An issue resizing .223 Brass

[RoundEye]

I am relatively new to reloading and I am having an issue resizing once fired .223 brass and am hoping for some help.

It seems that regardless of manufacture I don't seem to be able to resize all my spent brass enough that it will fit in the .223 case gauge. I originally thought that it might be a .223 vs. 5.56 problem given the longer throat, so a few rounds of each .223 (Brand New LC Brass, that I hand loaded), & 5.56 (Federal Factory) and both round had no problem fitting in the resizing gauge below the first lip and parallel with the second. My next thought was that the sizing die was not adjusted properly, so I backed it all the way out raised up the ram, and screwed in the die until it was touching. I then lowered the ram and screwed the die in another 1/4 turn. Unfortunately, that did not make a difference, so as the manual said I kept screwing it in closer and running different cases through until the die had reached it's furthest point of adjustment. Although I do believe that I did see a little improvement at the furthest point of adjustment, it was nothing consistent enough to make the majority of the cases fit into the gauge with little issue and/or effort.

The majority of the case fits into the cause gauge without issue however, it's the last portion of the brass just prior to the ejector rim that seems to be causing the problem.

I did some quick search online, and did see that other's have had similar issues, but there did not appear to be any kind of resolution. Some mentioned to purchase a .223 small base die, but no results from such a purchase were ever reported. It seemed like it was an issue for some, and not for others. It seemed to have nothing to do with the type of press or manufacture of the dies.

Hopefully someone has had this issue before and can offer up a quick fix.

[XDRoX]

Normally lowering the die will fix your problem, but since you already did that there are a few options.
Try a small base die. This is what they're for.
Possibly you have a defective die although not likely.
Bad brass that has been fired through a machine gun and not behaving like it should. So no matter what, it's not going to completely size.

And the most popular solution, which I use, ignore the issue
Chances are your ammo will still fire fine. Case gauges are far more picky than most AR's.

Hope this helps.

[gunboat]

I generally agree with rox -- also checkto see if your sized EMPTY case chambers in your rifle.

[Fjold]

Does the sized brass fit your rifle?

I've been reloading for 30+ years and I've never owned any kind of case gauge. Chambers vary so much that I size my cases to fit each individual gun.

[XDRoX]

I've been reloading for 30+ years and I've never owned any kind of case gauge.

You've saved yourself a lot of grief . They're more trouble than they're worth.

[Fastattack]

I'm not so sure case gages aren't worth while. After having a round get stuck in my chamber because of a slight unseen bulge, I tend to check all my cases. I suppose I could take my gun apart and use the barrel, but that is more trouble than it is worth.

[BamBam-31]

I had the same thing happen to me, but the cause may be somewhat unique to my situation. The decap stem in my die was bent, so it skewed the necks a tad when the expander ball went out. Brass would go into gauges okay til the very end, where it would stick a little.

Didn't discover the bent stem til I decided to clean the die one day. Called RCBS, and the sent me a whole new stem free of charge. Haven't had that problem since.

[LAWABIDINGCITIZEN]

Bad brass that has been fired through a machine gun and not behaving like it should. So no matter what, it's not going to completely size.

And the most popular solution, which I use, ignore the issue
Chances are your ammo will still fire fine. Case gauges are far more picky than most AR's.

I have seen this for a long time and my last batch had the same problem. Commerical once fired goes in the gauge just fine when resized. Mil-brass that I've decrimped just doesn't go in all the way.

I fired both types yesterday and had no problems in my Mini-14.

Of course, I have a broken shell extractor in my range bag just in case.....

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=250034

[popeye4]

I'm not so sure case gages aren't worth while. After having a round get stuck in my chamber because of a slight unseen bulge, I tend to check all my cases. I suppose I could take my gun apart and use the barrel, but that is more trouble than it is worth.

Yeah, I had that happen, too, and they really get a good interference fit when they are just a smidge over sized. I always size my AR loads with a small base die now.

OP, you probably need a small base sizing die. Standard dies don't size all the way to the case head, that's what the small base die does for you. It sounds like your brass is just a little fat at the base.

[CSACANNONEER]

What type of dies are you using? You have several options. The first is to get small base dies. The second a few thousandth off your shell holder or the base of your dies until your dies bump the shoulder within spec and sizes the base of your brass too. Of course, there is always the best way to go and that would be to have your dies, chamber gauge and chamber all cut with the same reamer. But, that's more for the anal loader who wants to eliminate the variables which different reamers might present.

[problemchild]

Had the same problem.

Get a small base die preferably a carbide die. Also get a JP case gauge (minimum sammi spec tolerance). If the loaded round sticks in the gauge its not GTG.

Screw the die down until you get your correct headspace. You are checking HS right?

[epcii]

I'm so glad I found this thread. I've had more than a few range trips cut short due to a stuck round. I've been using Lee's FL sizing die.

[RoundEye]

Wow, thank for the all the responses. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one that has had this issue. The majority of the brass is Federal XM193F, that has all been swaged. There is some ATI (Made in Turkey) that did not have the crimp, but the majority of those do not completely resize, but some did. The funny thing is that the majority of the .223 Remington, PMC, and Winchester seem to resize OK.

checkto see if your sized EMPTY case chambers in your rifle.

Does the sized brass fit your rifle?

