Brass consistency and trimming

Hey guys,

So I was just at my reloading bench getting ready to load a ton of .224/5.56 rounds for an upcoming event. I haven't loaded this caliber in a while, and I was measuring my sized brass, with a wide degree of results. I know the trim length is 1.750", and the max case length is 1.760"

My brass was all over the place. From 1.739" to 1.763"

I threw out all the brass that was under 1.740" and trimmed the stuff over 1.760" down into the mid 1.755s.

I will be loading a middle of the road load with FMJ bullets, just for punching paper. Can I use all this brass mixed together? Is 1.740 too short to load with?

When I load for 308, I'm loading for accuracy, so I make sure all the cases are the same length.

What is too short to load with when it comes to brass? My trimmer takes cases down to 1.745ish.

Any thoughts?

So, if I understand correctly:

You are both saying that brass can only be too short when there isn't enough neck tension? Anything below "trim length" is safe to load and shoot as long as it can still hold onto the bullet well enough? Are you guys sure?

Here is a another question: sometimes I have resized and trimmed cases (almost exclusively 223/556) where the rim of the case doesn't easily fit into my chamber gauge. Even if I resize them again, it doesn't help. It takes just a small bit of pressure to push them into the chamber gauge, but then I'll need like a small screw driver to push them back out.

All other cases just drop in and out freely. I'm talking like 99% of the cases drop and out without any help. I do not have a small base sizer, so that might help.

However, do you guys think it's safe to load the few where the rim is just a little too large? Or should I toss those?

Thanks guys!