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Old January 31, 2009, 09:21 PM   #1
MDS
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Learning rifle

Can anyone point me in the right direction to learn about loading .223. I have never done rifle and would like to learn.
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Old January 31, 2009, 09:53 PM   #2
PCJim
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"Loading" 223 is no different than any other rifle caliber. Case prep is another matter. Since 223 is a military caliber, most of the cases you will come across, whether designated military or commercial, will have been crimped at the primer pocket. Do a google search to see examples of crimped and non-crimped primer pockets. Basically, after priming a raw case, another die is used to force the case head material tight around the primer so that the primer will not jar loose, thus affording additional assurance in military conditions.

Removing that primer pocket crimp is a must if you reload. Your regular reloading dies will remove the spent primer, but will not resize the empty primer pocket to the original specifications. There are two means of resizing the primer pocket. One is to "swage" the pocket, by forcing a proper sized ram into the pocket and spreading the crimp material back away from the pocket. The other means is to "ream" the pocket by cutting away the material that was crimped into the pocket. I have read where one person claimed to do this with a pocket knife, however the commercially available reamers would do a much more consistent job.

You'll find people on both bandwagons regarding swaging and reaming. I've tried both, and prefer reaming. To each his own.....

Otherwise, the rest is no different than any other bottlenecked cartridge. The cases will periodically require trimming and the associated case mouth chamfering and deburring. If you are reloading for an autoloader, FL dies will be a must. There are probably other concerns that I've missed and for those, I'll let others add their thoughts...
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Old January 31, 2009, 10:30 PM   #3
TheTinMan
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I have only loaded one batch of 270 and am going to the range tomorrow to test it.

Reloading bottleneck rifle cases is different from straight walled pistol cases in several ways. You must lube the case, including a tiny bit inside the case neck (didn't know that and almost got the de-priming/sizing die stuck in the first case ). There isn't a die to bell the case mouth like there would be for 45 Auto. I haven't researched crimping for rifle as much as I need to. Bullets in first batch have a cannelure so I did a slight roll crimp with the bullet seating die.

Repeating part of what Jim said (in a different way), you only need to size the neck most of the time if you have a bolt action rifle and are starting off with once-used brass from factory ammo fired in your rifle. However, with 223 I'm guessing that you have a semiauto rifle and will have to do a full length sizing for each load.

The Lyman reloading manual has a great step-by-step description, with complete separate sections for pistol and rifle rounds. Helped me a lot.

From one newbie to another...
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Old January 31, 2009, 10:53 PM   #4
MDS
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Yes, I'll be shooting an AR. I have read about crimped primer pockets. I quess case prep is the name of the game then.
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Old February 1, 2009, 01:35 AM   #5
PCJim
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MDS, case prep on crimped brass is a royal PITA and consumes quite a bit of time. I personally cannot afford to spend the required time for prep only to lose the brass the next time I go to the range. Some people mark their brass so that when they are picking up brass at the range, they know which brass was their's and already prepped. I haven't resorted to marking my brass yet. I'm currently using a brass catcher, link at MidwayUSA here:

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=855937

When properly adjusted, it works like a charm.
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Old February 1, 2009, 09:25 AM   #6
MDS
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That's a good point. With my back getting so old, it's not abad idea anyway. I was reading about the RCBS X die. This would be one sure way to keep the brass that you already ran through.
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