Which .223 dies .... ?

S

Sharps '63

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My bullet seating dies for .308, .30-'06 and .243 are RCBS 'Competition' dies, with the side window for dropping in the bullet. They do a good job of seating the bullet concentrically.

I'm getting ready to reload my accumulated .223 brass on my Dillon 450B. Am I going to be happy with the Dillon seating die or should I invest in another set of RCBS 'Comp' dies?
 
I'll be feeding our AR 15 carbines, so absolute precision isn't going to be a priority.

Got a powder to recommend? There sure seems to be a lot of suitable types. Is the AR action as powder sensitive as the Garand?
 
If you are running direct impingement it seems that they are not too picky on powder, most DI rifles are over gassed from the factory (increased reliability)

I am running CFE-223 for the following reasons:
  1. Available in 8# jugs
  2. Spherical Ball Propellant (meters well in a Dillon powder measure)
  3. Does not bridge on the case mouth when loading
  4. In stock when I needed it
  5. Reasonable Cost
  6. Burns clean enough to not cause me problems
  7. Runs in my rifle
  8. Reasonable accuracy


In all reality if you are running a gas gun, positive function is more important than ultimate precision. Even with Norinco ammo, you would probably shoot 5cm at 100 meters

With my 18" HBAR NEA and irons on it, I aim for 1.5 MOA off a rest and positive functioning across the temperature spectrum. It is good enough for what I do for action rifle. Most misses are the shooters fault any ways.
 
with my Dillon 550; I use a RCBS resizing die and seater, and a Lee crimp. Ive been using BLC-2 and W748
been getting 1.5 or better off a rest. 55gr BTHP are ok, 55gr Sierrra BTHP are really accurate in 16" AR. I just came off owning a Benelli MR1 so it doesn't take much to impress me right now
 
I've got several powders on hand, including a few lbs of Hodgdon "Benchmark", a new kid on the block. Looks like it should meter well.

I've been using H335 in my .222, but I'm down to a couple of lbs so I might keep it for that use.
 
In regards to Benchmark, I did have trouble with bridging in the case neck in my 1050. It seemed that about 20% of drops would bridge in the powder measure / case neck, and once I returned to top of stroke it would dump power all over my press. It caused me enough headache that I will not use extruded stick powder in anything smaller than .308 when loading progressively. If I loaded it single stage there would not be an issue, as I would be hand charging every case.

I have a small air pump that is attached to my powder measure to try and break up any bridging with vibration, but it only marginally improved it to around 15%. With the 1050 if the press starts to get fouled with contaminants you will have trouble cycling smoothly and start making poor quality ammunition.
 
Sharps '63 said:
I've got several powders on hand, including a few lbs of Hodgdon "Benchmark", a new kid on the block. Looks like it should meter well.

I've been using H335 in my .222, but I'm down to a couple of lbs so I might keep it for that use.
Click to expand...


Higginson Powders just got a shipment from Hodgdon. Their current pdf price list shows H335 in stock:
H-335 Spherical – Excellent in small cartridges .
8 lb. $216.00

$27 per pound is a good price in today's market...
 
Example of results from above combination: at measured 110 yards - five rounds - five dead pigeons - all head shots within a period of 30 minutes... Same results on gophers ...
 
Higginson absorbs S&H above a certain price, no? I may invest in a jug of H-335.

I hadn't thought about the 'bridging' problem on a progressive press with stick powder. When I'm reloading most rifles calibres, I use my Lyman DPS III. It's relatively fast, and accurate to .10 of a grain. Usually spot on. In the time it takes to dispense the next charge, I can seat a bullet in the previous case.

When it gets close to the programmed amount, it slows down and will spit out ONE stick to the correct charge. Gotta love it!
 
Yes, the auto-charge dispenser for single stage is a viable option. If I shot long range precision I would own one.

If you ever move to a progress press, then just keep in mind that you will have to consider moving to spherical ball propellants.
 
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Should have clarified .... I've got a pair of Dillon progressives on the bench. Just need another tool head, dies and the conversion kit.

Where would you buy it - from Dillon or a Canadian source?
 
Your best bet is to get a quote from MD Gardner. I do not know what his prices vs shipped directly from Dillon is worth. For most things now I deal directly with Dillon, and I usually receive it in 3 to 5 business days. Only thing with coming from the states is that shipping with FEDEX is expensive.
 
here mine:
Press 550B- 2 Tool Head system,( one for the Resizing/ decapping only,the other for the actual loading decapping die on first station to get rid of some leftover media)
Resizing Die- Dillon
Seating Die-Forester
Crimp Die- Forester ( very seldom use)
Decapping Die- Lee
Powders For 55grs- H335,WW748,VV530, CFE,
68-75grs- VV140, VV135
Primers- CCI 450
Trimmer- Girraud Power Trimmer
 
herpinator45

Just got back from the range with my first loads with Benchmark. Three shot 1" groups no problem with .308 Sierra 168 HPBT from the bench.

As for it 'bridging in .223 cases, it's a very fine grained powder, not a stick or even flake flake powder. Are you sure you don't have it confused with some other powder?
 
I do not have it confused with other powders. I like it for precision loads that I did in .223. The fine little greenish sticks are enough to cause a hassle for me on my 1050. I spent a fair amount of time on the phone with Dillon tech support and went through some steps to tty and fix it. Their statement came down to for any kind of volume loading there is a reason why military and commercial loaders use the ball propellants in 223 even if hodgdon extreme powders would perform better.
 
The 'sticks' of Benchmark are 1mm in length - or less.

If that presents a problem, I'll sure be using my DPS III powder dispenser for .223 just as I did with .308.
 
Stumbled into 'No Sale Sports' today and found RCBC .223 Comp dies so I bought 'em.

I've got them in .243, .308 and .30-'06 and love 'em. No worries about concentricity.
 
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