Hey guys I'm a noobe here and to the reloading world as well. I just got all of my reloading gear a few weeks ago and hope to hit the ground running in a couple of weeks. I was wanting to know if some of you guys would look over my reloading sequence for reloading .223. I will be shooting these reloads out of a AR-15. I know that all of the steps I list below are not always needed but I just didnt want to leave anything out just in case. If anything is missing (even if it is a option) or if anything is out of order please let me know. Thanks for all of your help.

-Collect brass.

-Clean inside of case mouth with brush.

-Tumble cases.

-Lube cases.

-Resize and decap brass.

-Swage military brass.

-Clean primer pocket.

-Tumble cases to get the lube off of them.

-Inspect cases for defects.

-Make sure all of the tumbling media is out of the cases.

-Seperate cases by head stamp.

-Put cases in dillon case gauge.

-Set aside cases that need trimmed.

-Trim cases (trim to 1.750 inches).

-Chamfer and deburr all trimmed cases.

-Clean trimmed cases.

-Prime cases (run finger over each one to make sure that all primers are seated sub-flush).

-Charge all cases.

-Seat bullets (check OAL of the first 10 rounds and every 50th there after, also check loaded rounds in dillon case gauge).

-Crimp cases.

-Keep track of reloading data. Date, time, bullet weight, trype and charge of powder ectect.

-So is this ok guys? Thanks for your help.

verification that you are throwing the right powder charge is always a good idea. Making sure the cases and seated bullets chamber adequately.

You're on the right track. roger

I agree with Roger on this one! You are doing good!
How close are you on your powder charge. (because you are using different cases, this could be a concern)
Couple things come up:
1) Welcome to AR!!!
2) Continue to ask. If you haven't read a couple reloading books do so. Lymans is one of my favs.
3)If you think something may not be right, it probably isn't! STOP and regroup.

Again welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Smedley

Yep, looks like you have it all covered.

I'd sort all my cases before I cleaned and deprimed them so I don't waste the time cleaning cases that I won't use.

Like Bartsches says if you're throwing powder charges, weigh every 10th one to check for powder variations.

Thanks guys. I have a RCBS charge master 1500. I calibrate the scale before ever use.

You seem to be doing everything that needs to be done........

quote:

Originally posted by ditchdoc:
....If anything is missing (even if it is a option) or if anything is out of order please let me know.

-Collect brass.

-Clean inside of case mouth with brush. Make sure none are Berdan Primed. Since you are using it in a Semi-Auto, check the "Inside" of the Case for Insipient Case Head Separation(ICHS) with the " L " shaped Feeler Gauge made from a Paper Clip. Nip the end off with a set of Side-Cutters to make a small Chisel tip then bend the wire to form a short (1/16") " L " shaped leg. Run this inside the Case to "Feel" for the ICHS where the Pressure Ring is located. If you use your own Cases each time and keep up with the number of times they are shot, you only need to check a "few" from each Lot of Cases. When you feel the ICHS(groove), toss that Lot.

-Tumble cases. Save this Tumbling Media in a Zip Lock Bag. Mark it as Initial Tumbling Media.

-Lube cases.

-Resize and decap brass. Since you will be using this in a Semi-Auto, make sure you Full Length Resize. And only load 10 or so to start with to make sure they will Feed properly before you load up hundreds of them.

-Swage military brass. You will find it is an excellent idea to buy "Pre-Swaged" cases, unless you have access to totally FREE Cases.

-Tumble cases to get the lube off of them. Moved ahead of Cleaning the Primer Pocket and use a different Batch of Media form the Batch you use to get the Dirt out/off of the Cases.

-Clean primer pocket.

-Inspect cases for defects.

-Make sure all of the tumbling media is out of the cases.

-Seperate cases by head stamp.

-Put cases in dillon case gauge.
-Set aside cases that need trimmed.
-Trim cases (trim to 1.750 inches). These three items go closely together. If you keep the Lots separated by "Number of times Fired", you can Spot Check the Lot.

-Chamfer and deburr all trimmed cases.

