Looking for 223 brass volume etc
- Thread starter Snuby642
- Start date
Some data, maybe not true anymore, on case capacity, weight and consistency vs manufacturer.
223 Rem + 223 AI Cartridge Guide
223 Rem Guide for .223 Remington reloading, 223 Rem accuracy, .223 Rem hunting, 223 AI and 5.56x45 rifles. 223 Remington Brass, 22 bullets, powder, primers and loading dies for .223 Remington. Ballistics drop chart for .223 Rem, .223 Ackley AI, 2-250. 223 Remington Black rifle, service rifle...
www.6mmbr.com
^^^^ Beat me by a minute^^^^
6mm benchrest had an article. https://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html
It's easy to to figure this out yourself if you have an electronic scale. You can take 20 cases, weigh them and see how they vary in case weight. The heaviest cases will be in the 100 grain category and will have the least capacity. Fiocchi "GFL" are usually heavy cases as well as Hornady. Most cases will be in the 95-98 gr. zone (weighed with a spent primer in the case).
I have several thousand Speer Nickel cases, they are one of the most consistent cases. Lake City 5.56 cases are usually pretty consistent for all of the 2000 years production.
I segregate all of my 223/ 5.56 brass by manufacture and even year. All of the misc stuff gets loaded for blasting ammo and those cases are fired and discarded.
6mm benchrest had an article. https://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html
It's easy to to figure this out yourself if you have an electronic scale. You can take 20 cases, weigh them and see how they vary in case weight. The heaviest cases will be in the 100 grain category and will have the least capacity. Fiocchi "GFL" are usually heavy cases as well as Hornady. Most cases will be in the 95-98 gr. zone (weighed with a spent primer in the case).
I have several thousand Speer Nickel cases, they are one of the most consistent cases. Lake City 5.56 cases are usually pretty consistent for all of the 2000 years production.
I segregate all of my 223/ 5.56 brass by manufacture and even year. All of the misc stuff gets loaded for blasting ammo and those cases are fired and discarded.
Thanks for the link.
There was on newer article some place that had similar data and notes of brass consistancy.
I guess it would not kill me to do a h2o test but a pita.
These will be ar rounds but my ultimate goal is 1 moa with bulk type bullets.
I'm down to 1.24 moa with sorting head stamps on range brass cfe223 and 11 cent speer bullets .
It's a personal bucket list challenge for me and the dillon, brass prep is single stage.
I have learned a lot by doing this.
Kind of like a "trainer" rifle that is sorting out technique for my other loads.
My main test gun has a bargain barrel and scope and these economic loads will be used in 5 different ar's.
I got encouraged by my reloading results on my 6.5 grendel but brass scope and bullets are a step up so was much easier to get sub moa.
So much harder than for my bolt guns to get there.
Makes me feel like I cheated myself with virgin brass and upper shelf bullets.
The 223 ar's are getting fed the cheap stuff with all the carefully prepared things the hide has taught me.
I sorted 5 gallons of deprimed and tumbled 223 this weekend.
My eyes are tired.
There was on newer article some place that had similar data and notes of brass consistancy.
I guess it would not kill me to do a h2o test but a pita.
These will be ar rounds but my ultimate goal is 1 moa with bulk type bullets.
I'm down to 1.24 moa with sorting head stamps on range brass cfe223 and 11 cent speer bullets .
It's a personal bucket list challenge for me and the dillon, brass prep is single stage.
I have learned a lot by doing this.
Kind of like a "trainer" rifle that is sorting out technique for my other loads.
My main test gun has a bargain barrel and scope and these economic loads will be used in 5 different ar's.
I got encouraged by my reloading results on my 6.5 grendel but brass scope and bullets are a step up so was much easier to get sub moa.
So much harder than for my bolt guns to get there.
Makes me feel like I cheated myself with virgin brass and upper shelf bullets.
The 223 ar's are getting fed the cheap stuff with all the carefully prepared things the hide has taught me.
I sorted 5 gallons of deprimed and tumbled 223 this weekend.
My eyes are tired.
H20 tests are a pain in the ass. I took some ball powder and filled my 223 cases to the top and used a straight edge level off to do my own case volume tests. Across the board, the heavier cases took less powder to fill them. The heavier cases the less internal volume.
