223 brass quality

[WVRJ]

I bought 100 Starline brass about a year ago.It's fairly thick,but very consistent.I bought it for my 223 target gun,but it's a tight neck and the Starline brass I bought is nickle plated and just a little too thick for the rifle I was originally planning on using it in,and I don't want to turn the necks and remove the pretty chrome,so I guess my Weatherby Vanguard will have some very nice brass to use to shoot polecats,crows and coyotes.Seriously,Starline's rifle brass is top notch.Lake City works great,but in my precision rifle,good ole Winchester makes the most accurate brass,but it's almost a perfect fit,so it doesn't get overworked,and my accuracy load is pretty sane.The worst I've used was Nosler that was made about 5 years ago.Flash holes off center and variation in actual hole diameter and it didn't last but a few loadings before the necks split.But I bought some Nosler brass for 300 Weatherby back in the summer,and it lasted 12 loadings,and was some of the best I've ever used.

 

[Charlie98]

At one time FC was really soft and wasn't very good to reload with. I haven't had a problem with it in at least five years. Most people who say it's bad haven't tried it in a few years. I like it!! Anybody who has any who don't want it can send it my way.

The reputation of FC brass being soft has been around as long as I've been reloading... so about 30 years. I've never had problems with it, and it is actually one of my preferred headstamps... and that is in 5.56mm, .30-06 (for the M1 Garand... I have some FC cases that are 25 years old and still in use...) and oodles of handgun brass. RP has the same reputation... and my same experience applies to it, too.

I have had problems with much of what I call 'alternative' brand brass... Norinco, Fiocchi, CBC, Hornady, and the myriad crazy handgun headstamp brass. All of that goes in the scrap bucket.

A primer pocket swage is almost essential these days if you are shooting 5.56mm or 7.62mm... there is a lot of military brass out there that is good, once you knock the primer pocket down. Brass doesn't last forever, and you will always need it, eventually. I've even seen some commercial brass with primer crimps, so it's not isolated to only military brass.

 

[kcofohio]

The only Federal cases I had a problem with were 38 Spl. About 7 of them, that were part of a gifted batch of reloads. I have no idea of how many times they were reloaded. But they had no neck tension.
All other F.C. casings have been good.