Military brass.. Just gona ask..

[Rsadams]

Is LC 5.56 brass thicker than non military .223 brass I would imagine giving it less capacity.. I have read yes and no so many times I give up, so iam just gona ask.. If so do you need to back off your charge any? I have never experienced a problem but iam also not throwing a max 5.56 charge. Max .223 and starting to low mid range 5.56 yes., but of course fireing through a 5.56 chamber.

I just read another article saying LC.308 brass is thicker and has less capacity.. I only shoot my AR out to 300 becouse that's as far as the range goes and I shoot iron sights. I know you guys shoot way out there so the slightly less capacity would effect you. So iam sure someone has actually checked.

Thanks in advance,
Shawn

 

[watercam]

FWIW I have some LC 11/Federal brass that is on the light side vs. other commercial (Lapua) brass. Can not speak for any other. When in doubt load one round each from starting load to max. in .5 gr. increments and shoot in order. I found the brass fairly consistent with decent case life in a bolt gun.

 

[jr600yd]

The only real PITA is removing the crimp in the primer pocket.

 

[jlow]

This is a common confusion.

It comes from the fact that LC 308 brass has thicker wall than commercial brass and people extrapolate it to .223/.556 caliber cases – it does not. My Lapua 223/.556 brass is much heavier than LC brass

 

[msinc]

I have always heard and read that you have to reduce your loads in military brass. I have never shot anything but Lake City brass in my 223's for the last 20 years...one of my favorite loads is 26.0 grains of Winchester 748 with either a 52 grain A-Max or a 69 grain Sierra Match King. I have not seen that load listed in any current manuals, it was a max load years ago when I first started using it. It appears to have been knocked back to 25.0 grains lately. I still use it and always have with zero problems or signs of pressure in LC brass. As a matter of fact, maybe it's not the best thing to do, but I have never reduced any loads in any military brass. I shoot quite a lot of 260, 7mm-08, 308 and 30-06 all loaded in military brass. Not all Lake City, but never reduced nothing and never had a problem.

 

[Rsadams]

Thanks.. I kept hearing both ways.. One very knowledgeable guy said not to worry about it. That it wasn't true so I just wanted to ask..

 

[Ggmac]

It doesn't take much time to clean the brass in question and stick a primer in after sizing , weigh it empty fill with water weigh it again ,then subtract .
Case weight alone doesn't always equal volume . Dif manufacturers CAN use dif alloys .
There's a reason the load books all say , when any component is changed , start low and work up .

 

[Zero333]

Check the 223 cartridge guide on accurateshooter....

http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/223rem/

1/4 of the page down is a list of brass makes and their weight.

( Looks like LC '04 is one of the lightest )

 

[dickn52]

The only difference I have found between 5.56 and .223 is the angle at the shoulder.

 

[bloc]

I'm probably an outlier, but . . .

I'm swimming in 5.56 and .223 brass including a great many PPU, BGA, Federal, LC, Hornady, Rem, Win. and Lapua cases.

Once I've satisfied myself that each piece of brass I'm going to reload meets my standards, I don't discriminate between head stamp or between 5.56 vs .223 wrt propellant charge.

For accuracy, I've found that the make of primer and brass make far less difference than bullet and powder.

I've shot many very good groups from my .223 Stevens irrespective of brass type, and I'm pretty sure that the rifle/load combinations I've worked up are more accurate than I can shoot.

 

[rogn]

I think youd be wise to check or at least spot check lots of brass and not rely on historical data. Not the same but this can apply. The lightest 762N brass Ive weighed was in the 165 gr while a batch of IVI 762 brass weighed in at 190+gr. There are spec ranges for all these things and you could get caught with the extremes at one time or other.

 

[cmillard]

I only shoot LC in my ar-15 any more. I found out the hard way with federal (FC) once fired "mil spec" brass. even with near starting loads of ramshot tac and 77 grain bullets, primers were coming out and locking up the BCG. after racking my brain over it, I put the brass on the scales and they were SUPER heavy and were even very short (none of the FC brass were even close to needing trimmed). I did and internal volume check against LC once fired milspec brass. not only was the LC lighter in weight (avg around 93 grains) but it held more inside the case compared to FC by a good margin. the average case weight was around 97 grains for FC. I no longer shoot FC brass, strictly LC. hope this helps.

 

[CharlieNC]

As mentioned look at the cartridge guide on this site. I have found the reported water capacities are accurate, with LC being highest. For what its worth I find the necks are thinner. Great brass!

 

[GrocMax]

I've got a bunch of LC with headstamps from 02 to 15, they all weigh the same, 92.5g avg. Current production (15-up) FC commercial is also so similar to LC I wonder if FC is made in the LC plant and not MN now. Current FC has tougher primer pockets than the one box of Lapua I tried.

 

[Rsadams]

Once again thanks for the replies everybody...