My buddy and I are going in on a reloader so we have been saving and collecting brass in the calibers we want to load. My question is should I be sorting 223 brass based on if its 223 vs. 556, and if so how do you tell the difference? If it has the NATO cross does that mean its 556? Does this even matter? We don't have a precision AR setup so our loads will be for plinking and the likes. Thanks.
Brass sorting
- Thread starter mzvarner
- Start date
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milo 2.0
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Personally I wouldn't, just run milder loads through all of it. If you decide to be competitive at some point, buy new and keep track of it, or separate.
I have pails of .223 brass, mixed, I load it the same, and shoot through 3 guns, I can't tell the difference. The accuracy is better than I expect from a gas gun. But, I'm not shooting groups at 600 yards either.
I have pails of .223 brass, mixed, I load it the same, and shoot through 3 guns, I can't tell the difference. The accuracy is better than I expect from a gas gun. But, I'm not shooting groups at 600 yards either.
I have a large stash of 223/5.56 brass of various headstamps that I have collected at the range. Of course, I keep it separate from my 223 lapua brass and consider it expendable plinking brass. It is so abundant at my local range that I frequently pick up 200-300 every time I go out there, so there is no shortage of it. Therefore, I'll load it and shoot it once and then discard it or give it to my buddy who cuts them down for 300 blackout.
Perfect... thats what I was planning to do. I cant believe you are able to scavenge 200-300 rnds. When I go to the range I consider myself lucky if I come across 40 rnds.
Yes, it's pretty easy to come by at my local range. We have Border Patrol agents using the range and they leave lots of brass. I went out there with a friend a couple weeks ago and we picked up close to 600 between us. We picked it up until we couldn't find anymore.....went back a few days later and picked up another 300. I just went out there a few days ago and picked up about 250. I guess my tax dollars are paying for this brass anyway, so I consider the free brass a sort of "tax return".
this is my 223 range pick up strategy:
quick tumble(20 minutes)
weigh sort: light < 94, 95, 96 gr < heavy
head stamp sort the middle: FC, LC, other
the "other" may go in with the heavy or light
heavy and light get lubed + boxed for 1 pass loading through the 1050 (basic close range type ammo, usually 55 gr FMJ )
FC + LC get sized, length trimmed, primer pocket cleaned, further sorting, possibly anneal, etc for 69 + 77 gr premium ammo - then boxed for loading
quick tumble(20 minutes)
weigh sort: light < 94, 95, 96 gr < heavy
head stamp sort the middle: FC, LC, other
the "other" may go in with the heavy or light
heavy and light get lubed + boxed for 1 pass loading through the 1050 (basic close range type ammo, usually 55 gr FMJ )
FC + LC get sized, length trimmed, primer pocket cleaned, further sorting, possibly anneal, etc for 69 + 77 gr premium ammo - then boxed for loading
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I consider .223 to be those that are stamped "223 Rem", everything else is 5.56.
Back when I was getting brass together for myself, I seperated everything by headstamp (even year) and when I would get 1,000 pcs of the same headstamp, it was bagged, tagged, and put away for later use. Now I've got more than I'll probably ever use so it all goes in together when I find it. I pick up whatever I find at the range.....some days there is a fair amount but here lately, not so much. I don't know if people aren't shooting much or if someone else is picking up brass also.
My best day was back in the 1st of last December. Our Range had an LEO training class and I picked up over 7,000 pcs of .223/5.56. Yeah, that was a VERY good day!
Back when I was getting brass together for myself, I seperated everything by headstamp (even year) and when I would get 1,000 pcs of the same headstamp, it was bagged, tagged, and put away for later use. Now I've got more than I'll probably ever use so it all goes in together when I find it. I pick up whatever I find at the range.....some days there is a fair amount but here lately, not so much. I don't know if people aren't shooting much or if someone else is picking up brass also.
My best day was back in the 1st of last December. Our Range had an LEO training class and I picked up over 7,000 pcs of .223/5.56. Yeah, that was a VERY good day!
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