.222 case length

[J.kerslake]

Evening all, probably a simple question for those that know!! I’ve very recently got into reloading...as in, the last week. Until now I’ve used either federal or Winchester in my .222, so obviously I have plenty of brass. My query is, when measured, a once fired Winchester case is 0.0394” longer than a federal. So when reloading using the same die set up the bullet would be seated deeper in the neck in a Winchester case than a federal. Will this make any real difference, as in should I stick to just using one case or the other?
Or am I being thick and the sizing die will resize them the same?!

 

[User00040]

You should trim your brass, a Lee Case trimmer and .222 pilot is all that is needed to start and should be around £5 odd.

So long as they pass the trimmer dimensions, you should be fine.

Work up loads according to the case, don't mix headstamps as brass thickness/internal capacity has an influence on pressure.

 

[J.kerslake]

You should trim your brass, a Lee Case trimmer and .222 pilot is all that is needed to start and should be around £5 odd.

So long as they pass the trimmer dimensions, you should be fine.

Work up loads according to the case, don't mix headstamps as brass thickness/internal capacity has an influence on pressure.

They still fall within the “limits” so are fine to use, I’m just wondering if the difference in bullet seating depth would make any difference to accuracy. I worked up a load with a mate @25 Sharps so I know they’re safe, and at 19.7gr with a 40gr bullet I’m well within the boundaries if you like.

 

[zambezi]

CIP case specs for .222 Remington are here: https://bobp.cip-bobp.org/uploads/tdcc/tab-i/tabical-en-page84.pdf

SAAMI rifle cartridge specs are here: https://saami.wpengine.com/wp-conte...99.4-CFR-Approved-2015-12-14-Posting-Copy.pdf
The SAAMI .222 Remington cartridge specs are on page 66.

The max case length for .222 Remington is 43.18mm [L3].

 

[harrygrey382]

The length from bolt face to bullet o give will be the same regardless of neck length. The difference in brass will have a greater effect on accuracy than neck length

 

[Foxyboy43]

Hi. Agree with all above - if you batch your brass by maker and resize to same dimensions you will get the consistency within each you want. Unless you are target or extreme range shooting this KISS approach will be more than sufficient for your needs at this very early stage of your reloading journey. Viht guide specs for the triple deuce case trim length is 1.700". Enjoy the black art but do be careful!!

 

[Overlay]

only ever used one make of cases, to avoid any similar problems or as others have send do a batch of one brand - re zero each time

 

[J.kerslake]

thanks for the replies, I’ve got them in 2 batches and currently reloading the Winchester brass, so I’ll just keep going with these until I need to use the federal and then swap over. The Winchester’s are nearly at the limit for max case length even after firing once so I will invest in a case trimmer any way.

 

[25 Sharps]

It depends on the dies you are using mate, some like the Lee dead length dies use the bottom of the die and the shell holder as the seating datum so they come to a stop when the shell holder meets the die. Others come to a stop on the case mouth, if your Lyman ones do this then you are adding a variable.

As above a Lee trimmer is cheap enough, varying case necks will change the pressure for each load as the grip on the bullet varies, a tiny amount but it is again a variable.

As long as they are not over max length they are ok to use safety wise and as you’re not shooting bench rest I’d just crack on and pick up a trimmer next time you’re in Dauntsey.

I don’t batch trim each loading any more, reload far too many rounds to trim every case every time, once I get a few hitting the limit in a batch of 50 they get trimmed. everything still shoots sub moa which means they’ll still kill stuff.....

 

[harrygrey382]

Yes I’m afraid there’s no getting away from a case trimmer - you can’t reload more than a couple of times without one

 

[25 Sharps]

Yes I’m afraid there’s no getting away from a case trimmer - you can’t reload more than a couple of times without one

Oh there is, Chuck the brass away! That does become expensive though.

 

[Foxyboy43]

thanks for the replies, I’ve got them in 2 batches and currently reloading the Winchester brass, so I’ll just keep going with these until I need to use the federal and then swap over. The Winchester’s are nearly at the limit for max case length even after firing once so I will invest in a case trimmer any way.

For info - there is a very good pictorial guide to reloading in that forum on this site. Well worth reading as a newbie to reloading. Good luck.

 

[25 Sharps]

For info - there is a very good pictorial guide to reloading in that forum on this site. Well worth reading as a newbie to reloading. Good luck.

He has my copy of the ABCs of reloading which is a pretty good book.