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Thread: Reloading 5.56/.223 for an AR-15
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21 September 2014, 13:48 #1
Reloading 5.56/.223 for an AR-15
Reloaded some .223 this weekend and figured I would do a write up on reloading quality ammunition. All of this is personal data so use at your own risk and don't take my load data as gospel, always work your loads up and know your limits. Obviously safety is paramount, do your self a favor and don't smoke when reloading, latex gloves are also a good idea as you will be handling substances you do not want to consume.
If you have not reloaded before, and are thinking about getting into it please do yourself a favor and buy at least 2 books/reloading manuals before you start purchasing gear. This will allow you to determine what equipment will meet your needs. If you need a Progressive press or not will save you some money, other tools and brass preparation tools vary also so does the amount of money it will cost you. This is why researching before hand is extremely beneficial.
It is also good to work in stages, especially with a single stage press reloading can be extremely time consuming, so it's good to do it with a buddy or while doing something else (watching football, etc). This way you don't get burned out spending your entire day off cleaning primer pockets (I have done this).
TOOLS/SUPPLIES NEEDED:
Reloading Press - I use two single stage RCBS Rockchucker Supreme presses, this allows me to run two stages at once.
Case Trimmer, Case Deburring and Chamfering tool - I use an RCBS Trim Pro, and I believe my Deburring/Chamfering tools are Lyman. Also primer pocket cleaner is useful for case preparation.
Shell Holder of appropriate size - Mine are RCBS and Redding, these are pretty much universal.
Powder Thrower - Currently using a Lee, they are cheap and throw consistently. I also use an RCBS powder trickler.
Priming tool - There are priming tools built into my presses, but I prefer to hand prime with an RCBS hand priming tool.
Calipers - Probably the most used measurement tool for reloading, I use a Frankfort Arsenal set that has been reliable for me. You also may want to consider a bullet comparator that lets you index your measurements off of the projectiles Ogive rather than the tip of the projectile. I do this with all my bolt guns, but because the Case Overall Length (COL) is determined by magazine size on an AR this is not necessary.
Case Cleaning - Either stainless wet media or walnut in a case tumbler you will want to have a way to clean your brass after firing.
Case Lube - Hornady One shot
Appropriate Dies - RCBS 5.56/.223 AR Series Full Length Small Base Dies
Scale - I use a digital Hornady that I verify on an Ohaus triple beam scale, it is always good to have more than one tool for measurement to verify they are both calibrated correctly.
Headspace Gauge - Needed to check head space after sizing and after seating projectile
COMPONENTS:
Brass - I am using once fired Lake City brass, IMO this is the best brass you can get for all around shooting. It may not make the most absolute accurate bench rest loads, but for an AR this is what I have found to be quality. In my experience it can be fired about 3-4 times, depending on how hard your AR is on brass, you will want to keep an eye out for deformation around the case neck and mouth. It is also a good idea to look for damage to the base of the case as the extractor hook on an AR can damage brass quite easily.
Powder - Shown in this thread is VitaVouri N120 a high quality propellant. There are many other quality powders to choose from, but this is what I am using currently. The charge I am using is 20 Grains.
Primers - I have used CCI, Federal, S&B, Remington, Winchester, etc. I usually get what is available and currently am using my reserve of S&B small rifle primers for reloading for an AR.
Projectiles - For this loading I used 55 grain Hornady V-max and 75 grain Hornady Match BTHP. These are both loaded to a Case Overall Length (COL) of 2.250" which is essentially the maximum you can load and still have function in an AR-15 magazine. I have also had good experience with loading Nosler, Serria and Berger projectiles.
STAGE 1 - Brass Preparation and Sizing
Unless you have purchased new brass you are most likely sitting on some pretty dirty brass. Many people use range pickups, get some from buddies, or just simply pick up their own after a shooting session. There are many ways to prep and clean your brass but this is how I prefer to do it.
Here we can see the brass is in pretty dirty condition after being once fired.
I run all my brass in a tumbler two times. Once before anything is done to remove soot/dirt from firing, then again after case prep is done to remove any brass shavings. I use a Lyman tumbler and walnut media with strips of paper towel sprayed down with Windex to help capture more of the grime. I run them for about 4-6 hours.
This is after the first cleaning.
Now it is time to size the brass. At this point you will want to lube the cases. We will be using the die on the left as this is the sizing and depriming die. This forms the expanded brass back down to the correct size and also opens the case mouth up to the correct diameter. The pin also pushes out the spent primer from the case.
