Lyman 223 case checker and neck-sizing only issues

wasa

wasa

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So, in order to save time and effort, I had this great idea (ha ha). I bought a Lyman 223 case checker and at my local range I pick up brass spent 223/5.56 brass. If it passes the case checker I deprime, trim, swage, neck size, and then reload with 55gr Campro bullets. The finished round is also Lyman case checked (and they pass 100% of the time).

I'm finding that at least half of the reloaded rounds do not work in my rifles. Both my Troy PAR and my BCL Bison will only chamber some of these rounds. The PAR does not go in to battery and I have to "hit" the front pump backwards to get the stuck round out of the chamber. With the Bison, I can't close the bolt. Yet 100% of these loaded rounds pass the Lyman case checker.

So, looks like I need to pull a few hundred rounds of 223.

Comment is, what the heck is the Lyman case checker good for if rounds that pass the test don't chamber in at least two different firearms?

Very frustrating.

I have ordered a "BZ Green" 223 case checker. I wonder if my rounds will pass a second gauge (just ordered last night after a frustrating evening at the range). I have a hard time believing that two rifles from two totally different companies (Troy and BCL) both have non-SAMMI spec chambers.
 
Forget the case checkers altogether. Use a small base die, load, fire-form, use Lee collet NS die, load & fire. I use a small base die for range p/u brass for the initial resizing because a lot of it has been fired out of semi autos and I want to use it in tighter chambered bolt guns. Never had a case fail to chamber or extract. After initial fire forming to my guns, then Lee Collet provides excellent brass.
 
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First thing case checkers are garbage. Second your using brass fired in another rifle. Always full length resize brass fired in another rifle. That guarantees it fits your rifle. Neck sizing only works on cases previously fire in your rifle. I resize new and once fired brass which I find eliminates any problems. I had the opposite problem with a case checker that I bought with used reloading gear. Checked said no good. I tried stuff in 3. 357 pistols without any issues. Full length resize for first firing then neck size after that and your problems should disappear.
 
Only time you should use a case checker is for straight walled cartridges. Waste of time and money for the rest. With straight wall you have nothing to measure to like a shoulder, and can only measure length.

They only check for SAAMI chamber. If you full sized everything for SAAMI chamber it would fit your rifle. Every barrel will have differences in your cut chamber, and most should fit saami spec, unless you go custom. For any bolt rifle you want to bump back 2 thou of your shoulder on the brass and know that they will fit your rifle, and you will get the potential accuracy from them. That said there is a lot more to accuracy than just the brass, but it is part of the equation.
For semi auto I would full length size to what fits your chamber, and that should fit your bolt, but you will be wearing your brass quicker that way.

Or you have to segregate all your brass you shoot in either rifle and adjust your reloading for each differently. You will more than likely have the same issue with the 2nd case checker.
 
this is how you check your case you set up your die in the press so it bottoms out on the shell holder then you lower the ram and turn your die a 1/8" down lock it in place then you resize your brass
now the most important part no matter if your loading a semi or a bolt gun you take the resided case and see if it chambers if it does not then your turn the die down once more then try chamber the case once more at some point it will chamber
the complete exsircise is to size the case to your chamber
you won't need small base dies 98% percent of the time
 
Thanks for the comments! I have a single stage press as well as a turret press for my 223 reloading. I have the Ultimate Lee 4-die set

To those suggesting I FLR brass, yes, that is an option but I'm lazy and don't want to manually resize hundreds of 223 brass. I have FLR brass in the past and yes, they work in all of my rifles.

I have 4 rifles in 223 Wylde, so neck sizing, while possible, is probably not the best since (i) the Troy is a pump, (ii) the MRA and the SCSA are straight-pull bolt action (iii) yes, the BCL is a regular turn-down bolt, so I should FLR brass I shoot from this gun.

Currently, the Troy or my MRA are my 3-gun rifles for shooting in the USA, and each match is maybe 100 rounds of 223 or so (depends on how often i miss). One match a month during spring/summer/fall means that is a heck of a lot of brass to resize and, as stated, I am lazy. I don't get to pick up brass after these outdoor matches, and if I did, hard to know which are mine unless I mark them somehow.

So, since I'm too cheap to buy factory new ammo, earlier today I bought 1000 pre-processed 223 brass from the EE. I plan to pull my many hundreds of rounds and reload with these new cases. I guess I should try to make friends with someone in the Windsor ON region who has a Dillon or other super-amazing-fast reloading machine and have them process my range pickup brass for pizza & beer/pop!

Appreciate the comments.
 
wasa said:
Thanks for the comments! I have a single stage press as well as a turret press for my 223 reloading. I have the Ultimate Lee 4-die set

To those suggesting I FLR brass, yes, that is an option but I'm lazy and don't want to manually resize hundreds of 223 brass. I have FLR brass in the past and yes, they work in all of my rifles.

