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Old 02-20-2009, 06:18 AM
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ramonmark ramonmark is offline
 
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Default Resizing 223 into 222???

Can I use my ‘222 Rem full length die” to resize a 223 or 222 Rem Mag; creating a 222 rem with a longer neck (which would need to be trimmed).
I ask this because I’ve recently found just under 1000 pieces of 223 and 222 rem mag brass in my late grandfathers collection. I don’t have a 223, but I do have two 222 Rems.
If this is a go ahead, is there anything I should know, maybe a trick or two you guys could enlighten me on?
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Old 02-20-2009, 06:41 AM
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I'm thinking your gonna have one heck of a time setting back the 223 shoulder in a 222 die.

I would wager the price of 50pcs of new virgin brass that you'd need a form die to pull this off, and that is still slim odds of it working.

Save yourself the anguish go buy some brass.
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Old 02-20-2009, 07:08 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ramonmark View Post
Can I use my ‘222 Rem full length die” to resize a 223 or 222 Rem Mag; creating a 222 rem with a longer neck (which would need to be trimmed).
I ask this because I’ve recently found just under 1000 pieces of 223 and 222 rem mag brass in my late grandfathers collection. I don’t have a 223, but I do have two 222 Rems.
If this is a go ahead, is there anything I should know, maybe a trick or two you guys could enlighten me on?
Save yourself time, money , and frustration and buy some match 222 rem brass.
i have some of each and can tell you that it is just not worth it....
Cat
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Old 02-20-2009, 07:48 AM
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Thanks for the fast reply guys! I figured that this idea would be more of a headache than reloading should be! Now, do I sell the brass or buy a new toy and make use of the brass? hmmmmmmmmmmmm... I've always wanted a mini14!
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Old 02-20-2009, 08:13 AM
rugatika rugatika is offline
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Default Lol

I was just gonna say..."Now you got a good reason to go buy a 223."

Gun buyers...we're a bunch of enablers.

lol
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Old 02-20-2009, 08:22 AM
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Originally Posted by ramonmark View Post
Thanks for the fast reply guys! I figured that this idea would be more of a headache than reloading should be! Now, do I sell the brass or buy a new toy and make use of the brass? hmmmmmmmmmmmm... I've always wanted a mini14!
You have 222 REM mag brass?
here's what you do - find a cheap 223, send it to Paul Reibin, and have him make you up a 6X47 in a nice varmint rig!
or, send ME the 222 rem mag bras and I'll have him rebarrel one of my single shots into 6.5X47!
(always wanted one after shooting a friend's 7X222rem mag)
Cat
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Last edited by catnthehat; 02-20-2009 at 09:21 AM.
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Old 02-20-2009, 08:28 AM
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I have reformed hundreds (over 500 ) .223 to .222 . Just make sure they are well lubricated including inside the neck before you run them in full length die , don't rush when resizing take your time pulling press handle , less chances collapsing shoulder then just trim them to length .Also you should turn necks because necks might be to thick .One more thing , some brass is to thick and hard to reform. Other then that it is easy.
PM sent.
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Old 02-20-2009, 08:32 AM
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Originally Posted by 222rem View Post
I have reformed hundreds (over 500 ) .223 to .222 . Just make sure they are well lubricated including inside the neck before you run them in full length die , don't rush when resizing take your time pulling press handle , less chances collapsing shoulder then just trim them to length .Also you should turn necks because necks might be to thick .One more thing , some brass is to thick and hard to reform. Other then that it is easy.
PM sent.
Unless I was shooting a custom chamber I would not go through this hassle of reforming and neck turning for the price of brass - I'd rather spend my time shooting.

Cat
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Old 02-20-2009, 08:43 AM
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Unless I was shooting a custom chamber I would not go through this hassle of reforming and neck turning for the price of brass - I'd rather spend my time shooting.

Cat
You are correct about a hassle but I have tons of free brass and I have lots of time on my hands in addition to that I like tinkering .
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Old 02-20-2009, 08:49 AM
rembo rembo is offline
 
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I did just that about 10 years ago and learned two things....
firstly, it can be done..
secondly, it's not worth the trouble....
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Old 02-20-2009, 09:21 AM
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You are correct about a hassle but I have tons of free brass and I have lots of time on my hands in addition to that I like tinkering .
Time is what I do NOT have lots of!
Crap, it seems my days off all I do is buy and transfer stuff, and send it, pick it up, and then IF I'm lucky, a little bit of range time.
I load , fix, and generally live in between work !!
Cat
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Old 02-20-2009, 09:43 PM
deanmc deanmc is offline
 
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Originally Posted by catnthehat View Post
Time is what I do NOT have lots of!
Crap, it seems my days off all I do is buy and transfer stuff, and send it, pick it up, and then IF I'm lucky, a little bit of range time.
I load , fix, and generally live in between work !!
Cat
I hear that loud and clear. I have two little boys. Need I say more???
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Old 02-20-2009, 09:49 PM
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I hear that loud and clear. I have two little boys. Need I say more???
Apparantly my wife has three kids - a 21 year old daughter and two boys , one 19 years old , and one 54 years old!!
Cat
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  #14  
Old 08-07-2017, 09:18 AM
wiserfool wiserfool is offline
 
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I thought I would add some info to this old thread. I was getting frustrated trying to find 222 brass anywhere, at any price. Last winter, I formed 1000 223 1xfired to 222. If you take the time to prepare everything well, the hassle factor goes way down, while the success rate goes way up. Here are a few tips based on what I learned along the way:

-Get the brass nice and clean first; SS wet tumbling is best. Anything but nice shiny brass causes the failure rate to increase drastically.
-Polish your die internally. Don't worry, you won't take enough metal off to cause any problem with the resizing function of the die. Polish it WELL, not just a little bit. It removes any internal roughness, which can cause problems when forming. A smooth die makes a BIG difference to the success rate.
-Use Imperial Sizing Wax. Clearly the best lube for reforming. If you are getting any wrinkling, use less lube, not more. I've tried the others, Imperial is in a class of its own for forming brass.
-Remove the decapping rod from the die, form the brass in one stroke, but use a slow, steady stroke of the handle.
-Trimming is the most time consuming part of the entire process. A power trimmer helps a lot here.
-Anneal the brass once the forming is complete, prior to the first loading. Don't anneal before forming, you will get too many failures. If you don't anneal at all, you will get split necks because the brass got worked so much.
-Finish off with a full length resize, with the decapping rod installed this time.
I enjoyed the process of doing a batch of 223 to 222 forming last winter. I used Federal brass and inside neck turning was not necessary. I got great reloads out of this and the gopher population around here took a big hit as a result. At $80 per thousand for 1xfired 223, vs around $450 a thousand for new 222 brass (IF you can find any), I picked up a Giraud trimmer + the bulk brass for less than the cost of 1000 new 222 brass.
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Last edited by wiserfool; 08-07-2017 at 09:25 AM.
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  #15  
Old 08-07-2017, 09:14 PM
rembo rembo is offline
 
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I did a few cases a while back and learned two things in this order.

It can be done.

It's not worth the trouble.
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