Reloading question

[6.5 shooter]

I RELOAD HUNDREDS of rounds on a single stage press. As for what components you need? Buy a reloading manual or TWO. Knowledge is your friend not the internet. There are small dimensional differences between the 5.56 and the .223, if your rifle is chambered in 5.56 you can safely fire both if not you may? run into issues. A small base die is also a good idea if you are running a gas gun, if it is a bolt rifle your fine.

 

[Butcherbill]

Learn to batch load and streamline your operations. A single stage is slow but with proper planning you can cut a lot of time out without sacrificing safety. Lubing in a tub or bag instead of using your fingers on each case, roll crimping instead of using a Lee factory crimp die, etc. If using the Lee case length guage trimmers, use a hand drill to speed things up.

Agreed, doing things in stages saves time. When I loaded pistol ammo on a single stage I would bulk prep, I’d size/decap, clean primer pockets & chamfer/debur case mouths if needed beforehand and sometimes prime. Then I’d drop powder, seat and crimp in one step. Makes loading volume go quicker I found when you separate steps into batches of brass. Primer pocket cleaner was in a drill, cases were cleaned with spent primers in them. I would load 100-150 rounds at a time, 200 if I felt like it.

 

[wasa]

The OP is new to hand loading so a single stage press will teach him everything he needs to know without worrying about speed, nothing wrong with starting on a single stage when your new. I spent my first year loading pistol cartridges on a single stage and I don’t regret it one bit, now I have a turret for pistol calibers and load rifle cartridges on a single stage.

I agree 100%. I started reloading with the Lee "pound and load" Loader. Upgraded to the C-press Lee single stage as that is all I could afford. Years later upgraded to a turret press. Ended up buying a low-cost progressive just for 9mm due to the volume of rounds I shoot.

I shudder to think of the issues I would have had if I started from the progressive from day 1. Heck, even the turret has caused me off and on grief, especially with priming on the press (SP primers mainly) or having the auto-index actually successfully auto-index.

YMMV.

 

[I Dont Care About You]

I RELOAD HUNDREDS of rounds on a single stage press. As for what components you need? Buy a reloading manual or TWO. Knowledge is your friend not the internet. There are small dimensional differences between the 5.56 and the .223, if your rifle is chambered in 5.56 you can safely fire both if not you may? run into issues. A small base die is also a good idea if you are running a gas gun, if it is a bolt rifle your fine.

What are the dimensional differences between 223 and 556 that would cause "issues" for reloaders?

TENS of MILLIONS of rounds of 223 have been reloaded with standard dies and run completely fine through a gas gun. There is NO need for small base dies.

 

[I Dont Care About You]

I agree 100%. I started reloading with the Lee "pound and load" Loader. Upgraded to the C-press Lee single stage as that is all I could afford. Years later upgraded to a turret press. Ended up buying a low-cost progressive just for 9mm due to the volume of rounds I shoot.

I shudder to think of the issues I would have had if I started from the progressive from day 1. Heck, even the turret has caused me off and on grief, especially with priming on the press (SP primers mainly) or having the auto-index actually successfully auto-index.

YMMV.

Not one person has suggested a progressive for a newbie. Nice attempt at a red herring though.

A turret is a better choice because the auto-index can be easily disabled to allow it to work as a single stage with multiple dies installed and quickly available. This means dies are installed and adjusted once, rather than every time one moves to another operation. It also saves buying a better press in the future. Buy once, cry once.

The indexing on a Lee turret press can be a little finicky but it's not the end of the world to just hand check the final index at each step.

 

[gyppo]

You'll probably need to get a Primer pocket swager down the road. A lot of .556 brass has crimped primer pockets. A small primer pocket tool will help out a bunch too.

I tried Lee and Lyman deburring tools as well as the Lyman primer crimp remover to get rid of primer pocket crimps. Untimately I prefer using a counter-sink bit and a drill. It takes a bit of practice to remove the same amount from each primer pocket edge but I find this method so much quicker than the specialty tools.

