Need Your Opinion

[Davey Boy]

I just acquired about 5000+ pcs. of brass for about 2cents Canadian per pc..
In your opinion which is the best for reloading. I am reloading for just general in .223 and .308. Which of the odd brands seems good to reload, or are they all, once swaged. I do know to go with a lower charge in military brass, but because they are thicker, do they last longer. Lapua around here is mail order and shipping is painful. Up to now I have been using FED brass for both guns with 8 firings on the .308. Your thoughts as most of you have been reloading for ages and ages.

I have .223 Some are 5.56
FED both
WIN
REM
Hornady both
GFL(.223)
WWC(.223)
S&B(.223)
PMC(.223)
PSD(5.56)
PPU(5.56)
CJ (5.56)
LC (5.56)

.308/7.62
FED
WIN
REM
HORNADY
NOS
IVI
S&W
IMPERIAL
DOMINION
GEVELOT
PMC
PPU(7.62)

 

[Walt Krafft]

Can you tell what kind of gun they were fired in? Machine gun brass has usually been stretched a lot.

 

[riflewoman]

Of the headstamps listed, in 223/5.56, the only ones suspect is “CJ” which is the Chinese Norinco brass. It wasn’t bad but it isnt great. Most people just leave them. A lot of makers are now crimping primers even in commercial 223, so make sure by gauging. For those headstamps in 308, you can lump imperial and Dominion together. IVI is Canadian military and is decent brass even if crimped primers. All the others range from “excellent to fine”. Some may be better than others but they will all work. in my 308 loading my favorite brass was Winchester and Federal, with Remington 3rd. LC Match was reserved for loading M1A although the others were used occasionally.

 

[Davey Boy]

Walt, we aren't allowed machine guns in Canada. I do suppose that some may be fired in semi's though as the odd .223/5.56 have a slight dent in them from ejecting, but I have found that dent sizes out and then is gone when firing the second time around. Thanks Riflewoman I may load some CJ's up a few times, maybe use them as foulers.
Anybody else.

 

[searcher]

I haven't used several of the brands listed, though I have loaded up and worn out a lot of Winchester, Federal and Remington commercial, LC military - as well as a few other American military brands. In terms of ease of reloading, the Remington and Winchester are best in that primer pockets need not be worked, though in terms of terms of being able to take pressure and in durability - the LC, WCC and other military brass is my choice. All said - they are all good candidates for reloading though. Ranked in order aside from the differences in prep, I'd take LC, WCC, Winchester, then Federal - then Remington. That is not to say I don't like Remington as I do - and use a lot of it. To a lesser extent, I have loaded and worn out limited amounts of PPU and PMC. Both are "fair" in my book - but are not up to longevity, with the PMC a bit brittle, with lots of premature split necks and the PPU being a bit soft. In the absence of the availability of what I prefer - I'd shoot it up.

 

[Davey Boy]

Good to know. I don't mind swaging and then annealing after each firing.