reloading military 5.56

achenbackd31 · Jul 7, 2010

I have been told by a few people that when reloading military .223/5.56 that the casings are thiicker and require less powder because of pressure. I have also read that the .223/5.56 brass usually isn't thicker that pertains more to the military 308 and 30-06 round. Was wonder on others expierence with .223 military brass, and if it is safe to reload at the specs for commercial brass how to determine how much to decrease the powder by if needed.

Kinda wordy but hopefully makes sense to some of you. Thanks

bmgm37 · Jul 7, 2010

Military brass is thicker and a good rule of thumb is to reduce your starting charge by 10%. Make sure you trim your brass to 1.75" especially once fired military brass. For powder I have always used either Accurate 2230 or Winchester 748.

Gunner3456 · Jul 8, 2010

Yes, 10% reduction is a good starting point. One more time. Check the round with a chronograph. If you are truly trying to make 5.56 NATO rounds for a gun chambered for that, you sure don't want to be making loads that have a speed of 2800 fps when factory XM183 is more like 3150 fps. The reverse applies if your intent is to make .223 loads.

I don't understand reloaders who don't check their loads with a chronograph to see what they really have. It's also a protection against unknowingly making rounds that are too hot.

I know for a fact that my XM193 reloads have powder charges that are within min/max recommendations from the manufacturer, and that my bullet speeds are 3150 fps from a 20" 1:9 barrel. That's a good feeling.

$.02