Properly setting the depth on the 223 sizing die in a 650

[KentG]

I am looking for a YouTube link or vid or info.

I have been reloading pistol stuff for years. Last year or so I started loading 223 but used Scharch processed brass. Now I'm setting up a toolhead with a Redding national match full length size/decap and a case trimmer.

I'm ashamed to say that I need to ask how exactly deep to set the die in station 1 ?? Run it down till it touches? I don't want to waste brass by trial and error and not get the best consistency.

I have a couple case gauges including a JP case gauge. The ammo will be used in a couple different rifles with the primary being a JP.

This topic could go here or rifle and if mods need to move please do so.

[Loop51]

I am just learning this myself so take this with a grain of salt lol

The best way to do this is to take a fired case from your rifle and bump the shoulders back a few thousandths to ensure it cycles.

Here is how I done it:

I have a Hornady bulley comparator which I used to measure the distance from the case head to the shoulders on a case fired from my rifle. I set up my sizing die to where it just touched the shell plate with the ram up. I backed it off 1/2 turn and put the fired case it. Once it had been sized, I remeasured the shoulder length and checked to see if it was .002-.003" shorter. Based on what I found, I adjusted the die and tried again.

Once I got the measurment I was looking for, I case guaged the now sized case to check it.

You could bump the shoulders all the way back to the factory setting but that would probably be several thousandths. If you do that, you would be working the brass pretty hard and could shorten its life. You may also not have the best accuracy in your rifle this way as your chamber may be larger.

Since you are doing this for several rifles, you will want to be sure the headspacing is good for all of them. Hope that helps!

[Boxerglocker]

I personally start with the die just touching the shellplate, then move down in increments of 1/8 of a turn until the sized ammo case gauges correctly in a Dillon case gauge. I have measured Hornady comparator, my average shoulder bump is 0.0026 using this method which chambers mixed brass and cycles in 3 different rifles flawlessly. You will find in most cases that a slight over cam of the shellplate on the press up stroke.

[yellow]

I had problems with this when I started reloading 223 for my STI AR15.

I installed the dies like dillon explains in the manual, so the die touching the shellplate, and then turn back off a little.

This way my brass fitted the dillon case gauge perfectly, but when I made a few dummies I had a lot of difficulties retracting them back out of the gun! The cases were stuck in the chamber and I had to pull the charging handle with my 2 hands (and someone else holding the gun) to get them back out!

People told me to turn the die 1/6 deeper instead of backing off, and this solved my problem completely.

Edited January 11, 2013 by yellow

[Religious Shooter]

The above is another case where the fixed settings of a given case gage didn't work.

As in another thread I would recommend that you eventually get either the RCBS mic or the Hornady headspace bushings:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/477756/rcbs-precision-mic-223-remington

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/479704/hornady-lock-n-load-headspace-gage-5-bushing-set-with-comparator

The RCBS/Hornady tools will work off of your chamber(s).

Once you get the RCBS/Hornady, if you want to set the headspace to work in a variety of rifles, I would measure a factory loaded round that works in all of your rifles. Then set the die to size the cases to match the measurement you got from the factory rounds.

[yellow]

To determine the headspace, I just take an empty case, and I make a cut over the complete length of the neck of the case with my dremel.

Then I just push in a bullet a few millimeters, and I insert the case with the bullet in the chamber of my gun. Then I close the bolt of my rifle, so the bullet gets pushed into the case by the lands & grooves. Now just eject the case from your rifle. You should make your rounds a litlle shorter than this one.

[traderpats]

Yellow, you're confusing terms. Headspace is the measurement from the boltface to the datum line on the brass case. For the best measurement if tayloring to a specific rifle, use a headspace guage like the one from Hornady and bump the shoulder back around .003. However if reloading ammo that may be used in multiple rifles follow the manufactures directions for setting the dies then adjust until it works is a case guage which should be saami spec.

The method you mention is for loading a bullet to the lands for bullet "jump". This is useful for bolt action rifles but in ar type of rifles (not counting single load ammo) you'll run out of mag room before you get anywhere near the lands. Two different things altogether. Hope that helps...

Edited January 13, 2013 by traderpats