LC LR Brass--what's the story?

[CHeatermk3]

Specificly, how does it differ from run of the mill LC brass?

I ask because I recently purchased some (about 200)from a member here and am currently inspecting them for use in a rifle to compete in local club CBA matches. I'm weighing them and checking length. They're pretty consistent but I notice that some, most, appear to have chamfered case mouths; but not all.

Are the primers crimped when the ammo is made?

Thanks in advance for any info provided!

[GRUMPA]

Most LC head stamped 308 brass gets used in machine guns with rather large chambers, which stretches the case a bit. The LR is for rifles and not machine guns, which means the case doesn't get nearly as stretched out as the LC. You'll notice the difference when you run them through your sizer die.

Those do have crimped primer pockets, so plan on working the crimp out of all of them..

[winelover]

The almost 800 pieces of LC-12-LR, I recently bought off this site and fully prepped, does not have crimped primer pockets.

Winelover

[toallmy]

LC brass is good but LC LR brass is the good stuff I have never found with crimped primer , but that is not a problem . Resizing brass that has been blown out of a auto can be a problem .

[CHeatermk3]

Seems like the stuff I have might have been someone's project that was interrupted for whatever reason.
Of the 200 I've weighed, the lightest weighs 177.3 grains and the heaviest is 180.6 gns. They are all 1.998-2.000 inches in length. Some case mouths (most) have a slight champfer evident, some do not.

Some appear to have had the primer pockets worked over as evidenced by a slight chamfer(to cut crimp away?). They are all headstamped LC LR 12.

The three I have checked for case wall thickness hover at .015 +or- .001 which is about as good as I could get if I turned necks myself; they have not, however been turned.

Just kinda wondering, is all. This is definitely the best LC .308 brass I've come across so far.

[s mac]

I know it's a small sample but I acquired 130 cases of LC LR 12 brass here on the forum, once fired with no prep work done and they were not crimped primers.

[winelover]

I have to admit, never checked the case mouths for chamfer.......I trimmed all the LC-12-LR to minimum case length, after decapping. I use the RCBS X-die that is adjusted for just over 2.006" OAL.

Winelover

[CHeatermk3]

Thanks for the replies all--

I've prepped the 11 heaviest and the 9 lightest cases--they were hard to size --the case heads were .003 smaller after sizing in an RCBS
F/L die. Hmmm...I.m waiting for the chamber to be finished before going any further--first thing I'll do is see if they'll chamber as they are--going to be fireformed with full power loads anyhow no sense working them any more than necessary, eh?

[B. Lumpkin]

LC LR brass as used in the M118 round should not have crimped primers. Case mouths that are chamfered would have been done by somebody in the prep stage.

It is good brass. I have the load card if anyone wants to duplicate the M118 round. 4064 is the powder identified on it.

[Humpy]

If you care for it by:
1. shooting them in tight chamber.
2. annealing the necks about every three shots.
3. don't use factory expander that opens neck on exit but make or get one that expands on a down stroke.

You should get a min of 100 reloads. I have a LC63 match case I have loaded 157 times and it is still fine.

My LC reamer cuts a base dim of .468 and a neck dimension of .339. I have another reamer that produces a .336 neck and this will allow a 360 degree neck clean up and a .013 neck wall will give you a loaded round of .334.

[Outpost75]

Humpy,

Good to see you on here old friend! Be advised all that here is a man who knows of what he speaks!

[rmatchell]

LC LR brass as used in the M118 round should not have crimped primers. Case mouths that are chamfered would have been done by somebody in the prep stage.

It is good brass. I have the load card if anyone wants to duplicate the M118 round. 4064 is the powder identified on it.

I would be interested in a copy of the load card.

[CHeatermk3]

Humpy,
Thanks for the tips--I forgot to get the numbers on the reamers my 'smith used--the barrel was chambered for 30BR; I wanted a 308W with a "snug" neck. He used a 6.5 Panther reamer for the body then cut the neck with a tool that cut the neck portion as for 30-40 US. The O.D. of the neck on a loaded round is .338(calipers not mike) and fired=.339 so for a guess the chamber neck is about .340+. As I rec'd them the case webs were a pretty uniform .470-.472; after sizing in my RCBS F/L die(no expander) they are all at .467. Fired cases =.467(no expansion). I used the Lyman M-die to expand the necks after F/L sizing, the stem is .307/312 I expanded the necks just enuff to admit the check.

Load was Lee TL-312-185 sized .309; BLL/sized and capped then 2xBLL, 16.5 gn Herc. 2400 boolit seated a bit long to engage lands and keep the head firmly against the bolt face. The gun likes this boolit; I plan on shooting this load tomorrow at our last CBA shoot of the season to finish fireforming the rest of the "heavy batch" of cases. (179,0-179.9 gns=81; 180.0+ gns=34ea.

[Humpy]

Sounds like you have the plan. Segregate 50 cases and keep a log on how many times you load them.

Outpost 75, thanks for the kind words.