New 223 Federal Cartridges To Short For Reloading?

[M_16_4_REAL]

Just bought 500 brand new federal 223 cases and when I checked length on them they were only 1.68". I went thru the whole bag of 100 and every one is same length. I'm new to reloading and I just need to know if these are still useable or not? Any help would be appreciated.

Ill be shooting a mk12 ar with a chamber optimized for larger 77gr bullets and a 1-7 twist if that makes a difference.

 

[Bob Roach]

Re: New 223 Federal Cartridges To Short For Reloading?

They should work just fine. I just ran some once fired on the trimmer and they were just barely starting to touch.
From what I can tell the FC brass should be very good to work with. I think it is rated number 3 after Lapua and Hornady Custom for quality. Case capacity is good also.
It should be mentioned on the 6BR Forum under 223.

Bob

 

[TexIndian]

Re: New 223 Federal Cartridges To Short For Reloading?

Almost all of the new rifle brass I've measured is under the book minimum length, no matter what the brand. I still like to run it through the trimmer - not to make it any shorter, just to touch the cutters to even out any rim roughness and put a chamfer on the inside.