Getting ready to start reloading rifle bullets for the first time

[SWThomas]

I've been loading pistol for a while now and have done thousands of them. I'm ready to get into loading for my rifles. I currently have a .30-06 bolt rifle (not planning to load for it), an AR-15, and an AR-10 in 308 WIN. I've accumulated a bunch of 223/5.56 and 308 brass and I have one box of SMK 175g HPBT in 308. I just put a backorder in with Brownells for 16 pounds of Alliant AR Comp and will be picking up more bullets and some primers soon. I've read enough on the forums to learn about case trimming, lubrication, swaging mil-brass, and a lot of other useful data on loading rifle bullets. What I'm looking for is input on the following questions...

1. Are steel dies fine or should I spring for the carbide dies?

2. What primers would you recommend for max accuracy in the 308? The 223 will be for plinking so I'll use whatever I can find.

3. I'm reading that AR Comp is a shorter cut extruded powder, so it's supposed to meter better than other extruded powders like Varget. Anything special I need to pay attention to when throwing 223 charges on the Dillon 550? I'll be loading the 308 for accuracy so I'll be measuring powder and filling cases off the press.

4. Being that all the bullets I'm loading will be used in AR platforms, should I crimp or not?

5. What are some good 223 bullets I can buy in bulk?

6. Any other general advice before I get started?

[Hitchhiker]

The only carbide dies for bottleneck rifle cartridges available might be from Dillon for large volume commercial production reloading. Even then, bottleneck carbide dies still require sizing lube. So they save nothing. They may ease sizing very slightly on progressive presses but usually you won't see or feel any difference.

For autoloading rifles some die makers recommend small base dies. All Dillion rifle dies for 223 and 308 are small base dies. Some companies that don't market special small dies make their dies size smaller than other non-small base dies.

RCBS makes X-dies. They are available in standard and small base. They are all meant for loading for autoloading rifles but have an anvil to prevent case or limit case stretching. Certain special loading rules apply to using X-dies but case life is extended.

I use small base RCBS dies. I have some small base X-dies and understand exactly how they work but I haven't used the X-dies yet. I've used the traditional RCBS regular and small base dies since 1984.

I have some Lee and Redding dies and a set of Hornady dies.

I have a set of Forster dies I use only for bolt action rifles. They do make the most accurate ammunition though. There are now copies of the Forster dies that have micrometer adjustments. It's not the adjustment but the design of the dies that make them so precise and centered. Some of the copies look just as good and maybe a bit sturdier but I don't know if that is needed.

If loading used cases, crimped primer pockets will work hard on breaking or wearing the decapping pin. Some RCBS dies include spares. Lee dies have the strongest decapping pins.

Lee dies work but have the roughest finish.

Redding dies have the nicest polished finish.

There are defective dies from all makers. RCBS quality (like others) has gone down a bit lately.

The best 308 primers for accuracy are the Federal 210M match or Gold Metal Match primers with plain 210 primers beinga second choice. After those, any of the CCI primers. Avoid current production Winchester primers. Current Remington primers might be only slightly better than Winchester. They are safer but accuracy with them isn't what it used to be.

For 223, use only CCI or Remington magnum or bench rest primers. These have thick enough cups to handle 223 pressure and firing pins. Federal now sells a special AR205 primer just for 223 ammunition. These are similar to CCI 41 primers. Stay with these or CCI-450, CCI BR4 or Remington 7 1/2.

Remington 6 1/2 primers are meant for 22 Hornet and are super weak and thin.

CCI-400 primers are the same primers CCI sells as small pistol magnum primers. These have thinner cups than CCI small rifle magnum primers.

Current Winchester primers are nothing but trouble.

Standard Federal 205 (non-AR) small rifle primers have cup thickness between CCI standard and magnum primers but are very soft and not as tough as CCI primers and are more strike sensitive.

[Hitchhiker]

Finding, "good" bulk 223 bullets is not always easy. There are real junk bullets available and there are real expensive bullets.

If you can find a deal on American-made bullets you are way ahead.

Many foreign-made bullets are disappointing, but there are a very few good ones available from time to time.

