overall cartridge length

Absolutely, if you're just looking for decent ammo for plinking etc. Basically anything outside of "match" ammo is very forgiving, and especially if you're not working with super-hot maximum loads which are really depth-sensitive. If it'll chamber, it'll go just fine!

Now, if you're worried about match reloading, well then seating depth and "jump" or "jam" is a WHOLE different ballgame...

-M
 
ALSO...

Until you use an ogive-based bullet comparator, the OAL isn't really the be-all and end-all of reloading... use a caliper on a few of your bullets and you might see that the seating depth variation is because of an inconsistent batch of bullets! Outside of match-grade projectiles, I've seen some pretty wild variations. It's not where the TIP ends up that matters, it's where the OGIVE intersects the BORE - something you'll see with a bullet comparator hooked up to your calipers, since it measures based on the ogive dimension (which is almost always more consistent than the tip-to-tail length of a bullet).

-M
 
I am not shooting match. I am just trying to save a bit of money and supply my Mini14 and my M4 ( AR clone ) with safe shootable and hopefuly accurate ammo. All .223 caliber. I just want medium loads. I can't believe the inconsistant brass and it is all Winchester.
 
Five thou isn't enough to worry about. A standard sheet of 70 pound off-set printing paper is 5 thou thick.
"...can't believe the inconsistant brass..." Inconsistent in what way?
 
hey guys, i hope i'm not totally hijacking here, but i'm going to reload 45acp soon and I don't have reloading data for the type of bullets i'm using.

200grain - lead cast bullets
RNFP
what's the OAL for this type of round?
 
sunray said:
Five thou isn't enough to worry about. A standard sheet of 70 pound off-set printing paper is 5 thou thick.
"...can't believe the inconsistant brass..." Inconsistent in what way?
Click to expand...

The once shot brass, all Winchester varies in weight and of course length but that length issue is probably due to it being fired.
 
You should be trimming your brass to a standard length after full-length resizing anyway; the starting length shouldn't be an issue. Just get a Lee trimmer and case length gauge for it, and you're laughing.

Regarding the 45ACP:
Case length should be in the neighborhood of 0.892-0.898"
COAL shouldn't be exceeding 1.266"; for 200gn RNFP's you'll be significantly shorter than that. Remember to seat at least 1 caliber depth.

-M
 
Doc M said:
You should be trimming your brass to a standard length after full-length resizing anyway; the starting length shouldn't be an issue. Just get a Lee trimmer and case length gauge for it, and you're laughing.

Regarding the 45ACP:
Case length should be in the neighborhood of 0.892-0.898"
COAL shouldn't be exceeding 1.266"; for 200gn RNFP's you'll be significantly shorter than that. Remember to seat at least 1 caliber depth.

-M
Click to expand...

I know. I wish I could find one. I have the case trimming attachment and lock nut from Lee but I can't get the cartridge holder and depth rod.
 
Denn0001 said:
I am not shooting match. I am just trying to save a bit of money and supply my Mini14 and my M4 ( AR clone ) with safe shootable and hopefuly accurate ammo. All .223 caliber. I just want medium loads. I can't believe the inconsistant brass and it is all Winchester.
Click to expand...

Your OAL certainly does matter if you want them to reliably load from the magazine - 2.260" is pushing it and 2.250" is safe - these are max OALs for a typical AR magazine (I'm guessing a Mini is the same).

measuring your dead length could matter insofar as a load that shoots well at max. mag length, might just do better with more jump, and thus a shorter OAL.

I'd recommend trimming all of your brass to the same length, inside/outside deburring the case mouthes, and crimping your loads.
 
Standard specification for .223 cartridge length is just shy of 2.26" I have been searching the net and found no references to a total length of 2.25" It looks like plus/minus .005 is O.K.

223remx330.gif
 
Will a few small dents in the case make much of a difference? When my rifles eject the cases, they usually bounce off the next bench over or onto the concrete pad. The dents are small.
 
florin79 said:
hey guys, i hope i'm not totally hijacking here, but i'm going to reload 45acp soon and I don't have reloading data for the type of bullets i'm using.

200grain - lead cast bullets
RNFP
what's the OAL for this type of round?
Click to expand...

If these are the Plains 200 grain RNFPs, I load them for .45 ACP by seating the bullet such that the back of the crimp groove is flush with the case mouth. This is not a problem because the crimp groove is only used for roll crimping for revolvers. Generally speaking, the correct OAL for your gun is whatever chambers freely and feeds properly.

I suggest that you use 200 grain SWC data as a starting point for powder charges.
 
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