.223 / 5.56 question

[AR guy]

As you all know im new to reloading. I was reading that post at the top about the .223/ 5.56. i loaded my first rounds lastweek and after reading all the replys im starting to second guess myself.i loadrd lake city brass with a.224 .55gr. fmjbt bullet and charged it with 22.5gr of 322 hodgen powder. after hearing that military brass is different than comm. brass. and before i fire it and something mite happen. is that recipe good? i just want to be safer than sorry in the long run. the post replys were talking aboit space left over after loading and i got all confused. let me know please so i can rest easy.

[woolleyworm]

Where did you reference your recipe, (min, max)? Recipes that I'm finding all list around 21gn as the start load. 22.5gn is med-high to near max depending on which 55gn bullet.

I would suggest starting at 21gn and working it up from there.

[steve4102]

Originally Posted by AR guy

As you all know im new to reloading. I was reading that post at the top about the .223/ 5.56. i loaded my first rounds lastweek and after reading all the replys im starting to second guess myself.i loadrd lake city brass with a.224 .55gr. fmjbt bullet and charged it with 22.5gr of 322 hodgen powder. after hearing that military brass is different than comm. brass. and before i fire it and something mite happen. is that recipe good? i just want to be safer than sorry in the long run. the post replys were talking aboit space left over after loading and i got all confused. let me know please so i can rest easy.

Is your rifle a 223 or a 5.56?

According to Hodgdon a "Start" charge of 322 is 21gr with a Max of 23gr. You are right in the middle and should be OK, but you should have started out with 21gr.

Load a few more starting at 21gr working up to your 22.5gr. You should be fine, but it's always best to be safe and start low and work up.

As for the Brass case capacity, odds are your LC brass has MORE case capacity the commercial 223 brass, but odds are for card players and not for guys making little bombs set off a few inches from ones head and face.

Here, this may help, from Sierra.

The conventional wisdom to reduce loads with military brass is familiar to most reloaders and is generally good advice. The rationale here is that the military cases tend to be somewhat thicker and heavier than their civilian counterparts, which in turn reduces capacity and raises pressures. This additional pressure normally requires a one or two grain reduction from the loads shown in most manuals or other data developed with commercial cases. While this is most often the situation with both 308 Winchester and 30-06 cases, it is less true with the 223 brass. We have found that military cases often have significantly more capacity than several brands of commercial brass. Again, take the time to do a side-by-side comparison of the cases you are working with and adjust your load as needed. There may be no need for such a reduction with the 223. Know your components and keep them segregated accordingly.

[AR guy]

Im sorry forget to say. i got the recipe frim speer #14. it came with the press kit. the post i read was talking about dead space after its loaded and how it cuzes more pressure. the only thing i didnt tske into account was the shell. i thought a shell was a shell.

[AR guy]

Since i wanted to start small thats why i loaded 22.5. but if im wrong should i pull the bullet and remeasure?

[AR guy]

Its both .223/5.56 1x9 twist

[howlnmad]

I'd not pull them apart. What I'd do is load up more. 5 of each 21.0, 21.5, 22.0. Test fire these and check each for signs of pressure. If no signs, give the 22,5 loads a try.

[Guilty]

Originally Posted by howlnmad

I'd not pull them apart. What I'd do is load up more. 5 of each 21.0, 21.5, 22.0. Test fire these and check each for signs of pressure. If no signs, give the 22,5 loads a try.

This is what I would recommend also. No need to pull apart the 22.5 load just yet, but do work up as suggested by howlnmad.

I tested my first reloads a couple of weeks ago and one of the bullet sizes for my 5.56 AR was Hornady 55 gr FMJBT. My loads were 21.5, 22.0, 22.5, 22.8, 23.0. All loads functioned well with no pressure signs in MY rifle. Work up your loads, determine what works best in your rifle and have fun reloading.

[AR guy]

Ok sounds good makes more sense to load more under my first rounds. ill do just that that way ill keep loading. good advice. thanks again.

[steve4102]

the post i read was talking about dead space after its loaded and how it cuzes more pressure.

What is "dead space"? Do you have a copy of this post?

Its both .223/5.56 1x9 twist

The chamber cannot be "both", it is either a 223, a 5.56 or maybe a Wylde chamber.
The 223 has a much shorter throat than the 5.56 and ammo for this chamber should not exceed 55K psi, this is where most load data maxes out.
The 5.56 chamber with it's long throat has a Max pressure of 62K psi.
So, with your 5.56 chamber as long as you stay within published data for the 223 you should be well under the pressure limits of your rifle.

Factory ammo, yes you can shoot both 5.56 and 223 in your AR.

BTW, as you have found out load data varies from one source to another. It's best to have more than one manual and always check the powder manufacture's web site.
http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

[AR guy]

It's chambered 5.56. It shoots both yes.

[time2shoot]

Originally Posted by AR guy

It's chambered 5.56. It shoots both yes.

yes

[0311InfantrySir]

While 21 gr is a begining load for this gr bullet I would feel safe pulling the trigger on the rounds you have reloaded. I would, in the future, go with a 60 gr bullet, they stay together better in a 1in8 to 1in9 twist barrel than the lighter bullets which stay together better in a 1in10 twist barrel. I have found that W748, which is a ball powder works well with Hornady 60gr V-Max as well as Speer 60gr hollow point boat tails with very accurate results in the 25.5gr range for the speer and 24.1 to 24.5 in the V-Max.