.223/5.56 BRASS info needed

[JAMESGR]

I bought an order of .223/5.56 brass recently. Mixed head stamps.
I'm working up loads with LEE and Lyman 55gr. lead cast using WW'S.
After separating the sooty annealed brass from the unannealed brass about 90% of unannealed brass is FC brass head stamped as follows:
FC with 2 dot on either side of the FC and 223 REM at the bottom;
FC without the dots BUT has a year stamp and 223 REM at the bottom
and FC no dots and no date and 223 REM at the bottom.

Are these FC brass crimped with a military crimp??

Thanks
JAMES
JAMESGR

[Dieselhorses]

Probably so but not all brass with "FC" at the base necessarily have military crimp. If you have a good enough eye, you can tell what's crimped and what's not. I just basically run em all through my swager and be done with em.

[CastingFool]

Military brass does not show the caliber. Just the year and the initials for the arsenal where it was manufactured.

[wnc435]

Just about all the FC brass I have been getting for a few yrs. has all been crimped. I just swage all primer pockets it avoids wasting a 3-4 cent primer.

[Winger Ed.]

I give all the new generation .223 brass a quick turn with the de-burring tool.
You can feel if it cuts a crimp or not in about 3 seconds.

[nawagner]

Military brass does not show the caliber. Just the year and the initials for the arsenal where it was manufactured.

If it is NATO spec it also has a circle with a + in the middle.

Based on my research the dots are to indicate the station from which the brass was made. In a turret type press making brass they need to know which station the brass came from so the octal numbering system is used. A circle in a specific location on the headstamp is given a value so they can create 24 different "headstamps" or one for each station.

[max it]

Wow. Cast bullets at 3000 fpm?
I have some Linotype. Can I do same?


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[JAMESGR]

I think y'all are right, just swag the pockets and be done with it.
All of the sooty annealed brass is going in the trash.
Thanks
JAMES
JAMESGR

[Dieselhorses]

Wow. Cast bullets at 3000 fpm?
I have some Linotype. Can I do same?


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Not as easy as it sounds but doable. I've shot a lot of cast through my AR with no leading. There's a topic somewhere on this board that talks extensively about it.

[Screwbolts]

Max it, 3000 fpm, (feet per minute) should be easy to accomplish!!!!! just make sure they leave the barrel.

Ken

[DocSavage]

Why is the OP throwing sooty brass in the scrap bucket, it's dirty not defective. Throw the brass in a bucket with warm water,a dash of dish detergent and a bit of Lemoni Shine slosh them around a bit and you got some nice clean shiny brass ready to reload.

[JoeJames]

I was wondering about the FC brass. A cousin gave me 5 boxes of Federal white box 223 “223 REM. 50 grain” jhps. All head stamped FC 223 REM. I thought it was weird all were crimped and with red varnish on the crimp. Was it that Federal had a slew of primed mil. brass on hand?

[JAMESGR]

DocSavage, the brass has all been fired. That's ok I knew that when I bought it.
BUT apparently once it was fired someone annealed the brass to the point that it created soot on the brass. IMO destroying the brass. I have cleaned some of it but it still looks over annealed I mean reeeeaaaallllyyyy over heated.
I don't think it is safe to continue to shoot (Think scared to shoot it). I may be wrong.
I have annealed some of my brass in the passed and it shot fine and the ejected brass wasn't covered with soot or any powder residue.
Thank you for the replies.
JAMES
JAMESGR