Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Default Minor clarification for reloading 223/556

    Ok, after visiting the local wally world and talking to the walmartians, I've decided it would be way less hassle and headache to reload my own AR ammo than deal with these asshats any longer.

    So I called my grandfather, who's done 50+ years of reloading, and asked what all he would need me to buy to reload 223/556 rounds. He informed me I would need projectiles, dies, powder, and bring what casings I have along with me and he'd see what he could dig up for recommended loads.

    He said the .22x projectiles are all pretty standard, so just get a bag of whatever.
    For a die, I've been reading and it looks like I should look for a 5.56 carbide die. The .223 die is prone to stuck cases and the steel is easier scratch? And for powder, he said he has 4198 powder and I told him I'd ask around and see what you guys use/recommend before making any rounds.

    Now for all the questions:
    What loads do you use?
    Any brands of die I should look for or steer clear of?
    Is the 4198 powder correct?

    Any help would be appreciated.
    I'm off to search more and do a lot of reading.
    Thanks everyone in advance for the help.
    Zone1
    My Glock does 1d6+3 dmg, but my 18 dex makes up for that...

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Minor clarification for reloading 223/556

    Well this could be helpful or not but.. I reload for my remington 700 BDL and thats obviously not an AR and I use regular brass casings. I reload 24grs of XMR 2015 with a 55gr. Nosler Ballistic tip bullet and it shoots as well if not better as any load i have tried. It is giving me about a an inch and a half group at 200 yds which is good enough for g-hogs. As far as dies go I just use RCBS regular dies, never had any problems, but make sure you lube the shells FOR SURE. I know this is a little bit different than loading with steel casings but thats all i got.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Minor clarification for reloading 223/556

    I have the same sort of questions about .223/5.56 loads.

    Favorite loads?
    Cheap loads?
    Accurate loads?

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Minor clarification for reloading 223/556

    Quote Originally Posted by PBArcher8 View Post
    Well this could be helpful or not but.. I reload for my remington 700 BDL and thats obviously not an AR and I use regular brass casings. I reload 24grs of XMR 2015 with a 55gr. Nosler Ballistic tip bullet and it shoots as well if not better as any load i have tried. It is giving me about a an inch and a half group at 200 yds which is good enough for g-hogs. As far as dies go I just use RCBS regular dies, never had any problems, but make sure you lube the shells FOR SURE. I know this is a little bit different than loading with steel casings but thats all i got.
    Any info is helpful. It also reminded me, I forgot to put in my original post he recommended I get the RCBS .223 die. From what I've gathered, the .223 is a bit small and causes cases to stick, so I should go with the 5.56 because it's a hair bigger and doesn't stick cases as much.

    He already reloads .30-06, 30-30, .243, .222, and a few other calibers, so adding 5.56 to his bag of tricks shouldn't be too hard.

    I guess the info he's asking me for is a general idea of what grain/powders others are using, so we knew where to start. He said he'd load up 10-20 rounds and we'd go test them out, then change the load if we had to.
    Zone1
    My Glock does 1d6+3 dmg, but my 18 dex makes up for that...

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Minor clarification for reloading 223/556

    Quote Originally Posted by sinful View Post
    From what I've gathered, the .223 is a bit small and causes cases to stick, so I should go with the 5.56 because it's a hair bigger and doesn't stick cases as much.
    I'm very far from being an expert, but I just got Cabela's Shooting/Reloading 2008 catalog and took a look at their RCBS die sets. I can't find any separate listing for a 5.56 die, and in fact they list the two together: ".223 Rem. (5.56mm)".

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Minor clarification for reloading 223/556

    I don't think that you will need carbide. Carbide rifle resizer dies are quite expensive, and you still need to lube the cases. Standard steel dies will work fine.
    I vote the second first

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Minor clarification for reloading 223/556

    Quote Originally Posted by mardo View Post
    I don't think that you will need carbide. Carbide rifle resizer dies are quite expensive, and you still need to lube the cases. Standard steel dies will work fine.
    I was noticing that too. .223 it is then...

