Manufacturing 223 Cartridge Cases From
Military 5.56mm Cases Member George Ponton
Items needed for remanufacturing military cases: spray lube, depriming tool, primer pocket swager, caliper, deburring tool, and case trimmer.
cartridge since 1964. Remington brought out the sporting version and called it the 223 Remington that was similar to, but not identical to, the 222 Remington Magnum. There are two military versions of the cartridge: 5.56mm, Ball, M193, and 5.56mm, Ball, M885. The fi rst version was initially loaded with a 55-grain Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail (FMJBT) bullet until 1984. The second version uses a 62-grain FMJBT with a mild steel penetrator point. [Cartridges of the World, 11th Edition] The purpose of this article is to present my process
Originally an alternative military cartridge, the 5.56x45mm has been the offi cial U.S. and NATO
techniques. With new unfi red commercial 223 brass cartridge cases now selling for $25 per 100 and new ammunition at $20 per box of 20, an effi cient handloader could be earning $12 to $25 per hour in savings. While this has been a practice for approximately 50 years, and much has been written on this subject, I often am surprised how little is known. I started reworking 30-06 spent military brass from M-1 Garands into usable cases for reloading during the ’60s. Later I re-worked 7.65mm (308) military cases into the 243 confi guration for reloading (not recommended). So when I obtained a 223 Sako Sporter in the ’80s I immediately obtained once-fi red military brass and started re-manufacturing it into 223 cases. The 223 Remington and the 5.56mm NATO cartridges are dimensionally identical. However, I have read comments that the military cases, being more robust, have a smaller volume than the 223 case. So a reloader must approach maximum powder loads with caution. The 223 is an excellent and very popular cartridge for
varmint hunting at medium ranges of 200 to 300 yards. It is quieter and more powder effi cient compared with the larger case 22 centerfi res (40% more powder yields 20% more ve- locity).
However, the popularity is mostly because of the
availability of once-fi red cases used by the military during training and practice. These cases can be re-manufactured by a reloader and reloaded for target shooting and/or varmint reduction. They also can be re-formed for larger bullets such as the 7mm TCU. So my criteria for determining good quality brass cases
for creating quality cases for reloading, working with spent military brass. This will acquaint new handloaders and shooters, who have an interest in using once-fi red military cases in a rifl e chambered for the 223, with my processes and
are: Three-shot groups of 1 inch at 100 yards. Reusable multiple times. Smooth, reliable feeding. My 223 is a Sako bolt action sporter (not a heavy bar-
rel) which consistently delivers groups under an inch at 100 yards and has shot groups as small as ⅜ inch, using re- manufactured military brass cases. I did an informal test of reloading three military cases
with different head stamps (LC77, LC81, and LC85) selected at random. Each was loaded and fi red 11 times, while trimming the cases to 1.755 inches when they met or exceeded 1.760 inches. I inspected each case after each fi ring and I could not detect any neck splits, case cracks, or loose primer pockets. When the cases are carefully full-length sized and
trimmed, and the bullets properly seated, smooth, reliable feeding is the norm. I did experience one batch where the bolt was hard to close, but it was because of not completely resizing the cases. Several steps must be taken before such surplus mili-
Left to right: start of neck split, severe neck split, areas of embedded iron surface discolorations, and dimple in taper.
Page 126 Spring 2012
tary cases can be considered ready to be reloaded, for the following reasons:
Military primers are crimped into the cases.
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