Using 5.56 brass to reload .223

[kernel gadaffi]

I've been asked to reload some .223 rounds for a mate who owns a brand new and unfired Howa, he's been given a heap of once fired 5.56 cases, stamped with RG, IMI and what looks like DJQ on the headstamp, I know RG is Radway Green, but sure of the others. I have a Remington 700 VSSF in .223 and not sure I'd like to put reloads using this brass through my rifle and am not sure of reloading them to put through his gun.

I've decapped (without issue or broken a pin like I normly do), F/L sized, cleaned the primer pocket, trimmed to length, put them through my ultrasonic cleaner and dried all the cases without any trouble at all, but would it be wise to reload them or tell him to buy some .223 specific cases?

If they are full length sized, will they be ok to use?

[Gunsgobang88]

Hi,

 

Sounds like you've done everything right, IMI is Israeli Military Industries. Beware that much military brass is thicker than the civvy stuff and has less internal capacity, you will get higher pressures with any given load as a result. Weigh the different brands of brass and do your load development with the heaviest (least capacity). The same load will then be safe in the others,

 

Alan

[Laurie]

The other question is what they've been fired in. If they have dented case-mouths, body / shoulder dents and signs of rough handling on the case-head and extractor rim, best avoid them. They're signs they' ve been fired in an assault rifle probably the L85A1 (SA80), and that is seriously bad news for the case. They're handled so roughly, case-heads can be distorted and end up out of true.

 

If they're in normal / good condition, they're ex bolt-action, so you're OK. The RG stuff is loaded to very high pressure, higher than any .223 Rem commercial round, and can be distorted more than the sizer die will deal with just above the solid web above the extractor groove. That's also why the brass is made so heavy / strong as Alan comments on with the resulting reduced internal capacity.

 

If they've not been fired in an assult rifle, you're generally OK to use them in 223. It's the same case the only differences being in the loadings and sometimes (not always) the brass thickness. It's generally assumed that all milspec 5.56mm brass is heavier than 223 Rem and has a smaller capacity, but some US cases such as many LC (Lake City Armory) batches are actually thinner and roomier than most .223 Rem equivalents.

[kernel gadaffi]

As far as I can gather, the cases have all gone through a very old Weihrauch bolt action rifle, I've gone through them by hand and inspected each one and they all look ok, they're gleaming like brand new brass now and no flaws are showing.

If I do load them, I'll make sure every round is well under max load as the rifle is for fox and vermin control, so an accuracy load will be chosen, that way I have better control.

If the user wants more fps, he can start loading his own or ask someone else, I'm not going to be responsible for any anomalies.

 

Thank you.

 

Alan.

[ricky5042]

Hi i have used military brass in my 223 howa rifle with some great result, mine were shot first time in my gun and i full lenth sized them on the first reload and my load was 52grn A-max with H335 powder started at the minimum load and worked up to max load with no presure signs and the best load was 25.5grn oal of 2.260"

 

Rick

[bradders]

I wouldn't bother with the RG stuff.

It's pretty awful brass

[Swamp Donkey]

As bradders says, the RG stuff is pants. I had a huge amount of another brand, can't remember off the top of my head what, but had a silver primer, that was good stuff, I batched them according to weight and ended up with a few hundred all the same weight. If you want any more, I still have some

 

As for 'used in SA80's' I've never seen any problems, the belted cases that go through the minime can get scratched up and damaged, but I've never had a problem with 'ex SA80' brass.

 

Pete

[Andrew]

The local Bureau of Indian Affairs office uses our range for training and will leave 30 pounds of Winchester and Lake City brass on the range after their monthly session. I grab up as much as I can when I'm lucky enough to be there when they pull out. I segregate them but as Baldie says, the LC brass is not thicker than the Winchester to any appreciable degree, if at all. If fired in an auto-loader, figure on Small Base Resizing. I do, but friend of mine says FL resizing in a Lee die will do it and they were designed that way. Can't verify that but he uses Lee FL dies on 308 and .223 instead of buying Small Based sets.

 

As an aside, if you can prep one of your commercial cases and one of your military cases identically (cleaned, sized, trimmed) you can weigh the two. If the military cases are heavier, reduce your load for that case by 12% of the difference in weights. Assuming the external dimensions are as close to identical as possible, this will account for the change in volume.~Andrew