Loading for a 5.56 AR

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corney

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I am about to embark on a mission to load for my AR. I have both 223 and 556 brass, Hornady 223 dies, 55 gr bullet heads, RCBS primer pocket decrimper (or whatever its called) and a plate for my AP LNL.

I am looking for tips or suggestions from those that have loaded for AR's before. Powder suggestions would also be appreciated for your pet loads.

Yes I do have several manuals and have read the ABC's of reloading several times.

Thanks in advance.
 
I bought and used the RCBS swage dies to (try and) remove the crimp on military brass (with a RCBS "Reloader Special 5" press), but was not particularly impressed by them. You need to run the swage die into the brass so that the base surface of the die contacts the face of the brass, and even then priming afterwards (on my Dillon 550b) was not always smooth. I ended up having to visually inspect all my primer pockets and use a deburring tool to further work the pockets on a lot of brass. (After discarding a bunch of cases with proud or flattened primers I got enough experience to tell which were going to seat properly after swaging and which would not.)

I noticed RCBS now has a tool that looks a lot like Dillon "Super Swage" tool at a third the price. I wondered if they were any good....

-lmcc
 
I have not yet tried the swage yet. I was planing to size and swage the brass on my Rockchucker before running it into the progressive, at least for the first reload. Sounds like I might have to get the reamer out?
 
I use a ch4d primer pocket swager. It works well, but you still have to de-burr the primer pocket. I have a RCBS case prep centre with primer pocket crimp removal cutters. It doesn't work very well by itself either.

The 2used in conjunction with each other on the other hand is flawless.

I use benchmark powder for all my 223/556 loads, X-bolt, Rem 700, 3 ARs and in a Tavor. It works very well in all things .224! I also use match SRP in all small rifle cases as I didn't want to stock 2kinds of primers, sure it costs a bit more, but it works!

Cheers!
 
YMMV, I hope you have better luck with your swage dies. Like whatnosorichguy says, with a touch from a cutter or reamer you should be G2G.

-lmcc
 
notsorichguy said:
I use a ch4d primer pocket swager. It works well, but you still have to de-burr the primer pocket. I have a RCBS case prep centre with primer pocket crimp removal cutters. It doesn't work very well by itself either.

The 2used in conjunction with each other on the other hand is flawless.

I use benchmark powder for all my 223/556 loads, X-bolt, Rem 700, 3 ARs and in a Tavor. It works very well in all things .224! I also use match SRP in all small rifle cases as I didn't want to stock 2kinds of primers, sure it costs a bit more, but it works!

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Have Varget and a stockpile of other powders but no Benchmark?

Sounds like you are using the same round for varmints, letting er buck and anything else you want.

I have a 2 moa red dot and I can't shoot will so I am looking to load qty not quality.

1000 rounds with a hand reamer doesn't sound like much fun!
 
I've removed 4K 1xf brass (crimp removal) with my current set up....... Not all in one sitting mind you!

Varget is good, don't be scared to try it. It doesn't meter as well in my progressive press as benchmark does. I've tried it, it works quite well in .223.

For the bolt guns I shoot 50gr nosler BT, both of them get new commercial brass.

For the ARs, 55gr PRVI pills (cost was $100/1K) all brass is either once fired bulk stuff (from my stash) or generic 1xf from site sponsors. All the 1xf I have bought is crimped primers.

In the Tavor I have yet to settle on a load.... But it shoots my AR loads as well as my ARs do.

All "accurate" loads are built on a single stage press with a charge master combo.

All plinking ammo is built on a Lee 1000. All 1xf or multi-xf brass for the semis is full prepped (including trimming and priming) on the single stage before it hits the progressive press. All I do on the progressive press is dump a charge, seat the bullet and crimp.

I use the same powder and primers for all 223 loads as it simplifies things.

Cheers!
 
notsorichguy said:
I've removed 4K 1xf brass (crimp removal) with my current set up....... Not all in one sitting mind you!

Varget is good, don't be scared to try it. It doesn't meter as well in my progressive press as benchmark does. I've tried it, it works quite well in .223.

For the bolt guns I shoot 50gr nosler BT, both of them get new commercial brass.

For the ARs, 55gr PRVI pills (cost was $100/1K) all brass is either once fired bulk stuff (from my stash) or generic 1xf from site sponsors. All the 1xf I have bought is crimped primers.

In the Tavor I have yet to settle on a load.... But it shoots my AR loads as well as my ARs do.

All "accurate" loads are built on a single stage press with a charge master combo.

All plinking ammo is built on a Lee 1000. All 1xf or multi-xf brass for the semis is full prepped (including trimming and priming) on the single stage before it hits the progressive press. All I do on the progressive press is dump a charge, seat the bullet and crimp.

I use the same powder and primers for all 223 loads as it simplifies things.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Where are you getting you boolits?
 
"55 gr bullet heads"...... ARRRGGGG!!!!

Bullets... Projectiles.... BUT PLEASE DON'T CALL THEM BULLET HEADS!

Now I'm gonna spend the whole night with this in my brain.... Damnit!
coneheads.jpg
 
I noticed some differences in the 223 and 5.56 brass, is there any issues loading both with 223 dies? What about lenght of brass, do you trim each one?

Thanks
 
I use IMR XBR (8208) for my AR.
It has something in it which reduces (almost totally eliminates) muzzle flash.
This is perfect for guns which don't have flash supressors.
My accuracy load is 24.6 grains under a 55gr Hornady FMJ which is a mid range load.
 
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Thanks notsorichguy, appreciate your input!

It has something in it which reduces (almost totally eliminates) muzzle flash.

That"s what gives me the woody! lol
 
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