Thread: 223 over resized brass?

Originally Posted by sneeze

If you want salvage the brass you can fire form it by seating the projectile out so it jams in the lands using a low starting range load. This holds the case against the bolt face and allows the case to stretch back out from the front to rear rather than all the stretch coming from the section just in front of the web. A tangent ogive bullet is better.
Small base dies are no different in length to a standard FL die and like any FL die need to be set up correctly to give the desired shoulder bump.
Not understanding die set up and headspace would be the most common mistake reloaders make in the beginning. The generic advice you get from reloading manuals doesn't help.
I would bin it though, I dont buy second hand brass, its often a more expensive option.

What is the difference between small base and full length?
The Small Base Sizer Die sizes the case from the shoulder to the head of the case a couple of thousandths smaller than a Full Length Sizer Die. In certain calibers it also sets the shoulder of the case back a thousandth or two more than the Full Length Sizer Die.