    Quote Originally Posted by lexington86 View Post
    I'm very far from being an expert, but I just got Cabela's Shooting/Reloading 2008 catalog and took a look at their RCBS die sets. I can't find any separate listing for a 5.56 die, and in fact they list the two together: ".223 Rem. (5.56mm)".
    I have ZERO experience with anything involving reloading. From what I read, you don't need to lube if you're using the carbide and the carbide is a bit stronger and less apt to scratch than the steel.

    I'm guessing you have experience and that's why you're saying I'll need to lube the cases no matter which die set I end up with?

    I'm still looking for powder recommendations. There's so much variation on powders used out there, I can't decide what's what. Any of the gurus have input on that?
    Zone1
    My Glock does 1d6+3 dmg, but my 18 dex makes up for that...

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Minor clarification for reloading 223/556

    Quote Originally Posted by sinful View Post
    I'm still looking for powder recommendations. There's so much variation on powders used out there, I can't decide what's what. Any of the gurus have input on that?
    Again, I'm a noob like you, but lookie what I found: http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

    Select "Rifle" from the Load Type drop-down, then select one of the "223 Remington" from the Cartridge drop-down. I'm not sure why they have two listings for 223; looks like one may be for Winchester bullets/powder.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Minor clarification for reloading 223/556

    *thumbs up*
    Ure the man!
    Zone1
    My Glock does 1d6+3 dmg, but my 18 dex makes up for that...

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Minor clarification for reloading 223/556

    I am guessing that you have IMR 4198 powder? Yes it is acceptable to use for the .223/5.56, depending on the bullet weight you plan to use. It may not be ideal but it will work. From the quick glance I took of my manuals, it looks like pressures will be higher for a given charge of 4198 compared to other powders. Your best bet is to get a current reloading manual and use the data contained in it. And ALWAYS work loads up to max. Just because a manual says you can load a max of 25 grains of so and so powder, that does not mean that it is safe in your particular application. Primers can be different, case volumes ARE different, powder lots can burn different, heavy crimps can cause higher pressures, and so on. I am sure your grandfather knows this already.

    My rule of thumb is to use a powder that will fill the case as full as possible for the round I am loading but also keep pressures down while at the same time keeping velocity up. For the .223, that means around 24 to 25 grains of powder. Keeping the case full means the powder cannot move away from the primer or lay in the case differently from one round to another. This tends to translate into better accuracy. In the IMR Reloader's Guide, (availible from Hodgdon for free), a 40 grain bullet over a MAXIMUM of 22.2 grains of IMR 4198 will produce 3652fps and pressure of 53,400psi. But, the same bullet over a MAXIMUM of 27.7 grains of IMR 4320 will produce 3456fps at 48,900psi. You have used 5.5 grains more powder but lost 200fps and also dropped pressure by 4,500psi. See where I am trying to go with this?

    Alot of reloaders use Hodgdon H335, Bl-C(2), or Varget powders for the .223/5.56. H335 is the civilian equal to W844 military powder used in the 5.56. BL-C(2) is the civilian equal to W846 which is used in 7.62 as well as 5.56 rounds. They are both excellent powders for the .223/5.56. Varget is right in the middle of the two as far as burn rate goes, so it is also great in this application. Another powder not mentioned very often for .223 is IMR 3031. I have about 500 rounds of .223 I loaded with 24 grains of 3031 under 50 grain V-Max's. The pressure is WAY down with this load but still functions the action of my Mini-14 very well.

    There are tons and tons of combinations when it comes to reloading. Use what you have and see how it works. If you dont like the results pick up a different type of powder or bullet and try again. Powder is going for around $20 per pound and you can get about 300 .223 loads from that. Thats alot of "testing". Just make sure to go about this safely. Work your loads up to the maximum and watch for signs of pressure. No use damaging a perfectly good rifle or your face because you wanted some "hot" loads right off the bat.

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