LC virgin 5.56 brass- Better than once fired range pickup LC?

[skeet_man]

Considering buying a bag of LC virgin 5.56 brass for my bolt gun.

Any accuracy advantage to doing this over using the once fired LC range brass (from local range, zero machine gun brass) that I have sorted by year and can sort by weight?

I figured all being the same lot, and potentially a little more consistent weight wise might be advantageous to buying virgin.

 

[alb]

In terms of processing, you won't need to remove the crimp, but in that the various tools available make that a very fast process anyway, not sure that's much of an advantage.

I find in my case that I'm always going to deburr the primer hole and uniform the primer pocket anyway (I always deburr before using a Dillon 600, and LC 5.56 pockets always seem to be on the shallow side to me), so I tend to stick with the once-fired stuff for cost.

So far as accuracy advantage, IMO that's in your prep, and I think that's probably a constant virgin vs. once-fired.

 

[Rsadams]

As long as the factory crimp is in place you know it's once fired... I will buy new only if iam going for hot loads such as m193 replication or defense loads.. Other than that I only load upper .223 spec so I don't really need new brass..

 

[MGYSGT]

I once bought some new unfired LC thinking it was as good as the once fired. Boy was I wrong. I had been told that the LC sold to the public, had failed the Government QC test. I ignored that as fake news and bought 500 new. On average accuracy was acceptable, however about 1 in 20 would separate on the first loading. That's right, separate on the first loading. Another 3 or 4 wouldn't fire at all. Seems the shoulder was too far back and primers were getting light strikes. My conclusion from my experience with new LC brass is buy Once Fired brass and Full Length resize it.

 

[Rsadams]

I once bought some new unfired LC thinking it was as good as the once fired. Boy was I wrong. I had been told that the LC sold to the public, had failed the Government QC test. I ignored that as fake news and bought 500 new. On average accuracy was acceptable, however about 1 in 20 would separate on the first loading. That's right, separate on the first loading. Another 3 or 4 wouldn't fire at all. Seems the shoulder was too far back and primers were getting light strikes. My conclusion from my experience with new LC brass is buy Once Fired brass and Full Length resize it.

That sucks becouse its not exctly cheap...

 

[fguffey]

I ignored that as fake news and bought 500 new. On average accuracy was acceptable, however about 1 in 20 would separate on the first loading. That's right, separate on the first loading. Another 3 or 4 wouldn't fire at all. Seems the shoulder was too far back and primers were getting light strikes

That must be something reloaders never get into; I measure the length of the case from the shoulder to the case head before firing and again after firing. If the LC cases are short from the shoulder to the case head they should get culled/separated. A reloader should know what effect the chamber has on a case when fired, if the reloader does not measure before and again after, how will he know? Same when sizing, measure before sizing and again after sizing. And then there is setting the shoulder back; I wonder how is that possible?

F. Guffey

 

[MGYSGT]

With NEW brass I usually shoot it first (except for neck turning) and then adjust.

 

[scubohuntr]

Of course, it depends upon what it's been once fired from. Machine gun chambers, HKs, and some brass-bashing ejector systems can make it a poor bargain. That being said, heck yeah, I'll pick up all the once-fired LC I can find for AR use. I don't own a .223 bolt gun, but my .308 bolt guns don't get anything but virgin Lapua, full length sized first time and neck sized thereafter.

 

[JRS]

Considering buying a bag of LC virgin 5.56 brass for my bolt gun.

Any accuracy advantage to doing this over using the once fired LC range brass (from local range, zero machine gun brass) that I have sorted by year and can sort by weight?

I figured all being the same lot, and potentially a little more consistent weight wise might be advantageous to buying virgin.

I have both, and will take virgin LC NATO brass over once fired every time. New/unfired LC NATO brass is not government rejected brass.

 

[hogpatrol]

I wouldn't shoot LC in a bolt gun but YMMV. The best military brass, in my experience, is IMI. You can buy loaded rounds cheap. I saw 1000 rds. for around 300 bucks. How much for the new LC?

 

[Bart B.]

Any accuracy advantage to doing this over using the once fired LC range brass (from local range, zero machine gun brass) that I have sorted by year and can sort by weight?

If it is in fact new, unfired brass, it's probably better than any once fired surplus brass if all in specs.

Military team members shooting best scores with their semiautos never did so with reloads. Their rifle's bolt faces were all out of square; never squared up. New cases took on most of that out of square issue on their heads. When their high points misaligned with the bolt face low point, they made the barreled action whip in another direction. Groups opened up in some axis 1/3 to 2/3 MOA; typically at right angles to the bolt lug axis. Moreso with two lug M1 and M14 rifles compared to AR and M16 6-lugged ones.

As one of the first to shoot military 22 caliber AR type rifles in competition, it was obvious to all of us who tried reloading their fired cases. Give 'em to civilians to practise with then shoot new cases in matches like we did with all our 7.62 arsenal once fired match brass. I gave away thousands.

 

[Bart B.]

A reloader should know what effect the chamber has on a case when fired, if the reloader does not measure before and again after, how will he know? Same when sizing, measure before sizing and again after sizing. And then there is setting the shoulder back; I wonder how is that possible?

Not enough pressure to stretch the case body back after its shoulder is set back a thousandths or few from firing pin impact.

I have seen that happen with 30-06 Garands whose barrel has many thousands of rounds through it and the throat's well worn presenting not much resistance to the bullet on firing and peak pressure was low enough to sometimes not cycle the bolt. Throat gauge went in well past the "REJECT" mark. Another Garand had a new barrel that did that and its bore and groove diameters were way, way over maximum.

 

[JRS]

I wouldn't shoot LC in a bolt gun but YMMV. The best military brass, in my experience, is IMI. You can buy loaded rounds cheap. I saw 1000 rds. for around 300 bucks. How much for the new LC?

Roughly $45.00 per 250 pieces.

 

[Rsadams]

I wouldn't shoot LC in a bolt gun but YMMV. The best military brass, in my experience, is IMI. You can buy loaded rounds cheap. I saw 1000 rds. for around 300 bucks. How much for the new LC?

I to like it but maybe its just me it seems soft and I have to trim necks like crazy the first resizeing... The powder smells funky also... But the brass seems like good stuff and you can pick it up on sale pretty darn cheap...
Don't they also make match .308 brass?? I have been looking..

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Son has a bolt gun in .223. We use Winnny brass.. Shoots tiny groups... With our pet load.

 

[hogpatrol]

I to like it but maybe its just me it seems soft and I have to trim necks like crazy the first resizeing... The powder smells funky also... But the brass seems like good stuff and you can pick it up on sale pretty darn cheap...
Don't they also make match .308 brass?? I have been looking..

Widener's sells new IMI match .308 brass.

https://www.wideners.com/reloading-...w-unprimed-brass-casings-1000-casings-reviews

 

[Rsadams]

Widener's sells new IMI match .308 brass.

https://www.wideners.com/reloading-...w-unprimed-brass-casings-1000-casings-reviews

Hey.. Thank you..
Darn.. Sold out...