Reloading .223 for Bushmaster … Where to Start???

[GunAdmirer]

I just bought a Bushmaster AR type rifle and want to handload for it eventually. I have a steady source of quality 1X brass from a friend who doesn't reload and basically has the same rifle.

I have experience reloading handgun calibers but not rifle. I use a single stage press. I won't need to load mass quantities.

What brand of dies should I purchase?

What is a good standard load for starting out? I'm looking for something medium powered and reasonably accurate. I plan to mainly plink and compete in three gun matches.

Can I use the small primer pocket swager that I've been using for pistol cases to remove the crimp from primer pockets in military .223 brass?

What else do I need to know?

 

[dakotasin]

rifles are easier than handguns, in my estimation. if you can handle handguns, rifles, even autoloaders, will be a breeze.

dies: i use rcbs small base dies for my ar-15. i bought these for dedicated use for my ar's, mostly as insurance against jams... work great. ever since i got my load finalized, i have not had a single jam in either of my ar's w/ handloaded ammo.

a good middle of the road start: 60 grain v-max, h-322, federal primer.

not sure about your primer crimp question, but i would think you could. i don't see why not as the primers really don't have enough differences in physical dimensions to warrant a new swager... again, not sure there.

what else: start low, work up. first signs of too much pressure usually manifest themselves in failure-to-extract jams. crimping isn't necessary. make sure you seat to magazine length. make your test loads in big enough batches to test feeding, extracting, and ejection issues along w/ accuracy (7-10 is generally good enough to get a feel). keep an eye on your case length.

really, not much to know. even an autoloader rifle is easier than handguns, and is a very simple operation. just throw a few charges, and try it out. you'll be happily surprised.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

What brand of dies should I purchase?

Get the Lee dies. They work for me. They will save you money. I get SD's of under 20 no problem using these. So I doubt the dies are a detriment to my handloading process. The crimp works great, very consistent.

What is a good standard load for starting out? I'm looking for something medium powered and reasonably accurate. I plan to mainly plink and compete in three gun matches.

That depends on your wallet. I don't handload for plinking, I handload for accuracy and for terminal performance on a budget- so I choose the 68 hornady, 69smk, 75 hornady. These would be a total waste of money for the type of shooting you describe. If you look around, there are places that sell military ball projectiles for a low price. For all practical purposes, they will be as good as any other generic non-match FMJ's you buy, but for a lot less money. With your Bushmaster (which is probably a 1-9), shoot anything up to 69gr. After that, it is ify as to whether or not it will work.

What else do I need to know?

If you use the CCI #41 primers like I do (military primers, aka 5.56 primers), back off your load 1 full grain. These are considered magnum primers and will raise pressure. I get 98% max load while being 1 full grain below the published max load in 2 different manuals. If you use regular primers, no problem. Half the people said that these primers make no difference, the other half said it is the same as adding 1 gr of powder to your load. I didn't know who to believe, but that didn't matter as I worked up the load slowly and carefully. The chrono doesn't lie.


Getting rid of military crimps on the primer pocket can be a pain in the butt. I use the Lee chamfer tool. It is also designed to work as a crimp remover in addition to its role as an outside/inside chamfer tool. It takes like 2 turns to remove the crimp. If you do large amounts (like 1,000 cases), best to chuck it up on a rotary tool of some sort and knock em out faster. Brass prep on .223 can be a chore if you have a lot of brass to do.

 

[dmftoy1]

I'm using Hornady "New Dimension" dies and have been pretty tickled with them so far.

The biggest differences between handgun and rifle is that you have to lube your cases before you size them. (if you were using carbide dies for handgun) The other big difference is that you have to trim your cases to length. (big PITA. )

Good luck!

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[GunAdmirer]

Thanks for the replies!

Is there a standard .223 bullet that is easily obtained in most local shops that works well (ie. Sierra, etc.). If so, what brand and grain?

What readily obtainable powder works and meters well? Is there a standard powder for AR 15 .223 that many people use?

What is the military standard bullet weight?

 

[dakotasin]

1- hornady v-max (55's are readily available in bulk packs) in anything 40 - 60 grains. sierra matchkings in 52 and 69 grain matchkings. again, i suggest starting w/ the hornady 60 grain v-max. a solid second choice is the 69 grain matchking.

2- h-322 and h-335 are everywhere and flow well. varget is popular, but doesn't flow as well. aa2230 was designed for 5.56, but might be hard to get ahold of. it does flow well, though. another to consider is rl-10x and benchmark is s'posed to be the cat's meow (but i haven't tried either of those two - would like to try benchmark, though). again, i like h-322 in my ar-15's.

3- don't know, don't care. i load for accuracy first and foremost, and shoot whatever is most accurate, regardless of what anybody else is shooting.

 

[dmftoy1]

62 gr FMJ is the military standard. (FWIW)

I've found that I prefer the 69 matchking, and the 68 grain from Hornady. Both shoot incredibly well out of my rifle.

