I have a decent amount of experience and have had good sucess over the years hand loading, but it has been exclusively for use in bolt guns. I’ve got a upper on order from Monty which should b ready sometime in the near future. I think I’m going to get into loading 77gr OTM rounds for it and was wondering what dies are preferred for loading semi auto specific ammo?
Also, does anyone know a part number or where I can buy Nosler 77gr with. cannelure?
Thanks.
I like Dillon .223 carbide die set. I can’t really say I’ve tried anything else. But I’ve read that the carbide resizer is slicker and resizes brass with less effort.
Plus… since you’re dealing with an auto loader that flings brass into the dirt, it’s nice to have a die that’s hard enought to handle debris that got overlooked or didn’t come off in the tumbler.
Mark can you tell me if the .223 dillon carbide sizer die is a small base die?
Seems that I remember reading some where on dillons web site that they make there dies small base.
If I can find ill post a link.
Link http://www.dillonprecision.com/Dillon_223_rem_sizing_die-98-14-311.htm
Small Base dies are recommended for semi-auto’s and pump action rifles. I’ve heard people say that they don’t use em and don’t have any trouble. Personally, I use an RCBS small base die.
I don’t know if you’re gonna find a Nosler 77 gr. OTM with a cannelure. If it’s made, I haven’t seen it. I know you can find a 77 grain Sierra Match King with a cannelure, but in my searching that’s it. I use both the Nosler 77 and Hornady 75 grain. I crimp most of the time (lightly) but have found that my non crimped rounds do fine as well. YMMV.
i had no issues with standard lee full length resizing dies. when i get back into AR’s i’ll probably switch to a carbide die though.
The only time I have seen Nosler 77gr with cannelures is directly from their website.
I use standard RCBS dies and have never had a sizing issues as long as I adjusted the dies right.
I use the Dillon .223 dies. As far as if they are small base or not, I am not sure, I want to say they are marked sb, but I cant remember. I can look on Tuesday when I get home.
Either way I load exclusively for the AR15 with these and have loaded and shot a few thousand rounds with no issues(everything from 40g varmit up to 75g Sierra match kings).
Small base dies are a solution to a specific problem, not a solution for all semi-auto rifles. I have never used or owned SB die set nor do I think they are needed.
I would recommend a Redding die set with a carbide button. Carbide buttons or dies for bottle neck cartridges still need sizing lube. I would also recommend an RCBS precision mic case gauge. You can then zero your case setback to SAAMI or ±.002 setback for your rifle only.
Nothing wrong with RCBS dies also, I just like Redding and keep all mine the same in case I need emergency parts. Those parts are already in my other die sets.
I use a standard RCBS full length sizing die, never had any issues.
Depending on the weapon you don’t NEED small base dies.
Should you have a generous GI MILSPEC chamber (i.e., a genuine Colt, FN, or equivalent) the brass from those expended cartridges will be fine full-length resized IN THAT OR ANOTHER MILSPEC CHAMBERED WEAPON.
Should you own another rifle or carbine with a tighter commercial or match chamber then full-length sized rounds may be TOO FAT above the extractor rim to safely chamber in tighter precision chambers and you run the risk of slamfires – been there, done that (i.e., M16A4 and M4 to National Match M16A2).
Small base dies help ensure your cases are closer to OEM virgin brass dimensions to give you peace of mind your reloads are safe and compatible in ALL your weapons.
I use a RCBS Small Base die for .223. Measuring above the web and again a little higher my resized brass is a good .002" larger than my factory TAP and about the same (within .000 to +/-.0005") as factory IMI M193. Sample of one and all that, but it does not appear to undersize the brass - especially if used in an AR.
Thanks for all the feedback I appreciate it.
How many of you are using neck tension only to hold the bullets in place and how many are using a crimp?
Thanks again.
i quit using a crimp. unnecessary in a light-recoiling weapon like the AR15. if you’re making a stash of SHTF ammo that might get carted around for a long period of time in magazines a crimp may be worthwhile, but for training ammo it’s a waste of time. IMHO.
For my 55g plinkin loads I just use neck tension. For any other load I use a very light crimp.
I use neck tension only for all my AR reloads. Crimp or not to crimp is a personal choice and controversial. You would not think it would be but it is.
I have been having good luck with Lee dies. Decent all around dies, especially if you are on a budget. The finish on Lee dies seems a little rougher than most so the one thing I do to Lee dies when I buy them is to polish them with Flitz metal polish.
Take the resizing die apart, I take a chamber mop (with Flitz) and chuck it up in a drill and polish the insides of the die. It makes a world of difference as far as the effort needed to resize.
Personally, I have a mix, some Lee, a few RCBS, Lyman and Hornady dies.
Lyman and Hornady dies are very smooth, finish is top notch. If money is no issue go with them, but I am also a big fan of the Lee factory crimp die, I have added FCD dies to most of my die sets.
Wish I could find measurements I took a few years ago of about 5 different .223 dies. 3 regular and 2 small base dies.
I measured neck diameter, headspace at camover, body diameter right below the shoulder and body diameter right above the pressure ring.
IIRC, the dies were Lee, Lyman and RCBS standard dies and Redding and RCBS small base dies. The conclusion was that all the dies were pretty much identical within a thou or maybe 2 and the small base dies were not overall any smaller than any of the standard dies.
I was having problems with a competition chamber being tight. I solved it not by going to a small base die (because they really weren’t any smaller), but by running a known-good reamer into the chamber.
I like mine quite a bit. I put a very, very light crimp on everything but my 55gr FMJ ammo, which gets more crimp - and that shoots great. With a Dillon it’s not like it’s extra work or anything.
I’m having a problem with my Lee Resizing die for .223. It isn’t giving me a full neck re-size, causing my weapon not to close the bolt completely. The forward assist doesn’t aide in the full closure. Once I have a misfire, I try to rack the round out of the chamber, but it takes Charles Atlas to pull the charging handle. I have to Take to weapon apart, manually cock the hammer, then reassemble and fire the jammed round.
My caliber is showing me that towards the bottom of the neck, it is a few hundredths or thousandths off while the top of the neck is re-sized correctly.
I’ve been running this through a Dillion 650 (The Big One) until I have noticed that the casing wasn’t fully closing in the die. So I put the die and a casing through my rock-chucker, and it will not ascend the casing any further than 1/8th an inch that is required to complete a full re-size. It took a blow torch and a lot of blaspheme to pull the .223 case out. This was after using a lot of case lube prior to the incident. And after the case holder ripped the rim off.
I’m realizing that I’m going to have to get a new resizing die, but just to be safe, is there something I am doing wrong?
Anybody had any luck with the RCBS X-Die? Not having to trim sounds awful nice…