I need some input on some things I’ve run into in starting to reload for the .223. I got a call from my LGS that the Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 5.56/.223 that I had ordered was in and the scope was mounted and bore sighted – ready to pick up. For the price of this rifle, I’m impressed with it and I think it will serve me well for what I’m going to use it for. That said . . . I have run into some “issues” in working on getting ready to reload some rounds for it.
So here goes . . . on night at the range, my shooting buddy and I picked up 350 cases of 5.56 military head stamped, that had been shot while we were there. We didn’t see the shooters but they were shooting at least two ARs – obviously to see how much ammo they could shoot rather than for accuracy. I’m a scrounger . . . so hey . . .this "range brass" will work well in the new rifle. Hmmmmm
So I deprime it using a universal deprimer die (I do all my brass that way). I ordered a RCBS primer pocket swaging die kit and swaged the pockets. I tumbled and polished and then
FL resized the brass in my Lee FL die – leaving the depriming stem in to expand the sized neck. In measuring the length of the cases with my digital calipers, they were all over the place. Some (very few) were right on 1.750 and I had some beyond 1.769 - several at 1.778. So, I used my Lee trim die and trimmed them all to length to 1.748 – 1.750.
I bought 1K of .224 – 55 grain FMJ from Bob’s Bullets. Since the longest COAL the AR box magazine on my Ruger American Ranch rifle will allow is an overall length of 2.250, I made up several dummy rounds with the now processed scrounged military brass and tried to cycle them in the rifle. It was a “no go” – the bolt would not close and lock. The 55 grain FMJ was held just by neck tension which appears to be good. I made up another one, thinking that I could push on the bolt and the bullet would slide back in the neck if it was hitting the bore – which I didn’t think was happening as I saw no indication on the bullet from the rifling. I even coated the bullet, neck and shoulder of the case with black felt pen and the pointed bullet had no marks on it but it appeared that the shoulder of the casing may be tight in the chamber? So, I grab my Hornady case gauge and slide the dummy round in it and sure enough, it sticks out just about the thickness of the rim or a little less. I will add that when I FL sized the military brass, I had my shell holder touching the bottom of the die just in case the casing had swelled there in the chamber of the AR they had been fired in. (I ran into this problem one time with some 308 casings I had picked up at a range).
I don't have a micrometer with me, but using my digital calipers, the OD of the neck neck of the dummy round with military brass measures ..247 and the OD of the neck of the dummy round with the Starline brass measures .250 - which would indicate that the thickness of the brass n the neck of the military brass is actually thinner than that of the Starline brass. My 2nd edition to he Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook shows that the neck OD at .253 - so I'm thinking it is the shoulder of the military brass that is preventing it from chambering correctly?
O.K. So I loaded some more dummy rounds with the military brass and the sane thing. Hmmmmmm.
I had purchased 250 new Starline .223 Remington cases so I grabbed some, ran them through the same FL sizing die I had used on the military brass, loaded some dummy rounds – tried them in the Hornady case gauge and all looked perfect and all cycled through the bolt action just fine. And, I double checked the Starline brass and it was 1.745 – 1.750 overall length.
So my questions are:
I know “all chambers are not created equal” . . . but if they are reamed to SAAMI specs, is my rifle’s chamber on the small side of the spec and the ARs that fired the military brass on the large side? If both the military brass AND the Starline brass was run through the same FL sizing die at the same setting, why is the military brass dummy rounds too tight to get the bolt closed but the Starline dummy rounds work and cycle perfectly? The dummy rounds were loaded with just the neck tension but I even used my Lee Factory Crimp die and put a fairly good crimp on a couple of the dummy rounds and they still would not chamber all the way. The COAL of all the dummy rounds were all the same – 2.250.
Another problem with the military brass came up when hand priming. I used the RCBS swaging die kit in my single stage – the first time I have swaged primer pockets. I use a Frankford Arsenal hand primer and have for a long time on a wide variety of pistol and rifle brass. I found that I had to go back and set the swaging die deeper as about 1 out of 5 of the military cases were giving me issues – either wouldn’t accept a primer or a difficult push in – others went in like butter.
Can someone point out what I’m not doing correctly when it comes to the 5.56 military brass?
This will be the only 223 rifle I will be shooting and reloading for. My thoughts are that once the brass is fire formed to the rifle, I will just neck size the spent casings to reload. If part of the problem is that my rifle has a tight chamber, I can easily just stick to the Starline brass as for what shooting I will be doing, it’s not going to break me to order another 250 cases and just stick to Starline brass since the dummy rounds seem to function fine in the rifle. I can easily see how my Hornady case gauge will be my best friend when loading for this rifle.
I have used a ton of “range brass” in a wide variety of flavors, but never have I had the challenge that these 5.56 military casings have presented, but it has also been a good learning experience albeit a frustrating one. So is the lesson I should take from this one that tells me to avoid military 5.56 range brass for use in my particular rifle?
Any advice on what I am doing wrong on them, why they aren’t chambering or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!
Jim