Handloading for the AR w/ new brass

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SRMohawk

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Gentlemen,
When handloading for the AR, is it at all necessary to run VIRGIN .223 Remington brass (specifically, Lapua match brass) through a full-length sizing die before throwing charges and seating projectiles? Or, will running a neck-sizing die over it do?
 
Try them in your chamber to find out for sure.
While most of the replies I have seen here recommend full length I prefer to neck size only my new brass.

jim
 
Gentlemen,
While I've ONLY burned my own handloads in my rifles and handguns for almost 15 years now, I've never approached the manufacture of ammunition for a rifle anything like the AR. This is my first gas-operated, self-loading rifle, after all! So I've got at least a few questions floating around in my noodle about manufacturing ammunition for it. And the subject of what exactly I need to do with virgin brass -- high-quality brass, at that -- is currently at the forefront of my thoughts.

I'll tell ya though, as long as I've used Starline brass for my handguns and RWS, Lapua, or Norma brass for my rifles, I've NEVER had to full-length size any of it. And I've never had a problem! Why should it be different here, right? :confused:
 
Always full length size for any rifle that isn't a bolt action. If you get one stuck you'll be back on here asking us how to get it out.
 
New brass should not need to be sized at all, even for the AR platform. I've shot a batch of 1000 new brass through mine without any issue. A buddy of mine buys 100% new brass and he goes through roughly 10K a year, he doesn't size either.
 
I have always full length sized new or used brass going into my ARs. I feel much better about the brass if I know it has been resized so I do it. I don't know if any of it needs it but I full length size anyways for peace of mind.
 
+1 for what Whitman31 says.

Other than running an expander button thorough an obviously deformed case mouth I consider FL sizing new cases as a waste of time.

Does anyone out there think that any of the major ammunition manufacturers run new brass cases through sizing dies before the loading process? Remember, this would entail lubing every bottle-necked case and cleaning of the lube. Think about it.

I've been hanloading since the early 70s and have never FL sized new brass. I've also never had a malfunction from not doing so.
 
Drop them in your case gauge and see if they need to be sized. You do have a case gauge, right? If not, you really ought to ge one for your semi. It's a much better way to see if they fit than having to slam the buttstock on the concrete while pulling on the bolt handle.
 
I treat new brass as once fired and for 223 Rem, I run them through the FL sizer die and process as normal, trimming to get a consistant length if necessary, and deburring the case mouth, etc.

Some folks don't think that is necessary but this was how I learned it many moons ago.

LGB
 
I full length size all my new brass for the ar and than do all the rest of the prep work. I have fired about 1000 new cases without sizing with no problems but the necks are not always round on new cases so I just full length size them all since after you fire them you need to fls. I would save the Lapua brass for long rang shooting 500 yds or further and use winchester or lake city brass for any shooting at shorter distances.
 
If you don't resize new case mouths, their frequent out of round situation will result in some having bullets seated more crooked than others. And some bullets will have enough jacket material scraped off to unbalance them enough to hurt accuracy.

Factorys making cases then loading them don't have those case necks dented by handling such as cases alone packaged for sale.
 
Wow! You're very much divided on the answer to my question, fellas. But given my past experiences with handloading for big, high-power bolt-guns, I'm gonna go with those of you who say 'neck size only' with new/virgin brass, even if we are talking about an AR platform. Nevertheless, for those of you who think this is foolish/dangerous, I'll not completely through caution to the wind here. I did, in fact, purchase a Wilson case gauge for the .223 Remington when I purchased all the myriad handloading and maintenance tools needed for realizing optimal performance in an AR. So I'll go ahead and use it to check each and every one of the cases I bought to launch this project . . . at least for the first batch of 1000, that is. And if I find none outside the appropriate dimensions, I dispense with this procedure in the future.

Still, I have a lingering question: Is it the same thing to run new brass through a neck-sizing die as it is to run them through an expander die. I did, after all, purchase a nice .22 calibre carbide mandrel for my expander die, too. I just didn't, like I said, buy a neck-sizing die.
 
From the "Biggest Mistake" thread here in the reloading forums:

April 23rd, 2009, 01:52 PM #64
Historian
Senior Member


Join Date: 10-06-07
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 153

Not running 100 pieces of brand new brass through the sizing die before loading it. Not life threatening but a stupid mistake that jammed my gun several times before if figured out what the deal was. Duh.

Historian
Click to expand...
 
Roc,
What brand of brass was this guy using? If it was Lapua or Norma, I'd be remiss not to heed your advice here. But if is was pretty much anything else, I still think just checking the cases with a size gauge would be enough. The brass those Scandanavians make is just that good, after all!
 
I've had two sessions of hanloading large numbers of new cases. First one was in 1971 when the M16 was first allowed in high power service rifle matches at the Nationals.

Our Navy team had sixteen rifles with Clerke match barrels and fitted with Redfield Int'l. rear sights. Standard mil spec chambers were used. We got a few thousand Remington cases and loaded a couple dozen as is and the same amount with neck-sized cases. There was a noticable improvement in accuracy with the neck sized cases. We went to the Nationals with neck sized virgin cases.

The other one was in 1991 developing ammo for Sierra's first 30 caliber 155-gr. Palma bullet. Using new Winchester cases with tighter than normal dimensional specs, those with necks run over a Lyman neck expander to uniform case mouth diameters tested more accurate than original brass was used.

Whatever method one uses with new cases to make mouth diameters more uniform will make them shoot more accurate.
 
I do like LGB. It doesn't matter what the caliber is new brass gets sized and treated just like once fired. FL sizing is the only way to go for a AR 15.
Rusty
 
nefarmboy's link to Sierra's info with good information is often cited. But it lacks one important part of reloading fired cases from service rifles.

None of the services shops building match grade M1, M14 and M16 rifles square the bolt face perpendicular to the chamber axis. New cases fired in such rifles have their heads flattened somewhat more out of square than when new. Military teams have tried to reload their fired cases (match grade and regular service) but accuracy was never as good as new cases. Their teams use new cases for all handloading.

If one buys surplus cases, it'll take 3 or 4 firings in a bolt action rifle with a squared bolt face to return them to square case heads. They'll never square up if the rifle they're fired in doesn't have a squared bolt face.
 
I will side with the FL size group. For my purposes, I felt that knowing it would work before the bolt slammed home was preferable. ARs are a major pain to get a stuck round out of......
 
For all you ladies that resize new brass I want to know something. When you buy a new box of ammo, do you resize that as well?

Really, I don't care whether or not you do but I just want to know if you're being consisent.

As for me, I have a long history of risky reloading practices of not resizing new brass in a variety of guns. I would rather be shooting than going through an unneeded handloading operation.
 
For all you ladies that resize new brass I want to know something. When you buy a new box of ammo, do you resize that as well?
Click to expand...

No because this lady doesn't buy factory ammo, I reload everything I shoot. New ammo is for real he-men.

Rusty
 
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