AR-15 223 Reloading

[luvtohnt]

had the same problem. 11 of 20 federal xm193 failed to fire in my Remington R15. I put in a $1.50 dpms hammer spring, and it goes bang every time.
It does have a noticeably heavier trigger pull with the heavier hammer spring, but I can deal with the compromise.

Found this on another site, there were 4 different people with the same problem as you and this seemed to be a solution.

Brandon

[Gutpile]

I think I know what your doing. I think you may have the seater die set to low which is crushing the case partially when seating the bullets. On the ones that have not chambered run your fingers up and over the shoulder, if you feel a small swell at the shoulder thats what your doing. Sometimes you can see the swell. Anyways if your having probs with rounds not chambering that'd be my guess. It doesn't take much for the case to be malformed enough not to chamber. Just back off the seating die a little bit. Start measuring you brass and trimming. AR's stretch brass pretty good.

The thing that stumps me is that I thought AR's would not fire if out of battery???

[Big10gauge]

My 223 ar's just will not shoot Black Hills VG's due to lack of gas pressure

Probably either gas or case issue unless you have changed your buffer spring? If you are short stroking you can buy another spring and try cutting it down until the bolt cycles correctly for your reloads.

Shoot one bullet from a known working magazine, if the bolt goes back into a locked position you should have enough gas to operate the bolt correctly if not then it's probably a case resizing issue

Check for markings on your spent cases

Clean your gastube and block

Clean your chamber with a chamber brush, also your clean/check bolt lugs

Clean your feed ramp

Make sure you are full length sizing the brass

CLP the hell out of it

Other link
http://www.predatormastersforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=53050422&an=0&page=0#53050422

[demontang]

If your not using a full lenght sizing die it might be some thing to look at. They are some small base dies that you should use for semi auto .223's and you shouldnt just neck size for a semi auto. I have shot a few hundered reloads though my Oly and have no problems but my Dad's colt wont feed the light loads but I dont think that its a light loaded causing the problem. If you where closer I would be glad to come help but thats a long way to drive.

[FALFire]

Reloading for the AR can be a real experience and in many cases, not a good one.
Follow these procedures and you should be fine.

Without any case in the press, raise the ram all the way until it stops. Screw in the sizer die until it stops against the shell holder. Slightly lower the ram and give the sizer die 1/4 - 1/2 more turns. You should feel the ram "cam over" at full draw on the handle. What this is going to do, is it is set back the shoulder of the case just enough to allow the loaded round to fit into the chamber completely.

Now, lube up about ten cases and begin resizing paying special attention to the "cam over" feel of the ram on each case. Look at the  shoulder of the resized case and compare that to a fired but non-resized case. You are looking at the shoulder to compare the setback of the adjusted sizer die. Once you see it, you will be able to quickly identify it.

Now for the bullet seating step. Without dumping powder or seating a primer we are going to adjust the bullet seating die. Remove the bullet seating adjuster stem from the die body. Place one of the resized cases into the shell holder and fully raise the ram into place, screw the die body down into the press until it very slightly touches the case mouth.

Now, BACK IT OFF about two full turns. Here is why... you do not want the case mouth to be touched by the die body. What happens is, the die body will actually push the shoulder back at the case body and create a bulge that will cause the case to not fully seat into the chamber of the rifle. If you carefully trim all of your cases then this step may not be neccessary but AR's can be very finicky so I would still back it off two full turns.

Now Screw in the bullet adjuster stem and seat your bullet to your desired OAL and test the dummy round in your mag and check for fit and operaton in your AR. You should be able to cycle all the dummy rounds thru your AR by hand without problems. Once you can easily cycle the dummy rounds begin loading live ammo and take it out for a test. Only load up a few rounds so you will not need to pull the bullets from a bunch of reloaded ammo during your testing.

Hopefully this will help in your reloading enjoyment.

Have fun,

Gary 

[thinkingman]

WOW...this thread is packed with useful info.
Good job, guys.

[Ray]

I am with Gutpile. I have a suspicion it is malformed brass. It is not always easy to detect. It's also hard to diagnose from a computer screen far away.

[littlebuf]

If your not using a full lenght sizing die it might be some thing to look at. They are some small base dies that you should use for semi auto .223's and you shouldnt just neck size for a semi auto. I have shot a few hundered reloads though my Oly and have no problems but my Dad's colt wont feed the light loads but I dont think that its a light loaded causing the problem. If you where closer I would be glad to come help but thats a long way to drive.

why shouldn't you just neck size for semi auto's ? i only neck size for my R-15 with no problems and great accuracy. i do trim every case as im loading hunting rounds and not just blasting ammo. for blasting i buy factory 

[Gutpile]

why shouldn't you just neck size for semi auto's ? i only neck size for my R-15 with no problems and great accuracy. i do trim every case as im loading hunting rounds and not just blasting ammo. for blasting i buy factory   
 
 
 

Your doing a no-no, be carefull. This is from the RCBS site;

Q. I see a Small Base Die Set listed for my caliber. Do I need these or should I buy a Full Length Die Set or Neck Die Set? How does each set differ?

A. The Small Base Die set is intended for use for ammunition to be used in auto, semi-auto, and lever action rifles so that the loaded round chambers and extracts easily. The Small Base Sizer Die sizes the case from the shoulder to the head of the case a couple of thousandths smaller than a Full Length Sizer Die. In certain calibers it also sets the shoulder of the case back a thousandth or two more than the Full Length Sizer Die. The Full Length Die Set or Neck Die Set is not normally recommended for ammo to be used in auto, semi-auto, or lever action rifles. The Full Length Die set is recommended for ammunition used in bolt action rifles, particularly for ammunition to be used for hunting. The Neck Die Set can also be used to produce ammunition for use in bolt action rifles. The Neck Sizer Die sizes only the neck of the case so it will hold the bullet firmly. It does not size the body of the case nor does it set the shoulder back. Neck sized cases will usually chamber for three or more firings, depending on the powder charge and chamber dimensions. However, over a period of time, a slight drag will be noticed when the bolt is locked. At this point, cases will need to be full length sized and the shoulder set back so they will chamber and extract easily.

[Ray]

Please specify what was wrong with my information? I believe you have quoted the wrong person or something. Your response doesn't even speak to what I was discussing at all.

[Gutpile]

Not you. Sorry. I meant to quote littlebuff. Fixed it.     

[demontang]

Just neck sizing can cause feeding problems in semi autos, which is the problem here so I would try a set of small base dies to narrow down the problem.

[CoryTDF]

Okay,

Sorry it's been a bit since could get on and there is a lot of information here. Let me see if i can clear up a few things.

1)My case length is 1.74
2) overall length is 2.210
3)Powder is Hodgen 335 and Hodgen benchmark
4) the min and max load for these to the best of my resources and knowledge are 23-25 grains for both powders.
5) I am having great luck accuracy wise with the 24 grain load.
6)I am full length sizing them with a full length RCBS die set.
7) i have noticed some scratches on the side of the casing and the bullets if i eject them after chambered.
8)THE GUN IS CLEAN

I want to make sure that i am explaining this problem correctly.If my bolt is lock to the rear
and i insert a mag. then release the bolt. I may or may not have trouble with the round fully seating. It doesn't happen every time but enough to tell me something is wrong. It may even fire a few rounds and then misfire. At a quick glance the bolt appears to be closed, however, when the trigger is pulled it will click. When i eject the round the primer is clean not a mark on it. If i then reload the round and slam the bolt forward it might chamber. It is not a problem i can produce with every round. Like i said i do know that it happens enough for me to know that something is not right.

I had a friend recommend small base dies. Has anybody used them? Do they cut down your brass length?
The weather has been crap the past few days so i have not been able to go shooting. I still have 20 of the original rounds that i loaded i'm going go shoot them and take the micrometer and a note pad and get VERY specific details about the rounds that give me trouble.

Keep it coming you guys are great! 

[Ray]

take a look at gutpile's post. Make sure you are not accidentally malforming some of the brass when you place the bullet in with the press. It would be easy to miss but he gave some tips and some areas to pay attention to.

[Gutpile]

Now for the bullet seating step. Without dumping powder or seating a primer we are going to adjust the bullet seating die. Remove the bullet seating adjuster stem from the die body. Place one of the resized cases into the shell holder and fully raise the ram into place, screw the die body down into the press until it very slightly touches the case mouth.

Now, BACK IT OFF about two full turns. Here is why... you do not want the case mouth to be touched by the die body. What happens is, the die body will actually push the shoulder back at the case body and create a bulge that will cause the case to not fully seat into the chamber of the rifle. If you carefully trim all of your cases then this step may not be neccessary but AR's can be very finicky so I would still back it off two full turns.

Now Screw in the bullet adjuster stem and seat your bullet to your desired OAL and test the dummy round in your mag and check for fit and operaton in your AR. You should be able to cycle all the dummy rounds thru your AR by hand without problems. Once you can easily cycle the dummy rounds begin loading live ammo and take it out for a test. Only load up a few rounds so you will not need to pull the bullets from a bunch of reloaded ammo during your testing.

Falfire had a better explanation than I. Basically if you don't back off the die you will be crimping the case. This will slightly crush the cases that are just a tiny bit long. I stress tiny. The shoulder then bulges and the shell wont chamber. You can sometimes see the bulge and you can normally feel it. I'd almost bet thats whats happening. "Been there done that."

Do you have any of the cartridges that wont chamber. Take a look at them and see if you can see the bulge.