Trimming 223 brass

B

blackswamp

New member
Ok guys I'm new to reloading in fact I will start for the first time this weekend. I notice in the manuals for 223 Remington brass the specs are Max lenght 1.760" & trim length 1.750" so my questions are.

Do I set my trimmer up to Max length 1.760" & trim any thing over max?

Anything below case trim length 1.750" throw in trash?

Anything Between 1.750"--1.760" is ok & doesn't need trimmed?

Thanks!
Jeff
 
I usually trim to the minimum length. No need to throw anything below that away. I have seen plenty of new factory brass be shorter than the minimum. The brass will stretch after a couple firings.
 
Jeff,
If you are reloading for hunting or plain old target shooting (not competition) your casings will work just fine so longer as they are around the 1.750 that is the length recommended for the average chamber (not custom). I usually keep mine at 1.750 which would be safe in just about any chamber. With new brass, unless you are shooting "hot loads," you'll probably find that once trimmed (after fireforming the brass) will stay in the safe zone I mentioned above. But do check them after resizing to be sure. I've even shot brass trimmed to 1.740 and it worked just fine, but I like to keep all my brass the same length and therefore would use the shorter brass for foulers and the 1.750 for the good shoots.
 
New brass is about 1.760", much less than a factory chamber so why make it even shorter? Before you start messing around with case trimming, find the length of your chamber. Sinclairs has chamber length gauges for just this purpose, for every caliber. A simple plug thing that's not expensive. If your chamber is SAAMI or factory it'll be about 1.780". In real life terms that means your brass will probably never need trimming. But also in real life, people do a lot of unnecessary things "just because" they read or heard, and without knowing any better.
 
Originally Posted By: AckmanNew brass is about 1.760", much less than a factory chamber so why make it even shorter? Before you start messing around with case trimming, find the length of your chamber. Sinclairs has chamber length gauges for just this purpose, for every caliber. A simple plug thing that's not expensive. If your chamber is SAAMI or factory it'll be about 1.780". In real life terms that means your brass will probably never need trimming. But also in real life, people do a lot of unnecessary things "just because" they read or heard, and without knowing any better.

You're not worried about if the case is longer than the maximum case length listed in a reloading manual, the neck of the case might flow into the throat portion of the chamber, “pinching” the bullet or severely increasing neck tension, resulting in high, or even dangerous pressures?

So then, how much "slop" do you leave between the end of the brass and the chamber measurement? .020"? .010? .003"?

-S
 
Brass isn't chambered in a reloading manual, it's chambered in a chamber. You know the gun's chamber length, you watch the brass length, nothing's gonna get "pinched." I'd say .010"-.015" extra is plenty. My chambers are mostly about .010" longer than the brass.
 
Ahh. I guess I'm too lazy to go through the trouble of measuring the chamber to save trimming. And then if it's only .005 - .010 of trimming, instead of .020. Always thought SAAMI chamber was supposed to be 1.760 + tolerance and that's why the magic number was in the book listed as a max.

Don't get me wrong, thanks for the info.

-S
 
The RCBS X-die procedure is to use a normal FL die, then after re-sizing, they state to trim -.020" off the brass or 1.760".

Then, when it comes time to resize you will use the X-die (after setting it up) and it will prevent the brass from growing.

Personally, I trim to and have my X-die set up for 1.750".
 
Originally Posted By: blackswampOk guys I'm new to reloading in fact I will start for the first time this weekend. I notice in the manuals for 223 Remington brass the specs are Max lenght 1.760" & trim length 1.750" so my questions are.

Do I set my trimmer up to Max length 1.760" & trim any thing over max?

Anything below case trim length 1.750" throw in trash?

Anything Between 1.750"--1.760" is ok & doesn't need trimmed?

Thanks!
Jeff



Trim to 1.750". Honestly this is more for consistency than anything else. If the brass is all the same length, it can be more consistent in performance. No real "magic" number, but try to keep them the same.
 
Originally Posted By: spoogieAhh. I guess I'm too lazy to go through the trouble of measuring the chamber to save trimming. And then if it's only .005 - .010 of trimming, instead of .020. Always thought SAAMI chamber was supposed to be 1.760 + tolerance and that's why the magic number was in the book listed as a max.

Don't get me wrong, thanks for the info.

-S

You're confused about this and really don't understand. That's ok it doesn't matter.......if you don't care, I don't care.
 
Originally Posted By: AckmanNew brass is about 1.760", much less than a factory chamber so why make it even shorter? Before you start messing around with case trimming, find the length of your chamber. Sinclairs has chamber length gauges for just this purpose, for every caliber. A simple plug thing that's not expensive. If your chamber is SAAMI or factory it'll be about 1.780". In real life terms that means your brass will probably never need trimming. But also in real life, people do a lot of unnecessary things "just because" they read or heard, and without knowing any better.

What he said...

SAAMI case length is 1.730" to 1.760" - a 30 thou spread (for unfired factory cases).

The minimum a SAAMI 223 chamber can be is 1.772" (and most are longer).

SO you can trim to 1.760" with no worries - and there is nothing gained by trimming shorter than 1.760"

It does not hurt to know the TRUE length of your chamber - knowledge is a wonderful thing.


.
 
Is there anything to be gained by not trimming shorter then 1.760 other then not having to trim?Accuracy or neck tension wise?
 
Originally Posted By: eric nIs there anything to be gained by not trimming shorter then 1.760 other then not having to trim?Accuracy or neck tension wise?

No, nothing.

Some trim to the length of the shortest case, and there is logic to that, unless the shortest case is very short.
 
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