I have 4 rifles in 223 Wylde, so neck sizing, while possible, is probably not the best since (i) the Troy is a pump, (ii) the MRA and the SCSA are straight-pull bolt action (iii) yes, the BCL is a regular turn-down bolt, so I should FLR brass I shoot from this gun.

Currently, the Troy or my MRA are my 3-gun rifles for shooting in the USA, and each match is maybe 100 rounds of 223 or so (depends on how often i miss). One match a month during spring/summer/fall means that is a heck of a lot of brass to resize and, as stated, I am lazy. I don't get to pick up brass after these outdoor matches, and if I did, hard to know which are mine unless I mark them somehow.

So, since I'm too cheap to buy factory new ammo, earlier today I bought 1000 pre-processed 223 brass from the EE. I plan to pull my many hundreds of rounds and reload with these new cases. I guess I should try to make friends with someone in the Windsor ON region who has a Dillon or other super-amazing-fast reloading machine and have them process my range pickup brass for pizza & beer/pop!

Appreciate the comments.
Click to expand...
The pumps and straight pulls need FL sizing.
The BCL should handle neck sizing unless you mixed the brass up...or you are loading real hot.
 
wasa said:
Thanks for the comments! I have a single stage press as well as a turret press for my 223 reloading. I have the Ultimate Lee 4-die set

To those suggesting I FLR brass, yes, that is an option but I'm lazy and don't want to manually resize hundreds of 223 brass. I have FLR brass in the past and yes, they work in all of my rifles.

I have 4 rifles in 223 Wylde, so neck sizing, while possible, is probably not the best since (i) the Troy is a pump, (ii) the MRA and the SCSA are straight-pull bolt action (iii) yes, the BCL is a regular turn-down bolt, so I should FLR brass I shoot from this gun.

Currently, the Troy or my MRA are my 3-gun rifles for shooting in the USA, and each match is maybe 100 rounds of 223 or so (depends on how often i miss). One match a month during spring/summer/fall means that is a heck of a lot of brass to resize and, as stated, I am lazy. I don't get to pick up brass after these outdoor matches, and if I did, hard to know which are mine unless I mark them somehow.

So, since I'm too cheap to buy factory new ammo, earlier today I bought 1000 pre-processed 223 brass from the EE. I plan to pull my many hundreds of rounds and reload with these new cases. I guess I should try to make friends with someone in the Windsor ON region who has a Dillon or other super-amazing-fast reloading machine and have them process my range pickup brass for pizza & beer/pop!

Appreciate the comments.
Click to expand...

You are too lazy to FL size your brass but you neck size your brass? What's the difference in energy output between FL and NS? You still have to raise and lower the ram on the press.

:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Gatehouse said:
You are too lazy to FL size your brass but you neck size your brass? What's the difference in energy output between FL and NS? You still have to raise and lower the ram on the press.

:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Well, my turret press is set-up with 4 dies - neck size, powder drop, bullet seat, and Lee Factory crimp. In the past, if the case "passed" my Lyman checker I would not lube my case but just neck-size, etc.

For FLR I use Lee case lube (the white stuff) and a pad, rolling the case on the lubed pad, and use a Q-tip with Lee lube to lube the inside of the necks.

So, neck sizing takes a fraction of the time to reload 223 compared to lube, FLR, and then de-lube with a rag.

Will admit it's one reason I love short straightwall cartridges like 38 Special, 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 acp, and 45 Colt - no case lube. I do lube my 45-70 cases as my dies are steel not carbide.
 
wasa said:
This is new to me... not sure what a "body die" is. Off to search the Internet! If this will let me "resize" loaded ammo then sign me up!
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Ordered! Maybe I can just use Hornady One-Shot on my loaded ammo and resize it (although I'm 99.999% sure this is a bad idea)
 
wasa said:
Well, my turret press is set-up with 4 dies - neck size, powder drop, bullet seat, and Lee Factory crimp. In the past, if the case "passed" my Lyman checker I would not lube my case but just neck-size, etc.

For FLR I use Lee case lube (the white stuff) and a pad, rolling the case on the lubed pad, and use a Q-tip with Lee lube to lube the inside of the necks.

So, neck sizing takes a fraction of the time to reload 223 compared to lube, FLR, and then de-lube with a rag.

Will admit it's one reason I love short straightwall cartridges like 38 Special, 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 acp, and 45 Colt - no case lube. I do lube my 45-70 cases as my dies are steel not carbide.
Click to expand...

How long does case checking every single case take? I bet it takes longer than lubing the cases, especially if you lube your cases in a more efficient manner.

If you are set on using LEE lube then forget the pad and the q-tip, just put the cases in a tupperware container with a squirt of the lube and toss them around. Even faster is to make some lanolin/alcohol lube and put it in a spray bottle. Then toss the cases in a 24 beer flat box and spray them down, roll them around and you are done.

Pulling bullets is very time consuming and more importantly- it's annoying!
 
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