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[redneck2]

Probably any dies will work. I use Lee for my Bushie

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e283/Indianaoutdoorsman/Gunpix011.jpg

Nosler 50BT seated to mag length, Federal match primer, WW case, 26.0 Varget. These are both 1/2" groups, shot back to back

I don't understand practicing to improve your accuracy with bullets that throw patterns instead of groups. I don't understand how you can improve accuracy if you shoot inaccurate stuff. YMMV

 

[GunAdmirer]

I bought some stuff:

RCBS full length dies (They have taken good care of me in the past)
Hodgdon H-335 powder
CCI 41 Arsenal primers 5.56 (Sportsman's Warehouse was out of regular primers)
Sierra FMJBT 55 gr. bullets w/cannelure
RCBS case neck brush
Hornady One Shot lube
Lee case length guage and trimmer
Midway blue .223 reloading trays

I will sort all the 1X brass my friend gave me tonight and get ready to do case preparation.

It looks like the bullets will need a light roll crimp, right?

I haven't even shot my new Bushmaster yet. I got it this morning. I bought a couple of small boxes of ammo until I can get a supply of handloads.

Anything else I need or need to know???

 

[Roadkill]

Don't use federal brass. The primer pockets stretch. Remington Peters works best for me. Be sure the primers are set deep. Slam fires are unnerving. OAL is very important in ARs. Get another sizing die. That way you will have an extra when you set a case stuck. Get a punch set and small hammer so you can knock out the stuck case when one does get stuck. I don't crimp. Until you have fired a few thousand rounds of your reloads shoot slow and be sure that weapon functioned right. If the shot didn't feel right then stop and check bore for obstruction.
I use pulled 62g surplus bullets and 4895 powder.


rk

 

[nvshooter]

I agree with using small-base dies. I had numerous breeching failures and not too few extraction failures until I went and got the RCBS small dies. Another thing I have found to be very useful is the Defender ring. It's a small polymer ring that fits over the extractor spring and increases the pressure of the extractor claw against the rim by a claimed 400%. It is very expensive for what it is, costing about $13. You can beat the seller out of $12.90 by going to the hardware store and buying a simpe o-ring of the correct diameter for a dime. I measured mine: OD is about 0.25"; ID is about 0.10" and thickness is about 0.070". Take your bolt with you and try them until you find one that easily slips over the extractor spring and still fits into the extractor cut on the bolt body. Should take you less than ten minutes...

Another word of advice: Magpul followers-- they are the best you can get! Forget those "green" ones.

A second word of advice: Get a stuck case remover for your rifle. Cheap: about seven bucks. Could save a whole day at the range.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I'm using Lee dies in a turret press for bulk .223 AR loads. Also use the Auto disc with the micro disc kit for powder charging.

As for loads, I use 25.0 gr of H-335 under 55gr FMJ's and CCI mag primers. They give me 3050fps out of a 16" SUM Oly barrel. Accuracy is outstanding as well.

 

[P-32]

I have a match AR, RRA NM lower and White Oak Precision upper. I have not found the need for a small based sizing die. I have found the need to F/L size. I have read and know people who have stuck cases using the one shot. I would lube well.

My rifle shoots 69, 77 and 80 gr. SMK's very well. I use GI brass and have a primer pocket swager. I found one of the more important things to do is uniform the primer pocket after swaging. This is some insurance against slam fires. I also found Federal match primers won't hold pressure very well as I had some pierced primers on a load which just simply is not all that hot. I use Rem 7 1/2BR primers without problem. Reloader 15 is a good powder to look at. I'm not a guy who has to have clean powder.....I like to use what works and R-15 works and burns clean to boot.

 

[trickyasafox]

i've had good luck with my lee dies, win 748 powder, and the winchester bulk bullets from midway for 40 bucks per 1000 *55gr fmj. much better accuracy then i expected for a bulk bullet. these were shot out of my encore (15in) and did sub 1 5 shot groups at 50 yards, but im not a good enough shot to really see what it can do at 100

 

[GunAdmirer]

I handloaded my first .223 rounds last night. I loaded 10 rounds each of 25.0 grains of H335 and 25.5 grains of H335. The manuals list the max load range from 25.3-27.0 grains of H335. I used Sierra 55 grain FMJBT bullets and tried to lightly roll crimp into the cannelure.

I'm not sure about the success of my crimping effort. They look alright, I guess. It looks weird because Winchester uses a fluted crimp on the cases I have.

All in all it went pretty well. These were the first rifle loads I have ever handloaded.

Anyone used these loads? How did they work for you? Any pet loads for H335 used in ARs?

 

[Lennyjoe]

Anyone used these loads? How did they work for you

They shoot great out of my Oly 16" SUM barrel. I've bumped my load up to 25.7 and 26.5 and will run them thru a chrono at the next range session to see how they perform. Reason for them powder loads were due to the disc change in my Lee autodisc.