DeerandbearhoG

I just loaded mt 1st batch of 223s tonight, I had some surplus R15 , 4895 and some R7. I wanted to use the R15 but at 27.5 grains it filled up almost to the case mouth and max load was 28 grains ,I checked it twice and even tried other cases. The data seems wrong so went w/ 25.5 grains of 4895 instead which seemed to fit fine. Has anyone use r15 in a 223 and should I trust the lee load book?

cataway

some thing you can try is to use a long drop tube , i have in the past put that much r15 in and it works in my savage but not in the AR the AR likes 25.5 of bl-c(2) and sierra 55 gr hpbt #1390

skb2706

There are several dozen different manufacturers of .223 /5.56 brass around the world. They are not all the same and you will find that some brands are thinner than others...thinner brass typically holds more powder. Less space by is taken by brass inside the case.

falcon

+1

Lapua cases are very thick as are some Brit military cases. With a quick powder and a thick case one could find himself getting blown primers, or worse.

This is a good link for case weight (thickness). Click on .223 brass weights comparison:

http://www.ar15barrels.com/tech.shtml

kelbro

Why are you starting at the max?

DeerandbearhoG

I didnt start at the max, I said the max load was 28. grains.

steve4102

Please forgive me if this sounds a little harsh, but are you SERIOUS? Dropping down a half a grain from the Max charge is about as close to Max as you can get! Especially if you are loading from a single data source. The general rule of thumb is when starting load development start at least 10% below Max. What bullet are you using and have you verified this data from more than one source?

OK, back to R-15. If your data is correct and safe you should be fine. Filling the case with slow powders is called a "Compressed" load. Compressing powders is very common and in itself will not increase pressures. Compressed loads are preferred by many handloaders and competition shooters. Compressed lo9ads have a reputation for accuracy and consistency.

Pete D.

I agree. NOT a good idea. Certainly it's not the best way to develop a load.
What bullet weight? What source is your load data?
I ask because if you are loading the commonly found 55 grain bullet, one manual, Speer, lists 27grains as a compressed charge and as a max load. So.....according to Speer, you are starting over max with RE15. In fact, your load of 25.5 grains is over max for 55 grain bullets in the Hornady manual. You'll get different data from Hodgdon and Lee (28 of RE15 and 26 of IMR 4895) but you are still on the edge since your rifle may react differently.
I use RE15 as my goto for .223. I use 24.5 grains with the Sierra 77s.
Pete

eldeguello

In my 223, I found that 24.5 grains of IMR 3031 was very accurate witrh 55-grain Sierra flatbase bullets.

DeerandbearhoG

I can understand starting 10% below max on replica and older firearms, but in a 5 year old ruger 223, seems a bit unessasary to me, and I tend not to waste bullets these days. I chose r15, cause it gave the best velocity,and loading it down, would defeat the purpose. Some loads have only a 1 grain difference from minimum to max, so I fail to see what so inappropriate about starting a half grain under the max., since I wasnt going to use r15 if I had to lower it much less anyway., Which I why I whound up using 4895 instead . My load data book is LEE, and its max load for a 55 gr bullet, is 28gr R15 (hornady SP)which is 53600psi .There are other loads for 223 that go up to 55000psi, so I felt plenty safe w/ this load, I just never saw a case fill up that much , even though I knew it was a compressed load, I didnt think it would compress that far.