How do you extend brass life for a semi (ar-15)?

[CanPopper]

Hi, I was shooting my reloads for the first time in my AR-15 this last weekend. After collecting the brass and cleaning them, I noticed two of my brass cases had incipient split indicators, the whitish line across the middle of the body. I used a dentel pick to confirm a crack inside the two cases.

The brass I used was "free range" (picked up at the rifle range) Hornady .223 brass which I full length resized using a Dillon Precision FL sizing carbide die. To get them to feed in my semi autos I had to push cases into the FL die until the shell holder made contact with the bottom of the die (an OilyOwl no-no I guess).

How many reloads do you guys get out of the brass you use in the ar-15? Anything I can do differently to extend the life of the cases?

 

[Rafael]

Re: How do you extend brass life for a semi (ar-15)?

Get a headspace tool for brass...like the Hornady set that attaches to your dial-calipers, or the Reding Instant Indicator, or my least favorite...the RCBS Case-Mic.
Measure the "fired" dimension, then adjust the die to reduce this dimension no more than .002".

 

[308sako]

Re: How do you extend brass life for a semi (ar-15)?

Get an empty .32 ACP case, deprime it, invert it over the case mouth of the fired .223 record the arbitrary length. Size the case until the arbitrary number is reduced by .002" you have now properly sized the case and the head separations should cease.

 

[Downzero]

Re: How do you extend brass life for a semi (ar-15)?

All of that works fine so long as the brass you're using came out of your rifle. If not, you need to make sure that you size it down enough to fit in YOUR chamber.

The easiest way to assure this is to use a case gauge. If it fits in a case gauge, it WILL fit in your rifle.

 

[MitchAlsup]

Re: How do you extend brass life for a semi (ar-15)?

I get 15+ reloads on my AR brass (and 30+ on my bolt gun brass). They say you cannot neck only size for ARs--yet I have over 2000 rounds down range without a single failure--last year alone. What you cannot do, it to NO size without measuring the sholder position. You need 0.002-0.0025 longitudinal and 0.001 radial clearances on the semi-auto actions.

 

[Rafael]

Re: How do you extend brass life for a semi (ar-15)?

I should have mentioned that "fired" dimension using the method I described means the fired dimension fromn brass fired in the chamber you are sizing for.

Personally, I would use a measurement over a case-gauge since a case gauge will not match every chamber out there. Will it work, sure, but unless the chamber is very close to the gauge you can get more life from the brass by measuring and sizing accordingly.

 

[dan46n2]

Re: How do you extend brass life for a semi (ar-15

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CanPopper</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hi, I was shooting my reloads for the first time in my AR-15 this last weekend. After collecting the brass and cleaning them, I noticed two of my brass cases had incipient split indicators, the whitish line across the middle of the body. I used a dentel pick to confirm a crack inside the two cases.

The brass I used was "free range" (picked up at the rifle range) Hornady .223 brass which I full length resized using a Dillon Precision FL sizing carbide die. To get them to feed in my semi autos I had to push cases into the FL die until the shell holder made contact with the bottom of the die (an OilyOwl no-no I guess).

How many reloads do you guys get out of the brass you use in the ar-15? Anything I can do differently to extend the life of the cases? </div></div>

The die is supposed to touch the shellplate when setting up Dillon FL dies.

 

[Rafael]

Re: How do you extend brass life for a semi (ar-15

Are you saying there is no way to make adjustments in sizing?

 

[mavrick10_2000]

Re: How do you extend brass life for a semi (ar-15)?

In addition to sizing, annealing add a small piece of loop side velcro to the shell deflector to eliminate dented case mouths or dinged cases.

 

[Hummer]

Re: How do you extend brass life for a semi (ar-15)?

Consider it this way. Measure the diameter of your fired cases .200 up from rim.
Next size the cases and measure the diameter of the fired cases.
If this dimension is .002 smaller than your fired case you are good to go. This is usually accomplished by a standard FL die.
If you have a factory chamber this should work.
Adjust your die down till it touches shell holder. Run case up in shell holder and while it is at top of the travel look to see if there is any gap between shell holder and die. If there is adjust your die downward till it touches.
To remove all doubts get a L E Wilson case gage. If you sized cases go in this they should go in any factory chamber. Even better is a MO gage.

308 SAKO, excellent suggestion for measuring case set back. You are hereby issued ONE ATTABOY ! ! ! !

 

[CavalrySoldier3ACR]

Re: How do you extend brass life for a semi (ar-15)?

You always take a risk picking up discarded brass at a range. There may be a reason that someone did not pick up their own brass. It may have already been reloaded a dozen times and has reached the end of it's lifespan. If you know that the brass is once fired, then it's probably OK, but if it mystery brass, be very careful. Pistol brass is not so much of a risk, but high power rifle brass is.