Can you oversize a 223 case? In other words if my sizing die almost touches or is touching the ram when it is all the way up, is it going to hurt the cases? Yes i have case gauged them and they fit perfect.
Thanks in advance for any input

Yes, it is possible to oversize a .223 case. I have inadvertently pushed the case shoulder too far back a couple times when setting up my die to run a batch of brass. When dropped into the gauge, it was lower than the bottom step. Just raise the die a touch and try again.

If they fit the gauge perfect, you're good to go.

Yes you can.... a lot of people oversize "over working the brass"....if you push the shoulder back too far your case life will suffer.   It's also apt to cause a case separation.

The average full length resizing die is designed when making hard contact with the shell holder to push the shoulder of the case back approximately .002 smaller than minimum headspace or GO. This ensures the resized case will fit in any chamber of any firearm of that caliber, on the flip side of this I have had brand new unfired cases that were .009 shorter than minimum headspace and when fired did not stretch or thin in the web area of the case.

On my .223 bolt action when full length resizing I only bump the shoulder back .002, on my AR I have a separate die that is cranked down all the way making hard contact with the shell holder, this bumps the should back approximately .004. The AR isn't a bench rest rifle, my AR hates me and eats, and chews up my brass and then throws it away.

The type gauge you have is "ball park" and they do not make a Braille model gauge so I cheat and use something with big numbers.
The go gauge is used as a "zero" reference point for accurate measurements.



Things that make life easier.

yes i case gauged them. Dillon case gauge.

And thanks guys for all the replys.

Good stuff so far.  Like has been said, most factory full length dies will be designed for the shell holder to touch the die at the bottom of the stroke.  If you are reloading for multiple .223/5.56 guns and sharing ammo between them that is your best bet for function, but may hurt case life a bit.

If you are reloading for a specific gun, then you can tinker with just kissing the sholder an allowing the brass to retain more or less the fire formed shape of the chamber.  In essense you would only be neck sizing plus making sure the sholder is the correct shape for the next firing.

how do i know it is just "kissing" the sholder?

You buy a Hornady cartridge headspace gauge adapter to fit on a vernier caliper and "accurately" measure your fired cases and only push the shoulder of the case back a smidgen (.001) This is for bolt action rifles only, on a AR15 you bump the shoulders back .003 to .004 to ensure proper chambering.

This type gauge is universal meaning you do not need to buy a gauge for every caliber rifle you have and it is more accurate than a case gauge.



You can set your dies for hard contact with the shell holder and use the shims below to adjust the die to the correct hight for bumping the shoulder in .001 increments by placing the shims under the lock ring.

Okay thank you soooo much. So the way i know im doing it too much is to put it in the case gauge and see if it is below the middle  step? And if it is below the middle step i need to adjust my die up?

thanks for the good info

When I first started loading .223 I purchased a defective shellholder. From the shelf the case sits on to the top of the shellholder where the die contacts it they are supposed to be .125". My defective shellholder was nearly .010" too short which meant I was pushing the shoulder back nearly that much. That was before finally purchasing a case headspace gauge. My loads were not maximum and I had no case separations but I had a total of 900 rounds oversized. Wouldn't hurt to check your shellholder dimension. And I do highly recommend a case headspace gauge such as RCBS's Precision Mic or Hornady's Lock-n-load headspace gauge set. I would agree that if  firm contact and dimensions of dies and shellholders are within spec that it is possible to push the shoulder back about .002" more than "zero".

And sometimes when you reload for some SAAMI calibers the gauge can drive you nuts when your loading a British .303 and using an American gauge

New unfired case


A fired case

damnit...I just leanred something and I wasnt even trying to.  Where did you get that thing and who makes it.  I am considering stepping my reloading up a notch and this may very well be a good starting point.  What I mean by that is maybe there is more to just tossing the components at the press and going with 'it'.

I have always felt that my reloads fit sloppy in my ARs and even though I know I want them sloppy enough to work there must be some excuse for 'using' up brass so fast and bulging cases in the neck area when using even lower powered loads.  I never run hot reloads so I have always questioned this of my reloads when I see no pressure signs yet the shoulder area seems to be exagerated sometimes...maybe I am setting the shoulder back to much causing them to bulge when fired...hell it has to stretch when fired if it is too short...

Thanks,
Wes

I have tried to read that faq so many times...funny I get caught up in some thread that is long dead from many years ago...even more funny is that I was posting on this board many years before and had such a higher thread count than my current one, oh well, such is life, arfcom has changed so much in the last 10 years but I have not  and that my friend has gotten me in trouble so many times.  Anyway, I thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience on this board!
cheers my friend!

Wes