To install the sizing die into the press, with the shell holder already installed push the cam all the way up and start screwing in the die. Once the die meets the shell holder you will want to go about a quarter to a half turn further so that the cam actually has some over cam into it (basically you are feeling resistance on the handle and then it will want to almost lock in when fully cammed up).
Once your desired position is achieved torque the die down with a crescent wrench so it does not move later.
Insert the brass into the shell holder.
My press features this little primer holder that acts like a laundry shoot for the spent primers, I usually make sure this part is pressed up against the press cam in order for the primers to fall into it everytime. (Black piece I am seen holding).
Once fully cammed up the primer will pop out, roll down into the tray, and the brass is now fully sized and ready to be trimmed.
Now that the brass has been sized the case neck is usually too long, maybe not after the 1st firing, but after the 2nd and 3rd I will usually be over. The Max Case Length for .223 is 1.760" and the trim length is 1.750" my cases measured 1.768". The easiest way to do this is to take one piece and slowly trim it down to the desired length. Then you can set the bushing on the trimmer and lock it in place so that you get repeated length each time you trim. I wound up trimming mine to 1.752" anything under max and at or over trim length should be fine.
Now we can easily see that the case has been trimmed flat, but the outer edges are now rough from the cut.
We cannot leave the case in this condiditon, the outer and inner edges must now be smoothed out (Chamfer and Deburring).
Chamfer-
Debur-
Here is what the case looks like after it has been properly deburred.
Lastly need to clean the primer pocket.
After verifying with the headspace gague the cases are dimensionally correct this is the point where I clean them again. I let them run in the walnut media and windex for another 4 hours. Afterwords the brass comes out looking much better than a lot of the factory ammo I have purchased. This step cleans up the cuts we made by trimming and also cleans out any grease, case lube, or oils that may have found its way onto the case.
These cases are completely dimensionally correct, cleaned and now ready to be primed and loaded.
STAGE 2 - Priming and Charging
As stated earlier this can be done on the press itself, but I prefer the hand priming method as I find it quicker and easier, you will want to be careful using this tool as it can seat primers to far. The hand priming tool has been setup with the 223 shell holder with the white plastic insert (for small primer sizes) and the small primer piston. I like to load it with 100 at a time.
Primers dumped right out of tray.
After shaking a few times all the primers will right themselves in this tray-
Insert the case into the shell holder and press the handle together, this will drive a primer up into the primer pocket of the case. As stated earlier be careful not to fully depress the handle all the way down. This photo illustrates the primer is fully seated at this point on my handle, if I were to take it that last quarter inch or so the primer would be recessed too far
The primer should be at least flush, or slightly recessed. Not protruding.
Now we are ready to start filling with powder. The way I use my powder thrower is to get a base charge that is probably around 90% of what I want, then I use the trickler to finish the last 10%. Really anyway you want to do this is fine as long as your weights are consistent.
Now once the weight is correct I use a powder funnel to insert the powder into the case. Now the cases are ready to load.
STAGE 3 - Seating, Crimping and Final Inspection
Now we are going to use the seating die, this is the die in the middle of the case. This die serves as dual purpose in the form of seating and crimping. You can do these to things as a single stage, but I prefer to do them separate.
This die is installed differently than the sizing die. With this die you will insert your case into the press and push it up fully cammed. Then screw the die down until you feel pressure from the case, then back it off about a half turn and tighten it down fully.
Now the die is secure the screw on the top is what you will adjust to find your seating depth, the easiest way to do this is if you already have loaded ammunition at the length you want. You can insert a factory round (With care and eye protection) into the die with the cam all the way up and slowly start to turn the depth screw in until you feel resistance. This will seat the projectile to the exact length the round you inserted was. You can verify by taking measurements.
Charged case with loose projectile installed.
Raising Cam into die.
At this point you will feel a slight amount of resistance when the round is almost fully seated, this is the projectile actually starting to seat into the case. NOTE- DO THIS SLOWLY, you do not want to force the projectile into the case, it should go in with a small amount of resistance, if not check it and reseat it.
Now it is fully cammed and the projectile fully seated.
Fully seated.
Measured, and it still needs to go .004" further, so adjust the depth screw in slightly until desired depth is reached.
Now COL is perfect.
Crimping is a little controversial when it comes to an AR. Many people just simply don't do it and don't have issues. However I can tell you first hand it sucks having a round setback inside a magazine and having powder get all over your action. It is an easy step and insurance on a semi automatic rifle against set back. Here is a picture of a crimped vs non-crimped, crimped on the right, non-crimped on the left. Notice the lip? It may not cause increased wear, but any metal on metal contact causes wear over time, and the less resistance the better, in my opinion.
