223 reloading steps for ar15

[Wjesswheel]

basically newbie to reloading been reloading 308 for my 1000 yard gun to achieve the best accuracy I can get here are the steps I have been using.
1. Clean, tumble
2. Deprime
3. Check, clean Debur my primer pockets if needed
4. Clean, tumble again for a shorter time
5. Lube and resize
6. Measure every piece of brass trim if needed
7. Debur my necks
8. Hand prime
9. Q-tip inside of my necks so my powder doesn't hang up
10. Weigh every charge and fill
11. Weigh and Seat the bullet
12. Measure again.
All on my Rcbs single stage.which seems to give me much more consistency then factory gold medal. I don't mind doing it for my 308,which I shoot at a controlled pace and a 100 rounds will last an afternoon. I recently bought a 223 which seems to go thru the same 100 rounds in about 20 minutes with my sons shooting them. Been thinking about purchasing a lee loadmaster to speed it up a little. Don't have the money for a better press right now . But it get quite time consuming on my single stage. Like I said iam a newbie to reloading and a newbie to shooting an ar15 and have heard some horror stories about reloaded 223 malfunctions do to bad reloads. I recently watched a video on YouTube with a lee 5 hole turret where the guy deprimes and primes with out checking pockets. Never checks any length till he's has them loaded. My questions is that really doable and safe? And what steps are you guys using for reloading the 223 or 5.56 for an afternoon of shooting safe rounds not necessarily competition quality rounds.

Thanks

 

[mac86951]

I've made some efficiency improvements for both my match and plinking ammo.

#1. Lee universal decapper; skip your step #1.

223, I find a decent plinking load in middle of pressure range, then skip your step #3. Cull loose pockets ad decal.

Your step 6; rcbs X-die, or set caliper to 1.760, if it passes it's good, otherwise trim entire lot to 1.750.

Powered case prep station makes fast work of deburring and chamfering.

Ball powder for metered not weighed charges, seat bullets to within magazine length, measure 1 outta 5 or so to ensure die hasn't moved.

I use range 223 brass, so I find it necessary to check sized brass length.

Yes you can decap and reprime, but depending on buildup you have to check for flush seating at some point.

 

[waldo1979]

Do step #6 every two reloads, skip Steps 1-4. Buy a Giraud tri-way Skip step 6. Skip Step 9 (because we didn't clean). In Step 11, skip weighting (I see 1% out of spec bullets). Step 13, remove lube with a rag.

Here's my reloading process (Accurized Dillion 550B https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/70252):
1. Size / Decap (I added the autoprime kit)
2. Prime
3. Weight / Charge
4. Seat

For an AR15 i've found that shoulder bump is critical for accuracy.

 

[ronemus]

To prep new brass I lube (Imperial wax), size (Hornady New Dimension dies with expander), neck turn (Gracey Neck Shaver), size (the shaver alters neck diameter), tumble in cob, trim/chamfer (Gracey Trimmer with Giraud blade), primer pocket uniform (Sinclair), deburr flash hole (RCBS), and select a 0.5 gr range of case weight for long range (the rest are used for short range).

With fired brass I tumble in walnut, lube, size, tumble in cob, uniform (to clean the pocket), and trim/chamfer. Since I use the expander when sizing, any donut will be moved to the outside. If a donut is visible or the necks have thickened from repeated sizing, I add a pass through the shaver. Neck turning goes much smoother with the sizing lube left on the case; much less heat is generated and the cut is smoother. I lube the outside of the case with my fingers and inside the neck with a cotton swab.

I try to use power tools when possible and minimize handling to make processing go faster. For instance, I use a FL sizing die and decap at the same time, seeing no advantage in using 2 or 3 steps to accomplish the same thing. Similarly, the Gracey Trimmer does the inside and outside chamfers while trimming, so 2 steps are eliminated; the Dillon would actually be much slower since the chamfers would still have to be done. At one time I had the trimmer and shaver set up side by side and used them back to back, but found that the shaver worked better with the lube on, but the trimmer got fouled relatively quickly, even when tilted back ~30 degrees.

