January 29, 2013, 11:38 AM | #1 |
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5.56 brass
Not to start a 223 vs 5.56 discussion but I just bought a 223 bolt rifle
And wanted to reload some rounds using 5.56 brass I know the lake city brass is thicker wall. Is it advisble to do this ? What other problem would I run in to using surpluses brass |
January 29, 2013, 11:55 AM | #2 |
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Lake City brass is NOT nominally thicker than .223 brass. This is a common misconception.
However, on military ammo the primers are swaged into the pockets so you'll have to be more cautious when decapping. And the pockets will need to be reamed or re-swaged before priming again. |
January 29, 2013, 09:16 PM | #3 |
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i have swag the primer pockets out for when i reload for my ar15
but didnt know if there was any thing else that i should be aware of thanks |
January 29, 2013, 10:16 PM | #4 |
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Other than watching the case length, you should be good to go with your 5.56mm brass. IIWY, I'd trim to minimum .223 spec.
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January 29, 2013, 10:36 PM | #5 |
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Moving over to the Handloading forum...
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January 30, 2013, 01:47 AM | #6 |
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Load data is always listed for .223. No one makes 5.56mm dies that I have ever seen. The primary differences, as you may know, are in the chamber dimensions of the different rounds, and there MAY be differing chamber pressures in some rifles due to these dimension differences.
I think you'll find, as long as you keep the loads midrange and not maximum, that you will get more reloads out of GI brass than commercial. |
January 30, 2013, 10:30 AM | #7 |
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To slightly hi-jack this thread, can you decap a crimped primer with a standard .223 decaping die/pin?
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January 30, 2013, 11:12 AM | #8 |
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Normally, yes. I have de-capped lots of crimped primers. Getting a new one back in without reaming or swaging the primer pocket is the real pain.
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January 30, 2013, 12:36 PM | #9 | |
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Quote:
Since the bullet has more free-travel through the leade in a 5.56x45 NATO chamber, the peak pressure is lower: the bullet already has a running start by the time it engages rifling. In a typical .223 Rem chamber, the leade may be short enough to require excess pressure to get the bullet moving down the bore. This is a side effect of the common "match" chamber where the bullet is seated as close to the rifling as possible. There are a few loading manuals that list both a "service rifle" .223 and 5.56x45 NATO. In these manuals the load data is identical except the powder charges are slightly higher in 5.56x45 NATO. That's why it's safe to shoot .223 Rem in a gun chambered for 5.56x45 NATO but not vice-versa. |
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