I have 223 / fired case examples going back to 1965, 70's, 80', 90's. Been loading for the AR-15 since 1974. I still have a Colt SP-1 Mfg. in 1968.
I have 223 / fired case examples going back to 1965, 70's, 80', 90's. Been loading for the AR-15 since 1974. I still have a Colt SP-1 Mfg. in 1968.
So In your opinion can I cheat and just strait up weight sort cases to get a measurable result?
My scale is 0.1gr.
I'm retired and have time.
What would be a reasonable range to further sort too?
Have yet to explore that rabbit hole but would be a good test for cheap.
I can sort all (culls) to the sbr pile. Lol
My scale is 0.1gr.
I'm retired and have time.
What would be a reasonable range to further sort too?
Have yet to explore that rabbit hole but would be a good test for cheap.
I can sort all (culls) to the sbr pile. Lol
I sort by MFG. & year. My Speer cases are within 1.5 grs. in weight form one another. I have some Federal Military cases that are as consistent. I don't sort further. I probably have a dozen different MFG brass I've sorted to the same mfg. and year of Mfg. I usually don't sort any further.
You can start getting into the OCD / borderline insane if you wish. Shoot some of the cases and see if YOU are capable of shooting to that level. I get under MOA using premium 75-77 gr. bullets out to 300 yards with my brass. I don't anneal for 223. I have 2 lifetimes supply of free brass.
You can start getting into the OCD / borderline insane if you wish. Shoot some of the cases and see if YOU are capable of shooting to that level. I get under MOA using premium 75-77 gr. bullets out to 300 yards with my brass. I don't anneal for 223. I have 2 lifetimes supply of free brass.
My trainer load is the same light charge of Varget in any case with a 73 eld. Sub moa. I just grab any brass I can get for free and after I prep it I only collet size the necks for 3 more firings. If I wanna get serious I shoot 75's in LC brass but the gains are min.
I have a lot of lc brass a good portion sorted by date stamp, may hold for some more serious loads.
I'm saving my bullet cash on smk and bergers for 308, 6.5g and 6.5cm.
This is my short to mid range max experiment on tangent ogive bullets expected to preform in several 16 inch barrels to some extent better than the cheap stuff.
I have in several guns shot to 3/4 moa and not sure if skills or equipment maxed out first.
I'm saving my bullet cash on smk and bergers for 308, 6.5g and 6.5cm.
This is my short to mid range max experiment on tangent ogive bullets expected to preform in several 16 inch barrels to some extent better than the cheap stuff.
I have in several guns shot to 3/4 moa and not sure if skills or equipment maxed out first.
Not sure it really matters, unless you're shooting benchrest matches.
Once you find the bullet, powder charge and primer that your rifle appreciates, you'll find shooting mixed brass doesn't seem to affect group size, at least that's been my experience.
For instance - I have found that 23.0 grains of Varget with a 77 grain Sierra HPBT-Match bullet with a Remington 7 1/2 primer will shoot 5-shot groups under 0.5" at 100 yards indoors, but go heavier or lighter with Varget and you are at an inch and larger - change the primer to Fed 205M and the group opens up to an inch. This with an AR, 1:7 twist, 16.5" barrel, 32X scope and JP trigger.
Using CFE223 powder, 27.0 grains with Fed 205M primer and 52 grain Berger target bullet, I shoot 0.3" - change primer to Rem 71/2 and group goes to an inch, V V133 power, 24.5 grains I get 0.4" with Fed 205M, but change primer to Rem 71/2, group goes to 0.7". This with a Rem 700, trued action, 2 oz trigger, 32X scope and 24" match barrel, 1:12 twist and 52 grain Berger target bullet.
Those groups are consistent - not shot once in a while when the moon is just right etc.
I'm kind of anal with brass, as I uniform the flash hole and primer pocket on all my cases - 223/556 - makes me feel good for some reason.
I spend more time and money purchasing reloading components, vehicle gas, targets etc going back and forth to the indoor firing range, lugging my rests etc to find that load to produce little bug hole groups and then go out and miss a fat prairie dog sunning himself at 200 to 300 yards - well, that just means my rifle, ammo and accessories were up to the task but the jerk behind the trigger misjudged the wind, mishandled the rifle or some other bonehead mistake and that prairie dog will live to see another sunrise.