The rifle I am using to fire the ammo is a match AR. I just dropped a few of the "little out of spec" cases in the bore, and the bolt appears to seat and close without issue.

I had the same thing happen to me, but the cause may be somewhat unique to my situation. The decap stem in my die was bent, so it skewed the necks a tad when the expander ball went out. Brass would go into gauges okay til the very end, where it would stick a little.

I thought it might have been something to do with the recapping die, so I pulled the stem and tried running the cases just through the body die, and it really didn't seem to make a difference.

I have seen this for a long time and my last batch had the same problem. Commerical once fired goes in the gauge just fine when resized. Mil-brass that I've decrimped just doesn't go in all the way.

I fired both types yesterday and had no problems in my Mini-14.

Good to know about the Mini not having any issues. I wonder if the blown out body has anything to do with the swaging process.

Yeah, I had that happen, too, and they really get a good interference fit when they are just a smidge over sized. I always size my AR loads with a small base die now.

OP, you probably need a small base sizing die. Standard dies don't size all the way to the case head, that's what the small base die does for you. It sounds like your brass is just a little fat at the base.

I'll be shooting another match at the range tomorrow, so I'll swing by the reloading store and see what they have for small base .223 dies.

Had the same problem.

Get a small base die preferably a carbide die. Also get a JP case gauge (minimum sammi spec tolerance). If the loaded round sticks in the gauge its not GTG.

Screw the die down until you get your correct headspace. You are checking HS right?

Are carbide dies generally more expensive since they do not require case lube? The case gauge I am using is a .223 gauge made by Lyman. I set up the resizing\decapping die in my press per the instructions.

I just want to be safe when reloading and the guy who showed me how said you should gauge every case just so you know there is nothing out of wack.

[problemchild]

DO NOT MIX BRASS! The kind of problems you are having will result. Mixing brass will give you varied results including wrong head space, wrong sizing, wrong trimming, wrong seating etc.

A full length die is not the same as a small base die.

AS I SAID ABOVE GET THE JP CASE GAUGE!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhgWqrvdzrU

After you have completed your loaded ammo drop all of them into the JP gauge BEFORE you put them in the box. If they stick set them in a box for dismantling and resizing again. This is a sure fire way to keep stuck rounds out of your chamber.

Like I said I just went through this and its a nightmare. I now use the dillon 223 carbide 3 die set (small base- full length). I screw the die down till it hit and then go about 1/16th of a turn more. You do NOT want to cam over the press as it will wear the press out. Dillon will grind the bottom of the sizer die off a few thousands if you need to take off more to get the base of the brass sized. I do not think this will be necessary.

My redding single stage will size the base much smaller than my dillon 650 press because of the die to shell plate clearance.

Make sure to measure 10 fired rounds and average the headspace to get your rifles headspace. Bump your shoulders back 2-3 thousands more than the average. If you run a dillon 650 or 550 measure the adjusted headspace when all stations are full or your readings will be wrong.

Wow, thank for the all the responses. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one that has had this issue. The majority of the brass is Federal XM193F, that has all been swaged. There is some ATI (Made in Turkey) that did not have the crimp, but the majority of those do not completely resize, but some did. The funny thing is that the majority of the .223 Remington, PMC, and Winchester seem to resize OK.





The rifle I am using to fire the ammo is a match AR. I just dropped a few of the "little out of spec" cases in the bore, and the bolt appears to seat and close without issue.

I thought it might have been something to do with the recapping die, so I pulled the stem and tried running the cases just through the body die, and it really didn't seem to make a difference.



Good to know about the Mini not having any issues. I wonder if the blown out body has anything to do with the swaging process.



I'll be shooting another match at the range tomorrow, so I'll swing by the reloading store and see what they have for small base .223 dies.



Are carbide dies generally more expensive since they do not require case lube? The case gauge I am using is a .223 gauge made by Lyman. I set up the resizing\decapping die in my press per the instructions.

I just want to be safe when reloading and the guy who showed me how said you should gauge every case just so you know there is nothing out of wack.

[problemchild]

Carbide dies NEED lubing. Even titanium nitride dies need lubing. The dies just make it much easier to size and your press is not jerking all over as you enter and exit the die. I much prefer the carbide and nitride dies.

Wow, thank for the all the responses. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one that has had this issue. The majority of the brass is Federal XM193F, that has all been swaged. There is some ATI (Made in Turkey) that did not have the crimp, but the majority of those do not completely resize, but some did. The funny thing is that the majority of the .223 Remington, PMC, and Winchester seem to resize OK.





The rifle I am using to fire the ammo is a match AR. I just dropped a few of the "little out of spec" cases in the bore, and the bolt appears to seat and close without issue.

I thought it might have been something to do with the recapping die, so I pulled the stem and tried running the cases just through the body die, and it really didn't seem to make a difference.



Good to know about the Mini not having any issues. I wonder if the blown out body has anything to do with the swaging process.



I'll be shooting another match at the range tomorrow, so I'll swing by the reloading store and see what they have for small base .223 dies.



Are carbide dies generally more expensive since they do not require case lube? The case gauge I am using is a .223 gauge made by Lyman. I set up the resizing\decapping die in my press per the instructions.

I just want to be safe when reloading and the guy who showed me how said you should gauge every case just so you know there is nothing out of wack.