Reloading for the AR is it easy or hard.

Started with 1,000 PMC brass 223's and a case of Federal 223's. Kept my brass along with range pick up. Tumble it, size it (Lee full length die), tumble the lube off, trim it and throw it in the ready to load bin. 26.0 of W748 under a 55grn Berrys bullet FMJ seated to the cannelure......never a problem. I have shot over 2,000 of these. I would have to look at my notes to see the actual OAL. 223 for my AR's was my first experience with rifle loading. I did probably 1500 on a Lee single stage press kit. Did about 20 every night or every couple days, next thing you know you look down and have 600 loaded.......way quicker than people imagine.
 
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Some confusion on the use of small base dies. If you are buying once fired military brass in bulk and processing the brass, this is when to use a small base die. Some of the military brass was fired in a Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). This brass is larger in dimension and needs the small base sizer. If you start with new Commercial brass, then you will probably never need a small base sizer. I think that I have two Small base dies that I have only used on bulk once fired military brass. I love good lake city brass.

I would warn the OP on using Federal brass as the case head is soft, and within a few firings, you will blow the primers out of the case. The loose anvil and primer in the trigger group is not a good thing.

I recently worked up loads for two Bushmaster varmints. After I put a JP trigger in them and a Leupold 6.x 20 on top, Lake city '12 brass, CCI 400, 24.5g of Benchark wtih a 55g Hornady sp shot half inch and less, depending on how much the wind was blowing.

Then I worked up loads for the 62g Barnes tripple shock. My brother took the long barrel Bushmaster and killed two does at 270 yards with them, one shot each. I used CFE, stout load for these 62's.

The military has done some extensive testing with plastic case cartridges and there is no down side for them, from 50 bmg to 5.56. Once fired Military cases in the future for us reloaders maybe a thing of the past...we will see.
 
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