Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Reloading Dies for an AR

Should someone reloading for the AR use standard full length dies or small base dies? Any other "special need" procedures? Thanks.

BP...

I would say full length would be safer. Also get a Lee factory crimp die, because it is an automatic slaming the rounds in the chamber. I also heard they increase the accuracy of the cartridge.

Oh boy........

Reloading Experts for years has said any automatic rifle should use small base dies.All chambers are not created equal. Some chambers of the same calibers are bigger and some are smaller, and thats fine if they are within SAMI specs.So if you have two or more rifles shooting same caliber, it's best to use small base dies.

Dillon dies, Dillon taper crimp, Dillon press. Accept no substitutes.

All this info from folks that don't have much experience...

NO you don't need SB dies. I've never used SB dies, and at last count have well over 250,000 rounds down ARs....

As to crimp making more accurate, thats up for serious debate. And if you use the correct powder to fill the case and you have correct neck tension the crimps are never needed.

Now I won't argue that you can't or shouldn't crimp, but I'll also note that of the above number of rounds fired, many in process of winning a highpower match and many in process of hunting, I've crimped exactly ZERO rounds in any way or manner. Never had an issue related to not crimping.

Of the questions posed by the OP, I'd be more inclined to crimp than to SB size if I was forced to do either.

RE Dillon, see no flies on their stuff at all. Run a 550 since the 80s. Run a 650 a bit in there too. Though I still don't ever crimp.

I've used a Redding .223 full length sizer die to size once fired new brass, range pickup brass, many times fired brass and have run that brass through a Rem 700 .223 varmint rifle, Armalite M4, RRA Predator Persuit and a YHM upper I just got a couple weeks back. Don't know how many thousands of rounds I've loaded and fired, but I've never had a failure to feed or fire in any of those guns, and all ammo is interchangeable between all of them. The brass is a mix of commercial and military, probably a dozen different headstamps and produced over a 30 year span.

My sons Rem 700 sps youth rifle seems to have a tight chamber so it has it's own brass but is still run through the Redding fl die.

Jeff, we know you don't like to crimp. You've also posted that you get a powder column up against the bottom of the bullet base, not exactly a beginners' technique.

I ain't sold on a Lee FCD either. I only started using a very SLIGHT crimp with a Dillon taper crimp die, those boys in AZ know just a tad about loading buckets of ammo themselves. We've had this bullet set back discussion before, maybe we need to revisit it for all the fledgling reloaders here. Not trying to step on anybody's toes here, I just want to toss it out there

I can't say I've run and shot thousands of rounds of .223/5.56 but it's the one I reload most. I reload for 6 different semi autos and I do not use a small base resizer die. I have been using an RCBS full length resizer and an RCBS neck resizer and I do put a light crimp on my finished rounds. kwg

rost495 is 100% correct. My round count may be less, but I own 4 AR's in 2 calibers and don't own a small die and don't crimp either.

I think I've only shot 249,000 rounds but I haven't kept the exact numbers... Grin

No I don't come close to rost but I've loaded several thousands of rounds over the years and fired many thousands of new and reman ammo in mini 14's, AR's and bolt guns. Never tried a small base die and never needed to.

I've had factory chambers and custom chambers, .223, Wylde and 5.56 NATO versions, as you've guessed in more than a few guns. I full length size my AR brass and neck size my bolt brass. If I had just one AR, or could keep better track of which brass came out of which AR, I'd probably try to neck size it too.

But I want all my AR ammo to work in all my AR's and my bolt gun too.

Crimping... I had a box of ultra max ammo that had a few bullets shoved deep in the case. It took very little pressure to push some of the rest of the bullets in. A clear case of too little neck tension. Brass that needed annealed? Sized wrong? Who knows but a crimp die would've kept things in place.

Now as rost noted, if powder is full and neck tension is right, a crimp is not needed. I use a Lee factory crimp die on some of my ammo, not all but most of it. I also use about the same loads as rost but I don't keep track of how many times my blasting ammo has been fired, I just crimp it.

Does it help accuracy? I don't know but it doesn't hurt or at least I cant tell. Is it necassary? Not always but if a case is too brittle and doesn't size just right, you seat a bullet and don't notice it seated a tad easier, then during loading it hits the feed ramp and shoves deep into the case, pressures rise, you might have wished you'd have crimped.

Regular RCBS FL dies work for the Ar's I've loaded for, no crimping done. Make damn sure your cases are less than 1.76" some chambers are right at that in length. Magnum man

I did note in my post, re powder column and neck tension being correct, crimp is not needed.

I have never tried to crimp in 223. I have in other rounds and never seen it make a difference much one way or the other. But then I try to control all the other variables instead.

We I to worry about something we all call SHTF ammo, instead of picking up the leftovers laying around after it starts.... I'd not only crimp but I'd seal primers and seal the bullets also and I"d never use a case that had not be just annealed IE new or newly annealed.
But since I don't put much faith in SHTF ever, instead I think we are going to end up frogs in a kettle mostly, I'm not so concerned.

And if I got a jam in what I shoot, its not a big deal either. Just clear and keep going.

BTW I trim to something less than 1.76, I can't recall what its set for at the moment but maybe 1.75 or 1.745 or such. That way I get more loadings without re trimming.

I use Dillion dies, including the Dillion taper crimp die on a Dillion XL650 press.

this is wrong.also depending on amount of powder and neck tension I crimp.