Gentlemen – I have an AR reloading problem so I am looking for some advice. I am getting split shoulders on my reloaded 223 brass.
I just bought an STI Competition AR-15 so I want to reload some precision target ammo using Sierra 77 gr. MK bullets. I initially tried Varget & RL-15 using the suggested loads form the Sierra manual or data from 6BR.com, 100 new Lapua 223 Rem Match brass and five different primers (CCI BR-4, CCI 450, Rem 7 ½,Fed 205M & Win WSR). All ammo was loaded to an AOL of 2.260”, so they would feed from the magazine.
I loaded twenty five rounds with 23.9 grs of Varget (6BR.com/223 Rem) and the five different primers plus another twenty five rounds with 24.1 grs of RL-15 (6BR.com/223 Rem) and the five different primers. This totaled 50 rds of ammo. All shooting was done at 100 yds with the best group being 2 ¼” and the worst being 3 ½”. I then used a headspace / bump gauge tool to measure the fired cases.
• New Lapua match brass = 1.456”
• Fired Lapua match brass = 1.461”
I then setup my Redding “S” Type FL, with a .248 sizing bushing, to bump the shoulder .002”.
It was while I was starting to size the remaining fired brass that I made the discovering that 29 out the 50 fired brass had split shoulders!!!!! I culled out the ruined brass and sized the remaining 21 cases. I reloaded them with Varget & CCI 450’s, as this load showed the most promise, and some Ramshot TAC & CCI 450’s. This time they all split at the shoulder.
I tried to find some other brass manufacturer but as you all know 223 brass in really hard to find. Mystic Precision had some new PRVI but unfortunately it will not be here for awhile. When I first got my STI I fired about a box, 20 rds, of Winchester white box 55 gr ammo just to get the feel of the rifle and to zero the scope, it did not show any signs of splits on the shoulder.
It could just be a bad batch of Lapua brass. So I loaded up the 20 Winchester cases with TAC & CCI 450’s and proceeded to shot four 5 shots groups ranging from ½” to ¾”. Eureka, problems solved (or so I thought)! I put together 65 rds using some Winchester white box brass that I had shot out of my SAKO 85, for a CSRA match last weekend.
On Monday I proceeded to reload the Win brass and found that 90% had split shoulders!!! NOW WHAT???
I called the STI distributer in Halifax and STI in Texas but unfortunately none of them reload for the AR. The STI guys in Texas suggested it might be a headspace problem. In the bolt action world that can be compensated for by adjusting the sizing die to only bump the shoulder back .002” on a fired case.
Is this a common AR-15 problem in that one can only get 1 or 2 reloads out of a fired or even new cartridge case?
Any suggestions?
Thanks for your help, Jay
I just bought an STI Competition AR-15 so I want to reload some precision target ammo using Sierra 77 gr. MK bullets. I initially tried Varget & RL-15 using the suggested loads form the Sierra manual or data from 6BR.com, 100 new Lapua 223 Rem Match brass and five different primers (CCI BR-4, CCI 450, Rem 7 ½,Fed 205M & Win WSR). All ammo was loaded to an AOL of 2.260”, so they would feed from the magazine.
I loaded twenty five rounds with 23.9 grs of Varget (6BR.com/223 Rem) and the five different primers plus another twenty five rounds with 24.1 grs of RL-15 (6BR.com/223 Rem) and the five different primers. This totaled 50 rds of ammo. All shooting was done at 100 yds with the best group being 2 ¼” and the worst being 3 ½”. I then used a headspace / bump gauge tool to measure the fired cases.
• New Lapua match brass = 1.456”
• Fired Lapua match brass = 1.461”
I then setup my Redding “S” Type FL, with a .248 sizing bushing, to bump the shoulder .002”.
It was while I was starting to size the remaining fired brass that I made the discovering that 29 out the 50 fired brass had split shoulders!!!!! I culled out the ruined brass and sized the remaining 21 cases. I reloaded them with Varget & CCI 450’s, as this load showed the most promise, and some Ramshot TAC & CCI 450’s. This time they all split at the shoulder.
I tried to find some other brass manufacturer but as you all know 223 brass in really hard to find. Mystic Precision had some new PRVI but unfortunately it will not be here for awhile. When I first got my STI I fired about a box, 20 rds, of Winchester white box 55 gr ammo just to get the feel of the rifle and to zero the scope, it did not show any signs of splits on the shoulder.
It could just be a bad batch of Lapua brass. So I loaded up the 20 Winchester cases with TAC & CCI 450’s and proceeded to shot four 5 shots groups ranging from ½” to ¾”. Eureka, problems solved (or so I thought)! I put together 65 rds using some Winchester white box brass that I had shot out of my SAKO 85, for a CSRA match last weekend.
On Monday I proceeded to reload the Win brass and found that 90% had split shoulders!!! NOW WHAT???
I called the STI distributer in Halifax and STI in Texas but unfortunately none of them reload for the AR. The STI guys in Texas suggested it might be a headspace problem. In the bolt action world that can be compensated for by adjusting the sizing die to only bump the shoulder back .002” on a fired case.
Is this a common AR-15 problem in that one can only get 1 or 2 reloads out of a fired or even new cartridge case?
Any suggestions?
Thanks for your help, Jay
