Bulk 223 brass for trainer rifle?

[CShooter92]

I recently won a barrel and had a 223 Wylde chambered up to be a trainer Bolt gun. I have been shooting through a stash of Federal/American Eagle 55gr FMJ bulk ammo for practice to 3-400 yards. It's not wildly accurate (1.5-2MOA) but it's better than burning through my dasher resources.

I've been saving this brass and considering reloading it for more precise trainer ammo with a 75gr bullet. I've been reaming the primer pockets and weight sorting it and tossing any real outliers. Would this be worth it or is the brass going to hold me back from making accurate reloads? And by accurate I'm thinking <1MOA. I'm not looking for a bughole group.

 

[simonp]

I have had good luck with Federal brass personally, used it quite a bit before using LC. Load 100 pieces and give it a try.

 

[ActualCryptid]

How much work do you feel like doing? You could clean and weigh it and make a “keep” pile of brass thats pretty consistent in weight, or you could grab 100 pieces and see what results you get. Worst case you can just write “flyer” 100 times and then you know to start with new brass.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

Lc is the best "cheap" brass you will find.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

I'm a big fan of starline 223 brass for my AR, so far anyway. It's cheap enough and very very consistent.

https://www.diamondkbrass.com/cart.php

 

[simonp]

If you’re loading & shooting processes are good & you said you weren’t looking for bug holes you can do it with federal brass….

My first choice? No. Are there better options sure. But people have loaded it with good results- worth trying before you toss it and start anew.

 

[anon]

A few years ago I finally got around to processing the 223 range brass that had been accumulating. After sizing and trimming, I got the idea that if it's about identical in outside dimensions, weight would probably work for sorting, regardless of headstamp. Seems to work, it's all been shot since then with no apparent issues. Used it in service rifle and prone matches with scores similar to brass that had been bought and used since new. Didn't shoot any at the long line though.

 

[Niles Coyote]

Sort by head stamp and year if marked. Thats all I do for my 223 PRS trainer brass unless it has the primers crimped. I'll usually run powder and Primers that I wouldn't use in my match rig just to burn through what I have collected over the years but even with that accuracy has been around 3/4 moa or better. Case in point, once fired LC range pick up brass, primer crimp removed, annealed (some of these where going to need a lot of shoulder bump) and resized, here I was putting together a load using RL-15 with bulk packed 75 ELD's at 700. 5.3" of vertical at 700y...

 

[ma smith]

I recently won a barrel and had a 223 Wylde chambered up to be a trainer Bolt gun. I have been shooting through a stash of Federal/American Eagle 55gr FMJ bulk ammo for practice to 3-400 yards. It's not wildly accurate (1.5-2MOA) but it's better than burning through my dasher resources.

I've been saving this brass and considering reloading it for more precise trainer ammo with a 75gr bullet. I've been reaming the primer pockets and weight sorting it and tossing any real outliers. Would this be worth it or is the brass going to hold me back from making accurate reloads? And by accurate I'm thinking <1MOA. I'm not looking for a bughole group.

LC brass is fine and what the CMP/NRA guys used for years out to 600 yards. The brass itself is a good raw material, you just need to faff around alot with it in brass prep. It also has pretty high case volume. This helps with when stick powders are loaded at like >99% case volume. I have some FC headstamp I think is actually FC-Lake City somewhere, and its no problems. FC (FGMM) brass i'm sure is fine inside of 400 yards.

 

[Lightning8]

I load 223 "long" with 75ELDMs for PRS trainer. Load full progressive on Dillon 550 with Dillon powder drop and TAC. Use mixed brass with actually good results shooting steel plates out to 800+ yards (hard to see impacts). It is a trainer so I am more interested in positional practice than extreme reloading techniques. Load some and I bet you will be surprised at the good results. (No not F class etc. precision).

 

[M4orturnate]

Dont bother weight sorting its a total waste of time. Wont help at all. Any brass from the same headstamp is fine for practice to 600y. As others mentioned lc and starline are pretty decent for the cost and can be used to make damn good ammo if you want to put the time in

 

[MarshallDodge]

FC headstamp brass is on the softer side but is still quality. As long as you keep your loads reasonable, it will last for 4-5 firings before the pockets start to get loose.

It's typically on the shorter side so you don't need to worry about trimming it.

 

[Sheldon N]

I've always used once fired mil brass for my 223 trainer. No sorting or any sort of brass prep other than dealing with crimped primer pockets and trimming to a uniform length. I went through 1k pieces of LC brass that I retired after 8-9 firings, and am currently shooting 1k pieces of Win military brass that I've got 6 firings on.

Gun has always shot bugholes for me, and very consistent at 500-700 yards (sub MOA).

No need to worry about brass for a 223 trainer IMO. If you've got a quality barrel/gunsmith and are shooting a good bullet you'll be fine.

 

[kentuckyMarksman]

I use FC brass for 223 reloads. I consistently get groups smaller than 1" with it. You can certainly make it work.

 

[OkieMike]

My advice if you want better accuracy...

If it's truly 1x fired sell it at a reasonable price to someone who will use it for plinking... Put the proceeds toward a 100 count of Lapua brass.

Might cost you a bit more up front. But you'll probably end up saving powder, primers, and bullets in the long run.

Mike

 

[hellzna]

As I hate swaging, I've become a fan of starline. It's pretty cheap, generally available and saves me time from touching each piece to swage or ream primer pockets.

 

[hellzna]

I load 223 "long" with 75ELDMs for PRS trainer. Load full progressive on Dillon 550 with Dillon powder drop and TAC. Use mixed brass with actually good results shooting steel plates out to 800+ yards (hard to see impacts). It is a trainer so I am more interested in positional practice than extreme reloading techniques. Load some and I bet you will be surprised at the good results. (No not F class etc. precision).

I've been using xbr with 75elds, but will have to find a replacement soon. Are you liking tac? what velocity are you getting?

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

For decades we used Winchester .223 brass for .223, ,221, 7TCU and 300 Whisper. shot a whole bunch of perfect scores using this very inexpensive brass. Can’t say much for what they are currently producing because I have not purchased any in ten years. (But still have a good stash). What I currently use when I can get it is Starline. They make good brass at popular prices; Starline, made here, and shoots fine.