The economy imported bullets are usually made by Armscor of the Philippines and by Prvi of Serbia, sometimes sold under the, "Mil Spec" brand. Of these bullets, the 55 grain FMJ bullets are reasonable. The lead core 62 grain bullets are terrible in accuracy. Prvi also makes a green tip penetrator 62 grain bullet which is fairly decent quality. The Privi / Mil Spec 69 grain, "match" bullet is sold at match bullet price but is nowhere near match quality. Of these, if and when I can find them, the green tip is first followed by the 55 grain FMJ bullets. The Prvi 55 grain bullet might be slightly better than the Armscor one. The 62 grain lead core bullets from both companies are disappointing.

If splurging for the 75 grain Hornady bullets, make sure to get the one that loads to the length you want. One loads longer than magazine length and must be single hand loaded. The other one loads to standard 223 length.

Avoid Federal 223 Remington cases. They are very thin in the case head and soft. The Federal cases that are marked, FC" with two digits for the year are similar to military cases and don't suffer this weakness. They usually do have crimped primers though.

Remington cases are soft but usually don't fail as often as Federal cases. Their rims can get bent or torn out of shape.

Winchester cases are fairly hard.

Prvi cases can be a soft but may be reloadable a time or two. Note how the primers seat for pocket looseness / expansion.

[Eric D.]

1. I sprung for a Dillon carbide size die and I would make that decision again. Decapping pins - Dillon size dies come with extras. I've read many reviews of Lee decapping pins breaking, sometimes after only a few hundred cases. My Dillon size die has processed several thousand crimped primer pockets and I've yet to break a decapping pin.

3. Throw and weigh several charges to check for variation. I loaded some H322 which is a short cut extrude on a 550B and I think variation was no more than 0.1 grains. If AR Comp is anything like H322 it won't cause any flow or bridging problems in the powder die or case mouth. Whatever variation you find, just stay that much under max loads and you shouldn't have a problem.

4. I crimp with a Lee factory crimp die. If the neck tension on your cases is good after sizing you probably don't need to crimp. Imo though, crimping is an added reliability factor and it doesn't hurt anything. Its not like it takes extra time on progressive either.

5. Hornady bullets are good and I think some varieties have been in stock at Midway recently. 55 gr FMJs, V-Max, Z-max, etc. are good bullets and are priced well. Like the others have said, beware of some of the bulk 55 gr FMJs out there. I've loaded a bunch that had inconsistent ogives and cannelures and it was impossible to keep a consistant OAL.

[AFshirt]

I started loading 223 a while ago. I started with Sierra 77g HPBTs and they did great with no crimp on the seating die and then a light crimp with the LEE Fcd. Then I bought a bag of 55g pull downs with a cannelure and read that you should crimp on the cannelure. Big mistake. I couldnt get a group to save my life. I went back to just using neck tension and the Lee factory crimp die and started getting groups again.

[SWThomas]

As far as sizing and trimming, are you guys depriming and sizing before you trim? Seems like it would make sense to size first so the OAL doesn't change if you sized after trimming...

Here's how I have it laid out in my head...

- Tumble brass in dry media just to lightly clean the outside.
- Lube, size, and deprime.
- Trim.
- Wet tumble to get everything clean.
- Prime, charge, seat bullets on the press.

[Hitchhiker]

As far as sizing and trimming, are you guys depriming and sizing before you trim? Seems like it would make sense to size first so the OAL doesn't change if you sized after trimming...

Here's how I have it laid out in my head...

- Tumble brass in dry media just to lightly clean the outside.
- Lube, size, and deprime.
- Trim.
- Wet tumble to get everything clean.
- Prime, charge, seat bullets on the press.

Generally you want to trim and chamfer after sizing. The sizing stretches the length of the cases and not all cases stretch exactly the same. I like to have all of my cases the same length so my loading and crimping results are same for each round.

The X-die calls for a shorter than usually trim length but you only trim the cases once with it and then it's anvil keeps all of the cases the same length. The case neck will grow in diameter and thickness with the X-die because it compresses the case at the case mouth. It is a completely different type of die but can extend case life for auto loading rifles. In 223 you have to watch for primer pocket looseness and bent and damaged rims, so I don't know if the X-die would really extend case life. It seems to work well in other calibers and should work fine in 223. I haven't tried mine yet but I understand the theory of it.