I have a few thousand rounds of empty .223 & 5.56 brass, and I am going to start loading for a Stevens model 200 , Mini 14's and an AR15 Bushmaster. My plan was to sort threw the brass and pick one kind to use for the Stevens for varmint accuracy with 53g hollowpoints, and use all of the rest with 55g fmj as plinker rounds for the auto's. I have all sorts of brass, mostly range found stuff. What is a good brand to use that is a commercially produced ammo ( I don't want to buy any more brass). Remington? Winchester? Does it matter?
What kind of 223 brass is best?
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rwilson452
New member
To sort for accuracy, I would take the brand I had the most of and sort it by weight, Once you have it sorted you will know what weight you have the most of and then just decide how much variance you canhave and still have enough brass for your use. Use all the rest for plinker stuff
longtooth50
New member
I too likd Winchester brass. It is a little easier to come by but the guys here that really, Really, REALLY split hairs over accuracy say Lake City.
What kind is best? FREE
Winchester brass tends to be very uniform in case weight within a given lot. Range pickups give no assurance of same lot. This uniformity in case weight will likely not be noticed by the average plinker or even in shorter range target shooting. The differences show up in verticle dispersion at longer ranges like 300yds and more and maybe a bit shorter in some cases.
Lake City brass is very uniform within years of production. Some lots will weigh very heavy and some not. I use Lake City 04 brass for longer range shooting because that is what I have the most of.
Federal brass is produced at Lake City, but is softer in the head area, and will not tolerate very many loadings as the primer pockets will give out early.
Radway is Ok, just not very uniform in weight even within a lot, and in my experiences will split at the case mouth early.
Remington is good brass. Lasts well and is uniform enough in most uses, regardless of lot.
IMI is very good. I have some IMI that has 14 loadings and still plinking along.
Annealing the case mouths is very benificial in longevity and uniform case mouth tension.
Winchester brass tends to be very uniform in case weight within a given lot. Range pickups give no assurance of same lot. This uniformity in case weight will likely not be noticed by the average plinker or even in shorter range target shooting. The differences show up in verticle dispersion at longer ranges like 300yds and more and maybe a bit shorter in some cases.
Lake City brass is very uniform within years of production. Some lots will weigh very heavy and some not. I use Lake City 04 brass for longer range shooting because that is what I have the most of.
Federal brass is produced at Lake City, but is softer in the head area, and will not tolerate very many loadings as the primer pockets will give out early.
Radway is Ok, just not very uniform in weight even within a lot, and in my experiences will split at the case mouth early.
Remington is good brass. Lasts well and is uniform enough in most uses, regardless of lot.
IMI is very good. I have some IMI that has 14 loadings and still plinking along.
Annealing the case mouths is very benificial in longevity and uniform case mouth tension.
Unless you are shooting for points in a comp, sort it by manufacturer and load it all up. I only shoot 200yds max and I will hit a soda can with every shot. When I first started loading, I was obsessed with the perfect round, as I learned my need was not for a perfect score, it was for fun at the range and economy. I by no means just slap rounds together, I load for accuracy, I just do not try to get an extra 1/16 of an inch out of them. Been there and it made me nuts. Just my 2 cents.
When I load for the AR, I use sorted military brass. Works great.
When I load for super accuracy with the Tikka Tactical, I use Lapau. Even with a dealer discount, it runs nearly fifty cents a piece. That would be a lot if you were slinging it all over the countryside but a bolt action lets you catch each piece when you reload. Just amazingly exact brass. Not worth it for blasting ammo!
Gregg
Oh, and my prices were from midwayusa.com.
When I load for super accuracy with the Tikka Tactical, I use Lapau. Even with a dealer discount, it runs nearly fifty cents a piece. That would be a lot if you were slinging it all over the countryside but a bolt action lets you catch each piece when you reload. Just amazingly exact brass. Not worth it for blasting ammo!
Gregg
Oh, and my prices were from midwayusa.com.
Well, I spent a good part of my evening sorting brass, and I have a few more questions; Does R-P mean Remington? what brand is FC ? I have a ton (1000+/-?) of military brass, 183 marked R-P, 114 marked FC and small amounts of others. "lake city" is military, correct? I am thinking about using the R-P for my bolt action, and all the rest for plinking in the Mini's and AR.
rwilson452
New member
If it was me I would sort the LC brass and use that for accuracy. use the 200 or so that are the closest in weight and use everything else for plinking. LC is really good stuff. If any of the LC brass is marked match then that is the real good stuff.
At least out to 300 yards, I don't think that brass type is all that critical for accuracy. I think good barrels, good bedding, and good bullets are far more critical.
Saturday I shot in a Across the course match. I used once fired mix-master match brass out to three hundred yards. I shot a 198-9x at 200 yards, rapid fire, and then shot a clean first string at 300 yards. Second string I saved a round, but it would have been a 99 if I had got all rounds on target. The brass was LC, Fed, Win, and maybe a few foreign cases tossed in. At least out to three hundred yards, it is more important to work on your position, sight alignment, and trigger pull.
At 600 yards I used Winchester brass. I am not going to drive two hours, spend all day on the range, and blow a LR string experimenting with brass. But I would not be surprised if brass type is not that critical at LR.
Accuracy is a skill learned through practice.
Saturday I shot in a Across the course match. I used once fired mix-master match brass out to three hundred yards. I shot a 198-9x at 200 yards, rapid fire, and then shot a clean first string at 300 yards. Second string I saved a round, but it would have been a 99 if I had got all rounds on target. The brass was LC, Fed, Win, and maybe a few foreign cases tossed in. At least out to three hundred yards, it is more important to work on your position, sight alignment, and trigger pull.
At 600 yards I used Winchester brass. I am not going to drive two hours, spend all day on the range, and blow a LR string experimenting with brass. But I would not be surprised if brass type is not that critical at LR.
Accuracy is a skill learned through practice.
shadowwodahs
Moderator
Which 223 brass is best
I buy once-fired brass, resize the brass with a Lee 4-die set, tumble it, uniform & deburr the primer pocket, trim the case to length & deburr, deburr the flash hole and cap with CCI. Then I fill with 25 grains of Varget and top with a 69 grain Seirra MK bullet. After loading, I measure the total overall length and sort in different bags. So far I have only had the opportunity to shoot out to 100 yards with my Savage Model 12FV, but have encolsed two pictures to show the results. The 3-shot target is from my first outing and measures just three-eights of an inch. The 4-shot target is from my second outing and also measures just three-eights of an inch. Within a couple of months a new 400 yard range will be opening up and I will be able to really see what my Savage can do. In my estimation, it's not the brass that makes the difference - it's the attention you are willing to give it before loading.
I buy once-fired brass, resize the brass with a Lee 4-die set, tumble it, uniform & deburr the primer pocket, trim the case to length & deburr, deburr the flash hole and cap with CCI. Then I fill with 25 grains of Varget and top with a 69 grain Seirra MK bullet. After loading, I measure the total overall length and sort in different bags. So far I have only had the opportunity to shoot out to 100 yards with my Savage Model 12FV, but have encolsed two pictures to show the results. The 3-shot target is from my first outing and measures just three-eights of an inch. The 4-shot target is from my second outing and also measures just three-eights of an inch. Within a couple of months a new 400 yard range will be opening up and I will be able to really see what my Savage can do. In my estimation, it's not the brass that makes the difference - it's the attention you are willing to give it before loading.
