NO". The length of the case has absolutely ZERO effect on the OAL of the loaded round. The case could be wildly over-length or even wildly under length and there would be no change in the OAL of the loaded round.

If you really want to talk OAL then you had better make sure you are using the exact same bullet from which the published OAL was derived. It will also help to have the same rifle barrel as throat dimensions can change from barrel to barrel. If you use a different bullet then the published OAL could actually result in your seating depth being wildly out.

Then lets get into the cases. If you are worried about overpressure you had better cull all and every military case because those tend to be thicker which causes increased pressures. There can even be internal volume differences between commercial cases.

Basically this is a slightly long winded may of saying, "You are vastly overthinking the entire process and are worrying about nothing at all." If a minor variance in bullet seating depth was likely to cause problems, you'd be reading about hundreds if not thousands of rifles blowing up each year from reloaders making mistakes.
 
Suputin
That is exactly what I wanted to here! I figured as much just wanted clarification from the experienced people on here.

Thanks
 
I load all my .223's, most of which are actually 5.56 LC cases, the same way. All my brass is once fired. I say that because typically for me .223 cases are a one way trip. I find them at the range after some fool has left new brass fired from his gun because he doesn't reload. I shoot them once and seldom find them for a second loading. They end up on a Range somewhere else. Occasionally I do pick up my own brass but usually not . My Mini 14 will throw brass .40 feet if I don't have the gas system choked down.

What I do is resize and deprime the cases. Then tumble them for 24 hours in Walnut hulls (Petco) with either Dillon Case polish or Nu Finish Car wax. This removes all the case lube from sizing and the cases look like new.

These cases are now ready to load.

They all get loaded with the exact same bullets and charge. Hornady 55 gr FMJ's (currently at Mid South for $461.78 for 6000ea. .07 each screamin' deal!) 25 gr of BLC2 or W748(exact same powder)and then they are crimped in the cannelure with a Lee Factory Crimp Die. This is my standard .223/5.56 load and it runs perfectly in my Kel-Tec SU16CA, Ruger Mini14, and Bushmaster Carbon 15 AR. Currently about .20 cents a round loaded.

The Lee Die is not sensitive to case length, and this is why I use it. I only use bullets with a Cannelure, and the bullet is seated so that the crimp is in the cannelure. OAL, which I never check, is below max by a considerable margin.

Guys make it easy on yourself on loading .223's find something that works for you and stick with it. It will save you a bunch of heart aches in the long run.

Endless experimentation is pointless. This round is at it's best as full military surplus. A load slightly under that will work in any gun and you don't have to worry about over pressure or anything bad happening. There is little to be gained by loading a bunch of different bullet weights as well. 55gr or 62 gr are the most common for a reason.

Granted there are other scenarios that would require bigger bullets like long range target shooting and the like, or maybe if you want to use the gun for hunting small deer for meat. No varmint is going to know the difference in being hit by a 55 gr bullet or a 69 -75 gr bullet, and unless your gun has a 1:7 or 1:8 twist barrel it won't shoot the heavier bullets well any way.

I am very big on finding a standard load for each of my guns and sticking with it. You shoot a lot more like that, and spend a lot less time searching for Nirvana.

My .02

Randy
 
Ill chime in on this one. Im new to reloading and only reload .223 for my AR's.
I have just gotten in the habbit of trimming all my brass to 1.75" using the lee cutter. Now I have the trimming die and cutter it should speed things up a bit. Should I be measuring first and sorting or just run everything through the trimmer so if it needs it, it gets it other wise it passes through. Also all my brass is once fired through 3 of my rifles. On second reloading will there be less variance?

As for seating I am currently only running hornady 55gr fmjbt with cann. I seat to 2.22 oal over 23gr of H322
 
American Eagle 223 brass tends to run short case length wise.
I loaded some twice and still they don't reach the trimmer.
Remington and Norinco though are wearing my trimmers down :D
 
If you use the seating die to crimp the cartridges then sort them according to length. If you use a factory crimp die then just trim the cases that are too long and ignore the rest. No pressure changes will be experienced if you stick to the same brand of brass.
I sort by headstamp and like you have noticed that Federal have a lot of shorter cases so I sort those according to length. I trim the long ones and throw in the sorted ones that are at the trim length. The shorter ones I load in batches but they all get the same powder charge and COAL.
Since starting to use a factory crimp die I am much less picky about my brass other than trimming the ones that are too long.

Suputin is bang on.
 
I've always measured the case length after sizing. I can check a case for length over maximum faster than I can stick it in the trimmer and pretend to trim it.
The last batch I did, less than half needed trimming.

A set of calipers locked at the case (not cartridge) max length is how I check.

Stan
 
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