New to rifles and reloading

[LongRange]

He'll make customs, as well? I might inquire about a set of 28 Nosler dies.



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yes just send him a couple of fired cases.

[71velle]

Ok, thanks guys!!! I guess the Foster dies its is....

It looks like the RCBS mic gauge could be a useful tool any reason not to get it?

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/477756/rcbs-precision-mic-223-remington

[Robinhood]

The Hornady stuff is very versatile. if you buy both the case headspace and the stoney point gauges from hornady you can expand to measure multiple cartridges easily. If you plan on just reloading for the 1 cartridge then the rcbs is fine.

[71velle]

I will only be reloading 223 and dont see owning any other rifle calibers.

[hardnosestreetcop]

+71velle it appears you have been well schooled on the dies, let me pass this tip on to you from my 30 years of reloading the .223. When it comes to your brass you have mil-spec brass headstamped WWC, IMI, LC, FC. These cases have a crimp in the primer pocket, which must be removed prior to a new primer being installed. These cases have a smaller powder capacity, thus you must reduce the max load by 5%. The commercial brass is headstmped Federal, Winchester, Remington. These cases have a greater powder case capacity than the mil-spec brass. Further more it would be to your advantage not to mix your headstamp use one headstamp at a time during your load development. By mixing different headstamps which will have different mouth thickness will effect your crimp, pressure, velocity, and your grouping.

[The Old Coach]

+71velle it appears you have been well schooled on the dies, let me pass this tip on to you from my 30 years of reloading the .223. When it comes to your brass you have mil-spec brass headstamped WWC, IMI, LC, FC. These cases have a crimp in the primer pocket, which must be removed prior to a new primer being installed. These cases have a smaller powder capacity, thus you must reduce the max load by 5%. The commercial brass is headstamped Federal, Winchester, Remington. These cases have a greater powder case capacity than the mil-spec brass. Further more it would be to your advantage not to mix your headstamp use one headstamp at a time during your load development. By mixing different headstamps which will have different mouth thickness will effect your crimp, pressure, velocity, and your grouping.

All good advice, but my own study and others published in recent years have pretty much debunked the old wives' tale that mil-surp brass is heavier and/or has less capacity than commercial. Just ain't true. I won't post a wall of text, I'll just mention that of the 1200 range pickups that I cleaned, sorted and painstakingly weighed and measured, LC was on average no heavier than any of the Big 3 American commercial brands, In fact the variance within any of the four headstamps was greater than the variance between averages. It is worth sorting by headstamp, because brass hardness varies, and if you get obsessive about it, sort within any headstamp to get a batch of cases that are of uniform weight. But at that point I personally would go out and buy a batch of new Norma brass and be done with it.

BTW I also did smaller batches of .30-06 and .308, and again the capacity variances showed no statistical difference between military and commercial.

I DID find a few cases from a foreign company which were heavier, but since there were only half a dozen I threw them out of my study.

[Zero333]

Ok, thanks guys!!! I guess the Foster dies its is....

It looks like the RCBS mic gauge could be a useful tool any reason not to get it?

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/477756/rcbs-precision-mic-223-remington

A mic gauge or a headspace comparator are very useful tho not necessary. I use a headspace comparator every time I resize cases so I know how much I'm bumping the shoulder back (I like 0.002"-0.003" bump).

A mic gauge and a headspace comparator do the same job just in different ways. The RCBS mic gauge looks good and you get a bullet seating depth gauge to boot. Read the instructions carefully and you will understand why many of us use them.

[savgebolt]

hello velle ,,,,, if you havent made a purchase yet ,,,, currently 64 yrs old , i had reloaded as a late teenager , got out of reloading untill a year or so ago,,,,, if i had it to do over again i suggest looking long and hard at Lee products, happy shopping

[243LPR]

Lee classic cast press and collet dies. I'm building some very accurate loads with these.

[71velle]

Just a quick update I went with the RCBS kit. At this point I have loaded about 500 45ACP rounds and they are firing well. I finally received the foster bench rest dies and am researching bullet seating depth stuff before I load some bullets up.

I did resize a few 223 cases and Didnt like the feel of the way the case went into the dies. I didnt clean them, so I just did clean the sizer die up and havent tried again.

[bigedp51]

Ok, thanks guys!!! I guess the Foster dies its is....

It looks like the RCBS mic gauge could be a useful tool any reason not to get it?

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/477756/rcbs-precision-mic-223-remington

Do not get the RCBS precision mic, the Hornady gauge is a better gauge and it will work for any caliber. I have a RCBS precision mic in .308 and the Hornady gauge allows you to turn the case by hand and get more accurate readings. Once the case is inside the precision mic you can not spin and center the case to get a true reading. Meaning with the precision mic you may have to loosen, shake and tighten a few times it to get a true reading.

[71velle]

Its too late I already have the case mic. Buying it helped me get to another $75 rebate so it was kinda free.

[minnesotamulisha]

I recommend the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme reloading kit. Cabela's has it for $300 and you get a $75 mail in rebate from RCBS.

Otherwise just get the Rockchucker press,
RCBS hand priming tool, a set of shell holders or just one for the 223 (different brand shell holders have different numerical markings but all fit all presses).
RCBS 5-0-5 scale ( or if you can afford it, the RCBS Chargemaster 1500 combo electronic dispenser/scale).
RCBS dies are my favorite for the money. I don't like Hornady or lee dies. Redding and Forster dies are better than RCBS but not necessary from my experience.
Eventually you will need a case trimmer and Lee Zip Trim is the most affordable and foolproof. You get the cutter and lock stud that works on all cartridges and a cartridge specific length pilot & holder. Many different trimming devices are out there so do some research, but you should be able to do at least 3 or 4 reloads before needing to trim the case. After trimming the case, you need to deburr the outside of the case mouth and chamfer the inside of the mouth. Those tools are available at reasonable prices.


Any Small rifle primer will work in the 223 so don't sweat it. Always start lower and work up in small increments to see where the accuracy is and never go over recommended max loads as a beginner.
AR-comp is a descent 223 powder but there are dozens out there that will work.
http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/rifle
http://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/223-remington/
http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/RecipeList.aspx?gtypeid=2
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kdopwcxcqcimrud/h16TGLOjsb
http://blog.westernpowders.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/WesternLoadGuide1-2016_Web.pdf
http://www.realguns.com/loads/223r.htm
There are other sites with reloading data but that should get you started. You will notice no 2 manuals agree on max loads, and that's because they used different components and such so it's your duty to start lower (at starting load data) and work up watching for signs of pressure.
There is no such thing as too many reloading manuals !

How to read pressure signs ??? here is the best link on the net with detailed info....
https://www.primalrights.com/articles/understanding-pressure

There are books written about handloading so what I said is just the basics (very basics). Handloading can get extremely complex and involving over the smallest things like neck tension, neck turning, over length of the cartridge according to where the bullet hits the rifling and much much more.

Keep it simple, triple check everything but don't be intimidated and don't loose your confidence.

223 is a great cartridge to learn reloading with.

I'm sure I left out several important things, so hope other chime in and speak up. and Youtube is your friend !!! I learned basic handloading withing a few 10 to 20 minute videos.

The Primal Rights article on over pressure is by far the best one I've read. Thanks for the link!


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