First time loading 223/5.56, recommendations please

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owenbright

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I use a lee classic turret and have loaded a few thousand pistol loads, but never rifle calibers.
I'd appreciate recommendations on:
Powder
Bullet source (where to buy?)
Dies (I've only used deluxe carbide sets from Lee for pistol)
Perhaps I missed something..

edited: addressing jcwit's comment: This is for AR. Target shooting and Hunting, if possible.


Thank you!
 
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here'swhat I do..

Lee Pace setter die set.... FL size, bullet seating die and LFCD

Rifle charging die, if you don't already have it... just park your Auto-disk on top and it will clear your Safety primer.

Safety primer for small primers

H335. I buy local, but am about ready to go for an 8 lb keg from Powder Vally

Win SRP

Win 55 gr FMJ BT bulk bullet (w/ 25 gr H335). When MIdway has them on sale you can pick up 500 for about $36

Siera Match King BTHP bullet (w/ 23 gr H335). I buy these local.

Your going to need to trim brass after a couple pops.

I've been using the zip trim and wood ball Lee cutter, with the depth gage and plate holder for .223 Rem. But I just bought the small metal handle cutter, so I can chuck it in my drill press and trim them against the steal table.

You're also going to run into crimped primers eventually. The best tools is reported to be the Dillion Super Swager....but that's something like $90. The Hornady swager get very mixed reviews. I've opted to ream the crimps. I've done it with the Lee chamfer tool by setting the tool on the bench, setting the case primer pocket on top.... press down on case and rotate chamfer tool on bech top. About 20 quarter turns gets most of it out. Just bougt the Foster chamfer tool, as I can mount it in my 5/8" drill press chuck and ream the suckers under power.

I put a pretty firm crimp on with the FCD

The Win bullet will drive you insane if you try to get fussy with your OAL, as the Ogive varies enough to affect the way the bullet makes contact in the seating die. I'm done swetting it. I seat at the canalure and if I'm +/- .015 I'm a happy camper.

The SMK seats spot on.

I like the Rem brass the best as it has not primer pocket crimp. I also like the Win brass I bought new.

All of the Federal and half of the Win factory ammo. I've bought has crimped pockets.

But range pick up brass abounds for .223 where I shoot, so I only bought brass once.

The older FC brass has a bad rep. But I've not experienced any problems.

Fiocchi brass has also been good, but needs to be reamed.

Lake city mil. surp brass is reputed to be the best. Work up you loads seperately for this brass though, as the wall thickness is thicker and the case volume is less.

You can buy once fired Lake city brass that has been cleand and reamed for ~$.06/ a case.

Lot's of guys report that the 'X' dies work well to prevent case elongation, but I haven't tried it.

Hope this helps.
 
Yes, that was pretty thorough SSNVet. Thank you.

When I first started reloading .223/5.56 I started simple. I just bought dies and bullets (already had the primers and powder) and started loading. No trimming or tumbling or anything. Just roll a few hundred rounds and shoot them, roll some more and shoot them, until I had a more intimate knowledge of what makes it tick.

After a few thousand rounds and a few pounds of powder, I was in much better position to start buying more equipment to do all the operations. I knew what I really needed, and what I didn't need. [Some of those operations I stopped doing when I found that they didn't affect accuracy and reliability in my particular rifles, but you need to discover that yourself.]

You don't need to do everything listed by SSNVet to start out. Eventually you'll get there.
 
By the way, you may not want to use Sierra Match King for hunting. They have a nose and jacket that may or may not be very effective on some small game. Go check out Sierra's advice on that. Most of the majors make excellent high-quality varmint bullets that open up very quickly.
 
To lessen the chance of pierced primers I choose from one of the following...
CCI 450, CCI BR4, Fed 205M, CCI #41 or Rem 7 1/2. These generally have thicker primer cups.

Powder. Varget is good so is H335. I have shot alot of AA2230.

Bullets. Hornady 55gr FMJ in bulk are great but some shooting ranges prohibit FMJ projectiles.
Hornady makes a soft point that's excellent but a tad more expensive. I get mine at Grafs.


I don't use a Lee FCD. In fact, I don't crimp at all.

Brass. Lake City and WCC are good. IMI is excellent.
Crimped primer pockets are swaged rather than reamed. I use a RCBS primer swager. It's slow but there's no need to sort brass by brand and it's way cheaper than Dillon's.
 
