I am currently working on brass prep on 5000 pcs of 223/5.56 mixed headstamp once fired brass. I'm done with 3500 pcs, so the end is in sight.
Here's what I have done so far:
-De-cap
-Wet stainless media tumble
-Full length resize
-Ream primer pockets
-Trim to 1.740 +/-. 002
-Deburr inside and outside of case necks
-Wash again in wet tumbler to remove both case lube and brass chips from trimming, no pins this time, still using lemishine and dawn soap.
Here's my plan for what's next:
-Sort all cases by headstamp
-Pick the biggest group and sort only that group by weight, in 1 grain increments.
-Pick the biggest group from that sorting, seat primers, and use only it to work up loads with Win748 and CFE223, with 4 different bullet types. Those are Hornady 55gr FMJBT, Everglades 55gr FMJBT, Everglades 62gr SS109, and Hornady 55gr soft point varmint nightmare extreme.
I'm thinking I don't necessarily have to separate out all 3 of the 55gr bullets onto separate groups for load development?
Hopefully that group of 1 weight in the most numerous headstamp will be large enough for all that load development. If it isn't, I'll move to the next closest weight groups in that same headstamp.
Once I've found a charge weight I'm happy with for each of the above combinations, I'll load a few pieces in each of the other headstamps and look for signs of overpressure.
That will tell me whether I'm good to go to use all the remaining headstamps as is, or if any of those headstamp groups warrant their own process of load development.
I don't own a chronograph.
I'm not looking for sub moa accuracy. Rack grade service rifle standards of 3 moa are good enough for me.
I'm loading for a 16" Palmetto State 5.56, a Del-Ton 20" 5.56, and a Faxon barelled 10.5" 5.56.
The goal is to have an ongoing ammo reserve across multiple re-uses of this brass, and occasionally punching holes in paper. Load development happens on sandbags at 25 and 100 yards.
So, in your opinion, what if anything might be better done differently? I got through 1000 pcs of 223/5.56 reloading earlier in the spring, without sorting anything, loading 24.8 gr (+/- 0.1gr) of Win748 with 55gr FMJBT, so I do have a control group from a much less precise process to compare with this new set and see what all this sorting and weighing really does.
I'm still pretty new at this, but as a machinist, making and tracking precise measurements and variables are not new to me. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!
~OpIvy
Here's what I have done so far:
-De-cap
-Wet stainless media tumble
-Full length resize
-Ream primer pockets
-Trim to 1.740 +/-. 002
-Deburr inside and outside of case necks
-Wash again in wet tumbler to remove both case lube and brass chips from trimming, no pins this time, still using lemishine and dawn soap.
Here's my plan for what's next:
-Sort all cases by headstamp
-Pick the biggest group and sort only that group by weight, in 1 grain increments.
-Pick the biggest group from that sorting, seat primers, and use only it to work up loads with Win748 and CFE223, with 4 different bullet types. Those are Hornady 55gr FMJBT, Everglades 55gr FMJBT, Everglades 62gr SS109, and Hornady 55gr soft point varmint nightmare extreme.
I'm thinking I don't necessarily have to separate out all 3 of the 55gr bullets onto separate groups for load development?
Hopefully that group of 1 weight in the most numerous headstamp will be large enough for all that load development. If it isn't, I'll move to the next closest weight groups in that same headstamp.
Once I've found a charge weight I'm happy with for each of the above combinations, I'll load a few pieces in each of the other headstamps and look for signs of overpressure.
That will tell me whether I'm good to go to use all the remaining headstamps as is, or if any of those headstamp groups warrant their own process of load development.
I don't own a chronograph.
I'm not looking for sub moa accuracy. Rack grade service rifle standards of 3 moa are good enough for me.
I'm loading for a 16" Palmetto State 5.56, a Del-Ton 20" 5.56, and a Faxon barelled 10.5" 5.56.
The goal is to have an ongoing ammo reserve across multiple re-uses of this brass, and occasionally punching holes in paper. Load development happens on sandbags at 25 and 100 yards.
So, in your opinion, what if anything might be better done differently? I got through 1000 pcs of 223/5.56 reloading earlier in the spring, without sorting anything, loading 24.8 gr (+/- 0.1gr) of Win748 with 55gr FMJBT, so I do have a control group from a much less precise process to compare with this new set and see what all this sorting and weighing really does.
I'm still pretty new at this, but as a machinist, making and tracking precise measurements and variables are not new to me. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!
~OpIvy