Will it make any difference if someone reloads and the cases are mixed .223 and 5.56? Do you need to sort them and reload one type at a time? I don’t reload yet, but would like to get started in the future. Today is about gaining knowledge and insight before I take the plunge.
Popeye,
You need to be aware of case capacity differences when reloading any ammo. Be safe and keep doing your research.
Keith
My understanding is that resizing dies resize to .223 dimensions (externally), regardless of how the brass starts out. If so, at that point the issues are 1) the charge you use, 2) internal case dimensions, and 3) whether your rifle’s chamber can handle 5.56 pressures.
If you are loading at or near maximum charge weights, I would segregate the brass.
Case volume and case wall thickness are my concerns. The decrease in case volume would increase chamber pressure when the round is fired. The case wall thickness will effect the crimp and bullet draw, which could also have an effect on chamber pressure.
I load both cases the same and have for thousands of rounds. I do not load to max pressures though and have never had a problem. Start low, check for pressure signs and work up to your prefered load while paying strict attenion to several sources of load data. Take your time and enjoy the hobby.
There’s a sticky thread about this. Knowing the real differences between the two will answer your question. I would read through this thread first. https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?55149-5-56mm-NATO-versus-223-Remington-Chamber-Differences
As been note already - all .223 Rem dies make .223 cases out of all 5.56mm cases. Mil brass is sometimes thicker then commercial .223 Rem brass. If you keep your loads 1 gr or so below max with any bullet wt you use 99% of the time you’ll never have any pressure problems. If you have alot of Mil brass your also going to need a primer pocket decrimper(swagger) too, other wise primers will not seat properly or at all. Most reloading manuals are based on .223 Rem data which is below Mil spec pressures. Get a chrony so you can test your loads to know your withing the pressure range.
Thanks for the replies. Still have a lot of reading to do. I know I’m just starting my research into reloading and I may not even reload. I don’t shoot a lot and reloading might end up costing more than just buying quality ammo. I only plink with my AR and as such am not looking for sub-MOA at long range either. The rifle is chambered in 5.56, so not sure if that makes any difference either. Like I said, I know I still need to read more on this.