Which Hornady .223/5.56 NATO reloading dies

You use .223 dies to load for .223 or 5.56x45mm. It is the powder charge/pressure and the gun's chamber lead that are different, but case dimensions are the same.

You will need a shell holder and a way to trim at a min. Remember you must FL size so Lube is required.

The Hornady 546228 set is what I have alone with a set of Reddings for my SS press.

Cartridge nomenclateur can get confusing at times

223 Remington, 5.56 NATO and 5.56 x 45 are the same case dimensions although actual loading specifics may vary between them. Most die sets sold in the US will say 223 Remington.

sbwaters said:

I am confused by the different lengths. There is a 5.56x52R 546238 set (.227) and a 5.56x50 MAG set 546234 (.224).

Click to expand...

These cartridges are different cartridges from 223 Remington and different from each other. These dies will not load 223 Remington. Generally, if the name of a cartridge does not match the cartridge you are looking for, they are not the same.

But, the Europeans use different nomenclature, generally the metric bore size followed by the cartridge length. The "R" suffix indicates a rimmed cartridge.

Sometimes manufacturers load the same cartridge under a different name in an effort to capture more business or circumvent copyright laws.

sbwaters said:

Then there is a .223 REM die set 546228 and a separate .223 REM MATCH full-length sizing die 544229. When would I need that?

What else would I need as a new rifle cartridge reloader?

Thank you.

Click to expand...

The standard 223 Remington die set (546228) will serve you well for normal reloading. The Match set has a replaceable neck sizing bushing to dial in the neck sizing to the exact size without excessive expanding from the expander button.

Finally, Hornady rifle dies are not nitride coated. Only the straight walled handgun dies have the nitride coating. When resizing rifle cases, you WILL need to lubricate your cases otherwise you WILL get a case stuck in your new die.

Check out this thread on stuck cases.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=805882

RCBS makes a AR15 specific die set if you want to drop the extra coin on them.

Amen on the RCBS small base dies, which are on sale http://www.midwayusa.com/product/62...base-2-die-set-with-taper-crimp-223-remington right now. Black rifles can be very finicky about reloads, but ammo from the RCBS dies should feed in about anything. I often question why I reload .223. Lubing cases is a giant pain, and prices are so low you don't really save much.

Reloading rifle is a big enough pain that when the ammo is cheap (like now) I just buy factory reloadable, and save the brass for a rainy day or small quantity accuracy loads.

But anyhow. Dillon makes a set of .223 carbide dies (I don't have them) that supposedly help, but as mentioned, you will have to lube regardless. People always dump on Hornady One Shot around here, but I can lube a bunch off cases really fast with it, and I haven't got one stuck yet.

I use Hornady New Dimension dies and don't really have any real complaints. As long as it is adjusted correctly, I've never had any problem getting them sized down correctly to chamber in an AR.

You really don't need small base dies for 223. I've loaded thousands of 223/5.56 with standard 223 dies for my bolt and semi auto rifles.

I like many other manufacturers dies over Hornady. Expand your horizons and look at other choices.

Ditto on the .223 dies from Hornady. Lube 'me good and shoot away. The only confusing part for me was trying to sort 5.56 loads and .223 loads, especially with heavier bullets. Careful what you take as truth from the Internet.

I have dies from all of the major manufacturers all the way up to Redding Custom Competition dies.
For most of my general reloading needs I like Lee dies.

For my Hornady LnL AP Progressive I use Hornady dies. They are threaded a little deeper than Lee and RCBS dies. They also fit in their cases with the LnL bushings installed.

Like Walkalong, I use RCBS die boxes for storage of my dies with L-N-L bushing one them.

For storage on the shelf, I like the size of the RCBS and Redding boxes. Forrester and Hornady boxes are too big for my storage space.

I usually cut out one of the saddles near the cover latch to make room for the bushing in that position.

I either buy new boxes for my non-RCBS die sets or shuffle the boxes around between die sets that are used on the L-N-L press and those used on other presses.

I think Lyman boxes are similar to the RCBS boxes but orange in color.

The Redding boxes with the loading block feature in the lid have the least space inside.