I try to have ~4000 cases fully prepped at the start of the season so I can defer processing until Winter sets in. I tumble the fired brass in walnut when I get back from the range, then set it aside until free time is available; in the meantime, I spend as much time shooting as possible.

 

[Shynloco]

Wjesswheel,
As you can tell, everyone appears to have a system that they feel comfortable with. The press you use is inclusive in that so you can use a Single Stage or Progressive that makes you feel comfortable. That Lee will do the trick although I'm no fan of Lee Presses. Having said that, your comments suggest to me that you have concerns about possible jams or other issues associated with an AR function. To that extent, I am NO FAN of using any shortcuts or deviating from a regular procedure that COMPLETELY preps a casing for firing. That included measuring cases to make sure they meat SAAMI specs. Part of that for me, is I often find expended .223 range casings. And the most common issue is the primer pockets, some of which are crimped and either need to be swaged or discarded. So I toss the crimped casings, but save and completely process the good casings, just like I do with my American Eagle (Lake City) brass I buy for my .223/556 custom AR. So I recommend you do just like you are proceeding from the list you provided. Remember, short cuts invite problems. And uniformity promotes accuracy. And BTW, I collect the range casings mostly because I also have a trigger happy son who now has his own AR. And I reload his ammunition as well and don't want to expose him to any issues that arise out of shooting an AR. That includes properly cleaning an AR after every outing. Just my .02 cents worth.

Alex

 

[Cold Bore]

....reloading 308 for my 1000 yard gun to achieve the best accuracy I can get....

I don't mind doing it for my 308,which I shoot at a controlled pace and a 100 rounds will last an afternoon.

....223 which seems to go thru the same 100 rounds in about 20 minutes with my sons shooting them.

...a newbie to shooting an ar15 and have heard some horror stories about reloaded 223 malfunctions do to bad reloads.

And what steps are you guys using for reloading the 223 or 5.56 for an afternoon of shooting safe rounds not necessarily competition quality rounds.

It sounds like you are looking more for functional rounds, to hit most of what you are shooting at, not something for groups where tenths matter.

Don't overthink this, or create extra (unnecessary) work for yourself.

Deprime/size (standard FL, no need for small base dies) in one step.

Wipe them clean.

Prime and throw powder charges.

Stick a bullet on top, seated short enough to run through a standard magazine, and go shoot with your sons.

You will have fully functional and safe rounds; there's no real magic to loading stuff for an AR-15 and having every one chamber, fire, and extract.

Use all of that extra time shooting with them, not laboring in front of the press.

 

[boltman13]

Deburing primer pockets for non precision shooting is a waste of time, as is deburing flash holes. I find the Frankfort Arsenal Case Prep machine more than adequate for case trimming and deburing at a fraction of the cost for a Gracey. Keep track of how many firings you have done after each case trim. I usually only trim every 3rd firing. Dish soap, Joy or Dawn works great to remove case lube. Start with clean deprimed, resized cases in station one. Use the Lee Autoprime to prime. Use a moderate, less than maximum load of a ball powder, I like TAC or Win 748 and the Lee Auto Disc and powder thru the die system. Seat all bullets at slightly under mag length, 55-62 gr bullets are what I recommend, whatever is cheapest. The Lee Factory Crimp Die is worth the extra money in my estimation. You have used 4 stations with this system and should have ammunition that is more than adequate for your sons to use. As you gain experience using your set up you will naturally find a comfortable rate of moving the device thru the various stations. Consistancy not speed is what you want, faster rates will come with time. I usually put a single case thru all stations a few times to make sure all systems are go before I go truly progressive. You can teach your sons to resize and deprime cases on your single stage while you run the Lee. It will give them a greater appreciation of what reloading means and will hopefully slow them down a little. You can add responsibility as they demonstrate they are ready and spend some quality time with your boys. With practice you and your sons will be able to produce safe accurate plentiful ammunition for yourselves. Best of luck.