Lake City 5.56 brass questions

[Fishslayer]

Sorting my brass I'm coming across 2 types of LC 5.56 brass. One has LC and 2 digit date code 90* apart around the case head. The other has LCxx date code + the NATO cross. Is there any appreciable difference in the construction of the brass?

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

i have never been able to tell a difference in loading or shooting them. i run it all through together.

 

[rcmodel]

Size, trim, and weigh some of them on your powder scale.

If they weight the same, they are the same.

If they don't, they aren't.

rc

 

[bluetopper]

^^^^

 

[45lcshooter]

LC has many different headstamps. If you sort them into each year you would be better off, if your running them through a bolt gun.

In an AR just throw them all together and load them, because your probably only plinking with them.

 

[W.E.G.]

In an AR just throw them all together and load them, because your probably only plinking with them.

What?

Ever hear of the National Matches - or any of the matches that lead up to it?

That aint "plinking."

HOWEVER, in the case of the 5.56, even for National Match style shooting, when it comes to sorting brass, the primary thing to be concerned about is number-of-times-fired.

Sorting by manufacturer comes second.

Some lots of LC 5.56 seem to be more brittle than others. For that reason, its wise to sort by year. I had some LC90 that was brittle, and I was very glad I had already segregated it by year when the issue appeared. It made culling much easier.

I'm yet to see any appreciable difference in weight of LC 5.56 cases. They all seem to resize to within 0.001" of each other, no matter what the headstamp, so long as its LC. Mix up commercial and LC in one batch, and you'll likely get a mish-mash of results in the resizing die.