I'm sure this is not first time it's happened but I'm a reloading rookie and could use a little sage advice from the old timers.
I finally got a chance to try out my reloads .223 Rem in my AR-15 at the range today. Started with 5 rounds in the magazine and by the second shot I noticed they were hitting low. 4 rounds fired and brass ejected as advertised. 5th round fired but failed to eject the case.
Loaded up 2 more rounds just to see if this is a trend. Closed the bolt on the first round and it failed to close fully. Performed SPORTS on the weapon and got the bolt closed but it felt a little tight. Pulled the charging handle and the case ejected without the bullet.
Here is what I loaded with:
Brand new .223 Remington brass, lubed and sized, not trimmed
69gr. Sierra Match King .224 bullets
Winchester 748 powder measured to 23gr. using a Lee Powder Safety Scale
CCI small rifle primers
Cartridge OAL average 2.255 inches measured with a digital caliper/micrometer
Rounds were not crimped
Anything I might have overlooked while loading? I suspect the reason for the FTE and stuck round is either the round did not build enough pressure either due to lack of the crimp or the powder was measured wrong by me.
I'll tear a couple down when I get home and check the powder weight and probably crimp a dozen of the current rounds and see how they perform.
I finally got a chance to try out my reloads .223 Rem in my AR-15 at the range today. Started with 5 rounds in the magazine and by the second shot I noticed they were hitting low. 4 rounds fired and brass ejected as advertised. 5th round fired but failed to eject the case.
Loaded up 2 more rounds just to see if this is a trend. Closed the bolt on the first round and it failed to close fully. Performed SPORTS on the weapon and got the bolt closed but it felt a little tight. Pulled the charging handle and the case ejected without the bullet.
Here is what I loaded with:
Brand new .223 Remington brass, lubed and sized, not trimmed
69gr. Sierra Match King .224 bullets
Winchester 748 powder measured to 23gr. using a Lee Powder Safety Scale
CCI small rifle primers
Cartridge OAL average 2.255 inches measured with a digital caliper/micrometer
Rounds were not crimped
Anything I might have overlooked while loading? I suspect the reason for the FTE and stuck round is either the round did not build enough pressure either due to lack of the crimp or the powder was measured wrong by me.
I'll tear a couple down when I get home and check the powder weight and probably crimp a dozen of the current rounds and see how they perform.