PUZZLED: 223 brass

[KnotRight]

I have loaded 1000s and 1000s of 223s over the last 2 years. I use either a set of RCBS or Hornady dies. Trim them with the WFT.

When I get some brass in (either range pick-up or buy it off the internet) I will tumble it, resized it and trim it. Then they go into the ready to load case. Today I went to reload a 100 or so rounds and had some brass that was longer than the case gauge (head side) and some was about as long as the head space.

I took those and reran them through the Hornady FL resizing die and most did not fit flush in the gauge. Then I took them and ran them throught the RCBS FL resizing die. 90% of them did not fit flush into the gauge.

I did not try a plunk test (mostly likely would have passed). Any idea what is causing this?

[Motor]

I assume that you have checked your die set up and still are sizing for full effect ?

It's been reported that brass fired in machine guns like the "SAW" gets stretched more than usual and often requires more sizing. Make sure you sizing to "full effect" on some presses this means good cam over.

Some people go as far as using small base dies for the first sizing of this stubborn brass.

Motor

[williamwaco]

If you load thousands and thousands and just has a hand full of these, I would just toss'em.

[Dolton916]

Check them with a comparator. As said a full auto or even a very hot load fired in a overheated chamber may cause what you're seeing.

If it's just a small amount of brass just toss them.

[tenx]

you don't see this mentioned much anymore but make a plug .224 diameter on the body and a slightly larger ring at one end (mine are from brass) and reform a case (i use a 223 case pushed into a 222 die, sort of a long neck 222) and seat the plug in the case so that the body of the plug will be pushed into the neck when chambered and the larger part at the end will catch on the edge of the chamber neck. then measure overall length. most chambers that i have measured are overly long, much longer than the recommended max case length. i think the gun manufactures do this to protect us and themselves from lawsuits. in these rifles i am not worried about trimming brass. it would take a dozen firings (i don't know exactly how many, i'm guessing but a lot) to make the brass long enough to be jammed into the rifle chamber neck and produce a crimp on the bullet and resulting higher chamber pressure. these plugs were made commercially years ago from leaded steel (i think, it's been a long time ago) and most people just scraficed a case and trimmed the neck really short to hold the plug but the 223 already has a short enough neck so i used 222 brass. i'm not against trimming brass and i do but it's an interesting experiment on our rifles.

[KnotRight]

tenx, I trim all my brass in the WFT. It is set at the length that I am comfortable with. That said, about 15% or less of the range pickup and the brass I buy off the internet are long enough to hit the cutter in the die.

Quite honestly I am not really sure about making that plug.

[gpidaho]

I'm going with Wm.W 223 is sooooo cheap usually free for picking up at the range. Any of mine that doesn't work smoothly go in the recycle bucket, heck sometimes serviceable brass go in there when too much builds up. Gp

[GLShooter]

you don't see this mentioned much anymore but make a plug .224 diameter on the body and a slightly larger ring at one end (mine are from brass) and reform a case (i use a 223 case pushed into a 222 die, sort of a long neck 222) and seat the plug in the case so that the body of the plug will be pushed into the neck when chambered and the larger part at the end will catch on the edge of the chamber neck. then measure overall length. most chambers that i have measured are overly long, much longer than the recommended max case length. i think the gun manufactures do this to protect us and themselves from lawsuits. in these rifles i am not worried about trimming brass. it would take a dozen firings (i don't know exactly how many, i'm guessing but a lot) to make the brass long enough to be jammed into the rifle chamber neck and produce a crimp on the bullet and resulting higher chamber pressure. these plugs were made commercially years ago from leaded steel (i think, it's been a long time ago) and most people just scraficed a case and trimmed the neck really short to hold the plug but the 223 already has a short enough neck so i used 222 brass. i'm not against trimming brass and i do but it's an interesting experiment on our rifles.

Sinclair sells the plugs. They work quite nicely to get that MAX measurment and are not really expensive. .

Greg

[GabbyM]

Someone is confused here. Myself or other posters.
I read your post to mean your cases were long on the headspace dimension. Shoulder to case head. Not case neck length.

Your issue may be worn size dies. Fact you have two sets yielding the same results puts that in question but stranger things have happened. My first set of RCBS FL dies in 223 wore out to where sized cases would not chamber in a 223 SAMI rifle. Only took ten thousand or so round but they were tough. Not being as clean or well lubed as they could of been. Some extra abrasion.

Another possibility is simply hard brass. I have what's left of a case of PMC brass here from the 1970's I bought new. It is hard and even after annealing it does not take size well nor give proper neck tension. I tried to make 222 Rem from some and that was impossible. I've become a big fan of annealing all used military brass on my first recycle.

[SODAPOPMG]

it also might be that the rims are damaged
turn the case around and try to put the rim into the gage if it will not go the rim has been damaged usually by the ejector
of an AK