Question on 223 reloading

[smitty1942]

have searched this forum for answers but can't find what I'm looking for.

My only experience is reloading pistol so bear with me please. My brother wants to start reloading for his5.56/223 AR-15 style rifle using my press (he also has only reloaded for pistols).

It appears that are options are for the Lee 3 die Pacesetter set or the Lee Ultimate 4 die set. Now the only difference that I see is that the 4 die set includes a die for the neck (collet). It appears that both sets still require case lubrication for the sizing die? So, does he really need the neck sizing die?

Additional questions.
Now he has some military 556 ammunition which I'm positive has crimped primers therefore it appears he will need a separate decapping die, primer pocket reamer, and case trimmer. Correct? Any additional suggestions?

 

[X-Ring]

So, does he really need the neck sizing die?

No, in fact you should only full length size brass for use in an auto loading rifle.

he will need a separate decapping die

No, the sizing die will decap crimped brass just fine

primer pocket reamer, and case trimmer

Yes and yes

All bottle necked brass needs lube even with carbide dies.

 

[MaterDei]

No need for the 4th die. Full length sizing is good to go. You will need to lube the cases.

Edit: x ring beat me to the punch.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

There ya go, ask and get good answers.

I will add since you are new to reloading rifle ammo, some .223 brass and most 5.56mm brass will have a crimped primer. You will need to remove the crimp before you can install a fresh primer. There are many ways to do this. If you need suggestions ask, if you already knew about the crimped primers, never mind! lol

 

[satexas]

I use once-fired military cases for almost all my AR-15 reloads. I would suggest that you invest in a universal decapping die and deprime first. Then tumble wet or dry to clean before you put them in a sizing die. The reason is because most of the time, the cases are pretty dirty, and you don't want to introduce dirt and other particles into your die which will end up scratching all your brass.

 

[W.E.G.]

Get a case gage to be sure you set the case shoulder to correct dimension.

 

[David4516]

Here is my process for reloading .223 for an AR-15 with military brass

1: Tumble
2: Lube (I use RCBS lube pad and case lube)
3: Resize/Deprime (watch out for Berdan primers)
4: Tumble again (to clean off any excess case lube)
5: Remove any tumbling media from flash holes
6: Trim cases if necessary (use "WFT" for trimming, highly recommend)
7: Chamfer/Deburr if necessary
8: Ream primer pocket to remove military crimp if necessary
9: Prime Cases (I use CCI .41 military style primers that come in the white box)
10: Pour powder (I use H335)
11: Seat bullet (I use 55gr Hornady Soft Points)
12: Crimp (Lee crimp die)
13: Place loaded rounds into box and label the box
14: Shoot rounds, repeat cycle

Case prep is WAY more work with rifles than it is with pistols, but it's worth it. I don't think you need the neck size only die, you'd probably only use that if you were shooting bolt guns anyway. As mentioned before I'd suggest getting a WFT it will really reduce the amount of time you spend trimming the brass.

https://littlecrowgunworks.com/product/worlds-finest-trimmer-wft/

 

[rsrocket1]

You might want to consider the Lee RGB 2-die set + a .223 shellholder. If you are loading jacketed bullets, there is no need to expand the case neck for the bullet and no need to "factory crimp" the case mouth. You save $12 on the extra die but then have to spend an extra 5 bucks for the shellholder and with the Pacesetter you get an additional cute little scoop. I'm not dissing the Lee dies, when I first got into loading, I bought the 4 die set but have never used the collet die in .223 and don't use the crimp die either.
With cast bullets in my .308 bolt action gun, I use both as well as an expander die.