tcoz

I load 55gr Hornady FMJBT over 24.2gr H335 @ 2.25. This works best in my rifle.

I load 24.2gr of H335 and have always noticed slightly flattened primers with no other pressure signs. As you said, this is below max and also a pretty commonly used load.

There are all kinds of choices for trimmers and other various case prep tools. My advice would be to read the rifle reloading sections in whichever manuals you have, read the forums, especially here, thehighroad.org, ar15armory.com and watch a bunch of YouTube videos, paying particular attention to case prep. Then you can start to make some decisions about equipment. Good luck. I enjoy rifle reloading (.223, 300 BLK, .30-06, 7.5x55 Swiss) much more than pistol reloading.

I think most sources consider the Remington 7 1/2, CCI 450 and CCI 41 primers to be pretty equivalent in slam fire resistance. I've witnessed a slam fire in an AR and it wasn't a single loaded round or a case of a primer not being seated properly. It was commercial .223 that on further inspection appeared to be a spec loading. That's why I use the CCI 41 and CCI 34 primers in my AR and M1 loads.

It depends how demanding you are. With me, as long as it cycles my gun and I can shoot it reasonably accurately, I'm happy. I don't own a chronograph so I'm not concerned with hitting a specific velocity.

I sure hope you like TAC. 16lb for your first attempt at .223/5.56 is pretty gutsy ?. You should be GTG. Good luck.

I'm wondering whether anybody has had any experience with the Bullseye Camera System that I've been reading about. I read a great review of it and from what I saw of it on their website, it looks like something I might want to explore.

I recently read an article that said that reading primers isn't a good way to evaluate loads because they vary so much in their characteristics. Charge, cup thickness, space between anvil and cup and other factors all come into play and that makes it hard to compare apples to apples.

300 BLK cases are a shortened and necked down 5.56 case. Many people who load for it convert 5.56 cases. Actually, it isn't that specialized a caliber either. Suppressed, non-suppresses, supersonic or subsonic. It's a fun caliber that I enjoy shooting just as much as .223/5.56. The only real limitation as far as I'm concerned is that you don't really want to extend it out past 300 yds.

I bought a Lee Classic Turret a few years ago to get started with pistol reloading and now, many thousand rounds of 9mm, 45acp, .223, 300 BLK AND .30-06 later I'm still using it and would never give it up. I'm not a precision long range shooter, I just punch holes in paper and shoot some steel at 100 yds and for that it's ideal. It's inexpensive, easy to set up and can be used as a single stage or turret, whichever you prefer. Figure out your needs first then buy accordingly.

I only shoot 100 yds and X-Treme 55's are the only bullet I use. They're cheap and more than adequate for my purposes. 1.5-2 MOA.

Thanks RJH. Not having received my rifle yet and having no experience with them, I didn't know whether they could be downloaded. Now I know they can so I'll probably hold off on ordering a SLED. I agree that high primers cause the majority of slamfires. I always use CCI 41 mil-spec primers when I load for my AR's and plan to use CCI 34 mil-spec primers when I start loading .30-06 as an extra layer of protection.

So, you're saying that you insert a fully loaded clip then download it after its seated? I read today that the CMP doesn't recommend the use of a SLED but there wasn't any reason given. It seems that most Garand owners use them. Can anyone tell me why they're not recommended?

My original intent was to load single rounds whenever necessary by riding the bolt halfway before releasing it, but after reading so much about Garand slamfires, I've decided to use a SLED. I do have a couple of questions regarding this. First, can you only load an Enbloc clip with a full eight rounds? I'm asking this because I've seen clips that hold everything from the single round SLED all the way up to five or six rounds. Secondly, can any of these clips be downloaded or do all of them have to be loaded to their full capacity.

For those of you who handload .30-06 for an M1 Garand, what CCI primers do you use? I'll be loading 150gr FMJBT over IMR4895. I use CCI 5.56 NATO SRP's for my AR's but I don't know whether regular, magnum or NATO primers would be best for the Garand which I ordered yesterday from the CMP.

41's are the recommended primer for the AR platform, but not appropriate for pistol use due to their thicker cup. They're also equivalent to magnum rifle primers in charge strength.

To me, shooting and reloading are fun, experimenting is not. My needs aren't very demanding so when I find something I like, I stick with it.

If you decide to change to a heavier bullet and are stuck with a bunch of Xtreme 115gr PRN's, I might be willing to take them off your hands. PM me if you're interested.

I really like Bullseye for 45 and 9mm

If you're at the low end of your load range, try increasing it a bit and compare. If that doesn't work or if you're not comfortable with it, try changing powders. Lots of people say that Bullseye is dirtier than HP38, but I found the opposite to be true. I'm sure it had more to do with my load than the powder.

You might want to go ahead and try a batch your way and see what happens. The worst that can happen is that you'll get some discoloration which you can watch for by checking them every once in a while. This may also be dependent on which lube you're using. Since it isn't necessary to lube pistol cases anyway, you won't risk a stuck case like you would with bottleneck rifle cases. I'd be interested in knowing how it would turn out.

Lee lubricant is effective when it's "wet" or after it dries so I sometimes lube a bunch the night before, but I don't think I'd let them sit for an extended period of time.

I use Lee lube for pistol cases. It's water soluble and won't harm powder.

If you switch over to Imperial sizing wax for the cases and Imperial dry neck lube for the necks, you'll never have to deal with stuck cases again. It's quick, easy and very effective.

Lyman AR Reloading Handbook shows 15.5gr starting load and 17.0+ max load with OAL 2.075 for IMR4227 and Hornady 150gr FMJBT bullet.