223 reload

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sifer1

sifer1

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morning i'am looking at starting to reload 223 remington with a 55gr fmj-bt with cannelure for my kodiak defense gun, i've looked on the hornady app and it says cfe223 powder is good for it. i'am using the case i just fired. and also picked up some 5.56 case at the same time, can i use the 5.56 or not? also what do you guys recommed for something like this?
thanks
 
223 versus 5.56 is more about pressure than it is about case. Your new cases will work fine.

CFE223 is a good powder, but maybe not the best with a 55gr bullet. I think the sweet spot with that powder is 60 to 70 grain bullets. But it will work just fine to get you started.

How much powder do you put in? Do you follow tables for 223 or 5.56? Well, it depends on your gun. What is stamped on your gun? Follow the load table for that.
 
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223 on my kodiak defence. i just started to look it up after using
American Eagle .223 Rem, 55 Gr, FMJBT. hornady app says 24.8gr to 26.7gr also do you crimp or not? follow 223 table
 
Google: "Shooting .223 in 5.56 chamber"
Google: "Shooting 5.56 in .223 chamber"
If you are reloading using .223/5.56 cases and .223 resizing and case trimmer you're shooting .223 ammo!

"Crimp" ? Only to SAAMI specs!

Shooting .223 ammo in 5.56 marked barrel is a non-issue. Some say there is a slight pressure drop.

Some say shooting 5.56 in .223 chamber causes a pressure increase! Do your own research here! :)
 
sifer1 said:
kodiak
Click to expand...
As in on the island of Kodiak? I think I'd be looking for a more substantial caliber, or at least a more substantial bullet choice than 55 gr. FMJ were I to have to use a .223/5.56mm.
AFAIK, dies all size to .223 Remington specs. You can run your 5.56 brass through them just fine.
 
only shooting 223 remington, no 5.56 but going to use the case
 
They don't make 5.56 dies, only .223.

5.56 vs .223 is about slight chamber differences and pressure.

Load all your .223 & 5.56 marked cases with your .223 dies to the .223 specs in your load book and be happy.

An added note: Some .223/5.56 cases are heavier than others, test your load with the heaviest you might use to be sure pressures are ok. Occasionally when loading mixed .223/5.56 range brass I get a case where the powder comes up much further in the case than the others, and I just pull out and scrap those. Could be a very heavy case, could be trash in the case, who cares, it goes in the scrap bin. It is seldom I see this, but it happens. See each powder charge you seat a bullet over, any caliber, any press, evey time.
 
sifer1 said:
...also do you crimp or not?
Click to expand...

I don’t crimp the bullets or the primers in 223.

You may have to remove a primer pocket crimp from your American Eagle cases. I’ve shot a lot of AE that had crimped primers. Are yours crimped? If you’re unsure, ask. Also, there are easy ways to remove the crimp, so if you don’t know, ask.
 
If the primers are crimped, there are solutions that range from a simple deburring/chamfering tool, (which you ought to have for the inside of the neck anyway) to special multi-station motorized 'case prep' machines. You do not need to, nor should you attempt, to crimp a primer in once seated. There are other methods of sealing primers should one desire that.

As for crimping bullets in, if they have cannelures, just a light, (light!) roll crimp into the cannelure, if no cannelure, a light taper crimp is fine.
 
yea iam using a very light crimp.
my barrel is stamp 5.56. the only thing i found out is the american eagle case is a crimped case and there is a blue ring around the primer hole. the 5.56 is not and i can put new primers into that case. have tried using a deburring tool for the necks but does not seem to do the job very well, have worked on a couple of case now and cant seem to get a new primer in. so was thinking about just buying new 5.56 case and start from that. if i do can i still use cfe223 powder? or is there better hodgson powder to use with a 55fmj bt round????
 
Some deburring cutters just suck, no two ways about it. They can leave burs on the chamfer that are not helpful. The best I have used for primer pockets is a single flute 60 degree. Just a quick zip.
 
You should also Google "reload over pressure signs" so you know what to look for.......

Staying in the 223 realm will keep you SAFE!!!

Enjoy
 
I use an L.E. Wilson or RCBS (marked as made by L. . WIlson) chamfering/deburring tool. About a dozen turns around the primer pocket (or inside of the neck) smooths them out, I keep the tool handy when I'm priming, if one doesn't want to go in, I work the primer pocket more until it does.

sifer1 said:
is there better hodgson powder to use with a 55fmj bt round????
Click to expand...

I like BL-C(2), but I've heard cfe223 is cleaner. I've never used it.
 
sifer1 said:
if i do can i still use cfe223 powder?
Click to expand...
Yes. It is one of my favorites. None better, some say.
Starting low and working up, by book numbers, is the way. I even use CFE223 for some of my 30-06 loads. Blisteringly fast VMaxs!
Here is a set of ten from this summer. And one thirty caliber next to it.
index.php


If you can, get new commercial brass and load happy. Primer crimps only need to be done once, but prefer not doing them at all. The RCBS swage die II convinced me of that. Though I have their crimp reamer to try on a whole new bucket of brass.
(There is no such thing as “Free Brass”.;))
 
ive been using the 223 remington 55gr rounds by federal and found that they are all crimped primers so time to change
 
i looked for h223 but couldnt find any so picked up some h322 instead
 
Win. 748 powder is good for 55gr .223, and seems to be still available.
 
Can anybody give me information on loading 223 55gr nosler varmageddon. I want to load them for a ar-15 and I'll be using cfe-223 powder. I've never used them bullets before so I'm wondering on how much powder and seating depth
 
BTSCH- go by the book data. Not to hijack this thread but - please don't trust what you are told online........

:thumbup:
 
I've been using CFE-223 with 62 gr bullets in 3 different AR-15's my son and I own, and reload. I've been very pleased the way CFE-223 meters thru my Dillon powder measure, shoots accurately, and cleans up afterwards. May not be the most accurate powder out there, but it works for us. Glad I invested in an 8 lb jug and 2000 bullets before the component shortage hit here.
 
I use CFE223 for both 55gr and 62gr FMJ "plinking rounds". It does good with 55's, and darn good with 62's. Go by book Data, both of my load recipes are directly from the hornady manual for each bullet. I also use a light crimp from a Lee FCD. Don't need to, I just like to.
 
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