Resizing 223 Brass Problems

[deltaenterprizes]

I didn’t know where to put this, feel free to move it.
I had a patrol rifle class and needed 600 rounds of 223. I have some loaded but it is good brass with Federal small rifle primers that are very expensive right now so I did not want to use them. Going through my brass stash I found about 400 sized and primed cases and so I needed a couple hundred more.
I found some ugly brass and figured I’d use them and leave them on the range.
I dry tumbled them before I was going to deprime and then wet tumble them.
That is when the problems started!
My LEE universal depriming decapping pin broke, I fixed it and broke it again!
Some “cheap” 223 ammo that I ordered came in so I quit working on the brass and tried again today with the same problem.
I broke a decapping pin in my Dillon carbide 223 die and a case sucked out the pin in my RCBS die!
Measuring the Dillon pin it is a large pin and the RCBS pin is a small pin.
The flash hole of the case that sucked out the small pin is off center too.

Is this common with 223 brass today?
Is Federal, Speer and Hornady garbage too?

[JimB..]

You don’t say what brand, but yes some tend to have off center flash holes.

The primers also corrode into the pockets, making it difficult to remove them in one piece.

[FISH4BUGS]

When I did my last mass loading of .223, in preparing the brass, I noted that was one headstamp (don't remember what it was, but it was definitely foreign) that had a too small primer flash hole. Sucked out 2 RCBS pins also before I detected the pattern and scrapped all of that headstamp.

[Hick]

Off center-- GFL or Fiocci?? I have some of those and they make me a little crazy, but in a comparison for case consistency and shooting they did so well I kept them.

[rancher1913]

get a fw decapper, thats what all the brass processors use and they are tough

[farmbif]

sound like you need ammo you can depend on for your class. get yourself box of 1000 from starline and never look back. norma and lapua brass is also excellent

[Winger Ed.]

I've had that problem with 7.62 and 5.56 brass.
Sometimes I've run into necks so thick they want to change the shoulder dimension as the expander comes out.
It usually involves one particular head stamp.

Ya just need to identify them and toss 'em out.

[Walks]

This is why I don't reload foreign made brass.

[dverna]

get a fw decapper, thats what all the brass processors use and they are tough

Just ordered one. Thanks for posting the info. I have never heard of them but cheap if it works.

I have a few thousand brass to process that came from range pickups that include some Berdan cases and inspecting them was driving me NUTS.

[cwlongshot]

I bought a Mighty Armory Univ. decapper long while back. Never had another issue with decapping.

Yes it happens. None of those manufacturers gives a whoot about second time uses of there cases!! Buy quality brands!! ALL 556 san a few go in scrap bin & traded for lead @ scrapper!!

I just finished a few 5 gal pails of sorting range brass. I have another almost full pail to get scrapped!!


CW

[Rapier]

Did a magazine article on military 223 brass. Their specifications are much looser than commercial. Took 1,000 pieces and selected 100 at random, eyes closed. Checked the exterior dimensions, primer pockets and flash hole placements, plus case water capacities. The exterior dimensions varied based on chambers of course, the primer pockets all required swaging with a set full stroke stage. There were 5 flash holes off center. All but a very few had hanging punch scrap in the case, requiring a flash hole reaming. The capacities varied by as much as .6 of a gain on the small case. Processing of military brass match use can be done, it just takes a bit more attention to detail and more aggravation.
What I do is buy preprocessed and primed LC only and shoot it for sight settings, wet bore break in, etc., then do my process of it after firing in my chambers. Discarding the messed up stuff, off center, out of spec capacities, etc.

Way easier to buy commercial brass.

[firefly1957]

I have had the same problems with 5.56 NATO brass I have picked up at the range . I forget the names on the brass it was marked with a X in a circle.
Another brass I have had terrible issues with is A MERC in 45 acp the brass is so soft the primer pockets expand at .45 acp pressures on the firing of factory ammo. Also some cases collapsed seating bullets I set any of it I find in scrap bin!

[725]

Inspecting the brass range pick-up's is a test. The only thing, for me, that made it possible was a fiber optic extension on my mini-mag flashlight. Could stick the fiber optic stem right in the case and illuminate the internals. Still a test, but not as bad.

[Three44s]

I guess I was lucky!

I have worked through a bunch of .223/5.56 brass and never broke anything. I used my Lee Collet neck sizer die as my decapper with it set short of neck sizing. I was real lucky in that no Berdan cases snuck in the mix though.

As far as stray dogs and cat brands go, I sorted by head stamp. Then segregated by length.

My long cases will be set aside for 7 mm TCU conversions.

My short brass is segregated into future .222 (or .221) conversion.

The middle of the road got trimmed and fully processed and it’s up for my bolt gun or AR usage.

I even saved many of the spent primers just in case this primer fiasco does not self correct soon enough.

It’s like butchering the pig! Put everything away except the “squeal”!

Three44s

[Rich/WIS]

The x in the circle identifies it as being NATO standard, interchangeable between NATO countries and loaded to meet NATO spec. Military brass is not made with reloading in mind. Only brass I have experience with, limited at best, is PMC and it seemed to be okay.

[myg30]

Finding a mix of 223/556 with shallow primer pockets. I swadge them on Dillon but still had to cut the depth as they were several thousands short of spec.
The lee decap die pin should push up as safety before breaking.

Quality is a thing of the past it seems with a lots of products.

Mike

[Soundguy]

I didn’t know where to put this, feel free to move it.
I had a patrol rifle class and needed 600 rounds of 223. I have some loaded but it is good brass with Federal small rifle primers that are very expensive right now so I did not want to use them. Going through my brass stash I found about 400 sized and primed cases and so I needed a couple hundred more.
I found some ugly brass and figured I’d use them and leave them on the range.
I dry tumbled them before I was going to deprime and then wet tumble them.
That is when the problems started!
My LEE universal depriming decapping pin broke, I fixed it and broke it again!
Some “cheap” 223 ammo that I ordered came in so I quit working on the brass and tried again today with the same problem.
I broke a decapping pin in my Dillon carbide 223 die and a case sucked out the pin in my RCBS die!
Measuring the Dillon pin it is a large pin and the RCBS pin is a small pin.
The flash hole of the case that sucked out the small pin is off center too.

Is this common with 223 brass today?
Is Federal, Speer and Hornady garbage too?

I have seen off center flash holes in hornady brass before.. I bent a stem on a 45-70 deprime due to a flash hole that was way off centered..

[MaryB]

I only use Lake City .223 brass... very few problems!

[Thumbcocker]

Berdan primed?

[higgins]

Many years ago there was some imported .223 brass that had Berdan primers. I recall only one headstamp being Berdan, but I don't remember what the headstamp was.