Newbie Sanity Check - Reloading surplus

[DMK]

I've got a bucket full of 5.56x45 and some 7.62x51 all once fired by me and mostly LC. I understand that the brass is thicker and of slightly different dimensions so I have to watch the powder charges and use less than you would for commercial brass. I'll also need to ream out the primer pockets I guess.

My question is about dies. Can I use regular .223 and .308 dies?

Thanks,

 

[ReloaderFred]

Regular .223 Remington and .308 Winchester dies are what you're looking for. Just lube the case walls, but try to keep most of the lube off the necks, or you'll dimple them.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[def4pos8]

Standard .223 and .308 dies are adequate but I have learned to use "small base" dies to help ensure trouble-free operation in self-loading rifles. I've settled on the Speer "X" small base because I like its neck expander configuration. Most any die from a "real" manufacturer will work.

GI cases have thicker/tougher walls because they were designed to cycle through automatic weapons. As you have discovered, back off the charge weight some in order to obtain identical velocity/pressure compared to commercial brass.

I use a Speer Primer Pocket Swager to prep once-fired, GI cases. I've tried a couple of other techniques but this device works best for me.

 

[45ACPUSER]

Speer does not make reloading tools, I think you mean RCBS. Same corp family though.

 

[mc223]

Sorting the LC brass by year of mfg, and sample weighing of the cases should give you a good picture of which years cases may be heavier, and thusly have less capacity. The reduction of "burn space" is what could cause pressure issues with some powder/primer, bullet style and seating depth combinations. In general with book published data, you would probably not even notice, other than a bit of verticle dispersion due to velocity variations.
Standard dies are usually fine for 223 loading.
Primer pocket swage can easily be removed with a chamfer tool.

Consult the Oracle: http://www.ammo-oracle.com/body.htm

 

[45ACPUSER]

Make sure you do not use Hornday One Shot spray lube that is prescription of stuck cases for sure. Dillon Spray lube or better yet Imperial Die Wax. Get some lube inside the case neck to help decrease the case stretching during the sizing operation. Get ready to trim, chamfer, and deburr!

The case of the 223 is not a big a problem with loading as the 308 is with mil surplus brass. If you now the heritage of the brass that is great, ie you fired it in your weapons. The heritage of most mil. once fired brass is from a sloppy chambered machine gun, ergo you probably would want to consider using a small base size die for the first sizing to avoid problems.

As with any reloading undertaking cross reference data and work up loads using a reduction of 10 percent of the max load. Your goal is accuracy, function, and reliability.

I would sort by case headstamp and the keep them as one lot. Keep track of firings and sizing operations for each lot.

 

[DMK]

Thanks for the tips guys!

 

[LexDiamonds]

I've always had great success with Hornady OneShot.....

Is it possible it was not properly shaken up, or allowed to dry?

 

[ReloaderFred]

I use the One Shot almost exclusively. Some people get into trouble with it because they just spray the brass, but forget to lube the inside of the die the first time. You also need to let it dry for a few minutes before sizing. Other than that, it serves all my needs.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[fourrobert13]

I haven't had any problems with Hornady One Shot either. It's all I use for resizing my rifle brass.