Older and recent LC 5.56 brass

[chas442]

I am your typical brass whore. I have a connection at a range and can get all the brass I can eat. Recently I was able to locate a substantial amount of LC 5.56 brass. I noticed that there were a few pieces with dates 19 and 20 which looked different from earlier dated brass.
Any one have any experience with the newer brass. Is it better, worse or about the same as the older stuff.
TIA

 

[entropy]

Yes, the 19 and 20 have the SCAMP(Small Caliber Ammunition Modernization Program) indents around the primer. They do not affect loading. I have LC brass dated form 91 to 20, all load fine once you remove the primer crimp. Load 'em up and shoot 'em!

 

[chas442]

The year 19 and 20 brass that I noticed during sorting did not have the SCAMP indents. I may have not noticed year 19 and 20 with the SCAMP indents. I use LC brass for my accuracy loads. I don't sort by year. I group by weight to 0.1 grain batches. I have had good luck with grouping by brand and weight. I'll check for year 19 and 20 and see if they have the indents.

 

[Charlie98]

Some of the indents are very faint, some almost obscure the headstamp... just depends.

If you weight sort, LC is LC...

 

[bullseye308]

I use it all interchangeably in an AR but sort it by year for the bolt. The AR just needs to be minute of donut, the bolt I expect more.

 

[entropy]

The year 19 and 20 brass that I noticed during sorting did not have the SCAMP indents. I may have not noticed year 19 and 20 with the SCAMP indents. I use LC brass for my accuracy loads. I don't sort by year. I group by weight to 0.1 grain batches. I have had good luck with grouping by brand and weight. I'll check for year 19 and 20 and see if they have the indents.

The SCAMP indents are put on there either by, or for, the machines they are run on. They are coded, the pattern tells which machine it was ran on. Makes it easier to track down problems. LC ammo past 2014 that does not have SCAMP indent were run on machines used before 2014, and are still being used.

 

[chas442]

I looked closer on the brass I sorted and found a lot of year 19 and 20 with the scamp marks. It is probably as entropy states that the non scamp indented LC brass are probably made on old machines.

 

[Armorer 101]

LC has a reputation of being the best of the military brass, but is is still military brass. If you want to use it, prep it carefully and never assume anything to be correct, if reloading it. Full length resize with small base dies, swage the primer pockers, cut the primer pockets to a uniform depth, deburr the flash holes, trim to length with a 3 way cutter if you have one. Load and fire, then sort by water capacity, dry and reload, should have sub .5 MOA in a good AR or bolt gun, then and only then, you can trust your life to them. But not before.

Make the best ammo you can, because one day you may need it to be the best.

 

[chas442]

I do everything Armorer 101 say except for weighing by water. The Colt accurized and my loadings shoots better than I can. If I do my part I can get 5 shot 0.5 inch groups at 100 yds.. That's with using LC brass weighed to 0.1 grain batches, 77 gr. sierra MK weighed to 0.1 batches, powder weighed by hand and off the lands 0.10 of an inch. Too long for magazine but I'm not in a hurry. That is not as good as some of you but the guys in the gun club hate it when I'm on my game.

 

[dcloco]

Lake City Arsenal production is bid to run the plant. Any entity, can make a bid.

Many people don't understand, that "LC" stamped brass is not the same throughout millenium.


Winchester Awarded U.S. Army Contract to Manage and Operate Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (prnewswire.com)