.223 Brass Reloading Help

[jeepman_psu]

Hi all, I am new to reloading. I recently shot ~200 rounds of FC .223. I would like to reload these brass however I keep reading all of these horrible things about FC commercial brass. I would like to know:

A) Is it safe for one reload?
B) How to test the primer pocket to see if it is too loose. Can I measure it with calipers?
C) I also picked up some PPU .223 and LC 06 brass at the range, is this good to reload.

I am sort of at a loss because I always think of Federal as pretty good ammo.

 

[243winxb]

FC commercial brass

Its safe as any other make imo. If you hand push the primer in place with you finger, the pocket is to loose. LC06 ok. This photo might make you think tho.

 

[jeepman_psu]

What are the appropriate dimensions for a .223 primer pocket? I would like to try and measure a few with calipers.

 

[jeepman_psu]

What about the PPU brass is that any good?

 

[ForneyRider]

I bought some bulk once-fired and got several headstamps, mostly Remington and PMC, but there was Cyrillic character stuff, Prvi Partisan?

Remington and Winchester are great. FC, WCC is not as nice as LC 06. I have Sellier & Bellot, FC, PMC, and a bunch of others and none cleaned up as nice as the Remington/Winchester.

Fixing crimped primer pockets is not fun. But you can send it off to be processed, buy it pre-processed, or get a high-volume tool such as the Dillon.

 

[hddeluxe]

The brass you have in question is all safe for reloading provided the appropriate preparation steps are taken. eg; clean, clean primer pockets, swage primer pockets if they have a military crimp, full length resize and trim. The advice on being able to push a primer in the pocket by hand falls into the "old standby" method. Good for some.

 

[Jacka L Ope]

What are the appropriate dimensions for a .223 primer pocket? I would like to try and measure a few with calipers.

Might find this useful, small and large rifle primer pocket dimensions:

http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/view/mb/file?username=6mmbr&id=324047

 

[jeepman_psu]

Thank you very much for all the help I really appreciate it. I just figured that I would take a little more care with the FC to make sure that is is safe.

 

[ants]

Federal is good brass.

jeepman, reloading is totally fun. You'll have a great time.
Federal brass reloads great. Most of us get many reloads from it. You don't have to take extra care of Federal compared to other major commercial manufacturers.
Get a book to learn more. The stuff you learn on these internet forums is often iffy.
Books by Lyman, Lee, Speer, Sierra, Hornady, Nosler, or the ABC's of Reloading. All are excellent and will answer your questions.

 

[jeepman_psu]

Thanks ants I appreciate it. I have been learning from my grandpa since he used to do it, but he is a bit out of touch with newer stuff. I was kind of thinking that about a lot of the forums, but the pic that was posted above I had seen once or twice in other places was what made me nervous. I am really looking forward to reloading the stuff I have.

 

[ants]

FYI, military brass has thicker base because it is loaded higher than maximum load for commercial ammunition. Thus it needs thicker brass. Also, it gets fired in full-auto firearms in a much more demanding environment. Thus the thicker base is part of their purchase order.

The load manuals you and I use for reloading are all based on the SAAMI commercial standards. So you can load commercial brass like the Federal illustrated above with no fear whatsoever. Follow the standard protocol for inspecting and preparing brass, and you're totally good to go.

anthony

 

[Bruno2]

The LC 06 ( Lake City 2006 i believe ) is probably one of my favs the thicker base like mentioned above makes it a pretty durable case IMO . It is military brass and the primer pockets need to be drilled or pressed out before a new primer can be seated .

 

[Roadkill]

I can usually get 2-3 reloads with Federal brass. Another way to check is to prime it then use a tool such as a thin punch to see if it can be pushed out. Loose ones pop right out. My favorite is Remington Peters, Lake City, or TZT