justplainbob Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 After several years of reloading pistol ammunition with my Dillon 550B I have started loading .223 for my semi-auto AR. After decapping and trimming, I have been chamfering the inner lip of the brass with a hand reamer. The problem I am having is two-fold. One, an occasional round will have a miniscule bulge in the case where it starts to neck-down. This bulge causes the action to lock up as the case fits too tight in the chamber. The round does fit in my Dillon case gauge, albeit snug. Two, an occasional round will fail to feed into the chamber and the action will be locked open. Upon inspection I can find nothing wrong with the rounds, other than the bullet being forced deeper into the cartridge due to the jamming in the rifle.( I am using range brass that has been tumbled with SS media) Also, do I need to use the 4th station in my 550B, as I have been told not to crimp rifle rounds? Is that normal for the bullet to be able to be seated deeper by being jammed up in the action? Should it fit tighter? Thanks for any and all assistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
427Cobra Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Since your using Range brass, I suggest a small based FL sizing die, that should take care of the rounds that are getting stuck in the chamber and not allowing the bolt to close, I crimp all my semi auto rounds with a Lee FCD, but ever so lightly, I'm not doing it for feeding issues, but to ensure the bullet doesn't move when chambered, rifle rounds don't get the mouth of the case belled, so really crimping is just an insurance step for semi/full autos, you may have a weapon issue, not enough gas(adjustable gas block not set correctly, or port size too small), weak buffer spring combined with heavy buffer, gas key loose, tackle one issue at a time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youngeyes Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Your bullet sounds like its hitting the lands. I've included a video on using a gauge to set your brass for head-space. IMO it's the best way to load .223 for a semi auto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louu Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Bob, are you lubing the cases and doing a full length resize? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justplainbob Posted January 5, 2016 Author Share Posted January 5, 2016 Thanks for the replies. Yes, I am lubing my cases w/ Dillon case lube and doing a full-length resizing with a Lee sizing die. I am considering taking my rifle into a gunsmith to have the action looked at closely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrconst Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 If you are using flat bottom projectiles as opposed to boat tail, even with inner mouth chamfering I would get some neck crushing at bullet seating. Don't know if that's what you're referring to as bulge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justplainbob Posted January 5, 2016 Author Share Posted January 5, 2016 I am using flat-bottomed bullets, CBR. I will plan on getting some boat tails to try out. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louu Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 What barrel and bolt are you using? Did you do a head space check? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justplainbob Posted January 5, 2016 Author Share Posted January 5, 2016 Am using the factory bolt and barrel that came with my S&W AR. No, I failed to check head space. I am finding these necked cartridges are more involved than straight-walled pistol rounds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dauntedfuture Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 1. Buy a case guage and make sure your sized brass fits and that you are using a FL die and NOT a NK die. 2. If you are not trimming and your brass is longer than max length then you need to trim the brass too. 3. Make sure that your seating die is not set up to crimp. 4. Measure the ID of the cases, if they are UNDER .221 then you need a different sizing die. 5. Mike the expander ball on the sizing die, it should be .222 or so. I highly doubt that your rifle is the issue. You DO NOT need a SB FL die. If the ammo fits in the magazine and your loading standard weight bullets i dont think your bullets are seated too long and getting jammed; it could be if you are shooitng 30-40g FB bullets. "Bullet forced deeper "jamming the rifle" is not a type of malfunction. I suspect that you are having a Failure to feed in that you have a feeding issue. Make sure you lube your dies. "Wierd bulges in the necks" are usually from shaved pieces of brass or bullet. Pull a few loaded bullets and see what they look like; if there are deep scrateches then relook neck tension or chambefering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastly Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 I am using flat-bottomed bullets, CBR. I will plan on getting some boat tails to try out. Thanks! How are you sizing/trimming - Dillon size/trim die and RT2100/RT1500? These leave a very tight case neck which makes seating flat based bullets challenging. For flat based bullets, try using a Lyman Neck Expander M-die to slightly open the mouth of the case before seating. I find this useful but not strictly necessary: http://ballistictools.com/store/case-mouth-gage-224-308 If you are having problems keeping bullets vertical when seating, seating die with a floating sleeve might help: a http://www.midwayusa.com/product/192817/hornady-custom-grade-new-dimension-bullet-seater-die-22-hornet-222-remington-223-remington-22-250-remington Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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