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resizing range pickup 5.56 brass

A

_ACGuy_

Private
Minuteman
Sep 30, 2024
7
1
Arizona
#1
I have tons of 5.56 brass de-primed and cleaned and annealed but not resized yet. It all comes from stuff I have shot and my friends and shot and stuff that me being a "loot goblin" has picked up over the years at the range. I have 7K or so brass in reserve.

My question is about resizing. I don't really care about brass life as much as I do for my precision guns but measuring an AR chamber seems to be harder then removing the firing pin and extractor and checking bolt lift like I do with my bolt rifles. The only metric I can see anything concrete on is fired brass size and the go/no go gauge. It is worth it to set a FL sizing die to be .003 smaller then the go gauge or something subtracted from the no go gauge for a length?

I'm looking for a set it and forget it sizing die setup for my XL750 tool head with the bullet feeder for bulk reloading.

Do must people just not really worry about it and i am overthinking it?
 
#7
If you're a brasshole who can't pass up a case you find on the range here's a technique that will save you all kinds of ass-pain:

get a small-base sizing die and use a Sheridan case gage (especially in something like a 650 or 750, or equipped with an automatic case feeder).

Why?

You won't know if the cases you've picked up were fired in a GI-chambered Colt or some bargain-basement home-assembled gun with a barrel from one of a hundred different makers. Was the chamber reamed for 5.56, commercial .223 Remington, or maybe SAAMI-minimum Match dimensions? Was it short or long?

Sticking a fatter full-length resized case into a tight match chamber risks a slam-fire.

Some will say all you need is a generic full-length sized case set for cam-over. Or you can use a minimum-sized small base die and not worry about using the ammo you've loaded in ANYTHING -- from a Ruger Mini-14 or HK-53 to Remington 700 Varmint, GI Colt or FN barrel, or maybe even a SAW.
 
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#8
Don’t forget to swag your primer pockets. Problem with range brass is some of it may have a military crimp and other brass doesn’t. You start loading on a progressive and unswagged brass with screw up the works.

You probably already know this but just a reminder!
 
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#9
sinister said:
If you're a brasshole who can't pass up a case you find on the range here's a technique that will save you all kinds of ass-pain:

get a small-base sizing die and use a Sheridan case gage (especially in something like a 650 or 750, or equipped with an automatic case feeder).

Why?

You won't know if the cases you've picked up were fired in a GI-chambered Colt or some bargain-basement home-assembled gun with a barrel from one of a hundred different makers. Was the chamber reamed for 5.56, commercial .223 Remington, or maybe SAAMI-minimum Match dimensions)? Was it short or long?

Sticking a fatter full-length resized case into a tight match chamber risks a slam-fire.

Some will say all you need is a generic full-length sized case set for cam-over. Or you can use a minimum-sized small base die and not worry about using the ammo you've loaded in ANYTHING -- from a Ruger Mini-14 or HK-53 to Remington 700 Varmint, GI Colt or FN barrel, or maybe even a SAW.
Click to expand...
I get maybe a dozen or so out of a k of brass that won't quite fit the wilson gauge. I just chuck them in a bag. Thanks for the advice, I'll take that. I'm guessing that's the case with my case's.
 
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#10
sinister said:
Or you can use a minimum-sized small base die and not worry about using the ammo you've loaded in ANYTHING -- from a Ruger Mini-14 or HK-53 to Remington 700 Varmint, GI Colt or FN barrel, or maybe even a SAW.
Click to expand...

This is where I have landed over the last few years. I run all the cases through a Redding small base to cam over on a Rock Chucker and that shit runs in everything. I forget who said it now, but I want my shit to fit the chamber like a rat turd in a violin case.

I literally started loading on a 550 yesterday so I reserved the right for my opinion to change as I learn.

The last 2-3000 rounds I’ve loaded have been new, primed Norma brass. Talk about fast and easy :).
 
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#12
99mpower said:
no SB did for me, and i process 60-75k pieces of 223 a year, and have never had a problem with any customers or myself 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️
Click to expand...
Is all the brass the same headstamp? Do you use a case headspace gauge?

I've only had issues when using brass with a variety of headstamps. Most brass is fine but once in a while I will get an odd one, or one that has been fired in what must be a huge chamber, and the headspace is long, even after sizing.

If the brass is going to get fired in an AR, I just tumble it and run it through a 1050 - size, decap, swage, and then use a Redding headspace die with gauge at the last station to make sure the brass is in spec.
 
#13
MarshallDodge said:
Is all the brass the same headstamp? Do you use a case headspace gauge?

I've only had issues when using brass with a variety of headstamps. Most brass is fine but once in a while I will get an odd one, or one that has been fired in what must be a huge chamber, and the headspace is long, even after sizing.

If the brass is going to get fired in an AR, I just tumble it and run it through a 1050 - size, decap, swage, and then use a Redding headspace die with gauge at the last station to make sure the brass is in spec.
Click to expand...

no.. mixed HS, range pickup..

i use 3 different case gauges to verify.. but getting a headspace gauge might not be a bad idea..
 
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#14
I’ve sized thousands of LC mil brass fired through a SAW using a standard RCBS 223Remington FL die set to cam over. Every single one headspaced in a Wilson case gauge. The necks were a little long but I trimmed.

I’ll never do it again, but I’ve not seen a need for a small base die in 223.
 
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#15
Devildog said:
Don’t forget to swag your primer pockets. Problem with range brass is some of it may have a military crimp and other brass doesn’t. You start loading on a progressive and unswagged brass with screw up the works.

You probably already know this but just a reminder!
Click to expand...
I hooked up a spring to my Dillon swager and turned it into a speedy little catapult.
20240204_133914.jpg
 
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