AR-MPR – RCBS Rifle Bullet Feeder on Pro-2000 Loading 223

If you have an AR-15, you know that they tend to chew through ammo very quickly. It’s a lot of fun, but it also gets expensive really quickly, especially if you are requiring match-grade ammunition. The solution is to load .223/5.56 on a progressive reloading press. If you really want to crank it up, you can also add a case feeder, a bullet feeder, or both.

In this video, I’ll cover reloading .223/5.56 ammunition on the RCBS Pro-2000 5-station progressive reloading press with the RCBS .22 cal rifle bullet feed kit.

Here’s a quick overview of the die stations utilized in this video:

  1. Sizing/De-priming
  2. Empty (die)/Priming
  3. Powder charge
  4. RCBS rifle bullet feed die
  5. Redding Competition Seating Die (.223)

The result is very efficient loading with excellent COL consistency and bullet concentricity.

More .223/5.56 progressive reloading action to come, so stay tuned!

9 thoughts on “AR-MPR – RCBS Rifle Bullet Feeder on Pro-2000 Loading 223”

  1. Gavin, as usual another great video. Question with the comp seating die does it give you a consistent COL? do you check this often or just set it and let it go? What would you consider a good plus or minus for recommended COL?
    I am using a single stage press and Lee pacesetter dies and I always find fluctuations in the overall case length by 2 to 5 thousandths.
    Thanks
    David

    1. David, most seating dies seat by the bullet’s ogive. If you measure from the ogive of the bullet to the case bottom you’ll see that the tolerances are much tighter. What you are describing is probably due to the differences in the bullet’s actual over all length. Mind you not the actual cartridge over all length but that of the actual bullet inside it.

      1. John- good summary! The Hornady bullet comparator kit (for COL) and the Hornady Concentricity tool are great for taking these kinds of measurements. In this case, I was able to get very good results both for concentricity and for COL consistency. Quick measurements revealed approx +/- .001″ for concentricity, and about +/- .001″ for COL (varies by about .002″ total for most cartridges). For progressive, I’m really happy with these numbers.

  2. Gavin- I’m assuming that the brass is lubed, one way or another. Do you just spray the brass and shake or stir it around or what. I don’t think that RCBS sizer die is carbide, is it?

    1. Robert- good question! I have started using Dillon DCL lubricant for .223 loading. I lay the cases down on a towel and spray the outside of the cases and make sure to shoot into the case necks as well. I then roll them slightly to distribute the lube, wait for the lube to dry for a few minutes, and then “pour” the cases from the towell into the bin- ready for loading!

  3. Gavin-Like the bullet feeder, waiting on Hornady to make 22 cal bullet feeder die for L-N-L. I have been depriming and lubing dirty brass with RCBS lubing die and resizing with Hornady FL resizing die. After cleaning the brass to get rid of the lube I set up a 2 station press with just powder and bullet setting dies. I tried the factory loaded 52 gr. match grade Hornadys and they are not very accurate with 1 in 8 twist barrels, over an inch at 100 yrd. With the hand loaded 69 and 77 gr. Sierra’s shooting .5 inch at 200 yrd. Varget works great with the 69 gr. but not so good with the 77 gr. Have been using VV540 with 77 gr. and getting very good results. Just waiting for Hornady to come out with 22 cal bullet feeding die as I already have bullet feeder.

  4. This was a good concise demo. I am new to hand-loading and doing some research now on setups for various brands of press. If I wanted to load a match grade bullet (9mm) for USPSA shooting – can you suggest a similar configuration of the press, including Pistol bullet feed die ? Would I need anything else?

    FYI, for components I am considering CCI primers, Star line brass & Montana gold bullets.

    Steven

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