223 projectile seating

[elevenbravo556]

Greetings to All,

I'm new at reloading and starting to load some 223. I have an ar15 pistol that is having some issue in feed reloaded rounds. I've tried factory rounds and the gun fed and cycled with no issue. I compared my reloaded rounds to the factory ammo and found that my reloads are longer than the factory, i'm using 55 grn plated projectiles from xtreme bullets. The The suggested col that i've found on hodgdon website is at 2.200. My question is can I seat the projectile a bit deeper? Say 2.190 or less? I'm using the minimum powder charged on my reloads. Would the pressure be affected by the deeper seating and if it does any significant effect? Any input will be appreciated...thanks

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[deadeye]

They should be seating/feeding if loaded properly. What does it do when not feeding does it not go into the chamber or is it not fully going into battery. Is this happening from the start or after firing and the next round does not chamber?

The low end load may be too low to cycle the pistol properly or the round could be out of spec due to improperly set up dies. Do you have an OAL gauge?..... one of these....http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lyman-Case-...820?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35d61cab7c

 

[elevenbravo556]

I do have a case gauge by Lyman, the bolt will not fully go into battery when the feeding issue happens...it doesnt happen all the time though. Do seating the projectile deeper makes the pressure higher? Is there a minimum length?

 

[deadeye]

Yes seating it lower does raise pressure but as you are at the low end it should not be too excessive.

 

[elevenbravo556]

Thank you

 

[deadeye]

I see on Xtreme's site that the 223 has a canalur and that is where you should be seating them to. I would suggest picking up the charge a bit, maybe to the middle, to see if that would fix the issue.

 

[zeppelin]

For poor chambering with reloads I would also look to case dimensions. Loading for semi autos is usually done with small base dies. Normal dies will leave the case head slightly out of spec for smooth loading in a semi auto. Loads sized with normal dies that won't chamber in an AR15 will chamber fine in a bolt rifle, due to the powerful camming action of closing the bolt by hand in the latter. Some ARs have really tight (match) chambers that can exacerbate this problem. Another thing that might be worth checking is whether your AR has a NATO or Wylde chamber. The .223 Wylde chamber was designed as a match chambering for semi-automatic rifles. It will accomodate both .223 Rem and 5.56mm NATO ammunition. It is relieved in the case body to aid in extraction and features a shorter throat for improved accuracy. A shorter throat might cause problems with an OAL cartridge length that works fine in other chambers.

 

[the4thshake]

Try chambering a piece of brass after you have resized it.

As stated above, case size is your most likely culprit.

 

[ron]

Try chambering a piece of brass after you have resized it.

As stated above, case size is your most likely culprit.

I agree. You might try screwing in your sizer die further. I adjust my sizer die using
RCBS Precision Mic
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/477756/rcbs-precision-mic-223-remington?cm_vc=ProductFinding

 

[Misternt]

I use a Dillon 223 case gauge for sizing. Perhaps you are not sizing right.

 

[oli700]

Are you crimping ?

 

[P7M13]

Try chambering a piece of brass after you have resized it.
As stated above, case size is your most likely culprit.

My experience, when the brass is not sized properly, you'll never return to battery. This includes the neck - a trim may be in order.
If your bullet is not seated to depth, you may have issues loading your magazine.
If you verify your cases are all to SAMMI spec, and seat the the projectiles to 2.200 OAL and still have feed problems, check your Base to Ogive measurements. I have a DPMS that is sensitive to OAL.

Lastly, if all your measurements spec out, have someone film you shooting the pistol. I've had this happen, where it will feed, return to battery & the bolt will lock, fire - and here you see a small puff of gas come out of the ejection port - and then it will not properly feed the next round.

 

[Member 34319]

Case over all length is probably off. Likely you need to trim your brass. Also measure the cartridge over all length of a factory round. Should be 2.2 if it's 55 grain fmj.

If it's not your brass over all length it could be the base size. Probably not, but that would be my second thing to check. May need to get yourself a small base die set.

Lastly, get a chamber brush and mop and clean the heck out of it.

 

[No_Regerts]

I full-length size anything that goes through a semi-auto. Even brand new brass. Trim to the trim-to length, not the maximum allowable length. You can use a modified case and Hornady lock-n-load COAL tool to get an exact measurement of how far a particular bullet can be seated until it touches the lands. You'll want to back off from that. Going SAAMI spec would negate the need for that step.