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Posted: 9/21/2010 8:09:48 AM EDT
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This may be needing to be moved to the reloading forum, but as it only has to do with reloading for an AR I will place it here.
I heard the other day that if you are reloading .223 for an AR you need a special "Small Base" die set so the case is fully sized properly. If you dont, your cases may not chamber/extract properly. I'm not yet a reloader, but its on my near future BRD caused purchase list. Is this something I need to look at closely, or was I being somewhat misled? |
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Normally a SB die is not needed. If you would like to confirm this in your own gun just re size 50 cases with your regular die. Then take upper off and carefully drop each loaded round in your chamber. Observe how it goes in and how easily it comes out. If you are not happy then perhaps proceed with the small base die.
Make sure chamber is perfectly clean and dry first. |
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Small base dies are usually NOT required for loading in an AR.
For brass fired out of a loose-chambered machine gun that will be be reloaded and fired in a gun with a tight chamber, they might help. I have standard Lee .223 dies and an RCBS X-Die in .223 and both make ammo that works fine in my ARs and fits nicely in my Dillon case gauge. |
| I don't use one and have never had a problem getting my cases to chamber. Folks that use regular dies and run into problems usually haven't had the dies adjusted properly - you need a bit of cam-over at the top of the stroke to make sure you get the whole case resized. |
| The cheapest way to remove the crimp is with a handheld cutter. That gets old though, and soon you'll be looking at something like a Dillon Super Swage. I have one and it's a lot better than cutting the crimp out by hand. I've found that when reloading bulk ammo on my Dillon 550 though I can usually just ignore the crimp and seat the primer anyways. Maybe 1 in 50 or 75 will really not want to seat, and in that case I don't force it, I just toss that case. I find it well worth it not to spend my time removing the crimp and simply toss out the occasional case that won't take a primer easily. |
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Quoted:
What is the cheapest de-crimping tool for military brass that need it prior to primer insertion ? The cheapest is the Lee chamfer tool. However, after about 10 cases, you will want to kill yourself. The RCBS tool is bigger and better, not much more $$$, but still slow. The solution is to mount the RCBS chamfer and deburring tool in a power adapter, chuck it in a drill, and let the drill to the work. It takes just a second with moderate pressure to ream the crimp off. |
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I use a plain old $25 set of Lee Dies. Set them up according to the instructions and haven't looked back. To tell the truth, I have to admit that I bought a few Lee sizing dies because I like to just lube the dirty cases and resize them before I tumble. It saves me some time and hassle and the Lee dies are so cheap that I don't worry about scratching them up. I've never had any feeding problems.
As for the primer pockets, I tried the RCBS swager die. Piece of crap. It leaves the pockets so tight that I still have to chamfer the pockets to be able to seat the primers without fighting with it. I'm back to using the Hornady reamer tool. I just chuck it in a drill press or lathe and do the primer pockets and neck chamfering using the same tool. Some say that the reamer takes off material and weakens the case. Maybe it does, but the case is really thick back there and I think that it can spare the little material that is taken off by the tool. |
| Does the Dillon Super Swage also aid in seating the new primers? I was going to get one, but wondered if I was going to have to swage and then also chamfer the primer pockets. If so, I'd rather just do the reaming. I think the Super Swage goes for around $100. Well worth the price if it works. |
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I've heard the same advice as OP a lot.
I can take fired brass from either one of my 5.56 rifles, reload them without sizing them, and have them function properly in either rifle at least that one time. Now, note that because I *can* do this, does not mean I *will* do this. So I'm pretty sure I don't need a small-base die. I'm also careful not to crank my regular die down too much, so I can extend the life of my brass. |
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There is an advantage to swaging that very few people bring up. You are actually forcing metal to move and therefore work hardening it at the same time. This may help your primer pocket hold primers tightly for a few more firings.
Simply cutting the crimp out will not work harden the pocket. I use the Dillon Super Swage, I think I paid $59.00 for it new many moons ago. I also have and used RCBS's swager and it isn't even in the same league. PIA to get the case off the swager unless you are using resizing lube or something similar to help. If you plan on buying a lot of once fired G.I. brass get a Dillon. |
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Have used nothing but an inexpensive set of Lee dies for decades now; never an issue. Tried using the RCBS primer pocket swager, but it was a PITA to use. It was also easily damaged. Now, I've gone back to using a chamfer tool that is chucked into an electric drill. I can get perhaps twenty or so done in a minute. FWIW, lately I've been loading 75gr Hornady OTM almost exclusively. 24.1gr* of TAC, Wolf SRM primers, mixed brass, OAL of 2.255". Velocity is just a shade under the published figures for TAP 5.56, but well-above TAP FPD. Couldn't tell you about accuracy–– using an RDS isn't the best for accuracy testing, obviously. OBTW, since we're talking about reloading–– back in the nineties when I was kinda poor, I used an ammonia-based polishing compound in my brass tumbler. The ill-effects of which did not manifest itself immediately, but now it certainly is. There is a very large percentage of split case necks when I fire those loads these days. *Ramshot's published max load is 23.6gr for the .223 Remington. According to unverified (by me) internet rumors, Ramshot suggests a max load of 24.5gr for 5.56 chambers. |
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