Tips & Tricks for loading .223 rounds faster??

[imq707s]

I've been reloading for several years now. I started out loading for my 7mmRM hunting rifle, and now for my AR-15 (.223). I only shot about 50 rounds a year through my hunting rifle....so I really didn't care how long it took me to load up some rounds. But, with my AR...it seems like I spend all week loading up rounds, just to go through them all in about 30min. at the range. It takes me about an hour and a half to load up 50 rounds. I can go through that in 5min at the range.

Are there any tips or tricks you guys could give me to help speed up my reloading? I'm not looking for super accurate loads....just loads that I can use for plinking.

Here is what I'm doing now.....how can I speed things up??

1. Wipe off the used brass with a towel to remove any dirt/junk on the case.

2. Lube each case by hand with Lee case lube.

3. Use a q-tip and lube the inside of each case neck with Lee case lube.

4. Size and de-cap each piece of brass in my Lee press.

5. Take each piece of brass and trim to lengh using the Lee case trimming tool.

6. Use a primer pocket cleaner to clean out any junk in the primer pockets.

7. Use a Lee chamfer tool to chamfer the inside and outside of the the case necks.

8. Press in the primers using the lee primer press

9. Use my Lee powder measurer to fill each case

10. Change the dies...and press in the bullet.

There....all done .

Is there any way to speed this process up? I'm not looking for target loads...I use my .308 for that. I'm just looking for some decent plinking rounds for my AR.

Any tips or advice? Special tools that might help me out?



Thanks.

[hodaka]

The best tool for what you are describing is a Dillon 550.

[fourrobert13]

1. Wipe off the used brass with a towel to remove any dirt/junk on the case.

2. Lube each case by hand with Lee case lube.

3. Use a q-tip and lube the inside of each case neck with Lee case lube.

4. Size and de-cap each piece of brass in my Lee press.

5. Take each piece of brass and trim to lengh using the Lee case trimming tool.

6. Use a primer pocket cleaner to clean out any junk in the primer pockets.

7. Use a Lee chamfer tool to chamfer the inside and outside of the the case necks.

8. Press in the primers using the lee primer press

9. Use my Lee powder measurer to fill each case

10. Change the dies...and press in the bullet.

I wouldn't even worry about your step 1. Stop using Lee case lube and get some Hornady One Shot. You can spray the lube on more cases at once rather than one at a time.

Get yourself a power trimmer for trimming the cases. I use a Lyman Power Tool for chamfering and deburring.

After case prep is done, the load your ammo. You could speed this up by maybe using a tureet press, that way you could prime, charge, and seat your bullet all on the press. This would make your loading semi-progressive.

Or you could get a Dillon and all the fixin's that you need. But I load them like I described above.

[ArizonaRick]

I do all my brass prep for once fired brass first (trim, remove primer crimp, if applicable, debur flash hole, seperate cases) and after that, I just use the 550 and load progressively. I did swap out the dillon powder measure for a RCBS powder measurer, that I manually operate, because I use H335 ball powder. I still get 300 plus rounds and hour. I load 1.5 grains under max and can get 5X firings out of my AR and up to 7X out of my Rem 700. Good luck.

[Thesenator]

With the equipment you are using, you are probably maxed out on your production vs. time.

By doing all your case prep ahead of loading, and getting a different press you will speed things up. Using a Dillon 550B, with cases prepped I can easily reload several hundred per hour. In the past, I've done more than 2k in a single day, taking breaks from the press every couple of hours.

Get some Dillon lube.....Forget the One Shot, you will eventually get a stuck case using it......I absolutely guarantee it.

[CrustyFN]

If you aren't already try puting the lockstud in a battery drill. That's how I trim my 223 brass and I can trim, chamfer and debur one case in about 4 seconds. I will size, trim and prime around 1,000 to 1,500 cases before I reload them. I use Hornady One Shot to lube. I put around 150 cases in a one gallon ziplock bag. Spray in a shot and mix them around for a couple of minutes. Let them set for a few minutes to dry and they are ready to size.
Rusty

[swmike]

If you want to speed up the operation you will need to consider a progressive press. A 550 or 650 Dillon with a casefeeder.

I segregate all my brass by headstamp and length when I bring it home. Everything over 1.755" goes in the "trim" bin. The rest gets tumbled for two hours in corncob media with Dillon Rapid Polish.

I don't bother to chamfer the case mouth. My sizing die and expander take off the slight flashing that remains on those that get trimmed.

I spray all clean cases with a light amount of Dillon Case lube and load them in the Casefeeder.

I have to stop every 30 minutes to reload the powder measure on my XL-650 but am still able to load about 500 per hour.

Having more ammo on hand makes shooting an AR more fun.

[tyrajam]

I do all of my case prep and priming sitting on my couch watching a movie with my wife. That way, once I sit down to reload, all I do is dump in the powder and seat the bullet.

[exercion]

Sounds like what I do, (though once fired gets a flash hole debur job as well) I prep brass in batches, first tumble, then use the spray lube/ziploc bag lube method before sizing. I use the lee trimmer, but drive it with an electric drill. Trim, chamfer, debur in one step while spinning the case. Generally watching TV or something like that while doing it. Same goes for priming, power clean/uniform with a Sinclair carbide uniformer, then it's the trusty Lee auto prime.


Eric