2 other 223 questions

[roval]

there's been a lot of 223 questions but didn't want to hijack a thread.
1st attempt at loading 223. only 20 rounds with CFE 223 with starting load recommended.(10 for bolt and 10 for ar to chrono)

1st question how big an increment do people use when working up the load. I was thinking of using the loads with the corresponding velocities in the hornady manual i.e v max 55 grain 24.8, 25.5, 26.1 and then going slower or stopping of course looking for pressure signs as I work my way up( max 27.4)

2nd question is there a trick to seating a flat base bullet. one bullet had a tiny sliver of jacket on the case mouth after seating . I imagine a boat tail would be a little bit easier. is it just holding the case neck with the bullet till it enters the case?

 

[Ifishsum]

With smaller cases like .223 I usually start up in .5 gr increments to start with, and when I find a promising load I will often re-work around that in .2 gr increments one way or another to find the middle of the sweet spot. If I'm within a grain or two of maximum, I usually work up in smaller steps than I would at the starting end of the load range. I don't usually test up all the way to maximum on an initial workup though, in most cases I find what I'm looking for in the middle of the load range.

As for seating flat base bullets; are you chamfering your case mouths? You should have enough of a bevel that it does not shave jacket material. Some dies (Hornady is one) have a sliding collar that holds the bullet centered over the case mouth until it contacts the seating stem; others you have to hold the bullet with your fingers until the nose starts into the die. They do a pretty good job of centering themselves before they're pushed into the case, but the Hornady seating dies are really nice - especially for smaller sized bullets such as .204 and .223. Either way a good chamfer helps a lot with flat base bullets.

 

[primalmu]

I generally start my loads at 10% below max. For .223 I usually work up in 0.3gr increments, while .308 I'll work up 0.5gr.

 

[Walkalong]

Sneak up carefully on the last few tenths. .2 or .1 at at time as you get near the top. I tweak loads .1 all the time to see what will happen.

 

[roval]

how many bullets do you load for each load?

 

[roval]

will try chamfering next time. I thought you only chamfer if you trim your brass.

 

[moxie]

Chamfer when you trim, but also if you need to, often with once-fired. When you insert the bullet if it won't go in easily, a bit of chamfering might help. Then "follow" the bullet up into the die with your fingers, making sure the bullet base stays upright and centered on the case neck.

 

[gahunter12]

For slower powders like CFE223 I usually work up in .4gr increments, and .2gr/.3gr with faster powders like AA2200, or Benchmark with narrow spreads. I load for only 1 rifle at a time, so I usually load 5 for Chrono, and 5 for accuracy. Keep plenty of records.

Chamfer your case mouths. I always trim cases that were not shot from my rifles. I usually only bump the shoulder back .03" when resizing. My target rounds just for plinking don't get a crimp so those may not get trimmed every loading. My ammo for matches, and carbine training classes do get a very, very light collet crimp. It's just extra insurance since those rounds can take some abuse. These do get trimmed for uniformity. Besides I usually never shoot these over 50yrds.

Find yourself a system that works for you when loading .223. For me its do all my case prep to all empties. Clean, sort by Head stamp,resize,Swage (if needed), trim (if needed), clean, and pack away. When I go to load on my Dillon 550 I prime (no die in station 1), charge, seat, and crimp (match, and training ammo only).

 

[stavman11]

I usualy go up in .5 Incraments.... Then if I find a sweet spot I may try and fine tune from there.. Also the Lee Powder measure dosent really do .1 or .2 increments so ill go Up one disk or so and test the drop amount..

with CFE223 i knew a few guys that Liked 26gr and 27gr so I did as Follows
25.5
26
26.5
27

26gr and 27gr appeared to be very very similar in accuracy, so stayed at 26gr and that was for an AR only


As for bullets seating... like Others said... for Most all my Bullets I chammfer the mouth... then hold the Bullet until it starts into the Die... after a few times and a couple smashed thumbs it will be very easy for ya..

For my FMJ-BT i dont always chanfer those cases, if I think about it BEFORE they are all Chamfered I can load these a lot faster since the rest on the case by themselves

 

[788Ham]

I chamfer all of my cases, just a habit I got into when I started loading "all" brass. Even though most of my bullets are bevel based, just easier to get bullet started.

When loading my .223's, any change in powder weights, I only go .1 at a time, up or down, marked on the loading sticker I apply to box, "Then" I know if its me, or the round missing on the target spot. I only use 2 types of powder, same for several years now, same for the bullet weights I use, 52 and 53 gr. BT'HP's. When I can get 4 rds. into a spot the size of my little fingernail @ 100 yards, why change anything? P-dogs can't tell the difference either, YMMV. This loading is done for a Rem. 788 bolt rifle.

 

[SuedePflow]

I always chamfer too. And after loading 500 rounds this past Friday using Xtreme's 55gr boat tails, I'm done using flat base .224 bullets unless I can't help it. They loaded so much better and quicker than the FB Dogtowns that I've been using.

 

[45lcshooter]

.5 increments, for rifle cartridges

Chamfer and deburr case, and hold the bullet and neck of the case as long as you can until it goes into the die. Its a pain sometimes when they put a good song on radio and you pinch your fingers in the press.

 

[greyling22]

for what it's worth, I loaded up a few test rounds in a hurry one time and didn't chamfer enough. About half of the bullets left a fairly decent copper shaving on the lip of the round. They shot 10 under an inch at 100. Can better shooters do better, sure. Could that group have been better without the shaving, probably. Was I pleased with the grouping, absolutely.

The moral, bullet shaving bad, but not a catastrophe.

 

[gamestalker]

Generally, I drop back to .1 or .2 gr. increments once I'm up around mid table. But I do that more as means to preventing the sweet spot from slipping by unnoticed.

And even if you didn't need to trim, at least give the mouths a light chamfer to round off any sharp spots that may be present. But yes, BT's do seat a little bit smoother, but they too can shave if the mouth has a sharp edge.

GS

 

[roval]

thanks for the replies