What am I doing wrong Sizing .223 Remington

[insulinboy]

I figure I'm new enough I'm probably making a stupid newbie mistake so I figured I'd ask.. The only reason I don't like loading .223 is because I always get shafted decapping/re-sizing the brass. I use the Lee lube that came with my kit, inside and outside of case mouth fairly liberally, and clean the die every 50 or so rounds just to be sure its not loading up. I bought a Lee carbide die set for .223 Remington, and they are .223 brass not 5.56.

About 1 in 5 rounds still gets stuck in the die and I end up ripping the lip off the bottom of it and having to take the die apart to free the case and throw the case away. Is it just because I got the cheap lee die set? is it just the crappy lee shell holder and I should get an RCBS (the shells are fairly loose fitting in the shell holder it seems compared to the 9mm and no I'm not using the same shell holder for both I'm using the proper ones that come with the respective kits) Maybe I should be using a different lube?

Just thought it was worth an ask before I completely give up on .223 reloading

 

[Cartman]

I had some get stuck with the One Shot lube, then i started mixing my own from liquid lanolin and 99% alcohol and have never had another get stuck, YET.

 

[prestige30165]

I do not use the One Shot for same reason....Liquid lanolin and 99% aicohol. Easiest way to get 99% aicohol is to use Iso-Heet
fuel injector cleaner and water remover(One in red bottle)

I had some get stuck with the One Shot lube, then i started mixing my own from liquid lanolin and 99% alcohol and have never had another get stuck, YET.

 

[palmettomoon]

Stupid question maybe but since you mentioned only the mouth, are you applying lube to the body of the case too?

 

[freedom]

I'm new, so feel free to ignore me. I just put a little of that Hornady lube, I can't remember the name but it's like waxy Vaseline, on my fingers and rub the cases as I load them up. I don't put it on heavy. I touch my left hand fingers to it every 10 rounds or so.

 

[Jackie Graham]

Yes make sure you are lubing the entire case. Just a lite coating will work. Too much will cause dimples in the case. I use RCBS & Lyman case lube and have had no problems.

 

[kuduman]

What everyone is saying is that you aren't getting sufficient lubricant on the cases.

The old-school way is a shoebox, lined with newspaper. Dump in cases. Spray with liquid lube from Dillon or RCBS or Midway. Shake, roll, and toss the cases around in the shoebox to evenly distribute the lube. Wait for the lube to dry (a few minutes). Load. Never had one stuck doing that. Pads, Imperial Sizing Wax on my finger, One Shot-- I've had cases stuck with all the shortcuts.

Something like this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/204960/frankford-arsenal-case-lube-8-oz-pump

However, it's probably what the posters above are describing-- 99% alcohol with lanolin, so it would be much cheaper to make your own. I may have to try that next time I run low.

 

[Crumley25]

Do you have a lube pad? How exactly are you lubing the cases? How many cases are you running through the sizer before lubing again?

Another problem could be the way the die is set up. The decapping/expander assembly can be a little off center and cause all kinds of problems. Loosen up the decapping/expander assembly and insert a case, run the ram all the way to the top and let the case straighten the decapper/expander rod out itself. Tighten back down with the ram at the top of the stroke.

Let me know if that doesn't make sense.

 

[Jackie Graham]

Yes make sure you are lubing the entire case. Just a lite coating will work. Too much will cause dimples in the case. I use RCBS & Lyman case lube and have had no problems.

 

[biker_bill]

Bud, You specifically said case mouth.
That's not where you need it.
In fact you should try to keep it off the neck and the mouth.

Just do the body of the case. Put the lube on the pad, with your finger spread it out so it's not too thick.
Put about 10 on the pad and roll them once one way and the other.
I've done thousands of .223 with Lee dies and have never had one get stuck.

In fact when I'm doing a bunch, I'll do one that's lubed and then one that's not and continue till all are done, even that way I've never had one close to sticking.

Don't give up, it's too rewarding to make bullets better than you can afford to buy.
Just change how you're doing it.
By the way this is a killer accurate load at 3,000fps, 26.2 grains of RL-15 with a 55gr projectile. Even with the cheap .10 Hornady bullets you get great groups.

I found that to be the best out of about a dozen different recipes.