For crimping you will need to back out the depth screw on the seating die all the way, remember when we installed the die how we felt resistance and then backed it off? Now we want to do the opposite, we want to cam a shell all the way up and then screw the die down onto it until we feel resistance, and then take it a half turn further. The resistance you feel is the die pressing on the sides of the case mouth to provide the crimp. Once you have your dept set for desired crimp simply run all of the rounds through this stage.
Picture Illustrating proper crimp.
Ahh the fruits of your labor
For final inspection I look over each round individually looking for stress marks/cracks and also uniformity between all the rounds. Lastly I check their function in a magazine, as you can see the are basically loaded right up to the magazine length. I don't have photos of groups but this load produces about 1/3 MOA accuracy from a 22 inch bolt action Remington 700 in .223 at about 3050fps. From a 16" 1/9 twist Chrome Lined FN barrel I get about 3/4 MOA if I do my part on an AR-15. The absolute most important thing is uniformity, make sure the processes and your stages do not vary from case to case. Do each case the same as the other and each stage the same. This will produce the best results.
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Lastly, after you fire its always good to inspect your brass and make sure there are no signs of stress or over pressure. This is especially important if you are working up a new load using new components.Last edited by velocity2006; 15 November 2014 at 14:16.
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21 September 2014, 15:06 #2
Nice write up..i reload 556 stuff myself..
What powder do you like for plinking/accuracy stuff?
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21 September 2014, 15:29 #3
Have been using the N120 for a while, purchased a bunch of it a while back. CFE223, Varget, and Benchmark have also done well for me. The N120 has been the most accurate for me, but also the most expensive. Generally speaking the 75gn Hornady Match BTHP or 77gn Serria Matchking BTHP on top of 19.5-20gn of N120 has been the most accurate, but my current AR is 1-7 and likes heavier bullets.
Last edited by velocity2006; 21 September 2014 at 15:44.
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22 September 2014, 03:58 #4
Very nice tutorial! Good to see a new guy jumping in and contributing right away!
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25 September 2014, 15:01 #5
Thank you, was considering doing another few reloading write ups on bolt action and handgun reloading, but there does not seem to be much of an interest in reloading here at the moment.
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5 October 2014, 21:27 #6New Member
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Excellent photography and detailed explanation. It just needs a dead coyote w/ a big V Max exit hole to complete the story.
"You can't stop insane people from doing insane things by passing insane laws...that's insane!" -- Penn Jillette
"To my mind it is wholly irresponsible to go into the world incapable of preventing violence, injury, crime, and death. How feeble is the mindset to accept defenselessness. How unnatural. How cheap. How cowardly. How pathetic." -- Ted Nugent
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6 October 2014, 08:47 #7
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6 October 2014, 10:50 #8
Great tutorial.
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6 October 2014, 11:33 #9
I would be interested in those. So what if no one contributes to your thread. This isn't like some other forums where if someone doesn't like what you have to say they flame you. This is an informational board, and from what I gathered, your post has been very informational. Keep it up.
I may have looked past it, but are you using a rock chucker kit?
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6 October 2014, 12:07 #10New Member
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Love the thread and the pics. I hope you'll do more.
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6 October 2014, 12:18 #11
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6 October 2014, 15:30 #12
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6 October 2014, 15:40 #13
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6 October 2014, 15:48 #14
I've got to buy a single stage kit. My dad got in over his head when he decided he wanted to get into reloading and bought a Dillon xl650 off the bat. It's still in the box and not set up. We have all the stuff needed though, I just wanna test the waters before jumping into something like that. Buy a rock chucker and get my feet wet with 9mm, .40, .223, .300blk and .308, maybe .25-06, since it's ridiculously priced, but I only shoot it at deer, so
I'm not burning through it.
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6 October 2014, 16:03 #15
The Dillon is excellent, but you have to decide what your purpose is for reloading. A progressive press is great for pistol/carbine caliber reloading to produce ammo quickly, but it is much more labor intensive in the setup process and in my experience harder to control the variables. If I was a high volume match shooter the Dillon would fit the bill, but I mainly got into reloading for producing cost effective match grade ammo for extended long range shooting. For me the 2 single stage presses are about all I would ever need. Would it be nice to pump out ammo quickly? Sure, but its a much greater cost. Each setup has pros/cons, you just have to decide what your main goal is going to be for your reloading setup.
BTW I can PM you an address to send that 650 to a buddy has one he reloads his pistols with and it pisses me off how quickly he can pump out a finished round lol.