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  • hornetguy

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    What did I do? I learned something. I loaded up 5 rounds of .223 to test the burn rate of a surplus powder. I loaded it at the bottom of the spec for the powder it's supposed to be similar to.... the first one chambered, and fired. It felt pretty mild compared to the factory 55gr fmj's I had just fired. The next one, and the next, wouldn't allow the bolt to go fully forward. I put them aside, and finished my shooting.
    When I got home, I measured them all over, comparing them to the factory rounds. I found that I had not put a crimp on them, and they measured a couple of thousandths larger than the factory round, at the mouth of the case. All other dimensions were almost exactly the same. I "whupped" a Lee factory crimp on them, and they chambered right away.
    Apparently, my newly built AR must have a very tight chamber...... I might do the cerrosafe chamber cast just to see what I've got.
     

    hornetguy

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    It may be a Wylde chamber. They are a bit tighter than mil spec.
    That is a good thing to know. If I get around to doing my chamber cast, I'll compare the two. I suppose it's possible that PSA put the wrong barrel on my upper assembly group, as many as they assemble and sell.
     

    hornetguy

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    They do Wylde chambers in some of their guns. But the specs usually say that.
    Yeah... this one was sold as a 5.56 assembly. 1-7 twist. It fired factory 5.56 fmj with no issues at all. Usually, loading a round without any kind of crimp is not an issue, chambering-wise. These 5 would go almost all the way in, then jam. It was difficult to pull the bolt back to get it out of the chamber. After getting home and simply doing the Lee Factory crimp on them, they all chambered with no problem. The only thing I can think of is that it has a really tight throat area, and anything other than crimped rounds just won't go all the way in.
     

    rotor

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    Yeah... this one was sold as a 5.56 assembly. 1-7 twist. It fired factory 5.56 fmj with no issues at all. Usually, loading a round without any kind of crimp is not an issue, chambering-wise. These 5 would go almost all the way in, then jam. It was difficult to pull the bolt back to get it out of the chamber. After getting home and simply doing the Lee Factory crimp on them, they all chambered with no problem. The only thing I can think of is that it has a really tight throat area, and anything other than crimped rounds just won't go all the way in.
    Just as a question, ever thought of using a go-no go gauge? I know PSA is good but....
     

    hornetguy

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    Since factory ammo chambers ok, I would think the "go" part of it is good. If the "no-go" was not good, I would think the rounds would chamber with no problem. Probably wouldn't be too good for the brass, though.
     

    mad88minute

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    They do Wylde chambers in some of their guns. But the specs usually say that.
    I have a lilja barrel chambered in 223 wylde. Never had a problem with crimps, or the lack of.
    I bought some winchester 62 grain HP marked " For training use only" that has a nasty crimp. Looks like the edge of a reeces peanut butter cup. It has weird flat spots and the brass actually curls out. They chamber just fine.

    I'd put money on brass needing a trim.
    26e7695a4e7aeef7db77d76d71425a48.jpg
    b65ba344fe86bdcb03091c757fca9942.jpg


    Sent from my moto e6 using Tapatalk
     

    hornetguy

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    I have a lilja barrel chambered in 223 wylde. Never had a problem with crimps, or the lack of.
    I bought some winchester 62 grain HP marked " For training use only" that has a nasty crimp. Looks like the edge of a reeces peanut butter cup. It has weird flat spots and the brass actually curls out. They chamber just fine.

    I'd put money on brass needing a trim.
    26e7695a4e7aeef7db77d76d71425a48.jpg
    b65ba344fe86bdcb03091c757fca9942.jpg


    Sent from my moto e6 using Tapatalk
    I just measured them. Two of them measure 1.740, one is 1.742, and one is 1.744..... actually slightly under the "trim to" length of 1.750
    Good thing we didn't bet.... :cool: Good thought, though. I had not measured them. Just bought them online and loaded them.

    I'll continue tomorrow... 4:30 comes earlier every day, I think. I am leaning toward doing a chamber cast to see what I have. Lot of work to just find out.
     

    mad88minute

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    I just measured them. Two of them measure 1.740, one is 1.742, and one is 1.744..... actually slightly under the "trim to" length of 1.750
    Good thing we didn't bet.... :cool: Good thought, though. I had not measured them. Just bought them online and loaded them.

    I'll continue tomorrow... 4:30 comes earlier every day, I think. I am leaning toward doing a chamber cast to see what I have. Lot of work to just find out.
    New brass.....did you size them first?

    Sent from my moto e6 using Tapatalk
     

    MTA

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    Cabela's had some a couple weeks ago. I passed on it since it said shotgun powder. What all do you use it for?
    Longshot can give some of the fastest velocities for 10mm. Also a good one for 44mag

    The powder itself is like little flakes and is a real pain in the ass to clean out of a powder measure compared to stick powder but its worth it
     

    hornetguy

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    New brass.....did you size them first?

    Sent from my moto e6 using Tapatalk
    These were not new, they were mixed headstamp sized/deprimed and wet tumbled. I checked the dimensions of the brass when I got home, and they matched the dimensions for sized cases. I measured some fired cases, and they were quite a bit larger, at mid-body, shoulder and neck. It's a mystery....
     

    mad88minute

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    These were not new, they were mixed headstamp sized/deprimed and wet tumbled. I checked the dimensions of the brass when I got home, and they matched the dimensions for sized cases. I measured some fired cases, and they were quite a bit larger, at mid-body, shoulder and neck. It's a mystery....
    Get yourself a 223 case length gauge and check them in there. That will solve your mystery.

    How did you measure your shoulder dimensions? Do you have a case length comparator to measure the shoulder dimension?
    https://www.hornady.com/headspace-bushings#!/

    Sent from my moto e6 using Tapatalk
     

    hornetguy

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    I used a micrometer to measure the diameter at the shoulder, and compared it to factory specs.

    I cannot help but think it is not a shoulder issue. All I did to the loaded cartridges to make them chamber is run them through the Factory Crimp die. This just crimps at the mouth of the case. It doesn't bump the shoulder at all.
     

    rotor

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    I use a case gauge on all of my ammo and I use an ammo checker on most of it. I am lazy though and don't want to use a caliper on every round. Of course this is for Sammi spec not for best loads for a single rifle. If the glove fits, etc.
     

    GP40X

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    Jan 1, 2021
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    Primed 100 pieces of Virgin brass then cleaned 100 pieces of once fired brass. Will be upping the amount of Lemishine and Dawn in the next batch of brass to clean. The brass looks clean but has a slightly tarnished look. Will be doing the rest (185 pieces) later in the week.
     
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