full lengh vs neck sizing for 223

new rounder · November 30, 2008, 11:53 AM

i reload 223 rem for my ar. i have gone through several cheep lee full lenght dies and am now going to buy a good dillon. however i am concidering a neck sizer any helpful insight

cdrt · November 30, 2008, 12:21 PM

Neck sizing an autoloader round is not recommended. Works great on bolt guns but not so great on autos.

bullspotter · November 30, 2008, 01:08 PM

I full lenth size all my ar brass. Its got a tight chamber so not all that much work for me, I always clean all my brass really good, and also keep my lube pads really clean, Dirty brass is hard on dies. Might want to try a set of carbide dies, I think RCBS makes a set of comp carbide dies, not sure.

jaguarxk120 · November 30, 2008, 01:16 PM

If you look on the Dillon site they have carbide die for the 223, but watch out that die will put a drain on the wallet $$$$.

kraigwy · November 30, 2008, 01:30 PM

Quote:

If you look on the Dillon site they have carbide die for the 223, but watch out that die will put a drain on the wallet $$$$.

With carbide dies you still need to lube the cases. Carbide dies dont wear out like standard dies, and trust me I wore out dies and use carbide in 223 and 308.

BUT to answer your questions, reloads for semis require full lenght resizing, whether you need a small base die depends on your chamber. Two of my 223s dont need small base dies, one does. Same with my 308s. In fact its my bolt gun 308 that needs the sb die, none of my gas guns do.

bullspotter · November 30, 2008, 06:00 PM

I think the carbide rcbs dies i saw were at sportsmans wharehouse. $80.00 ouch!!!

Nnobby45 · November 30, 2008, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Neck sizing an autoloader round is not recommended. Works great on bolt guns but not so great on autos.
__________________

You won't get by with neck sizing for the AR, as CDRT points out.

And you'll have to FL size for bolt actions eventually, anyway. After a few neck sized firings, the brass will lose it's elasticity and won't contract after expanding against the chamber walls, like before, for easy extraction and chambering. Also, at that point, the brass will be harder to FL size. Better to keep the brass "trained" as you go along.

Better to FL size JUST ENOUGH for easy chambering whether it be AR or Bolt Action. Some AR's even require special "small base" dies to size them enough for proper feed reliability.

rn22723 · November 30, 2008, 07:32 PM

The only supplier of carbide reloading dies for the 223 and 308 is Dillon. They still require lube.

My suggestion for the loading of ammo for the AR is this. Get Full Length Redding die set and then get the carbide expander ball. If you want to control the neck tension in your AR then you could consider using a Redding Type S FL die. This uses bushings to control the amount of neck tension.

ForneyRider · December 2, 2008, 02:28 PM

I use the Lee deluxe rifle dies for .223.

I tried neck-sizing .223 for my DPMS AR and the cartridge wouldn't chamber completely. I pulled the cartridge out, with much labor, and it was scored heavily.

I stick with full-length for semi-auto.

FM12 · December 2, 2008, 10:44 PM

Check on the RCBS "X" Die set...supposed to limit case growtth to help reduce case trimming. No neck sizing for semis.

November 30, 2008, 11:53 AM	#1
new rounder Junior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: pa Posts: 11	full lengh vs neck sizing for 223 i reload 223 rem for my ar. i have gone through several cheep lee full lenght dies and am now going to buy a good dillon. however i am concidering a neck sizer any helpful insight

November 30, 2008, 12:21 PM	#2
cdrt Senior Member Join Date: June 7, 2007 Location: The Lone Star State Posts: 255	Neck sizing an autoloader round is not recommended. Works great on bolt guns but not so great on autos. __________________ Navy Vet, SWIFT Boat OIC, Distinguished Pistol Shot #1399 USS JOHN S. MCCAIN (DDG-36)

December 2, 2008, 02:28 PM	#9
ForneyRider Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2007 Location: Forney, TX Posts: 725	I use the Lee deluxe rifle dies for .223. I tried neck-sizing .223 for my DPMS AR and the cartridge wouldn't chamber completely. I pulled the cartridge out, with much labor, and it was scored heavily. I stick with full-length for semi-auto. __________________ When all is said and done, there is a lot more said than done.

November 30, 2008, 01:08 PM	#3
bullspotter Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2008 Location: Montana Posts: 308	I full lenth size all my ar brass. Its got a tight chamber so not all that much work for me, I always clean all my brass really good, and also keep my lube pads really clean, Dirty brass is hard on dies. Might want to try a set of carbide dies, I think RCBS makes a set of comp carbide dies, not sure.

November 30, 2008, 01:16 PM	#4
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,620	If you look on the Dillon site they have carbide die for the 223, but watch out that die will put a drain on the wallet $$$$.

November 30, 2008, 06:00 PM	#6
bullspotter Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2008 Location: Montana Posts: 308	I think the carbide rcbs dies i saw were at sportsmans wharehouse. $80.00 ouch!!!

November 30, 2008, 07:32 PM	#8
rn22723 Junior member Join Date: December 10, 2001 Location: Burbs of Minneapolis Posts: 676	The only supplier of carbide reloading dies for the 223 and 308 is Dillon. They still require lube. My suggestion for the loading of ammo for the AR is this. Get Full Length Redding die set and then get the carbide expander ball. If you want to control the neck tension in your AR then you could consider using a Redding Type S FL die. This uses bushings to control the amount of neck tension.

December 2, 2008, 10:44 PM	#10
FM12 Senior Member Join Date: February 5, 2007 Location: Monroeville, Alabama Posts: 1,683	Check on the RCBS "X" Die set...supposed to limit case growtth to help reduce case trimming. No neck sizing for semis.