5.56 brass

kilroy77 · January 29, 2013, 11:38 AM

Not to start a 223 vs 5.56 discussion but I just bought a 223 bolt rifle
And wanted to reload some rounds using 5.56 brass I know the lake city brass is thicker wall. Is it advisble to do this ? What other problem would I run in to using surpluses brass

mikikanazawa · January 29, 2013, 11:55 AM

Lake City brass is NOT nominally thicker than .223 brass. This is a common misconception.

However, on military ammo the primers are swaged into the pockets so you'll have to be more cautious when decapping. And the pockets will need to be reamed or re-swaged before priming again.

kilroy77 · January 29, 2013, 09:16 PM

i have swag the primer pockets out for when i reload for my ar15
but didnt know if there was any thing else that i should be aware of

thanks

Gary L. Griffiths · January 29, 2013, 10:16 PM

Other than watching the case length, you should be good to go with your 5.56mm brass. IIWY, I'd trim to minimum .223 spec.

**Shane Tuttle** · January 29, 2013, 10:36 PM

Moving over to the Handloading forum...

medalguy · January 30, 2013, 01:47 AM

Load data is always listed for .223. No one makes 5.56mm dies that I have ever seen. The primary differences, as you may know, are in the chamber dimensions of the different rounds, and there MAY be differing chamber pressures in some rifles due to these dimension differences.

I think you'll find, as long as you keep the loads midrange and not maximum, that you will get more reloads out of GI brass than commercial.

Wyoredman · January 30, 2013, 10:30 AM

To slightly hi-jack this thread, can you decap a crimped primer with a standard .223 decaping die/pin?

bull bob · January 30, 2013, 11:12 AM

Normally, yes. I have de-capped lots of crimped primers. Getting a new one back in without reaming or swaging the primer pocket is the real pain.

mikikanazawa · January 30, 2013, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Load data is always listed for .223. No one makes 5.56mm dies that I have ever seen. The primary differences, as you may know, are in the chamber dimensions of the different rounds, and there MAY be differing chamber pressures in some rifles due to these dimension differences.

.223 Rem and 5.56x45 NATO are dimensionally identical, so common .223 loading dies can be used for either round. The difference is that the 5.56x45 NATO chamber has a longer leade.

Since the bullet has more free-travel through the leade in a 5.56x45 NATO chamber, the peak pressure is lower: the bullet already has a running start by the time it engages rifling.

In a typical .223 Rem chamber, the leade may be short enough to require excess pressure to get the bullet moving down the bore. This is a side effect of the common "match" chamber where the bullet is seated as close to the rifling as possible.

There are a few loading manuals that list both a "service rifle" .223 and 5.56x45 NATO. In these manuals the load data is identical except the powder charges are slightly higher in 5.56x45 NATO.

That's why it's safe to shoot .223 Rem in a gun chambered for 5.56x45 NATO but not vice-versa.

January 29, 2013, 11:38 AM	#1
kilroy77 Junior Member Join Date: January 29, 2013 Posts: 2	5.56 brass Not to start a 223 vs 5.56 discussion but I just bought a 223 bolt rifle And wanted to reload some rounds using 5.56 brass I know the lake city brass is thicker wall. Is it advisble to do this ? What other problem would I run in to using surpluses brass

January 29, 2013, 10:16 PM	#4
Gary L. Griffiths Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2000 Location: AZ, WA Posts: 1,466	Other than watching the case length, you should be good to go with your 5.56mm brass. IIWY, I'd trim to minimum .223 spec. __________________ Violence is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and valorous feeling which believes that nothing is worth violence is much worse. Those who have nothing for which they are willing to fight; nothing they care about more than their own craven apathy; are miserable creatures who have no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the valor of those better than themselves. Gary L. Griffiths (Paraphrasing John Stuart Mill)

January 29, 2013, 10:36 PM	#5
Shane Tuttle Staff Join Date: November 28, 2005 Location: Montana Posts: 9,443	Moving over to the Handloading forum... __________________ If it were up to me, the word "got" would be deleted from the English language. Posting and YOU: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting

January 30, 2013, 10:30 AM	#7
Wyoredman Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2011 Location: Wyoming Posts: 1,350	To slightly hi-jack this thread, can you decap a crimped primer with a standard .223 decaping die/pin? __________________ Go Pokes! Go Rams!

January 29, 2013, 11:55 AM	#2
mikikanazawa Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2004 Posts: 449	Lake City brass is NOT nominally thicker than .223 brass. This is a common misconception. However, on military ammo the primers are swaged into the pockets so you'll have to be more cautious when decapping. And the pockets will need to be reamed or re-swaged before priming again.

January 29, 2013, 09:16 PM	#3
kilroy77 Junior Member Join Date: January 29, 2013 Posts: 2	i have swag the primer pockets out for when i reload for my ar15 but didnt know if there was any thing else that i should be aware of thanks

January 30, 2013, 01:47 AM	#6
medalguy Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2009 Location: New Mexico Posts: 1,033	Load data is always listed for .223. No one makes 5.56mm dies that I have ever seen. The primary differences, as you may know, are in the chamber dimensions of the different rounds, and there MAY be differing chamber pressures in some rifles due to these dimension differences. I think you'll find, as long as you keep the loads midrange and not maximum, that you will get more reloads out of GI brass than commercial.

January 30, 2013, 11:12 AM	#8
bull bob Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 2010 Location: Michigan Posts: 114	Normally, yes. I have de-capped lots of crimped primers. Getting a new one back in without reaming or swaging the primer pocket is the real pain.