How to differentiate Lake City 223/556 Brass
- Thread starter DngBat7
- Start date
Best answer, it depends on your accuracy expectations. If for AR service rifle shooting at 200 or 300, pour them in the same bucket and go play. You could sort by year or “era” (5 year batches)... but I’ve found that they don’t vary much between years.
Dusty Stevens
Shiner
The 2 digit number after “LC” is the year it was made
Save $$ By Using Lake City 5.56x45mm Once-Fired GI Brass
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2019/10/save-by-using-lake-city-5-56x45mm-once-fired-gi-brass/
Accuracy Potential of Mil-Surp 5.56×45 Brass
So, how accurate can previously-fired GI surplus brass be in a good National Match AR-15? Well, here’s a data point from many years ago that might be of interest. A High Power shooter who wrote for the late Precision Shooting magazine took a Bill Wylde-built AR match rifle to a registered Benchrest match. His first 5-round group ever fired in a BR match was officially measured at 0.231″ at 200 hundred yards. This was fired in front of witnesses while using a moving target backer that confirmed all five rounds were fired.
He recounted that his ammo was loaded progressively with factory 52gr match bullets and a spherical powder using mixed years of LC brass with no special preparation whatsoever. Obviously, this was “exceptional”. However, he had no difficulty obtaining consistent 0.5-0.6 MOA accuracy at 200 yards using LC brass and a generic “practice” load that was not tuned to his rifle.
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2019/10/save-by-using-lake-city-5-56x45mm-once-fired-gi-brass/
Accuracy Potential of Mil-Surp 5.56×45 Brass
So, how accurate can previously-fired GI surplus brass be in a good National Match AR-15? Well, here’s a data point from many years ago that might be of interest. A High Power shooter who wrote for the late Precision Shooting magazine took a Bill Wylde-built AR match rifle to a registered Benchrest match. His first 5-round group ever fired in a BR match was officially measured at 0.231″ at 200 hundred yards. This was fired in front of witnesses while using a moving target backer that confirmed all five rounds were fired.
He recounted that his ammo was loaded progressively with factory 52gr match bullets and a spherical powder using mixed years of LC brass with no special preparation whatsoever. Obviously, this was “exceptional”. However, he had no difficulty obtaining consistent 0.5-0.6 MOA accuracy at 200 yards using LC brass and a generic “practice” load that was not tuned to his rifle.
Do you mean;
The difference between 5.56 or 223 both made by Lake city
Or
Difference between Lake City and other brass?
DngBat7
Silver $$ Contributor
The first one
https://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/223rem/ Federal headstamp was made at LC also.
The same year of LC brass/ammo can be made on different lines.
Scamp markings
Some US GI cartridge cases are run on SCAMP (Small Caliber Ammunition Modernization Program) lines. This is HIGH speed cartridge case making equipment. Several lines of SCAMP machinery may be used to run cases thru out the year, or on the same lot/year of ammo. Those dots identify which SCAMP line
The same year of LC brass/ammo can be made on different lines.
Scamp markings
Some US GI cartridge cases are run on SCAMP (Small Caliber Ammunition Modernization Program) lines. This is HIGH speed cartridge case making equipment. Several lines of SCAMP machinery may be used to run cases thru out the year, or on the same lot/year of ammo. Those dots identify which SCAMP line
Pic is from second reference. Hope this helps
LC has all the fancy markings.
Good reads
https://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/223rem/
http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/are-all-lc-223-5-56-brass-equal.3933911/
LC has all the fancy markings.
Good reads
https://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/223rem/
http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/are-all-lc-223-5-56-brass-equal.3933911/
243winxb
Your finger is faster than mine.
Your finger is faster than mine.
Dusty Stevens
Shiner
Wonder what his next 4 groups ended up being to finish the agg?
As I understand it, those marks are a code for the station of the turret...one of 24. According to a post on the international ammunition association forum: “Starting with the “dot” to the right of the NATO symbol and going clockwise, the dots are assigned a value of 4, 8, 16, 1 and 2. There are 32 possible combinations of these dots that add up to any number below 32. Only 24 stations are used on the SCAMP machines, so not every possible comination of dots is used. On the case in the picture, 4 and 8 are blank and the three remaining dots add up to 19. So, this case was made at station 19 on the loading machine.” One line can produce over half a billion rounds per year.
Lake City makes both 556 and .223 . The .223 is marked as such .
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DngBat7
Silver $$ Contributor
So if does not say .223 on it, It’s 556?
If it looks like the photos above its 5.56
Yes,like was stated by Rustytigwire the 556 will be stamped like the pic posted above .
Here is the 223 ammo I have .
https://www.targetsportsusa.com/tar...5-grain-fmj-1000-rounds-lc223bk-p-110563.aspx
CLAYTON, Mo., Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Olin Corporation (NYSE: OLN) announced that effective today, its ammunition division, Olin Winchester, LLC ("Winchester"), assumed full management and operational control of the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri. The U.S. Army selected Winchester to operate and manage the Lake City Plant in September 2019. The contract has an initial term of seven years and may be extended by the U.S. Army for up to three additional years. Winchester is now the world's largest small arms ammunition manufacturer.
ATK/Alliant/ Federal run the LC plant at one time and sold ammo to the public like this. The Headstamp FC = Federal.
ATK/Alliant/ Federal run the LC plant at one time and sold ammo to the public like this. The Headstamp FC = Federal.
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