Bushing size for .223 remington

[jonbearman]

This is unturned brass so stock as stock can be.I get .247od on a loaded round so I am thinking at least a .243/ Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[Rob01]

Bolt or semi auto? For my bolt I use .002” of neck tension. You can use .003-004” for semi.

 

[jonbearman]

Both actually so what do you think.

 

[Rob01]

I wouldn't go more than .003" if trying to get something to work in both.

 

[Ned Ludd]

Again, the desired use may dictate the neck tension you require. I have always used .002" to .0025" for my .223 Rem F-TR loads in bolt rifles. With Lapua .223 Rem brass (un-turned necks), that meant a 0.248" bushing for me, with loaded round neck diameter of 0.250". It sounds like you need a bushing of about .003" less than that, but it all depends on the neck wall thickness of the brass you're using. With a loaded round neck diameter of 0.247", a 0.245" bushing should be in the right ballpark. However, neck diameter following re-sizing with a bushing of a given size doesn't always mean a final neck diameter that is exactly the same as the bushing diameter. In my hands, bushings usually give a sized neck diameter within about .0005" of the stated bushing size, but it can be higher or lower (either one), depending on the actual size of that particular bushing. So I might suggest getting a 0.244", 0.245", and [maybe] 0.246" bushings to cover the most likely possibilities.

 

[jonbearman]

Thank you for all the info. I was leaning .243 for the gas gun and .244 for the bolt.

 

[Rob01]

I'd buy a .245 also as you might find it will work better down the road.

 

[jepp2]

Thank you for all the info. I was leaning .243 for the gas gun and .244 for the bolt.

If you don't anneal, spring back will begin to kick in and your necks will be larger after sizing.

If you don't buy the coated bushings, it is very easy to increase the diameter of the bushing you have. Where sizing die necks are hardened and need to be honed with abrasives, bushings are soft and I've enlarged the diameter with the simple sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel.

 

[Rob01]

That brings up a good point, buy the coated bushings. They will last a long time. I am still using bushing I have had for almost 20 years.

 

[chkunz]

I bought several sizes. Different brands of brass are sometimes different thickness and springs back differently and may change some with subsequent loadings. With several sizes I can chose the bushing that gives the desired result with these variations in brass.

 

[Rob01]

I bought several sizes. Different brands of brass are sometimes different thickness and springs back differently and may change some with subsequent loadings. With several sizes I can chose the bushing that gives the desired result with these variations in brass.

That's definitely a good idea as even with the same brand of brass and different lots you can have slight changes in the neck.

 

[XTR]

For what ever reason necks don’t always come out to measure what the bushing has stamped on it. Get a selection, in the end they are cheap. in this game anything you buy once is cheap in the long run.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

If the necks are squeaky clean you will definitely need lube(seating bullets) to get consistent seating depths and avoid pushing the shoulders down slightly(0.001-0.0015) when neck interference is tighter than -0.002. 5 seconds of dwell time of neck in the bushing will reduce the spring back.