fdbyrne79

You shouldn't need to "fix" them. The decapping pin and sizing button inside your sizing die should take care of most, if not all, of them during the normal sizing process.

I've processed a lot of 223 cases with dented mouths without a problem. It likely won't be a problem.

I really fell in love with ETR7. Under a 124gr MG JHP 3.9gr of ETR7 chronos the same as 3.9gr of Titegroup but it much cleaner and shows no pressure signs. I chrono'd a 5-shot group at 4.3gr this morning with a SD of 2.

I have the WFT and love it. Most people that reply to this question will recommend the Giraud.

Don't assume that all MG bullets are only good for competition. They make a great 380 bullet and I don't know many people that shoot 380 competitively. I have a friend that does forensic bullet analysis for the Highway Patrol. I shot a 124gr MG 9mm JHP and a 165gr 40c JHP into the water tank and retrieved the projectiles. Both performed well enough that I have no reservations about carrying either for self defense.

Why not? Works fine for me and I've done over a 1000 cases so far. I didn't say that I'd refuse to use it with a cordless drill. Given the choice between a cordless drill with a WFT or an old lathe-type trimmer, I'd take the drill any day. I was just saying that I'm very happy with the WFT and it was a logical choice since I already had a benchtop drill press right there. Had I not already had a drill press I might have at least looked at other, more expensive options.

I moved my Ryobi benchtop drill press from my carpentry shop to my loading bench and put the WFT in it. It's great. Easily the quickest and most precise trimmer that I've ever used. I did close to 1000 223 cases just last night. It's actually really handy to have the drill press on the bench. I put neck brushes in it, reamers, chamfer & deburring tools, etc.

I load those bullets on top of 25.3gr of H335. I load them slightly longer than the 2.20" the manual suggests. It's a max load for .223 but it's where I found my sweet spot.

I'd like to see that data if you don't mind.

Go with the compressor. I have found no better way to clean a gun than to soak everything with solvent, give it a few strokes with a toothbrush, and then hit it with a burst of 125psi shop air. Every particle from every crevice just goes away. That alone is worth having a compressor in your gun room.

I made batches of 10 cartridges for each powder charge starting at my selected starting charge and increasing by .2gr up to the book maximum for 223. Then I did the same exact thing but applied a little crimp using the Lee FCD. That gave me 2 batches of 10 rounds for each weight, one crimped and one not. I used the same headstamp for all of them and made sure that they were all trimmed to the same length. I also weighed every charge and bullet. Weighing each bullet probably isn't necessary but I wasn't in any hurry and just wanted to take all possible variations out of the equation. I shot them all from a rest at 100 yards being careful to let the barrel cool between batches. When I found my sweet spot I worked up 30 more cartridges. 10 identical to the best performing of the previous test, 10 .1gr less, and 10 .1gr more and went back to the range. The tightest of those three groups become my go-to load. After all of that I was comfortable that I had found the best possible load for my gun and just started cranking them out. It's a lot of work but I'm anal like that and enjoy the process itself. It's definitely something that you would want to do on a single stage press though. You could then set up the progressive to duplicate the results after all the testing is done.

I looked at my data. I was close. I settled on 27.1gr of BL-C(2). My groups got consistently smaller right up to that point and then opened up again as the charge increased.

I like H335 because it is cost-effective and gives me very consistently good results. It's never caused me any problems with follow up shots. I have Varget but don't like it with the 55gr bullets. It works very well for heavier bullets but not the lighter ones in my experience.

I don't have my load data with me but it was near the high end for 223 pressure. I think my smallest group came at around 27.3gr if I remember correctly. I'll look when I get home just to be sure. The bullets were Hornady 55 SPs and FMJBTs in LC brass loaded to around 2.217" OAL. It shoots a lot softer than my H335 load. I've never chronoed it but I think the velocities are similar. The POIs for both are right about the same.

Graf's had H335 earlier in the week. I picked up 5 pounds. I probably should have bought more but didn't need to and wanted to leave some for the next guy. I definitely prefer H335 for 223 but I have a load worked up for BL-C(2) that I like too. Sometimes it's easier to find.

It's because the bullets, while the same diameter, are shaped differently. There's a noticeable difference if you compare them to most standard 9mm rounds. I'd post pictures of each if I were home.

They will shoot safely loaded for 9mm. The only concern is how they will feed. Some guns don't feed them as well as traditional 9mm bullets because the nose is less pointed and more round. You'll probably be just fine.

To each their own.

It works great if you have a spare drill press laying around. Very quick and accurate. I don't think I'd be so pleased with it if I were using it with a cordless drill like in some of the videos though.

I didn't mean that it was the actual point that made the difference. I meant that between the two exact bullets being asked about, I find the soft points to be more accurate. I wasn't saying that the point itself was the reason.

A good case trimmer is a must. I use a Worlds Finest Trimmer mounted in a drill press. It's very quick and accurate. You'll need a primer pocket swager for military brass. In my opinion the military brass is worth the extra step. It's good stuff and plentiful.

My gun actually prefers the soft points but because of their design they wouldn't do as well out past 200 yards.

Powder has a lot to do with felt recoil. All other components equal, my weakest H335 loads feel a lot more harsh than my strongest BL-C(2) loads, for example. You obviously know the rough velocity of the factory rounds but you don't really know what powder is used.

I don't think that they are intended to be loaded to magazine length. I've got the Hornady manual. It lists data separately for 223, 223 service rifle, and 5.56. None list an overall length short enough for a magazine. I think the Hornady 75gr BTHP are the longest bullets that can be safely loaded to function from a magazine.