Guys I shoot with - their good loads shoot from an 3/4" to 2" at 100 yards consistently and they seem to do just fine in the varmint killing grounds and the big game fields, so what's the point of all this?
Once you find the bullet, powder charge and primer that your rifle appreciates, you'll find shooting mixed brass doesn't seem to affect group size, at least that's been my experience.
For instance - I have found that 23.0 grains of Varget with a 77 grain Sierra HPBT-Match bullet with a Remington 7 1/2 primer will shoot 5-shot groups under 0.5" at 100 yards indoors, but go heavier or lighter with Varget and you are at an inch and larger - change the primer to Fed 205M and the group opens up to an inch. This with an AR, 1:7 twist, 16.5" barrel, 32X scope and JP trigger.
Using CFE223 powder, 27.0 grains with Fed 205M primer and 52 grain Berger target bullet, I shoot 0.3" - change primer to Rem 71/2 and group goes to an inch, V V133 power, 24.5 grains I get 0.4" with Fed 205M, but change primer to Rem 71/2, group goes to 0.7". This with a Rem 700, trued action, 2 oz trigger, 32X scope and 24" match barrel, 1:12 twist and 52 grain Berger target bullet.
Those groups are consistent - not shot once in a while when the moon is just right etc.
I'm kind of anal with brass, as I uniform the flash hole and primer pocket on all my cases - 223/556 - makes me feel good for some reason.
I spend more time and money purchasing reloading components, vehicle gas, targets etc going back and forth to the indoor firing range, lugging my rests etc to find that load to produce little bug hole groups and then go out and miss a fat prairie dog sunning himself at 200 to 300 yards - well, that just means my rifle, ammo and accessories were up to the task but the jerk behind the trigger misjudged the wind, mishandled the rifle or some other bonehead mistake and that prairie dog will live to see another sunrise.
Guys I shoot with - their good loads shoot from an 3/4" to 2" at 100 yards consistently and they seem to do just fine in the varmint killing grounds and the big game fields, so what's the point of all this?
The point for me is to make the best ammo I can with what tools and skill I have available.
I have family that competes.
The 223 ammo is to me a cheap trainer for reloading techniques.
The competition and hunting calibers are made with more expensive components and don't want to squander supplies on experiments.
I have family that competes.
The 223 ammo is to me a cheap trainer for reloading techniques.
The competition and hunting calibers are made with more expensive components and don't want to squander supplies on experiments.
^^^That's about it. I'm contemplating uniforming the flash holes of 500 223 cases - having a hard time getting my rear end over to the drill press, knowing it may or may not help in the accuracy department when using a 2 moa red dot sight on my AR after I confirm the load can shoot sub moa using a 32X scope indoors and the best I can do at 200 yards is bushel basket size groups.. I think we're all touched a little???? me probably more so, than most.
I like to think making good ammo lets you concentrate on skills and other gear better.
Had a good example on 300blk subs.
Factory ammo was lacking in results.
Worked up a load with mentors from the hide and have a solid 1 moa 220g load.
Helped me confirm a 4 inch wind hold at 100 yards with (ie) 10 mph wind.
Nice to know equipment and skills were not the big problem.
I will probably never use those subs on game past 120yds and prep them like a race car. Other than that they are a fun movie quiet riot to shoot.
If I can get my ar 25-30 cent 223 rounds to shoot well enough to practice wind calls out to 300-400 yds then I can afford to practice in more wind.
Had a good example on 300blk subs.
Factory ammo was lacking in results.
Worked up a load with mentors from the hide and have a solid 1 moa 220g load.
Helped me confirm a 4 inch wind hold at 100 yards with (ie) 10 mph wind.
Nice to know equipment and skills were not the big problem.
I will probably never use those subs on game past 120yds and prep them like a race car. Other than that they are a fun movie quiet riot to shoot.
If I can get my ar 25-30 cent 223 rounds to shoot well enough to practice wind calls out to 300-400 yds then I can afford to practice in more wind.
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