AR Newbie Q: keep .223 and 5.56 brass separate?

[GonzoGeezer]

I am new to the AR world but see myself staying involved. I am really enjoying this, my first long gun in several decades. And I hope to see some savings going forward by reloading.

Right now I have M193 Centurion 55gr FMJ, and some American Eagle and Samson (IMI) 50 and 55gr .223 JHP. I know from reading here there is some difference in the dimensions of the two cases and the pressures each is expected to generate.

My question: Should I treat this brass as all .223 for reloading purposes, or keep the two separate and reload them as two different batches, or load everything as 5.56?


I searched this forum, read through a 2008 thread sort of related to my issue, but am still not certain which way to go. Any advice appreciated.

[AxiTech]

That is an excellent question. I don't have the answer, so I'll lurk over here and watch the answers come rolling in!

[cephas]

Good luck on the savings. Yes the ammo may become cost effective over time, but if you're like most you'll end up shooting more. As for loading the brass it depends on what your goals are. If going for max or near max loads they should be separated and worked up, from data specific to each cartridge. Must admit I have little .223 brass. I am currently tailoring my full loads to 5.56 keeping all variables the same, headstamps and so on. My mild plinking loads, which are easily under max for both, are mixed brass.

[Oldpuppymax]

Just bought my first AR 15 along with 500 rounds of Federal 5.56. I bought 500 pieces of .223 brass from the fella who runs one of the ranges in the area for just $25.00. Although I didn't really need the 5.56 ammo, I did want the higher pressure brass it offers. I'm going to keep my brass segregated and try different loads in each.

[shooter357]

I have only a couple hundred pieces of 5.56 brass and mix it in with the .223 brass. Of all the rounds I shot, there was no discernible difference between the two. For accuracy sake, I try to keep the rounds to the same brand casing.

[smitty56]

GonzoGeezer said:
And I hope to see some savings going forward by reloading.
and
My question: Should I treat this brass as all .223 for reloading purposes, or keep the two separate and reload them as two different batches, or load everything as 5.56?

Dear GonzoGeezer,
My first comment? If you don't shoot that much, you should not worry about reloading. Reloading is more a way of life for people who like to shoot and have the potential to create a bigger ammo stockpile of their own. "There ain't no saving money in reloading." You just buy more components and equipment for reloading..... (sorry, you might already be a reloader)
As far as 223 versus 5.56?
I don't worry about it because it's not any kind of issue.
Ammo reloaded for ARs get thrown into a bucket.
It's deprimed with a Lee universal decapping die then the primer pocket is cleaned with the Dillon swage tool. That is all the prep that it needs to go into the Dillon 650 for loading. I don't load the hottest and don't load the lightest but about 80-90%.
Ammo for bolt guns go into ammo boxes where I can track the number of reloads. Since I can collect the spent brass better, the bolt gun brass doesn't have to be resized, just neck sized and reloaded. I try to have all the same head stamp in the bolt gun.

The AR brass flies where ever and gets mixed with other AR range brass so I end up starting the process again...... unless I have confidence that it's all my brass with non crimped primers.
It's all good....
Good luck.
Smitty56

PS,
Military brass might be a little thicker, meaning less case capacity, meaning that the same powder load in a smaller space can cause higher pressures. Loading less than 100% max load gives me lee way between all the different kinds of brass.

[Ar180shooter]

I have only a couple hundred pieces of 5.56 brass and mix it in with the .223 brass. Of all the rounds I shot, there was no discernible difference between the two. For accuracy sake, I try to keep the rounds to the same brand casing.

Definitely.

If you're doing precision stuff, I'd even keep track of how many times you've fired each piece, and separate the brass that you've fired lots from the once or twice fired stuff.

[max384]

I am new to the AR world but see myself staying involved. I am really enjoying this, my first long gun in several decades. And I hope to see some savings going forward by reloading.

Right now I have M193 Centurion 55gr FMJ, and some American Eagle and Samson (IMI) 50 and 55gr .223 JHP. I know from reading here there is some difference in the dimensions of the two cases and the pressures each is expected to generate.

My question: Should I treat this brass as all .223 for reloading purposes, or keep the two separate and reload them as two different batches, or load everything as 5.56?


I searched this forum, read through a 2008 thread sort of related to my issue, but am still not certain which way to go. Any advice appreciated.

I have .223 and 5.56 mixed together and load it all the same. However, I use middle-of-the-road loads, so the different case volumes don't really affect me. I also don't shoot .223 for precision. As others have said, if you're doing precision work or max loads, then separate the cases by manufacturer.

I've always heard that 5.56 cases were thicker than .223, but some guys at AR15barrels.com weighed a bunch of cases from different manufacturers, both .223 and 5.56, and found that commercial .223 cases were the heaviest (which would indicate a thicker case). Check out the results here: http://www.ar15barrels.com/tech.shtml

[SteveWag]

Once fired, there is no difference between 223Rem and 5.56NATO, other than a possible headstamp. Most knowable people agree there is no difference before firing either. The only thing to watch is that some cases have a greater or lesser internal volume, caused by a different wall thickness and/or head thickness. The cases with a smaller internal volume will generate higher pressures, all else being equal. With the AR platform in 223/5.56 this is meaningless unless going for extreme long-range accuracy. For general shooting it means nothing. In 308/30-06 military, loaded to max, it is something to watch.

Steve