loading 223 rounds

[D Crockett]

I hope this is the right place to post this if not would someone please move it to the right spot. so here goes. I have a Dillon 550b press I have a 2 die set in 223 a empty loading block for the Dillon. in the last 20years I have only loaded strate walled pistol bullets . now I would like to start loading 223's but I have no idea as to go about setting up the dies. can someone please help me with this thank you in advance D Crockett

[WJP]

What specifically are you needing to know? It's pretty much as straight forward as pistol rounds except not belling. Just make sure the powder bar fully moves. Seating is the same set up. I size and trim separate on a single stage or 1050. If using a fcd adjust until you get the desired crimp. You can size on it but still want to check length after sizing. That and I don't like building up lude in the powder drop if they are within correct length anyways.

[WILCO]

Setting Up 223 Dies in a Dillon RL550

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csh4Mpa7NmY

[jessdigs]

Get a 223 case length/headspace guage to make sure that your size die is set up correctly.

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[ioon44]

Like others have said size and trim on a single stage press or on the 550 as a separate process, I prime off press but on press works fine also.
So on the 550 I just drop powder, seat the bullet and use a taper crimp die to lightly touch the case mouth.

[MrWolf]

I deprime off press but other than that like others have said.

[toallmy]

Although I feel like I'm wasting 2 stations I prep brass off the press - then prime , drop the charge , and seat the bullet on the 550 .

[John J]

Case lube is a must or you will stick the case in the die.

[sigep1764]

Case lube is a must or you will stick the case in the die.

If a person bought the carbide 223/556 die set from Dillon, would you still need case lube with the rifle brass? Any experience with these carbide dies with rifle brass? Just wondering if there is a way to avoid the case lube.

[Pipefitter]

Dillon specifically states that lube is required with ALL bottleneck reloading dies, regardless of material being steel or carbide. I have the Dillon 223/556 carbide die set.
As I said on another thread here, when I use my 550 to reload 223/556 I deprime, clean, size, clean the lube off of the cases, and then check for length before running the brass through the 550. Weather you prime on the press or with a hand tool is your choice. I just leave the sizing die out of the toolhead when I load 223/556.

[Taterhead]

I believe that bottleneck rifle cases need two passes through the press. One pass for case prep: Size, de-cap, and neck expand. I actually like sizing on a single stage since I think that headspace is slightly better controlled, although I've resized thousands of rifle cases on my progressive press.

Then the cases are tumbled to remove lube.

Then additional case prep as needed:

Trim-to-length
De-burr and chamfer case mouths
Swage primer pocket crimps
If you like clean primer pockets then do that too.

Once the brass is prepped then it gets loaded on the progressive:

Station 1: universal de-capping die to remove any cleaning media from flash holes.

Then prime, charge, and seat bullets in the next stations.

Then case gauge, inspect, and box up.

[Taterhead]

If a person bought the carbide 223/556 die set from Dillon, would you still need case lube with the rifle brass? Any experience with these carbide dies with rifle brass? Just wondering if there is a way to avoid the case lube.

Yes, lube is still required with carbide bottleneck rifle dies.

[Big Wes]

I've sized, de-primed and trimmed cases then proceeded to load on my 550 after all that was done, a two step procedure. The next time I loaded the same brass that didn't need trimming I cleaned, lubed, and performed all steps on the 550 without issue. I loaded 100 rounds in 13 minutes.

[Preacher Jim]

If mil surplus brass do not forget to work the primer pockets

[W.R.Buchanan]

It is common practice to breakdown Bottleneck cases on a single stage press (size deprime) and then tumble to remove lube.

Then prime either off the press or use the priming function on the 550 and load from there.

The hot tip is to use a Lee Collet crimping die in the last station as that die will produce consistent crimps with varying case lengths.

Randy

[Lloyd Smale]

I take about 300 clean cases put them in a box and put a dab of lanolin in the palm of my hand and work my hands through there brass real good for a couple minutes then size, reprime and set my Dillon trimmer up and trim (just the first time) then I tumble long enough to remove the lube and put them back through charging and seating the bullets and my AR ammo gets a light crimp from a lee factory crimp die. After that I use small base rcbs X sizing die so trimming is rarely needed. The Dillon trimmer saves lots of work as theres nothing faster to trim but even then it takes a while to champer the inside and outside. Either way its a two pass thing because you need to remove the lube after sizing and I just don't like the ideal of tumbling live rounds. Not worried so much about them going off as I am breaking down the powder coating.

[Big Wes]

I run my loaded rounds for a few minutes (maybe 5 to 8 min) in my tumbler to remove what ever lube is on them. I don't think it has an effect on the powder, I used CFE223 and that stuff is finer than black pepper.