Brass ran through small base die, mixed with FL sized brass....

[Another_Kelley]

I am finally getting around to processing a pile of mixed 223 brass that I let get out of control (2-3k cases):banghead:. I reload for several ARs and a couple bolt action rifles. I've bought a couple lots of bulk LC military brass from pulled components in the past, and managed to get hundreds of these unfired, small-base sized cases mixed in with my 1-2x fired stuff. There's also stuff in there that I personally processed/loaded using a small base die, then pulled the bullets and tossed the brass in with the fired cases for re-processing.

How concerned should I be in separating these small base sized cases from the FL sized cases? I'm not reloading for competition of any kind...just high-volume varminting, but I definitely appreciate my ammo hitting where the crosshairs meet. Would YOU separate them? Thanks for the input.

 

[rcmodel]

No.

If I wanted accuracy, all I would do is sort them by headstamp and trim them.

Rc

 

[hartcreek]

I would sort them to headstamps FL size them and then trim them. You simply do not know what came from what.

 

[fguffey]

Thanks for the input.

If sizing with a small base die makes a difference, the difference can be measured. There are ways to measure the length of a case from the end of the neck to the case head that is faster than anything sold on the market today, precision and in thousandths.

I have small base dies, I have full length sizing dies that are small base dies. I can sort cases that have been sized with a small base die, not a problem but there are times when a case is sized with a small base die the results are the same as when using a full length sizer die.

I have a drawer with 4,000 223 cases. new. new primed, once fired with primers, once fired/sized and primed etc.. It is not likely I will drop that drawer but I doubt I would sort the cases if for some reason the cases managed to get tangled up in to one big pile.

F. Guffey