223 brass prep

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Bfh_auto

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Topprudder's post about neck turning got me thinking when I was trying to get my AR to shoot like I thought it should.
I worked up a load using PPU brass. This ended at 24.0 of IMR 4064 with a 77 SMK. My velocity was 2643 with an ES in the 70's. Accuracy was 1.25 for 10 shots. Sometimes it was better, but never worse than that.
I dug out my neck turner, flash hole deburrer, and primer pocket reamer. I after a lot of fun, I retested and velocity was 2655 with an ES of 13 and .75" groups.
If you do this in steps while watching TV, it doesn't seem as tedious.
223 rivals 30-30 for the worst quality control on brass.
The Hornady brass that I saved was a little more consistent than the ones from random FMJ fodder.
 
Sounds like a lot of work considering I'll probably lose most of it in the grass, though I do clean up the flash holes on new brass... My current load uses Varget at 25 grains, 73 gr ELD, Win brass, Rem 7 1/2 2.26 coal. 2816AVG SD6 ES 22. It usually shoots under a half inch at 100, I've shot sub 2 inch 10 rounders at 400 but from time to time I get the random flyer. I'm more of the mind that my seating dies are the cause, that or it's my fault and I don't like that idea one bit. Do you use a drop tube to get all that powder down without too much crunch?
 
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Orcon said:
Sounds like a lot of work considering I'll probably lose most of it in the grass, though I do clean up the flash holes on new brass... My current load uses Varget at 25 grains, 73 gr ELD, Win brass, Rem 7 1/2 2.6 coal. 2816AVG SD6 ES 22. It usually shoots under a half inch at 100, I've shot sub 2 inch 10 rounders at 400 but from time to time I get the random flyer. I'm more of the mind that my seating dies are the cause, that or it's my fault and I don't like that idea one bit. Do you use a drop tube to get all that powder down without too much crunch?
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I just use a funnel and tap it twice with the pan. I got to 24.5 before I heard a serious crunch.
 
Bfh_auto said:
Topprudder's post about neck turning got me thinking when I was trying to get my AR to shoot like I thought it should.
I worked up a load using PPU brass. This ended at 24.0 of IMR 4064 with a 77 SMK. My velocity was 2643 with an ES in the 70's. Accuracy was 1.25 for 10 shots. Sometimes it was better, but never worse than that.
I dug out my neck turner, flash hole deburrer, and primer pocket reamer. I after a lot of fun, I retested and velocity was 2655 with an ES of 13 and .75" groups.
If you do this in steps while watching TV, it doesn't seem as tedious.
223 rivals 30-30 for the worst quality control on brass.
The Hornady brass that I saved was a little more consistent than the ones from random FMJ fodder.
Click to expand...

Glad to see someone duplicate my results. I was surprised with the improvement in extreme spread when I neck turned.

Did you anneal your brass?
 
Toprudder said:
Glad to see someone duplicate my results. I was surprised with the improvement in extreme spread when I neck turned.

Did you anneal your brass?
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I usually do after 5 firings. These were once fired.
I couldn't believe the size of the burrs in the flash hole.
 
rsrocket1 said:
So you don't reload 9mm? ;)

Yes, .223 is pretty inconsistent between brass manufacturers. Sort your brass, use the good stuff for accuracy shooting, use the rest for times when you want to shoot and simply "let 'em fly"
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No sir. I can't shoot pistols well enough to tell a difference.
 
I think brass is the largest variable we have to deal with. With wall thickness and internal volume all over the place. I always wondered if some one took there bras, turn necks and sorted by measured internal volume (with the bullet seated) how much their groups would be.
 
Blue68f100 said:
I think brass is the largest variable we have to deal with. With wall thickness and internal volume all over the place. I always wondered if some one took there bras, turn necks and sorted by measured internal volume (with the bullet seated) how much their groups would be.
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I haven't fallen deep enough to dump water in my brass. I can't sit still and I have a 10 month old that keeps me from being outside. I decided to do crazy amounts of brass prep between work and playing with him.
 
Should try annealing if you don't already. Consistent neck tension will lower those ES numbers. If you don't have one get one of the Caldwell brass catchers with the picatinny mounts. They are awesome.
 
Wreck-n-Crew said:
Should try annealing if you don't already. Consistent neck tension will lower those ES numbers. If you don't have one get one of the Caldwell brass catchers with the picatinny mounts. They are awesome.
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I anneal every 5 firings.
I was bored one day and made one out of a coat hanger and duct tape. I will upgrade it when I place a midway order.
 
Wreck-n-Crew said:
Should try annealing if you don't already. Consistent neck tension will lower those ES numbers. If you don't have one get one of the Caldwell brass catchers with the picatinny mounts. They are awesome.
Click to expand...
Those rail mount catchers are really nice, if you have an open spot on the rail to mount it. I have one of those, and also the velcro strap version that works on just about anything, but it does not quite work as well as the rail mount version. Brass sometimes gets deflected back into the action.
 
Annealing every firing or every other firing is the only way to insure consistent neck tension. Brass will harden and change the neck tension. Not to mention it varies from case to case when and how much they harden. How much that will affect the SD's and group size I can't tell you. But the key to accuracy is consistency.
 
Toprudder said:
Those rail mount catchers are really nice, if you have an open spot on the rail to mount it. I have one of those, and also the velcro strap version that works on just about anything, but it does not quite work as well as the rail mount version. Brass sometimes gets deflected back into the action.
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I have heard that about the Velcro kind.

I bought an extra mount for the Ruger Carbine so I can switch the catcher fast and easy from My AR15. Love the thing. Especially the 300 Blackout brass...hate losing that stuff.
 
Wreck-n-Crew said:
I have heard that about the Velcro kind.

I bought an extra mount for the Ruger Carbine so I can switch the catcher fast and easy from My AR15. Love the thing. Especially the 300 Blackout brass...hate losing that stuff.
Click to expand...
That was my plan, to have a mount on each gun. But, with different optics mounted in different places, it ended up not being that practical having to adjust the net each time I changed guns. And I have one gun that I have no place to place the mount at all. I almost always shoot from a bench, and just don't want to lose my brass, so an occasional jam is not a real problem for me. I don't know why they designed the velcro cage differently from the rail mount version, it just doesn't hold the net open as well.
 
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