Priority order of .223 military headstamps

[rutilate]

Folks,
Of all the military .223 headstamps, how would you order them from most desirable to least and why?

I'm new to reloading and have been collecting/purchasing .223 brass from various sources. I have observed feeding frenzies over LC stamps but not so much others.

[David2011]

Welcome to the forum.

LC is produced in large quantities and is pretty consistent in quality. It's pretty easy to get large quantities of one year. It's readily identifiable by batch by looking at the headstamp if you want to sort it that way. Sorting by weight is probably a better method than sorting by year if you're sorting to gain accuracy.

My reality is that I process military brass and load it without sorting. Shooting Sierra MK or Nornady V-Max out of a 16" bull barreled AR, I get 300-400 yard prairie dog accuracy with Winchester 748.

If accuracy is your goal, find the velocity at which your rifle is most accurate and load for that velocity even if it's not the maximum velocity for the powder you're using.

David

[Love Life]

I prefer LC and run away screaming from PMC. Just personal preference though.

[GRUMPA]

Guess I'll give my .02 on this. I go thru more than the average person does with this brass. Most want LC because it will last longer while most of the others the primer pocket starts to give out sooner. I process thousands per week on average and if it's not made in the country I have a 5gal bucket I put them in. Most domestic brass is OK except for the PMC, that has to be about the worse to work with. Keep in mind I don't use them as 5.56 but I convert them into other things like 300 Blackout, 222 Rem, 221 Fireball, and 7mm TCU, so what I do with them is slightly different but the quality of the brass has to be pretty much the same.

Foreign brass does have it's limits though, never mix brass, what works well for one head stamp doesn't mean it will work the same in another. Most foreign brass the tolerances in thickness and quality varies from lot to lot and is rather inconsistent, best to avoid it.

[madsenshooter]

Right now, there seems to be a frenzy for about any and all reloading components.

[rutilate]

Welcome to the forum.
Why thank you! I'm drinking from the firehose here as I'm trying to get up to speed.


LC is produced in large quantities and is pretty consistent in quality. It's pretty easy to get large quantities of one year. It's readily identifiable by batch by looking at the headstamp if you want to sort it that way. Sorting by weight is probably a better method than sorting by year if you're sorting to gain accuracy.

I saw someone who had sorted all LC brass by year. Is there much variation in case volume/strength/reliability by year within the same headstamp?


Right now, there seems to be a frenzy for about any and all reloading components.
Agreed, and not just reloading components. If only I had more money....

What about FC, WCC and RP headstamps? How do they compare with LC brass?

I am still something of a novice shooter but am planning on getting into competition shooting with my son. As such, right now I don't care too much about extreme accuracy, but I will soon. As I'm sorting range brass, are there headstamps I should save aside for competition shooting?

[GRUMPA]

The quality and methods used when they make LC brass is all pretty much the same to the point that it's virtually pointless separating them by the year.

As far as WCC, FC, and RP: WCC is just fine but the newer ones with the "10" and "11" year on them seem to have a stronger crimp on the primer pocket, when you try and take out the primer a lot of time I get only the top of the primer to come off leaving part of it still in the primer pocket. FC there are 3 different head stamps: FC and a 2 digit year, FC with 223 Rem, and FC with a 2 digit year and 223 Rem. The FC 223 Rem seem to be better when I make 221 Fireball with the others being just fine for my needs.

RP.....well....those have mixed reviews, for me I wont use them except for 223 as they aren't really all that great for anything else.

Here's a link for you to check out for identifying head stamps: http://cartridgecollectors.org/?page=headstampcodes

Try and use that as a guide when separating them, most I wont use but PPU is some good brass.

[Reverend Recoil]

I shoot service rifle competition with a match grade CMP AR15. Lake City(LC), Winchester-Western Cartridge(WWC) make very good brass. Priv Partizan is also good. I have not shot much Federal Cartridge(FC). The ten-ring on the 200 and 300yd target is 7". Mixed brass with match bullets fired from a good rifle will easily hold the ten-ring and with many of the shots in the 3" X-ring at 200yd. At 600yd it pays in points and X's to have a good and consistant lot of brass. A consistant batch to LC or Lapua brass will work well at 600yd.

If you are shooting no further than 200yd. Do not bother with sorting. Trim to length once, load them all with Nosler or Hornady match bullets, Reloader 15 powder, and practice your shooting. The best source of loading and shooting 223/5.56 NATO info is at:
http://www.usrifleteams.com/forums/index.php?&CODE=00

[farmallcrew]

LC, WWC. I shoot everything 223. I still sort everything so i know what i have before i actively look for stuff.

BTW if GRUMPA has brass for sale, his is good stuff!!!

[A pause for the COZ]

I will add a bit to this. Not because I know anything more than these guys. I think guys are just getting the LC because it is a known Item. They know what they are and how to work them, and you can get all you need of it.

But I would agree PMC brass sucks!!! One other exception I found is Speer brass. I have 1000 of them so I shoot them, but the primer crimp are a bear to get out and the shoulder of the pockets are a square angle that will squish a primer with no problem. You have to do an extra step to bevel the lip of the primer pocket to use them.
As for shooting. 95% of all my shooting is 100 yards or less. Any brass does good enough, mixed or matched.
I do have my stash of Hornady brass for those special loads though.