-Clean trimmed cases. They should already be "Clean" at this point, so I don't believe this is necessary.

-Prime cases (run finger over each one to make sure that all primers are seated sub-flush). Set them on either a piece of flat glass or a flat surface Table Top. If they "wiggle" then the Primer probably needs a bit more Seating. If you are using a hand-held Primer Seater, it is easy to learn how to do this properly by "feel" within the first 20 cases or so.

-Charge all cases. This is a critical Step. I don't see where you have mentioned "Developing the Load" and it is something you should do before you commit to a lot of loaded cartridges.

-Seat bullets (check OAL of the first 10 rounds and every 50th there after, also check loaded rounds in dillon case gauge).

-Crimp cases. This may not be necessary. It depends on how high the Neck Tension is and how many shots you have in a magazine. By that I mean if you are using a 10 round magazine, the 10th cartridge would be subjected to the most recoil impacts. You could check the 5th and 10th cartridge and see if those Bullets move due to recoil. If they do, then Crimping is a good idea. If not, then you really don't need to Crimp.

However, there are some folks who have found Crimped Ammo is more accurate in their rifles. So, it can be a Trial and Error issue.

-Keep track of reloading data. Date, time, bullet weight, type and charge of powder ectect. A 3-ring Binder helps keep up with this info. And if your Targets are made on 8.5"x11" paper, it will also hold them. The more Data you retain, the better off you will be - even the BAD Data.

-So is this ok guys? Excellent start. Be sure to "Develop Loads" for your specific rifle. And follow the other suggestions made by the other posters.

If you have a space large enough where you shoot, placing a Tarp or large Sheet on the ground where your Cases will be Ejecting will provide considerable help to you when gathering up the Cases.

Best of luck to you.

Just curious what possible reason could there be for saving the tumbling media in a plastic bag. Mine just stays in the tumbler.............

quote:

Originally posted by ditchdoc:
Thanks guys. I have a RCBS charge master 1500. I calibrate the scale before ever use.

If you can afford a charge Master 1500 why are you picking up other's cases from the ground, or am I interpreting "collecting" wrong? Of course if you totally enjoy all the case prep work just have a ball. roger

Man if I did every step like you I would find reloading to be a job not a hobby, skip all that fore play if the cases are dirty wipe off then resize-deprime tumble.

I'm with another poster why would you bother putting media in a zip lock it stays in my tumbler when it doesn't clean any longer I throw it out.

quote:

Originally posted by skb2706:
Just curious what possible reason could there be for saving the tumbling media in a plastic bag. Mine just stays in the tumbler.............

Hey skb2706, I mentioned that because he is using a Semi-Auto which normally tosses the Cases onto the ground. Depending how they land and the type of terrain, the soil(which may contain sand) can enter the Case Mouth.

So, the idea is to use the Initial Media as a Dirt(sand) remover. You can even use "old Media" for this operation.

Then once he is simply removing the Lube, a separate batch of Corn Cob keeps sand from getting back into the Cases.

Sand is a BIG deal where I normally hunt, so we tend to look for small ways around the problems it has the potential to create.
---

And I do "wash" the Tumbler between using the different Media. Good old Dawn and hot water does a fine job on it.
---

Does that make any sense now?
Good hunting and clean 1-shot kills.

I understand...never having loaded much for a SA I haven't dealt with the sand/dirt issue. Thanks

Two things I do to make life easier.
I use a large zip lock bag, pump in 5 or 6 pumps of liquid case lube, drop in 3 handfuls of brass (about 100 rounds) and shake it to lube them. If you put the cases in first then lube, the lube gets inside the neck.
Any time I'm cleaning off the lube I first wash the cases off in alcohol. Shortens the total tumbling time a lot.

If you want to keep track of how many times a shell has been fired/reloaded, I mark the case head each time I reload it. It can be a PITA if you do a lot of reloading but the benefits for me outway the time it takes to do it.

There are a couple of advantages. One is that I can instantly tell how many times I have fired/reoaded the case. I do not have to keep them in "batches" going through the reloading process.

