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Posted: 5/11/2011 7:36:48 AM EDT
| I'm trying to trim all of my 556 to 1.750 and I'm running into a lot of pieces that are 1.740. What do you do with short pieces of brass? |
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Quoted:
I've seen new cases that were that short so they are safe to shoot. If you are making up plinking ammo then just go ahead and reload them. If you are making precision reloads, then I'd separate them out from your precision loads and use them for plinking. Good advice here. +1 |
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Quoted:
I'm trying to trim all of my 556 to 1.750 and I'm running into a lot of pieces that are 1.740. What do you do with short pieces of brass? You didn't mention for what purpose you're loading this ammo. I mean............ IF it's for ZOMBIES......I doubt that they would complain. IF it's for the National Matches.........I doubt that you would want to have that much of a difference (course, I don't KNOW YOU). Anyway......... Pick the spec. (be it 1.750") and then give it + and - X inches. Then.......IF, it doesn't if into YOUR criteira, it can be used for ZOMBIE loads. TADA! Aloha, Mark |
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Just found this thread from some searching. I have been wondering what is considered too short. Any cases I have found to be under 1.750 I have been just tossing into my scrap bucket. I am starting to reload for a RRA NM AR15 rifle for highpower, but I also have another 223 semi-automatic rifle (MSAR E4) that I use just for fun/plinking. Could I go back to the bucket and fish out those cases I thought were too short and load them up with some 55gr's and use them in my plinking rifle? At what point is too short? After reading reloading manuals and learning about headspacing, I was just afraid anything under 1.750 would cause excessive headspace and were unsafe. As far as how I resize, I have some lee full length resizing dies. I have the die setup with a lock ring that is set to resize them correctly. I have confirmed this with my dillon 223 headspace tool.
One other question I have is about trimming new and once fired factory brass. I just got a Giraud trimmer. I was told that it was already setup at the correct length so I started trimming some cases, but I found that they were coming out measuring between 1.747 and 1.748. From my reading that they should be no shorter than 1.750, I tossed those few and then I started messing around with the adjustment nut on the trimmer. Now they are coming out around 1.751-1.752. What length's do you guys recommend trimming at? Is it better to trim them as short as possible or leave them as long as possible? What is the best thing to do to get the most life out of them? Again I will be reloading some LC and Winchester cases for my NM AR. The brass is all cleaned and resized and ready to be trimmed, primmed, and loaded. Before I proceed trimming them I thought I would ask. Thanks, Mav |
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Quoted: One other question I have is about trimming new and once fired factory brass. I just got a Giraud trimmer. I was told that it was already setup at the correct length so I started trimming some cases, but I found that they were coming out measuring between 1.747 and 1.748. From my reading that they should be no shorter than 1.750, I tossed those few and then I started messing around with the adjustment nut on the trimmer. Now they are coming out around 1.751-1.752. What length's do you guys recommend trimming at? Is it better to trim them as short as possible or leave them as long as possible? What is the best thing to do to get the most life out of them? Again I will be reloading some LC and Winchester cases for my NM AR. The brass is all cleaned and resized and ready to be trimmed, primmed, and loaded. Before I proceed trimming them I thought I would ask. Thanks, Mav the trimmed OAL of a 223 case depends on how much the shoulder is pushed back since the OAL of the trimmed case is indexed off the shoulder with the Giraud trimmer. 1.747-1.748" is perfectly fine to reload, it's not too short. I consider anything under 1.740" to be too short. 1.750" is the recommended, not carved in stone, OAL trim length. Keep your Giraud set so it trims to 1.750 +/- .003" and move on. Anything that is shorter than 1.747" will eventually stretch into the 1.750" range If you ever tinker with your sizing die setting, e.g. cranking it down so it sizes more, you'll also tinkering with the trimmed OAL of the Giruad trimmer, so keep that in mind |
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When I trim, if it doesn't hit the Giraud blade, I put it in the short bucket. (plinking) I don't even measure it. Hell, I just fired it and it was even shorter, then. Almost ALL the brass that ends up riding the short bucket is FC brass. I don't know why it's so short, but it still shoots.
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