Getting into reloading for rifle

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cbmax

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Hi,

I have an AR-15 on order and I am going to start reloading .223 rifle cartridges. I have been reloading pistol cartridges fro some time with a pair of Dillon 550B progressive presses. I have all the necessary equipment to reload pistol cartridges (scales, tumbler, calipers, etc)

What I don't have is the case prep equipment needed to reload rifle cartridges. I have never trimmed, chamfered or lubed pistol brass.

Can you please tell me what would be some nice equipment to purchase for case preparation of rifle brass (.223). I was thinking about the RCBS Trim Pro(powered) and RCBS Trim Mate. Is this a good choice? Is there anything else I should have such as primer pocket brushes or a primer hole uniformer, etc?

Thanks!

CB
 
RCBS Trim Pro(powered) and RCBS Trim Mate
Click to expand...
Good choices.
Primer pocket brushes. I wouldn't bother with a primer hole uniformer, others may say diff.
Pad for lubing the cases and water based lube. I have a RCBS cus that what I started with. Some will say Imperial and that is good also. I don't like the spray lube if I have to handle the cases.
I have a 1050 that I load my 223 with and I use dillon spray lube cuz I use the case feeder. When I load other calibers on my 550 I use the lube pad.
Powder, small rifle primers, bullets, dies, Caliber Conversion Kit, tool head and you're ready to go
Good luck
 
I wouldn't bother with a primer hole uniformer, others may say diff.
Click to expand...
Yep,I will.Sometimes primers don't "want" to seat flush or below (recommended with floating firing pins)without one.I agree with everything else Dave said.
I'm assuming you mean a primer pocket uniformer , rather than a flash hole uniformer?
 
Okay.....

I am thinking the RCBS Trim Pro Case Trimmer and Trim Mate Case Prep Center is all I really need.

The trim mate is good for chamfering, deburring, primer pocket cleaning, military crimp removal and flash hole deburring.

Only question now is lubing of cases. Can somebody please explain proper procedure. I do have a can of Hornady One Shot laying around. I never have quite undetstood how to properly apply. Do I buy a loading block and spray with case mouths up? Should I simply stick with a pad and rolling cases?

Again reloader is a Dillon 550B.

Thanks as usual!

CB
 
Buy a cartridge headspace gage and set up your dies with the thing. For an AR I would recommend just sizing the case to gage minimum.

It is also unnecessary to crimp the bullets. Crimping causes more malfunctions than it cures.

Just search the forums and you will find a lot of posters having problems in their AR's because they did not set up their dies with Cartridge headspace gages, and because they bulged their ammo crimping the bullets.

While I dump powder and seat bullets on rifle ammo on a Dillion 550B, I never liked getting sizing lube all over the thing. And I never fired out how to trim the cases without that expensive Dillion trimmer.

I trim off the press.

By the way, you will have to trim.


ReducedWilsongagemeasuringnew308bra.jpg
 
Buy a cartridge headspace gage and set up your dies with the thing. For an AR I would recommend just sizing the case to gage minimum.

It is also unnecessary to crimp the bullets. Crimping causes more malfunctions than it cures.
Click to expand...
+1 The Dillion shell plates can give bad cartridge headspacing if you don't adjust your FLRS die correctly. An RCBS precision mic might even be a better choice. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=477756 This other link will give much more info on the 223 http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html Note different Sierra load data for bolt and auto rifles.
 
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Well unless there is something different about rifle brass, I'm not sure I understand the comments on crimping. On the Dillon 550B the powder die bells the case mouth, the next stage seats the bullet head and finally there is the "crimp die". My goal on the crimp die is always to simply straighten the case walls. Too much more than that and you can risk putting an impression in the bullet head which adversely affects accuracy.

As far as the resizing die goes (stage one on Dillon 550B), I simply adjust the die by putting a cartridge in the shell holder and than raise the shell plate to bring the tool head to the point where the bottom of the die just hits the shell plate. Once complete I simply tighten down the nut on the resizing dies.

As for case gauges, I only use this with loaded ammo to check that I haven't exceeded maximum OAL or that I didn't over or under crimp such that cartridge will not feed.

I am still not quite certain on the lubing procces.

Please comment.

CB
 
223 handloading

The mouth of the 223 case does not get belled, the expander/powder drop tube will open the inside of the case neck to the correct diameter. You will chamfer the case mouth after full length resizing and trimming. The cartridge headspace must be set using a gage as per Dillon instruction. This is because the shell plates maybe undersize. This would push the shoulder of the case back to far on sizing, possibly causing excessive cartridge headspacing and case seperation. IMG_2905DILL1.gif
 
243,

Will these instructions be outlined when I purchase the .223 dies, shell pate, etc???

Why can't the chamfering take place after trimming and BEFORE full length resizing?

This all seems far more complicated than I envisioned!!!!!

CB
 
In this order, FLRS, trim, chamfer. When you full length resize the case get longer, when it gets to maximum length its trimmed back .010" The trimming leaves a burr that the chamfer tool removes. Full length resizing (flr) takes place every loading, trimming and chamfer only as needed. Currently Dillion die instructions tell you to buy a case gage and set up bottle neck type cartridges with it to get the correct cartridge headspacing. The gage comes with instruction and the dies also. RCBS makes the X Die http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=194698 I have not used this X die, but its said that if used correctly, you never have to trim 223 brass again when using the X Die.
 
