Reloading m16 military rounds

[Reneage Riot]

My del-ton ar 15 will be arriving soon, and I'm beginning on creating the ammo for it. I bought Winchester 748 ball powder, and my dad said that i could use his empty cases that he had. They are 1968 m16 rounds that he fired in training before going to Vietnam. Now i'm wondering since these are 5.56 cases, can I just use the info for reloading .223, or does it need to be 5.56 specifications.

And i guess since my gun can shoot either, should i just go ahead and reload as 5.56? Any difference performance wise? I'm making this post assuming that there are powder differences between the two rounds. Just checking if i can reload .223 data with 5.56 cases.

 

[nicholst55]

If this is once-fired USGI brass, you'll need to remove the primer pocket crimp once you remove the old primers, and trim the brass to length. GI brass may have less powder capacity than commercial brass - though in my experience USGI brass usually doesn't differ noticeably from commercial brass.

Since you probably won't find load data for true 5.56X45mm ammo, just use .223 load data.

 

[Walkalong]

Yep. .223 data. Ream or swage primer pockets. It's good brass, so no worries there. Size, trim, fix primer pockets, deburr, chamfer. Load em up.

Dillon swage Excellent tool.

RCBS swage. It works. I have one. Slow.

Hornady reamer Should work fine.

Wilson reamer. Made to work with their trimmer.

Some folks just use a twist of their chamfer tool. It works, just don't get carried away.

 

[243winxb]

You can use 223 data, start low, work up as always. Good reading at this link on the difference between 5.56 and 223. http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html

 

[rodregier]

Any thoughts on which projectile you'll be using. If you want to go cheap, my suggestion would be the bulk Rem 55g FMC offering. They are better-made than the similar Win bulk. 748 will work fine with 55g projectiles in .223 Rem, I burned a far amount of it myself too.

 

[rcmodel]

26.3 grains of WW748, and any 55 grain bullet has been the only recommended charge from Winchester (Now Hodgdon) since WW748 came on the market 40 years ago. They list no starting load, only 26.3 grains.

Case brand, & GI or commercial cases makes no difference with this load. It is still 26.3 grains.

I see no need to reduce it 10% or work up from a reduced load.

It is a fairly low pressure load to start with, but works perfectly in every semi-auto I have shot it in and performs great.

rcmodel

 

[rfwobbly]

• Pay attention to case length. You'll probably need to trim down true 5.56 after sizing.

• Pay attention to OAL. Number given in RLM is the max length to still fit inside the AR's magazines.

 

[NuJudge]

Pay attention to having your primers slightly deeper than flush with the rear of the case.

Pay attention to having your cases full length sized, so they chamber easily.

With any semi-auto, especially those with floating firing pins, there is the chance of cartridges igniting before the bolt is locked. The problem is usually because of high primers or insufficiently sized case.

CDD

 

[Reneage Riot]

Thanks for the replies.

I removed 150 primers last night and starting fixing the primer pockets today.

I'll be using 55 grain bullets.

I'll post again if we have any more questions

 

[rodregier]

I find using a cartridge headspace gage such as those produced by Wilson makes it easier to set up dies correctly, and to check resized brass too. That specific gage has max/min headspace datum points, and body dimensions to also permit checking max case length too.

Helps ensure that the cases are not headspaced too long, which can be a safety issue for the floating firing pin risks.

 

[rcmodel]

With an AR-15, it will either go in the chamber & lock, or not.

If not, the floating firing pin is still held retracted by the bolt carrier, and it simply cannot reach the primer to set it off.

rcmodel

 

[dae06]

USGI brass crimp

If this is once-fired USGI brass, you'll need to remove the primer pocket crimp once you remove the old primers, and trim the brass to length. GI brass may have less powder capacity than commercial brass - though in my experience USGI brass usually doesn't differ noticeably from commercial brass.

Nicolet55,

I'm new here, but what's the deal with military brass needing to have the primer pocket crimp removed. I shoot a .223 and will probably come across some USGI brass.

1. Why do they (USGI brass) have a special crimp?
2. Is it obvious when looking at the brass that it has this crimp?
3. The only way to remove this crimp is with a special die, correct?

Thanks

 

[Walkalong]

GI brass is crimped to ensure function, especially in full auto. They can't afford any primers to back out and cause problems.

It is usually pretty obvious.

Removing the crimp is covered in post #3. Not a special die, but either a swaging or reaming tool.

 

[rfwobbly]

Whoa There !

Reneage Riot: Thanks for the replies.

I'll post again if we have any more questions.

No, sorry, that's not the way it works.

You started this, now you have to log-on at least every 4 hours around the clock so you can read and comment on all the extra fine feedback you're getting... that you would have otherwise had to pay big bucks for! What do you think this is, some kind of free service or something?

Being the holidays and all, I think you at least owe us all a fruitcake!

 

[moooose102]

wait, let me get this straight, your dad, saved the ammo cases from his training, before going to viet-nam in 1968, and kept them all these years, without ever using them????? W-O-W!
and i thought i was a pac-rat!?!

 

[rcmodel]

Hey!
I'm still using 68-69 LC brass I "liberated" back then!

rcmodel

 

[kelbro]

One more thing with the older mil-brass is that it can be pretty hard to trim.

I would recommend annealing old brass just to get it back to it's optimum.

 

[hatchetbearer]

we couldn't do it while we were recruits, but enlisted marines can have a few hundred rounds of once fired LC brass from the ranges on Parris Island. the shooting coaches beg you to take it, makes the cans lighter. just paying the shipping cost home is the kicker.