.223 Issues

It's been years since I reloaded .223 as it used to be as cheap to buy as to reload. Times change. Decided I'd reload some but I am running into an issue when I attempt to crimp cases, and that is the die pushes the neck back into the case a bit & deforms it. Had the same issue years ago. I was loading up some dummy rounds to get the dies set when I ran into the issue.

Attached is an image of it. Sorry it's a bit blurred but you can see the issue.

If I back it off and don't crimp, I have no problems.

Boolit Bub Join DateMay 2013LocationmichiganPosts22

You re trying to crimp too much, back off the seating die about 3 full turns, and start another case.
Use a magnifying glass if your eyes are as old as mine to see how much crimp you have and work the die down about a quarter turn at a time.

That or crimp with a separate die. Lee FCD is cheap and collet crimp works like a charm.

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Get and use the Lee FCD. Roll crimping rifle brass is a hit and miss affair but the FCD works all the time.

Thanks gents. I'll check the FCD out.

When using the built in roll crimp that is in the seater die it is very important that all the cases are trimmed to the same exact length. After that you can adjust die and have no further problem. Now when you get more experience you can crimp by feel. This takes some time to master, but it works. I've gone a lot of years with the built in roll crimp. Yes I buckled necks until I learned what the problem was.

I have a Redding S die with the removal necksizing bushing.
I just remove the bushing and run it threw the die again.
Best solution I've found for a collapse shoulder.

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Why do you feel its nessisary to even crimp them? I shoot thousands of 223 reloads every year out of my ars and dont crimp and have never had a single problem with them.

The Lee Factory Crimp die will allow you to crimp the neck without buckling the shoulder. Four seasons of shooting NRA High Power and all the experimentation that went with it led me to stop crimping. Factory ammo is made to survive any conditions it may face, and it does that quite well. However, it is not necessary. When I stopped crimping my groups shrank and I could consistently dope my sights for conditions of the day's shoot. I never had one of the many thousands of rounds I fired in practice or competition push the bullet into the case.

Loading the .223 is as straightforward as they come. Standard primers, powder near the burn rate of Varget, deburr case necks, and seat the bullet to 2.250".

IF you have sufficient neck tension, there's no need to crimp them. Pic is too blurry to see if there's a cannelure on that jaxketed bullet, if there is no cannelure, you're not going to be able to roll crimp at all.

The lee FCD would work on any bullet. It's not even dependent on exact case length, as long as it isn't way too long or too short.

I've NEVER crimped any .223 loads, ever. No need for it if your sizer die is working right, and the expander button is the right size. Result; you have enough bullet pull/case neck tension to allow for no crimp.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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