The first thing I do in the reloading process is "mark the case head". These marks are scratches from the primer to the outer edge of the rim. Each mark represents another time the shell has been fired. The following pic is of a case that has been fired 3 times.



There is a highly advanced, ergonomically designed tool that must be made to accomplish this step. The following pic shows this tool. If you need detailed instructions on its creation, let me know.



Jim

Jim, I like the idea, the method, and the tool.

Where can I get this hightech tool ?

I had a Google search with no results, and browsing Sinclair's catalog and visiting www.precisionreloadingdevices.com didn't help either.

i bet you MIGHT be able to find this rare tool at an EXPENSIVE hardware store. Only where rich people go though. Don't try anywhere like Lowes or Home Depot.

Thanks guys for starting out my morning with a good laugh.

Several people have advised me to patent the tool, but I am really worried that all the fame and fortune would end up changing me.

Forgot about something though. There is a hightech attachment that goes with the hightech tool. Its a block of wood with different size holes drilled into it that correspond to the different size shell casings. Mount the block of wood to your bench and the shell casings are fit into the correct size hole with the case head facing up. The block holds the case while you mark the head. Once you get the process and tool "perfected" it really doesn't take that long to do a bunch of cases. Have been doing it for many years and it is worth the extra step.

Jim

Thank you for your additional input, Jim.
I looked a bit closer at you picture and found:

the small holes indicate that you are applying your scratch technique to cal .22 long rifle as well - very extremely interesting !

quote:

Originally posted by waitaminit:

the small holes indicate that you are applying your scratch technique to cal .22 long rifle as well - very extremely interesting !

Your powers of observation are truly incredible, but I must tell you the story of those so as to keep you from going down (that particular) wrong road.

I must confess my father gave me the idea of marking cases to begin with. His original idea was to take a punch and a small hammer and punch a small dimple in the surface of the case head before it was fired........

He has come up with some very exciting ideas in his long life, but this likely was the most exciting for me.

Jim

I used to dimple case heads to distinguish lots.
Now I found a set of number punches in a box with this and that I inherited from my grandfather. This allows a great marking variety.
The only thing one has to be careful with is the placement the punch head: punching too hard and/or too close to the primer pocket deforms it.

Collecting brass? If the brass has been fired in other guns (not yours) this can lead to a problem. Full length resizing does not size fully to the head. If you get a fat case that does not chamber fully, but lets the disconnector drop the hammer, you may get a head separation of the brass. I feel its best to buy a case of factory ammo and reload that brass in lots, keeping records of times fired/load. It only takes one case in 10,000 to ruin you day.

Only thing I see you and everyone else missed is placing the charged cases in a loading block. When all the holes are full, shine a light in them and compare to make sure they are all loaded the same.

Had an "expert named Jack Tishue from Maryland, buddies with Allan Skinner of Anchorage discussing my loading procedures a few yrs ago. Jack came out and stayed with us three weeks. During that time we loaded some shells. I let him charge the powder while I seated the bullets and kept up with things. Damned if he didn't "test me!!" by putting some empty's and half charged cases in the 'charged block' just to check out my loading procedures.

Hey, a man can screw up enough on his own, and I have found an empty a few times. But, to do it on purpose just to check someone else out is grounds for a severe ass whipping and running him off the place right then. Which he got an exhibition of how pissed I could get in an instant. Some days later I found a letter he'd written Skinner about it. Don't know how it got in here because I'd run his ass off. Anyway, he told Skinner about doing it and I'd caught it. "man did he get mad!!"

Far as marking cases as to how many times they've been fired. Might be ok for some of you. But, I load by the thousands, just drop them in buckets: fired, primed, loaded, 55grs and 40grs are kept separate. But, I just load and shoot and don't worry about it. When the necks crack, toss 'em in the brass bucket to sell for scrap once it's full.

One other thing: "EVERY step IS an inspection step".

Semi auto's are the hardest type action to load for. I don't have experience with the AR's, but, other semi's I do. Each gun is an individual. Usually it's the semi's that have a tighter chamber.

Have fun, stay safe, get some books and read about it.

George