AR and reloading ammo

I'm new to the AR world (just picked up a Ruger AR556), because I already had a .223 die, and you have to have a gun for each die, right?

Anyhow, I reloaded a little box of (unsorted, that'll come into play later) .223/5.56 shells to see if I could get the recipe right the first time. Well, they all went out the end of the barrel . . . more on that later.

I had a chance to touch off a few rounds on probably the coldest morning of the year (a possible variable). Two mags of factory ammo went off flawlessly. I set the rifle aside while I reloaded a mag with the 20 reloads, went to shoot them off and I got a few FTE's, then a few FTF's, but everything fired. Nothing completely cycled. Frustrated, I put the rifle in the back seat, loaded up everything, and started to drive off. Then I thought I should have tried another mag of factory ammo, which all went off without a hitch. Of course, it had sat in the warm pickup for a bit before I shot them off.

So, my question is: Did my reloads just suck or was it due to one of the following variables?

1. Less than proper cartridge inspection?
2. 5.56 reloaded with .223 die? (I see the AR series dies are labeled both .223/5.56)
3. The cold air let the rifle gum up a bit, then "de-gum" in the warm pickup?
4. Unsorted 5.56 and .223 shells?
5. The rims might not have gone smoothly in the shell holder?
6. Other?

Currently, I'm sorting my brass a little tighter (it takes a damn magnifying glass with those tiny headstamps!), and I'm making sure they all fit smoothly through the shell holder. I'm going to load another batch, into .223 shells, to continue my experimenting.

Thanks in advance for your help.

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AR and reloading ammo