Which .223 die set to use

[jetmd]

I need to purchase a set of dies for reloading for 2 AR's, 1 is mine and the other is my wife's.
Both of these are chambered with a Wylde chamber.

I am looking to produce a good (not precision) round which will feed, chamber and
function well in either weapon with acceptable accuracy for this type of weapons platform.

This will allow us to train using this ammo in either of our rifles.

My intention is to use 77gr SMK's as I have tons of them, both barrels are 1/8.

I will be running these through my Dillon 550 to give respectable production rates.

Your suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.

Chet

 

[ChrisGarrett]

On my 550b, I started out 18 yrs ago with a basic RCBS standard FL die and sizer. I got some galling on the neck portion and eventually switched to a Redding body die with two of their neck bushing sizers in tandom. For seating, I have a Horandy InLine seater with Hornady micro seating stem.

This combo works for me.

Forster, Redding, RCBS, Lyman, Dillon, Lee, Pacific, Hornady, CH-4...I use them all, but I'm moving to the Redding body die and bushing neck and/or FL sizers. For seating, I like the micro seaters and have the Redding version, the Forster version and two Hornady micro seating stems that I use for 223, 22-250, 308 and 338LM (used to).

Chris

 

[leadbullet]

I would go with the RCBS small base X die since your loads are going in two different rifles. 24.5 gr of varget in win brass with 77 SMK's at mag length have worked great for me at matches.
good loading and happy shooting.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

I would go with the RCBS small base X die since your loads are going in two different rifles. 24.5 gr of varget in win brass with 77 SMK's at mag length have worked great for me at matches.
good loading and happy shooting.

A lot of people like to suggest small base dies and I bought a Redding SB body die off of this place, so I've used one.

The first and only time I've ever had soot on my case bodies proper, was the first and only batch of 223 that I loaded using that small base die.

It was funny, I knew exactly what was happening when I picked that first case up off of the ground. Shit, it look like cases coming out of my HK-91's fluted chamber, but without the flute marks.

It was $15 shipped, so cheap and well...what could it hurt right?

It didn't hurt anything, but I was getting lots of blow-by, that's for sure.

Unless you're shooting brass fired from sloppily chambered machine guns, you don't needed a small base sizing die to properly size your cases and you run the risk of over sizing them and letting gas vent to the rear of the chamber and not allowing it push the bullet through the bore, like it's supposed to do.

Stick with standard dies, IMO, buy the Hornady, or Sinclair, headspace gage set and set up the standard sizing die properly and everybody's a happy camper.

Chris

 

[ksthomas]

jetmd,

Go with the small base dies, especially since you're using this brass in multiple guns. It won't hurt a thing, and will help to assure not only proper and reliable chambering, but also reliable extraction (lot of folks miss on that last, not realizing that these dies make a difference there, too). Make sure you use a chamber gage, or a bump gage to set your shoulders back appropriately, without running them back too far.

If you're interested, I'd also suggest picking up a copy of Glen Zediker's "Handloading for Competition; Making the Target Bigger." Not only good information in there about making accurate handloads, but also a ton of highly useful tips about loading for Service Rifles. This (autoloaders and Service Rifles) are a form of advanced handloading, and you can't treat reloading for these as you would your bolt guns. Guaranteed problems down that road, I promise you.

 

[jetmd]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen.

As far as the brass is concerned it gets very dirty in either AR as my wife and I shoot suppressed 100% of the time.

Kevin, thanks for your post also. I have been reloading for 30 years but have not kept up with the trends as far as tooling goes. Because most of my equipment is original from the first few years I started reloading just never needed to reload .223 until now.

And alot can be learned from reading so I will see if I can locate a copy of that book.

No service rifle (competition) for me, been there done that. No more.

Think I will give the RCBS X dies a try.

Thanks again guys!

 

[Walt K]

Recently I've been using a Forster FL sizing die. But I use it on a single stage press ( Forster Co-Ax ).
Gives me absolutely great results. Resizing once fired Black Hills ( blue box ) LC brass with it gives me a neck run out of .001
more or less at the max unless the neck thickness is very uneven.
Using pin gauges the inside neck diameter measures in at .221 giving it a solid .003 neck tension.
It is relatively inexpensive and definitely worth considering.

 

[SteveTimm]

Kevin Thomas knows his stuff. Trust his advice.

I'm a FNG here, but was a gun writer for about 25-years. I wrote for Varmint Hunter Magazine for the last fifteen years of my career and worked with Kevin helped me out with lots of Sierra bullets over the years.

God Bless,

Steve