.223 Loading Problems - Brand New to this. Help!

[Adam Larsen]

OK - I am totally new to loading, but have sucessfully loaded several hundred rounds of .45 ACP. I am loading with a new Dillon 550, with Dillon dies. I have the .45 dies setup on a dedicated toolhead with a dedicated power measurer. I have the same setup for .223 rem. I attempted to load .223 last night but ran into some problems and cannot figure it out. I setup the dies to the "T" how the dillon video says to. The problem that I am having is the bullet is dropping into the casing during the seating stage (stage #3). This is happening in about 1 out of every 3-5 rounds. I am seating them to an overall length of 2.258, or at least attempting to! The bullets were bought through Georgia Arms and are .224 dia. 55gr FMJ - but not sure of original manuf. I have measured factory ammo that I pulled apart to see if there is any difference, but have not found any. The internal mouth and external mouth measurements are the same. The bullet dia is the same. I am at a loss and so inexperienced I am not sure what to look for. Thanks for any help on this.

[KenOrris]

Sounds like the sizing die is wroing or out of spec.

Measure a neck on the outside with your calipers before sizeing, after sizing, and with the bullet inserted.

I just measured a few of mine and here is what I came out with:

.252

.243

.246

This shows I have .003 of neck tension.

You might not have exatly the same, but they should be close, and the difference between the above should be real close. If not, call Dillon.

[mdstihl]

Adam, it sounds as though your case neck isn't being resized correctly, somehow. The bullet should not seat easily, much less fall into the case, during seating. Try adjusting your resizing die so that the case goes into it further, if you haven't already. Most likely, someone else with more knowledge than me will give you the correct answer shortly. But that's what I'd try first.

[dillon]

Adam,

Have you had to take advantage of the stuck case removal feature of the 223 size die? If so, it may have flared out the bottom of the upper decap bolt, directly above the carbide expander ball. Measure this with calipers and check the measured diameter at that point.