Loading 223 and WTH did I do now?!??!

[teddy12b]

Well 284 rounds of it went downrange over lunch today. All, but one cycled and shot like a champ. The one that was weird just felt funny when loading into the chamber, but it went bang without any issue.

I still have more to load up and unload, but feeling pretty glad I'm not going to be pulling every one of those rounds.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

I'm alway a little reluctant to offer advice out of the ordinary. In my case I had several hundred surplus M2 ball intended for a Garand- which I'm fond of. Garands no like lumpy ammo.

Said ammo had seen some rough handling and de-linking. I have since loaned this modified die out twice with good results.

It's not a perfect solution, but it is good enough for blasting ammo.

Good on you for loaning that die out to others in need

I've creatively resized a few different loaded rounds as well, and like you say, good enough for plinking ammo. Turning lemons into lemonade and saving a crap load of time.

 

[Fullmag]

Not sure I understand the advice not to use no/go gages. Had no problems with revolver without gages but not in semi-autos especially using a progressive press. 223 headspace off the shoulder of the case to force case in the chamber is not a good idea. Take and add a press that makes a 100 in no time.

 

[Clay Pigeon]

I'm alway a little reluctant to offer advice out of the ordinary. In my case I had several hundred surplus M2 ball intended for a Garand- which I'm fond of. Garands no like lumpy ammo.

Said ammo had seen some rough handling and de-linking. I have since loaned this modified die out twice with good results.

It's not a perfect solution, but it is good enough for blasting ammo.

Oh I get why you are doing it, but lets look at the bad mojo that can happen.
Most likely the die is made from 12L14 steel, lead added to steel for machine-ability. If something goes terribly wrong your chamber is made of 12L14 steel, will it hold the 48,000 psi that just touched off 16" from your face? I dont want to find out myself....
Just food for thought...

 

[JHB]

Oh I get why you are doing it, but lets look at the bad mojo that can happen.
Most likely the die is made from 12L14 steel, lead added to steel for machine-ability. If something goes terribly wrong your chamber is made of 12L14 steel, will it hold the 48,000 psi that just touched off 16" from your face? I dont want to find out myself....
Just food for thought...

Please explain your train of thought. How is the round going to go off . The case is being squeezed down .001 to .002 thousandths on the diameter. The shell holder has a hole bigger than than the primer so it can't touch it. The top of the die is cleared out so the bullet is not touched and the die is set to not push the shoulder back. You have a better chance settin the round off by dropping it.

 

[bstewrat3]

The problem is you are probably using brass that didn't come from the AR you are trying to use it in. This is exactly why they make small base dies. I had the same problem using a bunch of military surplus brass. Be glad you are only 400 rounds in. Mine fortunately worked in my T/C Encore.

 

[VERT]

Question directly related to the OP. What happens if you bump the shoulder of the case a little to far and it is slightly less then minimum headspace? I have been loading mixed range brass and every so often would get a failure to go into battery. So I tightened the sizing die as far as I can. It was already down to the shell plate plus some. Now everything seems to work fine in the gun. I picked up a case gauge and the rim now falls slightly (as in I can feel but hard to see) below the minimum step.

 

[cmann250]

If you bump the shoulder too far, the firing pin won’t reach the primer. It’s an extreme example, but I suppose it’s possible.


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[JHB]

Question directly related to the OP. What happens if you bump the shoulder of the case a little to far and it is slightly less then minimum headspace? I have been loading mixed range brass and every so often would get a failure to go into battery. So I tightened the sizing die as far as I can. It was already down to the shell plate plus some. Now everything seems to work fine in the gun. I picked up a case gauge and the rim now falls slightly (as in I can feel but hard to see) below the minimum step.

Have you checked that chamber with a GO and NO GO gauge that chamber sounds like it was cut short?

 

[Clay Pigeon]

Please explain your train of thought. How is the round going to go off . The case is being squeezed down .001 to .002 thousandths on the diameter. The shell holder has a hole bigger than than the primer so it can't touch it. The top of the die is cleared out so the bullet is not touched and the die is set to not push the shoulder back. You have a better chance settin the round off by dropping it.

If you dont see what "can" happen by taking a loaded round and resizing it, no matter what I post you wouldn't change your mind. But one reason is why manufactures make bullet pullers and not resizing dies for when a reloader ****s up.
Roll on with what you believe.

 

[JHB]

If you dont see what "can" happen by taking a loaded round and resizing it, no matter what I post you wouldn't change your mind. But one reason is why manufactures make bullet pullers and not resizing dies for when a reloader ****s up.
Roll on with what you believe.

Got ya

 

[VERT]

Have you checked that chamber with a GO and NO GO gauge that chamber sounds like it was cut short?

Nada. Happened with two different guns. One being a factory Adams Arms upper. Neither firearm has had an issue with factory ammo. No issues since screwing in the sizing die a bit more.

 

[JHB]

Possible they reamed the sizing die to deep? The more you have to over cam the press the faster the linkage wares. Might want to consider taking a couple of thousandths off the bottom of the die.

 

[sloughfoot]

Many years ago I purchased a fairly large sum of .308 ammo from you that would not chamber in any .308 rifle either of us owned. At That time, I think I advised that you full resize in a single stage press. Then do the rest of the operations in a progressive after checking each individual case.

Making sure that the brass is resized properly cannot be assured in a progressive press. The tolerances stack up..

 

[G19G26]

have you tried chambering new factory round? if you don't have a case gauge, at least you will have a "good" round to measure from to check your reloads.

 

[teddy12b]

have you tried chambering new factory round? if you don't have a case gauge, at least you will have a "good" round to measure from to check your reloads.

I'd been doing that all along with a xm193.

 

[Audie Murphy]

I just cranked the sizing die as far as itd go while I could still cycle the press and I still got that same issue. I'm lost on this mystery.

Those gauges are nice and I have a few, but apparently need to order a few more.

Did you go the extra 1/4 turn when first setting up the die in the press?

 

[teddy12b]

Did you go the extra 1/4 turn when first setting up the die in the press?

Yeah, and then I took it as far as it would go and still cam over.

 

[Fullmag]

Yeah, and then I took it as far as it would go and still cam over.

Make measurements on cases compared to cases that fit in chamber. Going as far as it will go and then going a bit farther would buckle the case wall. Check the case OAL dimension after full length sizing if over spec that is can be dangerous.

 

[teddy12b]

The Wilson case gauges showed up in the mail tonight. Couple more days and the new small base die will arrive too. I'm looking for a and to seeing the difference.