Artsville Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 I am just using a single press as i don't shoot a high quantity of 223 as of yet. My question is when full length resizing the brass and checking with the dillon case gauge, some of my mixed head stamp brass is dropping below the low step a tad. The dillon manual tells you to toss them in the garbage, but is that really necessary? I realize i pushed the shoulders back a bit too much but could i still shoot these in an AR? What is the danger? Thanks a lot...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perrysho Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 (edited) Maybe! you need a set of calipers. Case length - 1.760. I set my lyman case trimmer at - 1.755. Thats going to vary a lil because the base on mixed brass will not be exactly the same. I use a EGW cartridge checker can check 7 at a time after they're loaded. I have 4 Progressive Presses 2 blue 2 red, but still load .223 on 2 single stage presses. a primer pocker swadge, and a small table top drill press. JMO-Military brass is a pain in the AZZZZ and requires more prep steps. If in doubt load some dummies, NO Primers or Powder check how they chamber in your rifle. If your wanting to load Match/Bullseye ammo you need a lot more info and equipment. JMO Be SAFE, Perry Edited March 17, 2013 by perrysho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgary Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Maybe! you need a set of calipers. Case length - 1.760. I think (?) the question was more about sizing/shoulder set-back, not trim length. If that's the case... "it depends". If you are talking about a couple of thousandths (e.g., the case-head is a couple of thousandths below the lower step), it's not a huge deal. Will be hard on the brass - the brass at the neck is going to stretch when you fire it, because it will balloon to fill the extra space, but that's not a huge deal. It just means your brass won't last as long. If it is more than a few thousandths, bad things can start to happen. Potential for case-head separation, gas leakage, etc. Especially if the loading is at the upper end of the pressure range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuildSF4 Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 It depends on how much short and it depends on the chamber of your AR, if it is tight chambered as are 2 of mine they may be just right. Check both and see, (above post also applies, so be careful). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glynnm45 Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 If you've really messed it up, cut it off to form 300AAC Blackout brass. If you don't shoot 300 BO sell it to someone who does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppa Bear Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Best I can recommend is to get a good set of calipers and then shoot some cartridges. Take the ejected cases and measure them for length from the base to the mouth, base to the lower shoulder, base to the upper shoulder. These will be the actual dimensions of your chamber. Now start sizing the cases so that the length to the shoulders is just a couple thousandths less than the fired cases and you should be good to go. The gauges are good for the overall average of chambers so once you produce a couple of known good cartridges, just check them in the gauge to see how they fit. You might be surprised at the differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omegaarms Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I have noticed that when the shoulder is setback too much that it will come loose of the extractor in an AR because it is seated to far forward at that point. Usually it will not fire at that point. It is best to function check it with your gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perrysho Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 JAKERS, Didn't make clear! When I have a problem I start checking all dimensions. then load some dummies coat with lay-out ink or tool makers ink and check from there. .223 is easy to load quality ammo, try .264 Win Mag, 22-250 or 7MM Mag. Usta shoot Silhouette. Perry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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