Here's what I use:
https://www.princessauto.com/en/5-pc-high-speed-steel-countersink-bit-set/product/PA0008000044

 

[supernova]

Not one person has suggested a progressive for a newbie. Nice attempt at a red herring though.

A turret is a better choice because the auto-index can be easily disabled to allow it to work as a single stage with multiple dies installed and quickly available. This means dies are installed and adjusted once, rather than every time one moves to another operation. It also saves buying a better press in the future. Buy once, cry once.

The indexing on a Lee turret press can be a little finicky but it's not the end of the world to just hand check the final index at each step.

With locking lock rings (RCBS, Forster etc) the dies don't need adjustment unless you need to make an adjustment. Even my roll crimp seaters just get spun in and go. Hand tight with the knurling on the die is all you need. When doing batches, the time to swap dies is negligible. Now with that Lee Breech Lock Challenger press and a bunch of breech lock bushings its a snap to change dies. Press button and turn 1/3 turn to pop it out. Not saying there's anything wrong with a turret but there are ways to get a single stage cranking out ammo much faster than one might think.

 

[gyppo]

Manuals here for some light reading.

ht tps://marvinstuart.com/firearm/Manuals/Reloading/Reloading%20Manuals/

Wow, THANK YOU!

There is a LOT in there, time for this seasoned reloader to dig in and read!

 

[Nick3052]

Is it safe to use this 5.56 case to reload with? I believe my brass deflector is causing the dents

 

[Scotty454]

View attachment 773015


Is it safe to use this 5.56 case to reload with? I believe my brass deflector is causing the dents

Yup. That (Minor) dent will pop right out when you fire the round. No worries.

I agree 100%. I started reloading with the Lee "pound and load" Loader. Upgraded to the C-press Lee single stage as that is all I could afford. Years later upgraded to a turret press. Ended up buying a low-cost progressive just for 9mm due to the volume of rounds I shoot.

I shudder to think of the issues I would have had if I started from the progressive from day 1. Heck, even the turret has caused me off and on grief, especially with priming on the press (SP primers mainly) or having the auto-index actually successfully auto-index.

YMMV.

I started on a Dillon 650. No major issues, nobody died. It can be done relatively easily, as long as you're paying attention to every position and take it slow for the first bit.

Having things like a case feed and primer feed disconnect really helps to slow things down when you're new, or just getting a new cartridge going.

 

[bearhunter]

Yes, your sizing die should iron that out, but if it fits easily into the chamber of your rifle, load it up with a 5% reduced charge of powder and fire form it to your chamber.

 

[beltfed]

Knowledge is your friend not the internet.

There are small dimensional differences between the 5.56 and the .223, if your rifle is chambered in 5.56 you can safely fire both if not you may? run into issues.

Quoted for irony.

There are no dimensional differences between 5.56 and .223 ammunition.
The dimensional differences can be had in chambers.
Brought to you by the friendly and knowledgeable (who knew?) internets.

I find it odd and interesting that while the OP is specifically asking about loading for .223/5.56, there are clearly posters here who likely don't load this specific cartridge and arguably probably don't even hand load. CGN certainly has become an interesting place.

 

[I Dont Care About You]

Quoted for irony.

There are no dimensional differences between 5.56 and .223 ammunition.
The dimensional differences can be had in chambers.
Brought to you by the friendly and knowledgeable (who knew?) internets.

I find it odd and interesting that while the OP is specifically asking about loading for .223/5.56, there are clearly posters here who likely don't load this specific cartridge and arguably probably don't even hand load. CGN certainly has become an interesting place.

The internet is chock full of old wives tales and things that everybody knows but in reality nobody actually does because people just mindlessly repeat things they heard or were told without ever actually knowing the correct answer. The 223 / 556 thing is a perfect example of this.

For some weird reason, being ignorant of a topic doesn't stop people posting about that topic.

 

[Bubba Yugga]

For some weird reason, being ignorant of a topic doesn't stop people posting about that topic.

It's the empty wagon that clatters loudest on the cobblestones...