For blasting ammo with the AR I tend to buy the cheapest 55gr FMJ I can find locally, use the cheapest primers I can find, and run a fairly mild load of H335. It meters really well which speeds things up. I get about 3-4" at 100 yards out of my AR and while I have much more accurate loads it is as cheap as I can go and as fast as I can go. I seat so the mouth is in the crimp band and don't worry about measuring for length. I can run them out really quick and for far less than even steel cased .223 is running. When it comes to bench, target, or hunting ammo I have tried a bunch of different powders, bullets, seating depths, primers, etc and it all comes down to the specific rifle.
 
glad to be of some help....

+1 on the 6mmbr.com site.... read the 223 article from cover to cover. (well, top of page to end of page)

Next time around I'm getting the 55gr Hornady FMJ BT as I've seen it on sale for just 1/2 a penny more than the Win.

Lots of guys tote W748 for 223.

Some say it doesn't work as well in the cold though.

if you swage your brass, you'll have to make sure you keep the swaged and unswaged segregated, as they look the same.

I went with reaming, as the set up was cheaper, on the drill press it's fast, and the cases look different when reamed, so I know not to mess with them again.

I was close to buying the Hornady swager, but the reiviews on Midway were mixed and extreme @ both ends.
 
I went with reaming, as the set up was cheaper, on the drill press it's fast, and the cases look different when reamed, so I know not to mess with them again.
Click to expand...
That's exactly the decision I made.
I use a carbide countersink bit from the hardware store, chucked in a drill.
Cheap, easy, effective, fast, and reamed pockets are easily identified.
 
Redding dies, but any will work.

Cheap bulk 55 Gr FMJ + Cheap 8lb'ders of surplus powder = cheap blasting/plinking. :D

Substitute good quality bullets for serious target shooting or hunting. Just pick the right bullet.

Many powders do very well, so that is easy. H335, Varget, 4895, BLC2, TAC, 2230, 748. take your pick. :)

Pats Reloading

Wideners
 
I've opted to ream the crimps. I've done it with the Lee chamfer tool
Click to expand...
This works. But if overdone the primer cup metal will flow and the primer will blow out on the edge.The gas cutting will leave a pockmark on the bold face.
 
Ditto.

Be very careful when reaming using a counter bit or chamfer tool. A little goes a long way.
 
I think I'm almost ready to go thanks to all the helpful comments.

Do the cases need to be lubricated when used with Lee dies?
 
Lube the outside of the case and inside the neck of 223/5.56mm when full lenght resizing. Dont forget to check the trim lenght of the case after resizing
 
I use 24.5 grains of H335 behind a 55 gr FMJBT works great. Does trimming the case neck affect accuracy or pressure safety? I have measured a few and many were around the trim spec. Have fun :D loading it goes quick once the brass is primmed.
 
There is a lot of good information posted above. Here is what I do. I have 2 different types of loads for my AR's. For plinking I use the Hornady FMJ's 55g and the Sierra 55g BTHP for yote hunting. I was suprised that both loads like 25.5g varget. I also use the X-dies like SSN Vet suggested. I hate to trim brass and this works out great(trim once and done) using the same type of trimmer SSN vet uses as well. I ream the primer pockets with the reamer in my drill press since I only use LC brass. Good luck!
 
I've been following this thread with interest. Like owenbright, I've been loading pistol for 18+/- months and will soon be entering the .223 realm. I re-read Lee's chapters on rifle loading last night. From that and from what I've read here on THR it sounds like reloading for an AR requires a bit more deliberateness - for lack of a better word - in some details. For example, case trimming (have yet to trim a pistol case) and measuring OAL of brass (ditto).

A couple specific questions came to mind:
One, Lee says steel cases can be reloaded. Anyone do that? If so, I have a potwad of Wolf range pick-up brass - er, steel - from last week's scrounging efforts.

Two, according to Lee's load pages on the .223, it appears that most powders will cross the entire range of .223 loads, from 30 grain bullets up to 90. I like Accurate's powders; anyone have an opinion of AA#2230 - according to their website, it was developed for the .223/5.56.

Three, for Lee users, I have the aluminum 4-hole Turret press (has scale, primer feed system, Auto Disk powder measure) kit. Besides dies and case trimmer, what else will I need?

Q
 
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Quoh: Make sure that the auto disk measure will be able to handle the amount of powder you want to use. You might need the double disk kit. Lube is very important. If not done properly you will end up like me making your own stuck case remover. Do you have calipers? Other then that I am sure I missed something. Someone else will jump in and add to the list.
 
"Do you have calipers? "

Harbor Freight has 6" electronic readout calipers on sale in this catalog for ~$12. These read inches or MM, come with case and spare battery, and have a resettable zero.
 
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