col question/problem

poker2112 · October 12, 2007, 01:10 AM

im loading 223 brass ......i cut to 1.755 on the brass......using ss109 62gr fmjscbt.... some of the ss109 differ in size so i when i seat the bullet somtimes my col is not the same......... i have it set to crimp on the middle cannelure......do i need to separate the bullets by lenght or is there another way??? also what is a good col for 223 ammo

rwilson452 · October 12, 2007, 06:25 AM

Proper length should be measured at the point in the ogive that meets the lands. you need a bullet comparator to do this. What the proper length should be is rifle dependant. In a bolt rifle generally somewhere betwee .015 to .030 off the lands. it depends on what your particular rifle likes. IF your shooting an AR with a 5.56 chamber you like as not going to be magazine limited so it would be as long as you can make it and still function in your mags. If your using a bolt action rifle there is no need to crimp. so don't worry about the cannelur. If you use a Lee FCD as it does a taper crimp you don't need to crimp on the cannelur but you do need to keep all your brass the same length to have that die work correctly.

UGH · October 12, 2007, 12:00 PM

What type of rifle are you loading for ?

A lot of times bullets are different lengths by a few thousandths. Especially the surplus stuff. Some more than others. To get an accurate measurement you should measure from the ogive.To do that I use a Hornady bullet comparator. If you are loading for semi auto such as an AR 15 in my opinion you should crimp you bullets. But thats me. I have heard guys say they don't but to me I think the ride from mag to chamber could be at times a rough one so to avoid a bullet setback I always crimp for use in my AR.
As for where to crimp, When I was working a load up for my AR I ended up at 2.230 for my OAL and the crimp was just about in the middle of the cannelure for the 62 grain fmj like your using. That gave me a round that fit in the mag and functioned well with plenty of clearance. Start at the minimum load and work it up for your particular application.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...904&t=11082005

30Cal · October 12, 2007, 03:35 PM

The bullets are different. The seater should push on the ogive of the bullet which is what matters. Variation in OAL should be expected.

Ty

poker2112 · October 12, 2007, 04:25 PM

my rifle is an ar 15 ......so should i worry about lenght or am i ok setting the seating die and just reload ammo? thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!

rwilson452 · October 12, 2007, 10:51 PM

I would just set them to what ever the longest COAL that will fit in your mags and not worry about it. Seems when I tried 62 gr I would up at 2.225
but I got a couple of funky mags. One of these daze I'm going to replace them.

wncchester · October 13, 2007, 07:49 AM

The book OAL is like the starting loads, it's a place to START, not an "end all" data point.

poker2112 · October 13, 2007, 09:56 PM

well i just loaded some tester ammo and it varied from 2.230-2.255........im under 2.260 and they cycled fine.........measured the inside lenght of mags (d&h , centerline) they both were around 2.270-2.275.......so guess ill see on sunday what happens.thanks

October 12, 2007, 01:10 AM	#1
poker2112 Member Join Date: September 24, 2006 Posts: 62	col question/problem im loading 223 brass ......i cut to 1.755 on the brass......using ss109 62gr fmjscbt.... some of the ss109 differ in size so i when i seat the bullet somtimes my col is not the same......... i have it set to crimp on the middle cannelure......do i need to separate the bullets by lenght or is there another way??? also what is a good col for 223 ammo

October 12, 2007, 12:00 PM	#3
UGH Senior Member Join Date: October 3, 2007 Posts: 156	What type of rifle are you loading for ? A lot of times bullets are different lengths by a few thousandths. Especially the surplus stuff. Some more than others. To get an accurate measurement you should measure from the ogive.To do that I use a Hornady bullet comparator. If you are loading for semi auto such as an AR 15 in my opinion you should crimp you bullets. But thats me. I have heard guys say they don't but to me I think the ride from mag to chamber could be at times a rough one so to avoid a bullet setback I always crimp for use in my AR. As for where to crimp, When I was working a load up for my AR I ended up at 2.230 for my OAL and the crimp was just about in the middle of the cannelure for the 62 grain fmj like your using. That gave me a round that fit in the mag and functioned well with plenty of clearance. Start at the minimum load and work it up for your particular application. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...904&t=11082005 __________________ If you liberals keep gettin' your way - we're all gonna hear one big loud flush. The sound of the U.S. of A. goin' straight down the toilet.- Archie Bunker............. Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth. George Washington

October 12, 2007, 06:25 AM	#2
rwilson452 Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2004 Location: Tioga co. PA Posts: 2,647	Proper length should be measured at the point in the ogive that meets the lands. you need a bullet comparator to do this. What the proper length should be is rifle dependant. In a bolt rifle generally somewhere betwee .015 to .030 off the lands. it depends on what your particular rifle likes. IF your shooting an AR with a 5.56 chamber you like as not going to be magazine limited so it would be as long as you can make it and still function in your mags. If your using a bolt action rifle there is no need to crimp. so don't worry about the cannelur. If you use a Lee FCD as it does a taper crimp you don't need to crimp on the cannelur but you do need to keep all your brass the same length to have that die work correctly.

October 12, 2007, 03:35 PM	#4
30Cal Senior Member Join Date: December 3, 2002 Posts: 1,264	The bullets are different. The seater should push on the ogive of the bullet which is what matters. Variation in OAL should be expected. Ty

October 12, 2007, 04:25 PM	#5
poker2112 Member Join Date: September 24, 2006 Posts: 62	my rifle is an ar 15 ......so should i worry about lenght or am i ok setting the seating die and just reload ammo? thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!

October 12, 2007, 10:51 PM	#6
rwilson452 Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2004 Location: Tioga co. PA Posts: 2,647	I would just set them to what ever the longest COAL that will fit in your mags and not worry about it. Seems when I tried 62 gr I would up at 2.225 but I got a couple of funky mags. One of these daze I'm going to replace them.

October 13, 2007, 07:49 AM	#7
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	The book OAL is like the starting loads, it's a place to START, not an "end all" data point.

October 13, 2007, 09:56 PM	#8
poker2112 Member Join Date: September 24, 2006 Posts: 62	well i just loaded some tester ammo and it varied from 2.230-2.255........im under 2.260 and they cycled fine.........measured the inside lenght of mags (d&h , centerline) they both were around 2.270-2.275.......so guess ill see on sunday what happens.thanks