[Surplus Rifle.Com's New Article:]
Slug, Measure, & Match: Using the Right Bullet for the Right Barrel Diameter
By Mark Trope & R. Ted Jeo
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| Author | Comment | ||
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 eli griggs |
reloading .223 FC brass? |
Lead | |
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Posts: 661 (06/01/09 08:00 PM) active member |
This weekend I came home with quite a lot of brass from other shooters that did not reload and among this was some FC .223. I don't reload this caliber
yet, though I do save the brass and have a Lee Loader ready for when I do find a rifle. I've heard different stories related to reloading this brass and
like to know what's your experienced opinion and why?
Cheers, Eli
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~ Thomas Jefferson ~
"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity". - Albert Einstein WANTED - Lee Loaders - 6.5 Swede Mauser, 7.5 Swiss, 7.62x39, 7.62x54r, .303 Brit WANTED- Turkey and Goose feathers for fletching arrows |
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Parashooter |
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Posts: 1660 (06/01/09 11:54 PM) Veteran member |
FC (Federal) brass has a well-deserved reputation for being a bit softer than most other brands. Expect primers to seat too easily after a couple of
normal/heavy loads, with the danger that they'll fall out during feeding or extraction/ejection - resulting in a malfunction. With sensitive tools, you can
pay close attention to primer seating effort and set aside any cases that take abnormally light pressure to seat new primers. Double-check these rejects with a
hand-held decapper. If primers can be pushed out easily, save them for re-use and discard the cases. If moderately-firm finger pressure won't unseat the
primer, the case is good for another use - at least in slow fire where a malfunction isn't critical.
I expect you already know that the Lee Loader is best suited for turnbolt rifles. For autoloaders, we full-length size cases to ensure safety and reliability. |
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eli griggs |
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Posts: 662 (06/02/09 03:09 PM) active member |
Thanks for the info, I'll keep it in mind. Yes, I have the Lee Loader on hand in case I get a bolt or break action gun like a N.E.F. or some such.
Since I'm mostly interested in pinking rounds and don't particularly like to reload "hot rounds", I figure to keep the pressure down to a sane level. I'll keep these segregated after full length sizing and keep an eye out for oversized primer pockets. It may be that these will make a good pairing with a gccast bullet for a 'hundred yard' range round. Eli
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~ Thomas Jefferson ~
"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity". - Albert Einstein WANTED - Lee Loaders - 6.5 Swede Mauser, 7.5 Swiss, 7.62x39, 7.62x54r, .303 Brit WANTED- Turkey and Goose feathers for fletching arrows |
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maxima2 |
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Posts: 619 (06/02/09 06:23 PM) Veteran member |
I WILL NOT reload then shoot the FC brass in my AR's. I have no personal experience but have seen pictures and detailed posts about case head failures
that destroyed AR-15's. I simply won't take the chance because for the price of a new AR-15 I can buy a nice sized pile of new brass with no problems.
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Parashooter |
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Posts: 1661 (06/02/09 09:34 PM) Veteran member |
I've loaded and fired thousands of mousegun rounds in Federal .223 cases. Aside from requiring attention for loose primer pockets, they've worked OK.
Careless handloaders have wrecked rifles with about every brand of case ever made - but it's only rarely the fault of the case itself. That much said,
nearly any other brand of .223's is a better choice for handloading.
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Montana Cowboy |
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Posts: 262 (06/05/09 04:10 PM) |
Haven't had any problems using Federal brass in my AR-15. I have loaded and fired it 7 times with no problem. The difference could be in the lot that the
brass I'm using came from. Like all things you can have a variation from one lot to another. MC
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Fishoot |
FC is bad news in my loads | ||
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Posts: 23 (06/11/09 12:57 AM) active member |
I have had rotten experience with FC brass. I have had more primer pocket failures (they expand easily) in them than any other headstamp. I used to think it
might be limited to the .308 loads I assembled for my match M1A, but I loaded some for a Savange 110 in .223 and blew my extractor out twice. The same
component mix in other brass has never caused a problem in either caliber. I am a real brass hound, but now that I have had 2 calibers give me fits I relegate
all FC brass to the recycle bucket. The world is littered with quality .223 brass. I say pitch the Federal cases!
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