How crucial is it to prep .223 brass?

[cysoto]

If all I am looking to do is blast cardboard at no farther than 200 yards (USPSA sized targets) with an AR, how crucial is it to prep the brass (trim, deburr & clean the primer pocket)?

The recommended trim lengthy for .223 is 1.750" but most of my brass measures 1.760". Is it recommended that I trim all the brass for any other reason than maintaining uniformity?

[MarkCO]

Complete waste of time for what you are doing. I keep 3 batches of brass, fully processed (sized, trimmed, inside and out chamfered, sorted), processed (sized and trimmed, same headstamp) and blaster, sized only mixed headstamp.

With 69s at 600 yards, I can barely tell the difference between the first 2 batches for 10 rounds, the 3rd opens up a few inches. At 200 yards, with 55FMJs of the same style with the same load, the difference is maybe 1/2" across all three batches. I shoot more of that 3rd batch than anything in matches since most are lost brass.

If you want to try 20 of each for your loads, let me know and I will bring you 3 baggies to try them out. The chamber may have some effect on the reliability if it is a tight .223 chamber.

[thvigil11]

Depends on how often you want to practice IA/ Malfunction drills.

[fudd]

Seriously though. Brass length could be an issue depending on your chamber. A tight chamber might not like + .010", whereas some more forgiving chambers might be OK. Course if you have multiple weapons in 5.56, each could have variations in the gun that could be an issue as well. As for the pockets, keeping them clean helps make sure it goes bang instead of click. For myself, I clean, trim and deburr all brass. There is a difference between my blaster loads and precision loads. Blaster stuff, Im a little more forgiving on specs, how clean i get it, mixed headstamp, etc. When I'm loading the good stuff, I get pretty meticulous on cleanliness, length, case thickness, headstamp, and so on.

[cstone]

I decap, tumble, size, swage, and trim all rifle brass the first time after it has been fired. After I know the brass is mine and isn't range pick up or unknown, I decap, tumble, size and case gage the brass. If it is over on length, it gets trimmed. If under or right on length, it gets a quick tumble to take the lube off and reloaded.

I don't clean primer pockets on .223 cases for my ARs but it is tumbled for several hours after the spent primers are removed.

[XC700116]

As mentioned chamber length can run you into a problem without trimming from time to time. I buy one of these (http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/measuring-tools/case-gauges-headspace-tools/sinclair-chamber-length-gage-prod32925.aspx?avs|Manufacturer_1=SINCLAIR INTERNATIONAL)and check every one of my weapons for length and keep my trim length below the number of the shortest of all of them that are chambered the same to keep all my ammo well in the safe range.

For blaster ammo, (55 fmj's over H335) I tumble them to get them clean and dump them in the hopper on my dillon 650 and crank them out, no other brass prep. All of my "match" ammo, I run on my single stage and am a lot more meticulous about it, to the point of making sure I have all the same brass, how many times each lot has been fired, etc. It's trimmed uniform, pockets uniformed, flash holes, bolt gun stuff is mostly neck turned/reamed, etc. Hunting ammo is relatively somewhere in the middle, it's good accurate ammo, but no OCD in it's prep work.

Also, a couple of other things to watch is seating depth when crimping in the canalure of a bullet (could get long and give you issues) and if mixing brass, make sure you're using a load that is well in the safe range. If you're right on the edge of pressure with a load tested in thin brass and then you take that load and dump it in something like Lapua brass or even LC (which is fairly thick) you can push the pressure past safe. But this normally isn't a problem unless you are right on the ragged edge.

[cysoto]

Complete waste of time for what you are doing. I keep 3 batches of brass, fully processed (sized, trimmed, inside and out chamfered, sorted), processed (sized and trimmed, same headstamp) and blaster, sized only mixed headstamp.

With 69s at 600 yards, I can barely tell the difference between the first 2 batches for 10 rounds, the 3rd opens up a few inches. At 200 yards, with 55FMJs of the same style with the same load, the difference is maybe 1/2" across all three batches. I shoot more of that 3rd batch than anything in matches since most are lost brass.

If you want to try 20 of each for your loads, let me know and I will bring you 3 baggies to try them out. The chamber may have some effect on the reliability if it is a tight .223 chamber.

These are only going to be blaster ammo. Since I just begun loading .223, I started with once fired brass and completely prepped 100 pieces. I did this because I want to see what type of accuracy I can get out of these loads but, in the future, I just want to make all of my .223 cartridges in a progressive without having to do any prep (if I can get away with it).

I have heard that RCBS makes a die called the "X-die" which, after trimming the brass once, it will keep it from "growing" when full-lenght sizing. I was thinking of picking one of these dies up.

[Tim K]

For blaster ammo, I tumble them to get them clean and dump them in the hopper on my dillon 650 and crank them out, no other brass prep.

Also, a couple of other things to watch is seating depth when crimping in the canalure of a bullet (could get long and give you issues) and if mixing brass, make sure you're using a load that is well in the safe range. If you're right on the edge of pressure with a load tested in thin brass and then you take that load and dump it in something like Lapua brass or even LC (which is fairly thick) you can push the pressure past safe. But this normally isn't a problem unless you are right on the ragged edge.

Pretty good advice there.

[SideShow Bob]

Well, I was witness to a realitive's KABOOM ! From him not resizing and trimming his 223 brass every time reloading. According to the manufacturer of the rifle when what was left was sent to them, the neck of the case was too long, jammed the bullet into the rifling. When the trigger was pulled, the Mini 14 disassembled itself into several parts where it wasn't supposed to come apart.

[Zombie Steve]

I see cleaning primer pockets as optional, but not measuring and trimming the cases over 1.760". Do they all need to be 1.750"? No. Just under 1.760".

X-dies work fine, I have one for .308 and .223, but I don't bother screwing with the mandrel any more. I just trim them when needed. Might be every other firing, might be every third firing. Big deal.

[ray1970]

.010 over seems a bit long for my taste. Once I trim mine I usually load it three or four times before I even bother checking it again. I have never had an issue running it if it is four or five thousandth over. Your mileage may vary.

I don't worry too much about keeping the primer pockets squeaky clean as long as the flash hole is clear and the primers seat all the way.

[MarkCO]

Well, I was witness to a realitive's KABOOM ! From him not resizing and trimming his 223 brass every time reloading. According to the manufacturer of the rifle when what was left was sent to them, the neck of the case was too long, jammed the bullet into the rifling. When the trigger was pulled, the Mini 14 disassembled itself into several parts where it wasn't supposed to come apart.

Something else was going on because, even with a mini-14, that failure mode is not possible just due to a long case.

[Zombie Steve]

.010 over seems a bit long for my taste. Once I trim mine I usually load it three or four times before I even bother checking it again. I have never had an issue running it if it is four or five thousandth over. Your mileage may vary.

I don't worry too much about keeping the primer pockets squeaky clean as long as the flash hole is clear and the primers seat all the way.

1.760" is considered max, 1.750" is the trim-to length... so nothing is over yet as far as we know...

[ray1970]

1.760" is considered max, 1.750" is the trim-to length... so nothing is over yet as far as we know...

Thanks. For some reason I had it stuck in my head that 1.750 was max.