223 die set?

Hakaman · Post by **Hakaman** » Sat Mar 27, 2010 2:28 pm

I want to reload 223 ammo and am having difficulty deciding what is the best die set to get. There are "small based" dies, standard full length dies, neck sizing dies, etc. I have been successful in reloading .243 cal with the standard RCBS 2 die set, but this is for abolt action. not for an AR-15 semi auto. I purchased 1000 rds of Lake City brass that has been resized, deprimed, and ready to go. Does anybody have a recommendation on which set to get, and from what manufacturer?
thanks, Haka

blue68f100 · Post by **blue68f100** » Sat Mar 27, 2010 3:26 pm

For auto you need full length dies. Neck sizing is nice if your using a bolt or single shot gun. You may also want to check brass length, too.

Hakaman · Post by **Hakaman** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 3:20 pm

Here's the die set I finally ordered. They seem like a well respected set, and you can't beat the price.
Haka

Lee Pacesetter 3-Die Set
includes:
Full Length Sizer Die
Bullet Seater DieLee
Factory Crimp Die
includes
Shellholder
Powder Measure
load data
plastic storage box
two year warranty.
Adjustable crimp from slight taper to full roll.

Yleefox · Post by **Yleefox** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 10:57 pm

Hak

I use RCBS full length for .223 but I have Lee dies for some other calibers. Both brands have worked well for me. I suppose you know this already, but just in case you or someone else that is interested, doesn't, I will mention that military 5.56 brass usually has a crime around the primer that interfers with seating the new primer and needs to be removed before reloading. Have fun with the AR.

Y

Hakaman · Post by **Hakaman** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:04 pm

The lake city brass I bought was cleaned, deprimed(military crimped in), and the pocket was reamed to proper size. I guess the military likes primers crimped in. Thanks for the good info.
Haka

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:02 am

The primers are crimped in military brass to ensuring proper operations in automatic weapons. Military cartridges are typically loaded up on the pressure scale and if the primers were not crimped they may unseat causing a jam at a critical time in a battle.

They also add a lacquer material to the base of the bullets to help seal the cartridges from moisture intrusion.

I use a Dillon Super Swage 600 to remove military primer pocket crimps from the cases.

R,
Bullseye

Hakaman · Post by **Hakaman** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 1:58 pm

Good info. It is very discouraging to me when I have a primer going into a loose pocket. I find this occasionally on all different brass, but especially on 9mm. I guess some people really like to load them up. This brings up a question: When I prime a cartridge and the primer goes in a little loose, besides throwing the brass away(which is probably best), is there any type of sealant that could be used to secure it in?
Haka

blue68f100 · Post by **blue68f100** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 5:19 pm

The only time I will throw a piece of brass away is when I start getting blowbye or the primmer falls out. I have pistol ammo that has been reloaded close to 20 times now. Some of the ones with loose primers I would have guessed they would have fallen out 10 reloads ago, but they just keep going. So unless you are using a powder that spikes bad, load max these loose ones may not be a problem. But the very fast burn powders like Bullseye, Tightgroup can really spike.

Some mfg of primers seem to go in easier than CCI or Wolf, which I suspect are slightly oversize. So you may want to try CCI or Wolf and see if they fit tighter.

I'm not worried about water. There are some commercial equipment that will allow you to do a primer swedge. Not worth the hassel. RCBS has a $30 tool for removing the swedges for use in a single stage press. Works great. But I have gotten lazy but now I just toss them in a bucket to do when ever. With close to 5k rounds of 9mm I may never get to them.

I tumble all brass. Then I sort by head stamps, this way I look at all of the pieces I'm reloading. So if a primmer is MIA or see indication of leakage then there tossed. Unless your loading MAJOR on a 9mm it's normally not a problem for practice loads. I never load max, I will always stop 0.1gr off of max.

Yleefox · Post by **Yleefox** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:00 pm

I've wanted one of those Dillon swages for quite a while now, but I always have something else I need (or want) more. One day though...I'm getting one.

Ylee