Reloading for .223

brentf · December 30, 2007, 12:04 AM

I am in the process of purchasing a mini 14. I was thinking of reloading for it. I was wondering if there should be anything I should look for or consider when purchasing brass to reload. Any other input or suggestions would also be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Brent

fourrobert13 · December 30, 2007, 02:11 AM

Look for some good brass. LC, WCC, & Winchester are my favorites. I load others but they are foreign surplus stuff. The foreign stuff isn't bad though. Personally, I would stay away from AD and FC brass. They are the devil IMO. Make sure the brass you are buying is once fired. Other than that, you should be good to go.

armoredman · December 30, 2007, 10:48 AM

Make sure you have some way to remove the military crimp from once fired military brass. I am going to pick up an RCBS swaging die on the 7th, and see how it works. I tried to do it by hand with the Lee Chamfer tool - no go. Also, a fast trim method ain't a bad idea if you get a lot of brass at once - I am seeing about getting a Lee ZipTrim.
My Mini-14 doesn't seem to care what reloads I use in it, shoots 'em all. Not the worlds most accurate carbine, but some loads are getting pretty good. Finding the one that works best in your is the fun part!

jmorris · December 30, 2007, 11:08 AM

I would suggest getting brass that has no crimp (right in photo) unless you have a 1050 you’ll have to get something to swage or cut them out. If you go the swaging route get one that supports the case from the inside vs. pulling on the rim.

Tuzo · December 30, 2007, 11:36 AM

My Ranch-14 is fed a varied diet of 50 to 69 grain bullets and sends them downrange with reasonable accuracy on open sights. Brass from US manufacturers has been very consistent in volume. The exception is Norma whose cases have been a bit on the low volume side. Foreign headstamped brass is too variable in quality so I do not use it. Most of my brass is free range collected stuff. Crimped primer pockets are easily opened with a couple of twists with a hand swager.

IMR 4895 powder is designed for use in gas operated semi automatics and works very well in the Mini-14. It burns clean and does not foul the gas ports. Have fun with your reloads and your Mini-14 - it is a good shooting rifle.

Sevens · December 30, 2007, 04:27 PM

You asked for any and all suggestions, so please take this in the spirit it's given. I'm trying to help and NOT trying to be obnoxious, but it gets forgotten so often, I think it's good advice: Exercise the search engine here and also at other discussion forums. There has been mountains written by so many folks for a caliber such as the .223, and all those old posts will be as new to someone who hasn't read them as anything that's written today. It's the first thing I do when I need a quick answer-- the search engine returns hundreds of results and you don't have to wait for responses in the thread.

Another piece of advice--I love Ruger and the products they've made over the years (I own two different Ruger firearms myself and covet many others) but the Mini-14 hasn't impressed me enough to want to buy one. If it were my cash, I'd put the money toward something with a better potential for accuracy. Obviously, it's made plenty of folks happy and it's a very well made rifle, but there's good reason that folks are flocking to a different .223 rifle these days even though it costs quite a bit more.

December 30, 2007, 12:04 AM	#1
brentf Member Join Date: May 30, 2007 Location: NoDak Posts: 29	Reloading for .223 I am in the process of purchasing a mini 14. I was thinking of reloading for it. I was wondering if there should be anything I should look for or consider when purchasing brass to reload. Any other input or suggestions would also be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Brent

December 30, 2007, 02:11 AM	#2
fourrobert13 Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2005 Location: South West Ohio Posts: 336	Look for some good brass. LC, WCC, & Winchester are my favorites. I load others but they are foreign surplus stuff. The foreign stuff isn't bad though. Personally, I would stay away from AD and FC brass. They are the devil IMO. Make sure the brass you are buying is once fired. Other than that, you should be good to go. __________________ Be aware of yourself and everything around you.

December 30, 2007, 11:36 AM	#5
Tuzo Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2007 Location: Louisiana Posts: 797	Mini-14 shoots nearly everything My Ranch-14 is fed a varied diet of 50 to 69 grain bullets and sends them downrange with reasonable accuracy on open sights. Brass from US manufacturers has been very consistent in volume. The exception is Norma whose cases have been a bit on the low volume side. Foreign headstamped brass is too variable in quality so I do not use it. Most of my brass is free range collected stuff. Crimped primer pockets are easily opened with a couple of twists with a hand swager. IMR 4895 powder is designed for use in gas operated semi automatics and works very well in the Mini-14. It burns clean and does not foul the gas ports. Have fun with your reloads and your Mini-14 - it is a good shooting rifle.

December 30, 2007, 04:27 PM	#6
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	You asked for any and all suggestions, so please take this in the spirit it's given. I'm trying to help and NOT trying to be obnoxious, but it gets forgotten so often, I think it's good advice: Exercise the search engine here and also at other discussion forums. There has been mountains written by so many folks for a caliber such as the .223, and all those old posts will be as new to someone who hasn't read them as anything that's written today. It's the first thing I do when I need a quick answer-- the search engine returns hundreds of results and you don't have to wait for responses in the thread. Another piece of advice--I love Ruger and the products they've made over the years (I own two different Ruger firearms myself and covet many others) but the Mini-14 hasn't impressed me enough to want to buy one. If it were my cash, I'd put the money toward something with a better potential for accuracy. Obviously, it's made plenty of folks happy and it's a very well made rifle, but there's good reason that folks are flocking to a different .223 rifle these days even though it costs quite a bit more. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

December 30, 2007, 10:48 AM	#3
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,299	Make sure you have some way to remove the military crimp from once fired military brass. I am going to pick up an RCBS swaging die on the 7th, and see how it works. I tried to do it by hand with the Lee Chamfer tool - no go. Also, a fast trim method ain't a bad idea if you get a lot of brass at once - I am seeing about getting a Lee ZipTrim. My Mini-14 doesn't seem to care what reloads I use in it, shoots 'em all. Not the worlds most accurate carbine, but some loads are getting pretty good. Finding the one that works best in your is the fun part!

December 30, 2007, 11:08 AM	#4
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	I would suggest getting brass that has no crimp (right in photo) unless you have a 1050 you’ll have to get something to swage or cut them out. If you go the swaging route get one that supports the case from the inside vs. pulling on the rim.