New to reloading questions
- Thread starter 1BadF350
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Buckythebrewer
Moderator
1st there is a difference between 223/5.56.It won't matter reloading because as far as I know there are only 223 dies(probably to be on the safer side as far as clearances go) and they will work fine in both chambers(Just don't fire 5.56 ammo in a 223 rem chamber).You should not have to mess with the primer pockets(if they hold a primer they should be O.K.,,Just make sure the are seated below the bolt face of the head).I have fired ALOT of LC brass and it is good stuff IMO.Just full length size it with lube(AND TRIMMING is needed BIG time after they are fired in the Loose 5.56 chambers the military fires),and if your using a semi-auto, I recommend getting a cartridge headspace gauge like the rcbs precision mic($40 I think)so you can adjust your dies properly and a drop in wilson headspace gauge($15) I think.Those 2 things you don't absolutely need but they make things alot safer IMO ,as well as easier while making the brass last longer.
If it is truly once fired retired military Lake City arsenal brass you WILL need to ream the crimp out of the primer pocket. If you happen to be using the Lee chamfer tool, it will also ream the primer pocket. Otherwise, you will find primers very hard to seat and probably waste quite a few. I've heard that a lot of "once fired" LC brass has actually been fired once by the military and reloaded and fired once (or more) again. I don't use much retired military brass anymore, but at one time a friend gave me several pounds of it-- mainly 5.56mm. Some still had the primer crimp and some did not. He swore he'd not loaded or fired any of it but had bought it all just before his wife made him give up shooting and all.
The best .223 brass I've found is Nosler. I've dumped all my other match brass in .223 since using it. It is a premium brass which means it is more expensive than standard and a LOT more expensive than old military brass. It may be actually cheaper in the long run than standard brass if it lasts as long as they claim. I've got one batch I am loading without annealing just to see how it works, and after 7 loads it is still grouping ok. Nosler claimed something llike 38 loadings. They were probably neck sizing only after the initial FL sizing. I don't expect to get anything like that as I FL size only, but if I can skip annealling once or twice and get the same or better as other match brass, I'm a happy camper.
Yes, the LC brass is likely to have a crimp on the primer. I have a drill bit that is just the right size to clean up the crimp on the de-primed brass. The cordless drill makes the task a snap. In the past I have used a pocket knife to remove the crimp which works, although it can be a bit bloody on the fingers.
Buckythebrewer
Moderator
The Lc brass that I got was with a bulk pack of other brass mixed in and after sizing they were ready to go..I would only use brass ready to go.Next time I'll probably buy winchester unless I want to try some specific competition type stuff thats hot at the time.