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Posted: 6/3/2014 7:00:38 PM EDT
| I just got finished firing my first .223 reloads. The first go around I trimmed to 1.750 after resizing my once fired brass. Now I resized my twice fired brass and most are running around 1.752. Do I need to trim these every time or will this do? I've read that 1.740 is min and 1.760 is max with 1.750 being recommended, is this correct? Will slight variations in brass length ( 1.752-1.754) make all that much of a difference in accuracy if the COL is the same? I hoping I'm making sense, I'm new to this. Thanks. |
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1.76 inches is the maximum length. Brass longer than that should be trimmed.
1.75 inches is the "trim to" length, or the recommended minimum length. 1.74 inches is a commonly used length, right or wrong, that works for some people. It's not recommended for most use, however the RCBS die is designed to work off this starting length. What I do is adjust my trimmer to produce brass about 1.752 to 1.755 inches; once it's working in that range, I press on instead of fiddling with the adjustment. I don't crimp .223 Rem ammunition, and if I did, I would adjust the crimp die for the brass I was loading during that session. .223 Rem brass has a very short neck at 1.76 inches and trimming 20 thousandths off simply reduces the neck length available to engage the bearing surface of bullets, reducing the neck tension in the cartridge. Trimming to 1.76 inches is not a bad practice, and many people do that instead of measuring cases, they go ahead and run each case through the trimmer. |
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I just got finished firing my first .223 reloads. The first go around I trimmed to 1.750 after resizing my once fired brass. Now I resized my twice fired brass and most are running around 1.752. Do I need to trim these every time or will this do?
A) 1.76 is book MAX, so you want to make sure none are over that. Trimming to 1.75 keeps overage variance to less than 1.76 with modern equipment. The key for me is consistency....so if "most", as in just about all are 1.752, and you are absolutely sure none are over 1.76, you can save the time of retrimming if you want to without worry imo. It will do I've read that 1.740 is min and 1.760 is max with 1.750 being recommended, is this correct? Yes, but I find no advantage in trimming to 1.74, and some potential worries. Some new brass measures less than 1.75, and I shoot it until it grows to hit my trimmer. I also trim every time, because its faster for me to trim than measure, and I want consistency. Will slight variations in brass length ( 1.752-1.754) make all that much of a difference in accuracy if the COL is the same? Short answer is no, but it really depends on how you define "all that much". Given you are just getting going with reloading rifle brass, you will find better accuracy gains tuning your loads to your particular gun than chasing .002 on your brass...for now. IMO Edit for this..... also should add, imo, .002 is less than human hair thickness ... it will take a sharp quality cutter and a darn good caliper to even get them all cut that close and have true measurement within .002 anyway. Meaning, for anyone to say (nobody has) they can cut let's say 1000 dead on the same, or less than .002 variance, with hand held tools anyway ..... I'd have to see it. I spend too much time with my brass, and I have better than average equipment in my opinion .....and I trimming to 1.75 ..........I would be thrilled if everything came out 1.749-1.751. Heck, my calipers have more than .001 flex in em if handled poorly. Don't sweat .002 variance as it relates to overall brass length within tolerance IMO Save the "thousandths sweats" for headspace measurements and set up. I hoping I'm making sense, I'm new to this. Thanks. Absolutely! Be careful, it seems you are catching the hard to get rid of reloading bug....it can leave a mark! |
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Thanks guys I really appreciate the help. It's all starting to make a little more sense to me. Setting up my dies seems pretty easy now as well as swagIng my brass. I do feel I need to find a better tool for chamfering and deburring. The RCBS tool that came with my kit just sucks. I also need a chronograph ASAP, the one my buddy has been lending me is iffy at best.
Again I appreciate the help. Hopefully I'll be able to contribute with my experiences in the near future. |
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