I am doing my best to develop precision 5.56 reloads. How important is it to sort the LC brass by year? I have plenty of 13 thru 17 brass, but when it gets older than that, then its about a dozen cases per year. Should I just discard this brass as it will take 8 years for just 100 rounds?
- Thread starter MMH
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I get a 50fps difference with the same charge between some LC10 and LC11 I have. So I would say its very important.
I shoot by year, but it's because I buy 1,000+ at once and keep it in a lot for one barrel. It may matter, but it's not as though we'd ever know if they changed a spec in the MIDDLE of a year either.
As for the 100 'old' casings you have...I'd separate them and use them for foulers, sighters, offhand practice, killing things, home defense rounds, DRY FIRE rounds, etc.
-Nate
As for the 100 'old' casings you have...I'd separate them and use them for foulers, sighters, offhand practice, killing things, home defense rounds, DRY FIRE rounds, etc.
-Nate
I weigh them and if they are close I don't separate. The last batch I processed (1K) I sorted into 4 groups and for the most part, that was by date. I load 5 cases of each after processing and check them in the bolt gun to be sure before I load a batch and it has been fine so far doing it that way. But I doubt I bother in the future.
I bought some of the Nammo Tactical brass that Powder Valley just got in and have been impressed with it. The weights are consistent, but about 5 grains heavier than LC brass. NT is related to Lapua and the costs are downright sweet for new brass. $130 unprimed and $168 primed with CCI41 per 1K. Located under the Specials tab on the PV website, 100/500/1000 quantities.
I bought some of the Nammo Tactical brass that Powder Valley just got in and have been impressed with it. The weights are consistent, but about 5 grains heavier than LC brass. NT is related to Lapua and the costs are downright sweet for new brass. $130 unprimed and $168 primed with CCI41 per 1K. Located under the Specials tab on the PV website, 100/500/1000 quantities.
The brass I have was two 1000 lots of new unfired LC brass.
I don't sort, just have 1k cases of mixed Lake City brass that I use as my practice ammo. Shoots 1/2 MOA 5 shot groups, holds an SD of around 8-12 with ammo loaded progressively on a Dillon, has no problems consistently hitting a 6" plate at 525 yards or a 10" plate at 800 yards. 75gr BTHP at 2820fps. Good enough for me. I would do more if I was trying to push 1000 yards, but then I'd also be shooting a better bullet, and Lapua brass, and weighing charges etc. Simpler to just switch to my 6mm. 
I have a lot of L.C. 5.56 brass. I sort by year only because of my OCD and I now have the time to do it. I have weighed a lot of various years and have found the L.C. 5.56 manufactured in the last ten years is very consistent year to year, usually within 3 grains. The older L.C. brass from the 70's, 80's and 90's is different. For me, cases within 2-3 grains is good enough. I see no difference in sorting brass to within 1 grain.
At what distance does that make more than a .1 - .2 mil difference?
In what precision ammo would you not care about having a minimum of a 50fps ES? A 10 inch plate is only .4 mil at 700.
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Seems to me different LC seems to hold different tolerances. It would probably be prudent to do what others here have and test your brass for yourself. Maybe the military stuff is more consistent year to year, than the brand new LC brass they sold. I have 250 mixed pieces from brass bombers some where to try.
However the fuck did I get to Master in NRA highpower without giving one fuck about mixed LC brass lots.....
You know what's really stupid: doubling down on something that makes no difference. I don't give a fuck about what the chrono says when I have the results on target.
You have the results of loading my two different years of LC brass on paper? You can't give a fuck what my chrono said because you don't know. Looking it was average 2890 vs 2950 with 24.1 of RL15 and a 77SMK so it was actually 60fps. Put that on your 600y target. Tell me it was still in a node. I need another laugh.
The more garbage that flows from your keyboard the less I believe anything you type.
So lets stir the pot even more. do you sort by weight, year, or both? it seems like weight would be more important but i could be wrong. corndog, did your brass that had a 60 fps difference have the same weight as the other and it was just a year difference or was it a year and weight difference?
There really isnt a reason to sort LC brass in an AR...unless you got some bad brass or something that needs to be weeded out. Just keep track of the number of firings and when pieces start to "give up", drop it into the recycle bucket or blast it thru a plinker, etc. If you are weighing and sorting to get results on a target, I would suggest that you are wasting time that is better spent on the range shooting.
I didn't sort it by weight or year. I bought 2 1000 boxes of brand new LC brass. One was LC10, one was LC11. I have no idea what it weighs. I don't weigh brass. I let my target and chronograph tell me if its acceptable.
I have recycled 10,11 and 12 LC. I had sorted the 10 and 11 in one batch and the 12 separate based on a small sample weighing them. Now I will have to test them over the radar. 50-60 FPS is significant for sure! Not to highjack the thread but Corndog have you compared the 77SMK to the 77OTM?
