223 brass sizes
- Thread starter Ram boy
- Start date
I agree with drwood96.
It depends on the platform and expectations you have from the ammo but too long (or possibly too short) can become a safety hazard and hence are non negotiable. You don't need to trim every time for most applications. Usually when I buy brass (once fired etc) I will full length size and trim them to the same length before I start to use them. It's a once and done pain the ass kind of thing kind of like removing crimps from primer pockets, but once it's done it's done and usually good for several firings after that. What you don't want is to constantly be worrying about the odd man out potentially screwing up your gun (or you). It only takes one bad piece of brass to cause a bad kind of boom.
It's important in my opinion to trim only after you resize though.
It depends on the platform and expectations you have from the ammo but too long (or possibly too short) can become a safety hazard and hence are non negotiable. You don't need to trim every time for most applications. Usually when I buy brass (once fired etc) I will full length size and trim them to the same length before I start to use them. It's a once and done pain the ass kind of thing kind of like removing crimps from primer pockets, but once it's done it's done and usually good for several firings after that. What you don't want is to constantly be worrying about the odd man out potentially screwing up your gun (or you). It only takes one bad piece of brass to cause a bad kind of boom.
It's important in my opinion to trim only after you resize though.
You can not shoot the difference between having them all trimmed the same length, and not. I don't care if its an AR or a LR bolt gun. The concern with trimming is not letting brass get too long for your chamber, which is quite a bit longer than maximum trim length.
The only caveat I have ever seen to that, is anecdotally I always had trouble with consistency using the Lee collet die if they weren't all the same length.
The only caveat I have ever seen to that, is anecdotally I always had trouble with consistency using the Lee collet die if they weren't all the same length.
If you're using a bullet with a cannellure & you plan to roll crimp the brass into the cannellure, you need to trim all brass the the same OAL dimension................just sayin'.
No crimp or a taper/collet crimp is not so important that all lengths are exactly the same, but to get the most consistent taper/collet crimp, less variation in length = less variation on the crimp.
MM
No crimp or a taper/collet crimp is not so important that all lengths are exactly the same, but to get the most consistent taper/collet crimp, less variation in length = less variation on the crimp.
MM
When chambering a cartridge, case necks that are longer than the neck portion of your chamber can result in the crushing of the case-mouth into the bullet at the section of the chamber that transitions from the end of the case-mouth to the beginning of the freebore. This can cause inconsistent deformation of the bullet, which is not conducive to accuracy/precision. From a safety standpoint, this situation can result in increased chamber pressures.
Image from GunDigest 2013.
Per Mic McPherson’s Metallic Cartridge Handloading, case necks that are significantly shorter than the chamber neck can also degrade accuracy.
From Metallic Cartridge Reloading
You can measure the length of your particular chamber using a Sinclair Chamber Length Gauge. Your exact measurement will be dependent upon the headspace of your chamber and the headspace of the cartridge case you use for this measurement. The chamber lengths of my Colt barrels, with their 5.56mm NATO chambers, tend to be 0.020” longer than the SAAMI 223 Remington maximum case length.
…
Image from GunDigest 2013.
Per Mic McPherson’s Metallic Cartridge Handloading, case necks that are significantly shorter than the chamber neck can also degrade accuracy.
From Metallic Cartridge Reloading
You can measure the length of your particular chamber using a Sinclair Chamber Length Gauge. Your exact measurement will be dependent upon the headspace of your chamber and the headspace of the cartridge case you use for this measurement. The chamber lengths of my Colt barrels, with their 5.56mm NATO chambers, tend to be 0.020” longer than the SAAMI 223 Remington maximum case length.
…
Last edited:
