Reloading .223/5.56

[junglerot]

I'm obviously new here, and haven't searched all the way back for all the info I'm looking for, but this thread is more of a learning experience/walkthrough as I get into reloading for the AR-15.
I have, I don't know exactly, maybe a couple thousand .223/5.56 cases, much of it military. I've started by getting myself a Lee universal decapper and have been diligently depriming all of my crimped primers. I have ordered a Dillon 600 Super Swage from Grafs, but they're backed up and I don't expect to get it for a few weeks (which is fine as I'll be out of town for work for most of the next 2 weeks).

Where I'm at now: case trimming. I know (I think) for all this once fired brass that I want to make sure my length is within limits and trim as necessary. My primary quandary is what do I want to trim with? I'm looking for something affordable, but easily repeatable (ie hand crank with micrometer set length?).

Next up: dies. I've heard good things about the RCBS X-die. My working plan for now is to get the X-die and resize all the brass in my single stage. The hope is that once all my prep work is done, I can rock and roll with priming, charging, bullet seating, and crimping(?) in the progressive (Hornady Lock and Load). I'll need to get the additional seat and crimp dies as well.

I'll come back to address this after I figure out the trimming step.

I appreciate any advice insight from the experienced reloaders here.

[CareyH]

WFT!!!!!!!!!!!!! really, worlds finest trimmer http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/wft.html IMO best trimmer out there..... unless you want to spend $400.

[cstone]

How much brass do you want to process at one time?

Keep a few hundred for yourself to learn how to do it but send the thousands more you will want to process to Hoser.

.223 brass prep sucks.

[paddywagon]

For a cheap case trimmer these work well. They are disposable and do not last forever. Works well with a cordless drill. When you get enough money buy a RCBS or Lyman case cutter. You will need both of these items.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/107...-223-remington
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/476...-and-lock-stud

As far as a press is concerned I would stay away from a progressive until you have learned and mastered reloading with a single stage. I have had good luck with RCBS, Hornady and Dillon dies. You can use these dies on a progressive when you get to that point and then just buy yourself a crimp die. The Lee crimp dies work well as this is what I use on my Dillon RL550 for a crimp die and the resize and seating dies are RCBS for loading 5.56

[junglerot]

WFT!!!!!!!!!!!!! really, worlds finest trimmer http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/wft.html IMO best trimmer out there..... unless you want to spend $400.

That's pretty cool, really. I like that it produces repeatable case lengths. The tinkerer in me imagines picking up an old sears power drill at a garage sale and mounting the motor and chuck in a box to sit on the reloading bench to keep from having to run a hand drill.

How much brass do you want to process at one time?

Keep a few hundred for yourself to learn how to do it but send the thousands more you will want to process to Hoser.

.223 brass prep sucks.

I really don't have an accurate count, but imagine two 50 cal ammo cans almost full of brass. I'm not in a rush, and get into the routine, so I don't mind processing it all myself. I just want to figure out what will be "my system".

[junglerot]

For a cheap case trimmer these work well. They are disposable and do not last forever. Works well with a cordless drill. When you get enough money buy a RCBS or Lyman case cutter. You will need both of these items.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/107...-223-remington
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/476...-and-lock-stud

As far as a press is concerned I would stay away from a progressive until you have learned and mastered reloading with a single stage. I have had good luck with RCBS, Hornady and Dillon dies. You can use these dies on a progressive when you get to that point and then just buy yourself a crimp die. The Lee crimp dies work well as this is what I use on my Dillon RL550 for a crimp die and the resize and seating dies are RCBS for loading 5.56

I guess I should have prefaced that I've reloaded several thousand rounds of 9mm with a turret press, and am setting up the LnL for 9mm as well. I had some problems with my Lee dies being too short for comfort for the LnL bushings, so I don't know if the Lee FCD is going to work for me, but I plan on doing everything up to and including resizing on the single stage and using the progressive simply for primer, powder, bullet.

[dwalker460]

I am not a fan of the crimp dies unless you are using a cannulure bullet.

I have Lee .223 dies and they work fine, BUT the best money ever spent on a die set for 223 was the RCBS "Competition" or whatever they are calling them, dies. Over $100 for the set but the bullet seating die is effin awesome and truly cuts the time when loading.

I currently have single stage- Pacific/Hornady, Turret- Lee Classic Turret, and Progressive- Lee Pro 1000, and I honestly do most .223 on the turret press. I can crank out a few hundred rounds in a couple of hours depending on case prep time, and it just does a great job.

[encorehunter]

I really don't have an accurate count, but imagine two 50 cal ammo cans almost full of brass. I'm not in a rush, and get into the routine, so I don't mind processing it all myself. I just want to figure out what will be "my system".

I got my WFT trimmer and trimmed one 50 cal ammo can in well under 2 hours. There were 1070 cases in the can. I have loaded a few hundred of them and none of them needed to be chamfered or deburred. I wish I would have found this trimmer sooner. It would have saved me a lot of hours in the past.

[paddywagon]

The only thing I run on my Dillon for 5.56 is the M855 pulled bullets which have a cannelure. Lee crimp die works well on these. Match rounds that I run on my Rock Chucker with 75 or 77's i do not even crimp.

[paddywagon]

I guess I should have prefaced that I've reloaded several thousand rounds of 9mm with a turret press, and am setting up the LnL for 9mm as well. I had some problems with my Lee dies being too short for comfort for the LnL bushings, so I don't know if the Lee FCD is going to work for me, but I plan on doing everything up to and including resizing on the single stage and using the progressive simply for primer, powder, bullet.

If you got experience on the progressive machine you ought to run the whole course on it. Just trim your cases before you start. Use a good set of dies and call it good. No reason to make work for yourself than necessary.