223 reloading process

[blackd24]

I have a LCT that works very well for pistol rounds when trimming isn't required. I just sold a bunch of factory 223 because someone was willing to give me $800 for 1000 rounds. My thought was I could use that money to invest in more reloading components and load my own 223.

I am using mixed brass that I plan to sort by headstamp, 62 grain hornady FMJ, Winchester #100 SRP, H335.

1. tumble brass
2. lube and resize on LCT acting as single stage
3. trim, debur, chamfer, primer pocket swage
4. Back to LCT, seat primer
5. Drop powder
6. Seat/Crimp bullet

I have the RCBS small base set of dies. I will have an open station on the LCT using this method. I wonder if its worth adding a Lee Factory Crimp die and only using the RCBS die to seat the bullet?

Any thoughts? Anyone else using a LCT to reload 223? These will be plinking rounds mostly.

 

[maxxhavoc]

I would look at a single stage or lee hand press to resize/decap.

Make sure you have good lube - Imperial works well. I have had issues with Hornady one shot spray and .223 small base dies. Stuck cases in RCBS dies is a pain.

I tumble again after resizing to get the lube off.

Make sure you have a good way of verifying primers are seated properly. I seat off the press, and verify all are below flush. If you prime on a progressive or semi progressive, you don't know when a primer didn't seat all the way until you have a loaded round.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I have a Lee Loadmaster and decap, resize and prime, powder drop, bullet seat and crimp with the 5 stations the Loadmaster offers. I use Hornady 1 shot for lube and prefer to crimp on a separate step instead of using the seater/crimp together

 

[Reloadron]

In most cases I start with sizing only because I start with relatively clean brass. I resize and then trim because I like uniformity. Then I tumble in a vibratory cleaner. I really don't worry about cleaning compound in primer pockets or flash holes since I inspect the cases. I also normally hand prime with either a Lee or RCBS hand priming tool. Then I charge and seat bullets. Everything done with Lee or RCBS dies. Retired and it's winter up here in NE Ohio so not like I worry about time. I have a few progressive types but most of what I load is on an old Rockchucker. Have small base dies and have yet to need them. I also never bother with a crimp die.

Ron

 

[AR. Hillbilly]

I have no experience with your press and as of now I load 223 on a single stage. move had no luck seating and crimping mixed brass in one step.
I switched to a seat and a Lee factory crimp die as you mentioned.

 

[FROGO207]

In response to your question OP.
Iwould not worry about the FCD. I have one that stays in the box unused. I find that crimping any rifle bullet more often than not is detrimental to accuracy. Try it both ways though and see for yourself. Most agree with me that if you have good enough neck tension a crimp is not a help.

 

[kmw1954]

I have only been loading bottleneck cases (223) since last Sept. but have been loading pistol for a long tome and I will say it is much different. Especially if you are using brass with crimped primers. I do use a Progressive press for my pistol loads but have resigned to using both a single stage press and a old Lee 3 Hole turret press to load my 223 rounds.

I use the single stage to deprime, resize and trim all 223 brass and then use the turret press with just two dies. The first station is empty and this is where I prime, Index the press and use the Lee Powder thru die and a Lee Auto drum measure to charge, index again and seat the bullet. No crimp die.

In my process I first wash all brass to clean the loose dirt, then I decap using a Universal die, I then ream and uniform primer pockets of crimped brass. After that I resize using Hornady Universal Case Lube, then after that I trime using a Lee Quick Trim and dies on the single stage press. From there I rewash and then run trough a dry tumbler with cob. After all that I am now ready to start loading on the Turret press.

 

[mjsdwash]

i load .223 on a lee 4 hole turret, which is similar. Until recently I used a perfect powder measure, and charged cases in ammo boxes 20 at a time. I got a free lee autodrum... wow what a design failure that was... but I did eventually get it to work, and now process brass this way:
Put fired brass in a bin about 200 at a time. Spray lightly with lanolin (franford arsenal),
Sake about 20 seconds.
Load them into a loadmaster setup with a decapper, and priming system only.
Size and prime all of them.
Check case length for spec
long cases are trimmed with a WFT trimmer, that allows you to trim primed cases.
Cases are then loaded on the Lee 4 hole in the exact same way as pistol rounds, except station one is now charging. 2 is powder check die, 3 is bullet seating, 4 is crimping, using the auto index. This allows about 20 seconds to load one round
This applies to cases I have fired before.
if the cases are range pickups I don't prime them but measure the primer pocket for crimp. If a #17 drill bit fits easily in, they're good. If not, I put them in a drill, neck facing in, run them with a razor knife on the primer crimp. This works very well.

