223/556 case length question?? Reloading Newbie

[flyphishr]

I have a bunch of mixed head stamp 223/556 brass that I have kept over the years knowing that one day I would get into reloading. Some brass was from my Dad's reloads that I shot and the rest was factory loads that I shot. After decapping and sizing them, the overall case lengths are below 1.76. Is this normal to be this length and not have to trim them?? Will they need trimmed after loaded again and fired? I was under the assumption that all rifle brass would need trimmed before loaded?? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[kmw1954]

Not all will need to be trimmed. My experience with a lot of mixed brass is that the hotter loaded military stuff will likely nee to be while the commercial 223 not so much. Get yourself a small bucket full and start measuring and you will soon see and get a feel for which needs to be trimmed and which don't.

One thing I have noticed is that to pays to chamfer the case mouths inside and out.

 

[carbine85]

You check brass length after you resize it. Not all brass has to be trimmed after it's sized. It's also okay if it's a little short since the .223 / 556 doesn't headspace on the neck.

 

[.308 Norma]

the overall case lengths are below 1.76. Is this normal to be this length and not have to trim them??

Maybe not "normal," but certainly common. I wouldn't worry about it unless they're really short.

Will they need trimmed after loaded again and fired?

Maybe. There are too many factors to say for sure.
Edited to add: As carbine85 said, check the lengths after you resize them.

I was under the assumption that all rifle brass would need trimmed before loaded??

No sir, not by a long shot - not even if you're talking about bottlenecked rifle brass. I've worn out a lot of bottlenecked cases (let alone straight-walled cases) before they ever needed trimmed the first time. As I said in answer #2 - "there are too many factors to say for sure" when and if your brass is going to need trimmed.

Welcome to THR by the way.

 

[flyphishr]

Ok Good stuff here, thank you all for the replies. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong.

 

[papajoe222]

What would one consider too short? 1.740??

 

[Charlie98]

Also... just FYI... if any of your brass is military (LC, etc) or some Federal and other commercial brass... you will have crimped primer pockets. Those crimps will have to be swaged or reamed before you can reprime those.

 

[Skeptic13]

The max case length is 1.76 but the trim length is generally 1.75. Normally I will trim anything over 1.755 down to 1.752 and pitch anything under 1.745. The reason I pitch it is because .223/5.56 is very plentiful and I have way to much of it. Minimum case length is 1.74 but I opt for a little more bearing surface. It is not uncommon not to have to trim a case. I find that the cases that I have already trimmed once tend to not need to be trimmed the next go round.

 

[stillquietvoice]

I've loaded vases as short as 1.735 no problem as long as you have enough neck tension to hold bullet in place.

 

[gifbohane]

Normally someone here would "suggest" that you buy a manual or two. Surprised that it has not happened yet. You will need to trim these cases that you have. Chamfer and deburr also.

Probably 65 percent of my cases need to be trimmed which I trim to 1.750. I find a LOT of FC with military crimp. FC 223 carts that I pick up are usually about 1.742 when I pick them up at the range. As one of the guys said I will use as low as 1.740.

My ability to measure will show some minor differences.

 

[flyphishr]

Also... just FYI... if any of your brass is military (LC, etc) or some Federal and other commercial brass... you will have crimped primer pockets. Those crimps will have to be swaged or reamed before you can reprime those.

Yes, I did know about that. TY

 

[flyphishr]

Normally someone here would "suggest" that you buy a manual or two. Surprised that it has not happened yet. You will need to trim these cases that you have. Chamfer and deburr also.

Probably 65 percent of my cases need to be trimmed which I trim to 1.750. I find a LOT of FC with military crimp. FC 223 carts that I pick up are usually about 1.742 when I pick them up at the range. As one of the guys said I will use as low as 1.740.

My ability to measure will show some minor differences.

I do have have manuals that I reference for load data, case length...etc.

 

[.308 Norma]

I do have have manuals that I reference for load data, case length...etc.

Figured as much - otherwise you wouldn't have known that your case lengths are already below the listed "trim to" lengths.

 

[MakBaba]

As the above posts suggest, don't forget to chamfer and debar the case mouths even if you don't trim. Very easy to start shaving jackets.

 

[flyphishr]

As the above posts suggest, don't forget to chamfer and debar the case mouths even if you don't trim. Very easy to start shaving jackets.

Will do!

 

[FROGO207]

For reference, with bottle necked brass as long as you have one caliber of the bullet touching inside the case neck and have enough tension to hold it there the neck can be shorter. It only becomes a problem if you try to crimp the bullet. I generally don't crimp my bullets in because it reduces the accuracy of my ammo. YMMV

 

[lightman]

The 223/5.56 is one of the cartridges that I trim on my Giraud. I don't measure them, I just run them through the trimmer. Its adjusted to trim them to the minimum length. I'll put any short ones to the side and load them as a batch.

But yes, you will find some short cases. And you will find a few that are longer than the rest.