I Bought .223 Dies

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  • Well, with .223/5.56 ammo now going for $500/1000, I decided it is time to start rolling my own. At the 2019 price of $300/1000 it wasn't worth my time and effort to save $40/1000. Saving $240/1000 is worth my time and effort.
     

    Todd S

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2012
    1,555
    Glen Rock, PA
    Got a Dillon 750. It is so much better than my LNL! Both are better than my Rockchucker in some cases! For precision rifle, the Rockchucker rules!


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     

    byf43

    SCSC Life/NRA Patron Life
    Well, with .223/5.56 ammo now going for $500/1000, I decided it is time to start rolling my own. At the 2019 price of $300/1000 it wasn't worth my time and effort to save $40/1000. Saving $240/1000 is worth my time and effort.

    Come on in. The water’s fine!


    ^^^^^^ This!

    When I got my first AR (R6601), I bought 2 boxes of 20 rounds.

    I stumbled onto a bag of 1,000 once fired cases.

    Been "rollin' my own" ever since.

    Sierra 69 gr MatchKing and H-335. All of my ARs like the combination.
     
    So are you going to get a real Dillon, instead of putting blue tape on a Lee? :lol2:

    Do you want to see how awesome my Dillon is? :D

    Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

    Got a Dillon 750. It is so much better than my LNL! Both are better than my Rockchucker in some cases! For precision rifle, the Rockchucker rules!


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    For the cost of a "Blue" press, I could shoot >20k factory .223 loads before it paid for itself.
    My Lee ABLP can easily do 350rph. The Blue Bitches can stay on their side of the tracks. I'm happy with my White Trash setup- other than the priming system. Lee's priming system sucks swamp ass.
    The Blue Boyz are the BMW owners of the reloading world. Yes, I said it; wanna fight?
     

    km04

    Get crackin you muggs!!!!
    Jul 12, 2010
    3,740
    Harford Co.
    For the cost of a "Blue" press, I could shoot >20k factory .223 loads before it paid for itself.
    My Lee ABLP can easily do 350rph. The Blue Bitches can stay on their side of the tracks. I'm happy with my White Trash setup- other than the priming system. Lee's priming system sucks swamp ass.
    The Blue Boyz are the BMW owners of the reloading world. Yes, I said it; wanna fight?
    LOL!!!! Well said. LOVE IT!!!!!!
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    IMHO, like 70% of the time loading 223 is case prep anyways. Gotta trim, deburr, chamfer, swage the primer pocket (ugh), etc. Lots of hand operations unless you've got a really rocking setup (like $3k-$4k of equipment). All of that is tolerable if you're loading precision rounds, but bulk blaster? I'd rather just shoot steel-case.
     

    Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,278
    HoCo
    What erowos said is correct
    Most range pick up once fired brass needs swaging or you will have trouble priming

    My cheap 26 cent plinking 223 is more accurate than most inexpensive factory rounds. But case prep sucks for 223 compared to say 9mm which is to me the easiest


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    spoon059

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 1, 2018
    5,332
    Anyone have a hornady lnl .223 primer pocket swage tool they want to loan for a couple days for a couple bucks? I've got some .223, but not enough to justify $100 tool...

    Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk
     

    Scrounger

    Active Member
    Jul 16, 2018
    357
    Southern Maryland
    When it comes to reloading ammo there are many variables when it comes to costs.

    The first and what I think is the most important is what is your time worth. If you have little time and a lot of money, buying factory ammo is the way to go.

    Now when it comes to reloading, if you have unlimited time, one of the old Lyman 310 loading tools will work.

    The topic of .223 and Dillon presses has come up, so I’ll use that as an example.

    The issue is time management. Cleaning brass, clean enough to load doesn’t take a great deal of time. If you want bling it takes time. Fill the tumbler and walk away till done.

    One of the things that I find important in doing large quantities is consistent brass. If one is only working with 100 cases it doesn’t matter. Processing 10,000 cases makes a bit difference. Large quantities of mixed range brass is a headache.

    When it comes to prepping .223 on a Dillon 550, one can lube, deprime, size, and trim 400-500 cases per hour. If using once fired military brass and swaging with a Dillon swage tool figure over 500 cases an hour. For easy math one can figure 250-300 cases per man hour for once fired military brass. For once fired military brass the swage is a onetime deal.

    Now how long does the brass last. I have never bothered with how many times the brass has been reloaded. For me it is how many times has it been trimmed.

    Permit me to explain. Brass lengthens when fired and hence the reason for trimming. How fast it lengthens is determined by brass quality, chamber, load, etc.

    What I like to do is process a large amount of brass, then load it. All of the brass from that batch, when fired goes into a can. When all of the brass has been fired it will get reloaded. That way all of the brass is close enough for consistency. I will check the brass for length after firing. When the batch needs trimming, it gets trimmed, and the process starts over.

    For me, not counting the prep trim, I will only trim cases twice. When the brass has lengthened enough for a third trim it gets trashed.

    When it comes to costs, if one is willing to setup and load large quantities, the cost savings are there.

    Being self-reliant and able to load what you want, when you want, is for another thread.
     

    Rockzilla

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 6, 2010
    4,516
    55.751244 / 37.618423
    When it comes to reloading ammo there are many variables when it comes to costs.

    The first and what I think is the most important is what is your time worth. If you have little time and a lot of money, buying factory ammo is the way to go.

    Being self-reliant and able to load what you want, when you want, is for another thread.


    Basically ..
    I do everything in batch mode, clean, prep and on.
    When it comes to 5.56.basicall the only one other than 45 LP / SP
    50 BMG clean, size, ream, reload its all one headstamp.

    The good old question whats you time worth?

    As far as presses, they all work when setup properly, all have followers, pros / cons, likers / haters
    Some don't need a Dillon or a Mark 7, some its about the budget they have setup.
    What works for you is all that matters...right?

    Rock
     

    Speedluvn

    Active Member
    Dec 23, 2019
    340
    Baltimore County
    I got one of those and I run it on my Lee 3 hole turret press. Works well but you really need to smack the upstroke to take out the swaged case and it's a bit annoying inserting the case in the die.

    I kept getting stuck cases. My plan was to obtain most of my .223 cases from range pick up but it’s not going the way I intended.
     

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