 

[mjsdwash]

if you don't have a "Lee three jaw chuck" get one as soon as the panic allows. This has been the most the most valuable case trimming tool I have ever used. I use a WFT for .223, but for $70 its a little much for each cal. The 3 jaw works with nearly every cal made, and uses Lee pilot gauges/cutter. But its 1000X better than the old lee screw posts. I can trim and deburr about 3-4 cases a minute. It runs about $15 dollars.

As for crimp, I wouldn't get it unless you need it. I crimp about half the time, for plinking rounds its not needed. Some loads will be more accurate with it, but most will not. You only need crimp if you have a ridiculously long leade/freebore, the kind found in old Mausers and 300AAC rifles, or heavy magnum rifles, and lastly rifles with a history of causing bullet setback. Most 223 rifles won't have this issue.

Does your RCBS seater not crimp? Many seater dies will also crimp, but some will not.


I suppose inflation happens in 12 years, its now about $24. Still worth is. You do need both parts to turn a drill into a case trimmer. https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQuery=lee+3+jaw+chuck&userItemsPerPage=4

FWIW, I use a $20 harbor freight drill mounted upside down in a vice to do case processing. Its fast and that drill held up really well. I bought it for mixing cement, and have trimmed thousands of cases.

 

[jonas66]

Just my contribution for comparison:

I use an LCT to reload .223/5.56.

I have only been at it a year but in that time have loaded and fired around 2000 rounds through several different AR rifles (no bolt guns) and have only had one malfunction - that was a round which stuck in the chamber and had to be mortared out, though it didn't take much effort.

I believe that was due to a piece of brass which only got partially re-sized due to my hurried efforts earlier in the day.
I use only range pickup brass of all varieties, from new and pretty nice to old and truly gnarly. If I can clean it up and resize it, I use it.

I de-cap on a universal decapper mounted in a separate turret.

I trim brass using the Lee lock stud in a power drill, and the cutter and size gauge handheld. I had to use blue loc-tite on the cutter and size gauge to get it to stop changing length, but after that- no problems and a consistent trim.

I ream out the primer crimps using a phillips head screwdriver bit in the power drill which is mounted in a bench vise. (* Like mjsdwash describes^^ up above me there, except my old B&D drill cost $5 at a thrift store. )

The Lee de-bur and chamfer piece works at first, sort of... but it wears out fast. I now use a handheld Hornady piece which works well and seems like it'll last a long time.

I re-prime on the press since that feature was provided when I bought the LCT as a kit. Seems to work well.

I don't use a small base die, just the normal Lee resize/decap, seater, and FCD. I have a rifle charging die set in between the re-size die and the seating die which allows me to use the auto-drum powder drop mounted on the press.

The Lee FCD for bottle-neck rifle cartridges is different from the ones used for straight wall cartridges.

The FCD for straight wall uses a carbide ring which can pretty much re-size your whole dang round depending on how you have it set.

The FCD for rifle cartridges has four semi-circular little horizontal clamp pieces near the top which move in under pressure to clamp around the neck of the round, squeezing it.

I have mine set to just barely kiss the mouth of the case a little into the cannelure, in an attempt to avoid possible set-back since the rounds are being used in semi-auto rifles.

I am told this is mostly unneccessary, but that's how I started and I'm still new.

Seems to work for me.

I use mostly Hornady 62 grain lead core fmj bullets, though I have used a variety of others.

I use whatever SR primers I have handy, and usually WC-844 powder which I bought in bulk last year. It's the non-cannister version of H335.

I do not have a chronograph, but I have not been able to tell the difference between commercial H335 and the (new, not surplus or pull-down) WC-844. By now, I treat them alike for my loads.

I think I'm liking IMR 4198 lately, also, but of course we have the 'rona and the panic to deal with and now it's harder to experiment freely with different components.

Be careful using the auto-index feature in conjunction with the auto powder drum -- when I get to moving too fast the powder will bounce out of the case as it moves around to the seating die, changing the load.

Well, there's a wall of text. Maybe someone might find a bit of something helpful.
___________
Edited to brag about my cheap drill!

 

[Blue68f100]

I've loaded 223R on my LNL-AP. When I do, I use Hornady OS as lube, using a bag. I then dump them into my brass feeder to dry before I start. I don't own any small base or have I never needed them in 4+ decades. If your loading for a simi-auto make sure you have 0.003"-0.004" neck tension and crimp will not be needed. I only own one LFCD and it's never been out of the box, for 357 sig, and it was given to me. I only rifle rounds that I crimp are for tubular magazines or revolvers. I do use a Powder Cop die to check powder charge though.

You will find out that the use of Ball powders are preferred when loading on a AP. You don't have to deal with powder bridging or binding as it tries to cut a kernel of powder.