Which brands of dies should I consider buying for a 5.56/223 AR rifle? Currently using a single stage press. Thanks.

Hard to go wrong with RCBS.

RCBS or Redding/Forester.

I have loaded thousands of rounds for an AR in 223. I have never used small base dies...

When I first started loading for on (long time ago) I bought SB dies. I have also loaded a ton of sub .5MOA ammo for varmint rifles with the same SB dies, so I'm not sure there is a down side, obviously not a necessity.

Pick your poison but there is no need for SB dies.....headspace trumps base

YMMV as I've only ran 9 or 10k through the AR platform

There is no drawback to using small base dies, they do not "overwork" the brass. What they will do, is ensure that your reloads will fit and work in any rifle chambered as such. Since I have several different rifles, I like the idea that my ammo is completely interchangeable with no worries. I use similar reasoning on my M-1 and M-1A and I load all 30/06 and 308 with 4895 or 4064 so that my bolt gun ammo is compatible with my auto's. Not trying to start an argument, just pointing out that the manufacturers make and recommend SB dies for a reason. I discovered all this with a couple of mini-14's that were finicky compared to my colt which will chamber anything I feed it.

For that caliber I would go with Small base, seems confusing but the SB dies actually retrn the case to factory specs. The manufacturer does that since they do not know what gun you will be using so it must work in all.

What brand, I have always been a fan of RCBS however lately I have leaning to the LEE with the powder thru dies saves an extra step

I've used SB dies since the early 60's for calibers I have more than one rifle/pistol in or that I buy once fired brass for, especially for 223, 308, 30-06 that I have maybe a couple of loads for hunting, varminting and target.

I've encountered such a variation in chambers in factory/military rifles AND variations in the various brands of sizing dies, it is the only way to be relatively economical.

It's also one way to start out with SAAMI minimum sized cases if you want to do any wildcatting or swap around various case families to make a different caliber wildcat using a "standard" 308 or 30-06...not so much in todays world where just about ALL the slots are filled already.

If you have just one rifle then pick the cheapest set of dies and gettoit.

I have a set of Lee really-cheap-dies I found in a yard sale a LONG time ago in 223, that still makes perfect ammo for half a dozen rifles and a couple of pistols with NO problems making half minute rounds with the 55 gr Sierra and a half dozen powders.

I also have a set of 223 dies in all the other brands or a sizer or seater anyway. I like Hornady for the elliptical sizer button, Forster or Redding dial seater's, Redding bushing sizer's so I can fit the necks better on my fancy custom chambered rifles, and RCBS...so pick your poison, they're all good.

What kind of shooting are you going to do? What kind of brass are you going to use?

I shoot mostly Service Rifle with the AR. I shoot mostly 69 grain magazine length loads, with some 80 grain loaded too long for the magazine. A micrometer equipped seat die is nice for this. It is also very nice to have Benchrest size die with neck inserts to control neck tensions. I really like the die set I have from Redding, which has both of these.

I do have other die sets. I have a small base die set. If you buy once fired surplus brass, you probably need one of these. Some percentage of it will probably be machinegun fired. Machineguns are usually set to have really loose headspace.

During the Fall-Winter period, I do a good bit of reduced range shooting, and barring machinegun fired brass, any set of dies will work.

I do have a set of RCBS X-dies, which I have not tried yet. RCBS advertising, plus what acquaintances tell me, is that brass lasts forever with them. We shall see.

Get a case gauge so you set up your die correctly.

I have had good luck with rcbs sb dies. Now, I use Dillion dies on a 650'. They are sb, I think.

When I started loading for the 5.56 I bought small base dies. My reasoning was that I was going to be using once fired brass from a security range, and the ARs they were using were Bushmasters. There are probably 30 different ARs in use, all with "different" chambers, and on top of that, the AR doesn't have the strong camming action of a bolt action rifle.

If I were shooting a bolt action rifle I might use standard dies, but to me, the SB dies do no harm, and just might eliminate a potential problem.

I was using RCBS dies in .223 / 5.56 MM for around 8,000 rounds then the expander ball started giving me a lot of trouble pulling through. I was in a hurry to get 2,500 rounds deprimed and resized, so I went to Cabela's, and they had no expander balls and stems. So I picked up a set of Lee Dies and they have performed really well for a couple of years now. I have yet to break a decapping pin on over 5,000 military L.C. cases. I can't recommend Lee dies enough.

quote:

Originally posted by billt:
I was using RCBS dies in .223 / 5.56 MM for around 8,000 rounds then the expander ball started giving me a lot of trouble pulling through. I was in a hurry to get 2,500 rounds deprimed and resized, so I went to Cabela's, and they had no expander balls and stems. So I picked up a set of Lee Dies and they have performed really well for a couple of years now. I have yet to break a decapping pin on over 5,000 military L.C. cases. I can't recommend Lee dies enough.

I have a set of Lee dies in .223 that have loaded thousands of rounds & de-primed thousands of military brass. Not one complaint!!!