RCBS lube die, this does NOT resize the brass http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=136732 I still use the lube pad like the photo below. I also use the nylon brush to lube the inside of the neck when the cases are on the pad. Using RCBS lube i do not wipe the lube from inside the case neck. I feel the expander on exit from the case will remove any excess lube. RCBS has said this lube will not contaminate power and is water-soluble. http://www.cabelas.com/link-12/product/0002997210581a.shtml
 
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This is what a lube pad looks like.
IMG_5047.gif
Roll the case back and forth being careful not to get and lube on the shoulder. That will cause dents in the shoulder.
I personally don't like the Hornady One Shot. But whatever works for you is fine. My way isn't the only way. If you choose to use it then just throw the cases in some kind of container and give them a little spray and roll them around and give them another spray. Let them set for a while and the lube will migrate around the cases and they are ready to go.
It isn't really very complicated once you start doing it.
Heck if I can do it anyone can.
 
The brass will always grow during resizing so you always want to trim after sizing, then chamfer/debur after trimmimg. I didn't see it mentioned but if you have any military brass you will need some way to swage the primer pocket to get rid of the crimp.
Rusty
 
I'd like to recommend Imperial Sizing Wax rather than using the RCBS lube and pad. I have used both and found that it is just too easy to get the RCBS lube on the shoulder of the case. When you resize it, the case then dents on the shoulder and has to be thrown out. With Imperial, which I have been using the past couple of years, I have never dented a case and one tin of the stuff will last you forever. I have reloaded thousands of .223 cases since I started using it and I am still using the first tin I bought. If you decide to go with Imperial, I recommend that you clean the cases in a tumbler (corn cob medium) for about an hour after you resize and trim them. After thery're cleaned, check the flash hole for any media that might be lodged in the hole and punch it out with an old decapping pin or sewing needle. Good luck to you. I have been loading .223 exclusivley and have been doing it on a single stage loader (Rockchucker). I hope that you will enjoy the hobby of handcrafting your ammo. It's fun and a great way to unwind. Above all, be safe.

Historian
 
I have been using RCBS gear for years, and it's top notch equipment. Get yourself an X-die for .223 to arrest the growth rate of the cases. A good scale, calipers, and a primer pocket swager for those cases that are Berdan primed or whose primer pockets are staked. Without a swager you will be discarding a lot of brass that is otherwise useable. Unless you are a competition shooter I wouldn't be all that concerned about an expensive trimmer; the COAL range for .223 is pretty generous, and once-fired brass should only need trimming once. Load and learn. My cost for .223 is on the order of 15 cents per copy (range brass, bulk purchase of powder, primers and bullets),
 
and a primer pocket swager for those cases that are Berdan primed or whose primer pockets are staked.
Click to expand...
Never heard of that one. Just curious what a primer pocket swager does for a berdan primed case?
Rusty
 
Thanks for the suggestions, thus far. I did a bit of research on the Midway USA website. This is a bit more expensive than I thought to get started. I dropped down to the manual case trimmer since the X-dies are supposed to reduce the amount of case trimming. This does not include the tool head, shell plate, powder funnel etc from Dillon for the 550B.

Is there anything listed below that is not necessary:

114864 RCBS Trim Pro Manual Case Trimmer Kit
Available 1 $84.99 $84.99

123112 RCBS Trim Mate Military Crimp Remover Large
Out of Stock, Backorder OK 1 $14.79 $14.79

173612 RCBS Competition Seater Die 223 Remington
Available 1 $71.99 $71.99

477756 RCBS Precision Mic 223 Remington
Available 1 $39.99 $39.99

519159 RCBS X-Die Full Length Sizer Die 223 Remington
Out of Stock, Backorder OK 1 $37.49 $37.49

519525 Imperial Case Sizing Wax 2 oz
Available 1 $6.49 $6.49

565099 RCBS Trim Mate Case Prep Center 110 Volt
Available 1 $94.99 $94.99

650678 RCBS Flash Hole Deburring Tool 22 Caliber
Available 1 $11.49 $11.49

798972 RCBS Trim Mate Primer Pocket Uniformer Large Rifle
Available 1 $19.79 $19.79
 
223 rem reloading

650678 RCBS Flash Hole Deburring Tool 22 Caliber
Available 1 $11.49 $11.49

798972 RCBS Trim Mate Primer Pocket Uniformer Large Rifle
Available 1 $19.79 $19.79
Click to expand...
<you dont need these 2 items. Your primer size is SMALL, not large for 223rem. Make sure you get the correct primer for 223. Remington makes 2 that fit, you want the 7 1/2 benchrest primer. or other brands You will need one of theses, it will chamfer and also remove the crimp on the primer pocker. >http://www.midwayusa.com/Eproductpage.Exe/showproduct?saleitemid=143728 Some swage the primer pocket of militay brass, i never have. RCBS and Dillon make one, maybe someone else can help you with swaging. http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/447022
 
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I haven't seen anybody suggest it yet, but it would be well worth your time and money to invest in a reloading manual or two. Sierra, Speer, Hornady, Nosler, Lyman #48 are all good and will have answers to most of your questions as well.
The responses on this thread have been from very experienced reloaders and are excellent so far. I am very surprised Rusty and these guys have not mentioned the manual(s).
If you are reloading your own handgun ammo, you will not have any trouble with rifle stuff.

Some semi-autos might have trouble feeding standard full length resized brass. If this happens, a small base die usually will cure the problem. It did in my old Remington 740 in 6mm Remington.

I hope this helps.

Poper
 
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