Federal .223 cases

[Joe's]

I picked up a bunch of these cases from a LE shoot. Approx. 6,000 of them all shot 1x. Man did my back hurt!
What I would like to know has anybody ran into such a wide variety of case lengths with this brass? I'm getting anywhere between 1.764 and 1.728 length in this stuff after sizing. 1/3 measure 1.750 and above, 1/3 between 1.749 and 1.744, and 1/3 1.743 and shorter.
I should add there were only 2 that were longer than 1.760 and maybe a handful that were shorter than 1.738.
What's up with this brass being so short? I thought I had a fat hog by the a?? while I was picking them up. BTW I don't need any comments like "load 'em and shoot 'em. I will.

Thanks for your comments,
Joe's

p.s. Where has RC been the last couple days. I sure miss his insight!
I knew I shoulda waited and read a little more before posting. Looks as though he was on here yesterday.

 

[ole farmerbuck]

If they were fired in guns with loose chambers, they will be short until you resize them. Thats my guess anyway.

 

[gahunter12]

Yep different chamber sizes. They will get a little longer after sizing. Resize them, then check again. Federal is among my least favorite to load. I usually see oblong primer pockets, and flash holes nearly closed up with burs. I usually don't complain about them too much since my .223 brass source brings me 10gal of .223 brass every other month. This last batch had about 1,200 FC cases.

 

[moxie]

Joe's said he already sized them.

In my experience, what you are seeing is normal. They might not need trimming until after being fired a few more times. Being a little short is fine.

I would say load 'em and shoot 'em , but you said not to.

 

[243winxb]

223/5.56 case length

1.730" is minimum SAAMI length. Your brass is not a problem unless you try to crimp. Yes, the length can be anywhere from 1.730" to 1.760" . Interesting that some are shorter then minimum after sizing. Maybe the die is not returning the fired brass to factory specs. Might need a small base die to do that ?? Or the short ones are reloads that were trimmed too short?? I can see longer, stretching on firing.

 

[mstreddy]

Joe,
I'll add that some folks (me included) have had problems with some FC and neck splits after the 2nd firing. Keep an eye on that too.

EM

 

[KansasSasquatch]

I've definitely ran into the "problem" of varying brass lengths when dealing with a single brand of brass. That's a whole lot of brass to trim, but I'd trim them all to 1.745". Some of them may not even touch the cutter on your trimmer, but you'd end up with the majority of them being a consistent length.

 

[Joe's]

Thanks guys for all of your comments.
Now that I read this isn't so uncommon........ I might add this brass is all 1x shot and I resized them all with a RCBS small base sizer die.

Thanks Again,
Joe's

 

[ssyoumans]

Send the short ones to me, I'll use them to make 300 Blackout cases
Thanks!

 

[W.E.G.]

What kind of headstamp?

Small-font or large-font?

 

[IMtheNRA]

I find that all my Federal .223 brass pick ups are very short. I assume it is a cost saving measure by the manufacturer.

 

[Joe's]

W.E.G.,
They are all small font FC headstamp.

Joe's

 

[mstreddy]

Joe's another thing - check for crimped primers too. Most, if not all Federal 223 I come across is crimped.

 

[solman]

Thats a lot of trimming to do. I bet you will need a power trimmer to do so many.
I use the the cordless drill for mine but it's still tiring.

 

[MikeOBWan]

I pick up a lot of Federal at my local police range. All the FC once fired is short. I don't even bother using a case gauge on it anymore. I figure the Federal wont need to be trimmed till the second or third firing.

Almost all my federal brass needs to be swaged..

 

[Joe's]

Thanks Guys, I noticed the crimp ring so I ran them all thru my Dillon 600. As far as trimming I have the RCBS bench trimmer with the motor inline, I think they call it a Trim-Mate. It makes it a breeze to trim cases any more and it also chamfers the inside and outside of the case mouth at the same time.

Thanks Again for all of your comments,
Joe's