.223 Reloads

[D.Hayden]

How many times are people reloading thier 223 cases?

For matches, I only use the once fired stuff..

For practice.. how many times will you load them?

For now, during practice I'll pick them up, and throw them in a different bucket to keep them seperate.

[sargenv]

If you are max loading them, I think the general consensus is not more than 4 or 5 times.

If you are not max loading them, likely watch the base of the brass (near the web) for signs of incipient case head separation which appears as a ring down in that area. The only brass I ever saw that with was when I was loading 300 Win Mag for a Browning BAR. Obviously toss out or scrap any brass with split necks. I think Bolt gun guys get at least 10 to 15 firings from their rifle brass, but I figure they likely do not max load it and only neck size it since it's for just their rifle.

[D.carden]

I'm hesitant to load a "once fired" for a third time, even in practice anymore. I've had more than a few split cases recently with my third-timers........

Chris S. had one Saturday. He put his case extractor in there and it got stuck also. We literally drop'd a few of my steel cleaning rod extensions in the muzzle end to impact the case and clear it..........That was his new barrel also.....!!!!!

I'll shoot them once and thats it......!!!!

IIRC, Bevin Grams had an issue with a known brand re-manu'd at X3 last year...........!!!!!!!

Just one less thing to deal with............

Edited August 17, 2009 by D.carden

[el pres]

I was shooting practice brass for 6,7,8,9, times. I really lost track, to the point where you could not

read just who the headstamp was. Then I had a case split half way down on a 3X fired, LC case of all

brands, on the first shot of the last stage of this years SSM3G. So I think it's luck of the draw, but I will

now try to better my luck by firing only once fired brass in matches !!

[DyNo!]

I load my 5.56 brass until it cracks, a shiny ring develops at the base, or the primers fall out of a loaded cartridge.

I've loaded tens of thousands of rounds and had one case head separation.

I load the minimum load in 5.56x45 for whatever powder I'm using.