223 Brass Advice

DeerBear 2000 · August 6, 2009, 07:39 PM

I have the opportunity to buy some PMC Bronze Ammo or Federal Lake City Ammo xm193 is one of them a better brass and a easier brass to prepare for reloading. Thanks Craig

Lavid2002 · August 6, 2009, 07:48 PM

PMC, lake city primers are crimped in place, and the primer pockets have to be swaged.

QBall45 · August 6, 2009, 10:04 PM

Sorry man. I'm going to say the reverse. All the PMC that I've bought had crimped primers.

Lake City brass is considered premium brass. Crimped or not.

If the price is the same get the Lake City stuff. If the pockets are crimped get yourself a crimp reamer. This is some of the longest lasting brass you can find.

OTOH is todays market you should buy what you can get your hands on.

Just my humble opinion,

amamnn · August 7, 2009, 04:15 PM

Someone gave me a few boxes of .223 rem PMC ammo some years ago. The primer pockets were not crimped. The ammo I loaded with it was fine for general use.

Slamfire · August 7, 2009, 04:18 PM

The LC I have handled are stamped "LC" not "Federal".

Genuine LC is good stuff. I would hop on it. I have a lot of LC, it really is good stuff.

Federal, I have picked up coffee cans full of federal gold medal match at Camp Perry. The Service rifle teams shoot that stuff out to 300 yards.

Given free I will use it. I would not buy the stuff. The brass is so soft that the pockets open early. Expect to toss around the fifth reload.

I have some range PMC pickup brass. The stuff shoots well, when I weighed the brass it was within the same weight range as my Winchester. And it has held up. I am close to ten reloads with it, it is going good.

Lavid2002 · August 7, 2009, 04:38 PM

ive never reloaded pmc before But I have reloaded LC after you swage the primer pockets the stuff lasts.....brass is brass IMO

Sixer · August 7, 2009, 05:56 PM

I bought a case of PMC "Bronze" less than a year ago, before I started reloading. Luckily I saved most of my brass despite not reloading at the time. When I did start reloading .223 I quickly learned what "swaging" was. All of the 500 PMC pieces I had saved up had a crimped primer pocket. I swaged all of them, but it was no fun at all. Still, despite having to swage all of it, the PMC brass works great.

August 6, 2009, 07:39 PM	#1
DeerBear 2000 Junior Member Join Date: December 12, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 4	223 Brass Advice I have the opportunity to buy some PMC Bronze Ammo or Federal Lake City Ammo xm193 is one of them a better brass and a easier brass to prepare for reloading. Thanks Craig

August 6, 2009, 07:48 PM	#2
Lavid2002 Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2007 Posts: 2,568	PMC, lake city primers are crimped in place, and the primer pockets have to be swaged. __________________ Math>Grammar

August 7, 2009, 04:15 PM	#4
amamnn Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2006 Location: WA, the left armpit of the USA Posts: 1,323	Someone gave me a few boxes of .223 rem PMC ammo some years ago. The primer pockets were not crimped. The ammo I loaded with it was fine for general use. __________________ "If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal

August 7, 2009, 04:38 PM	#6
Lavid2002 Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2007 Posts: 2,568	ive never reloaded pmc before But I have reloaded LC after you swage the primer pockets the stuff lasts.....brass is brass IMO __________________ Math>Grammar

August 7, 2009, 05:56 PM	#7
Sixer Senior Member Join Date: April 16, 2008 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,891	I bought a case of PMC "Bronze" less than a year ago, before I started reloading. Luckily I saved most of my brass despite not reloading at the time. When I did start reloading .223 I quickly learned what "swaging" was. All of the 500 PMC pieces I had saved up had a crimped primer pocket. I swaged all of them, but it was no fun at all. Still, despite having to swage all of it, the PMC brass works great. __________________ Hopp Custom Leather <------ click for HOLSTER awesomeness!! -There is no theory of evolution... Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.

August 6, 2009, 10:04 PM	#3
QBall45 Senior Member Join Date: April 5, 2008 Location: South Central Minnesota Posts: 584	Sorry man. I'm going to say the reverse. All the PMC that I've bought had crimped primers. Lake City brass is considered premium brass. Crimped or not. If the price is the same get the Lake City stuff. If the pockets are crimped get yourself a crimp reamer. This is some of the longest lasting brass you can find. OTOH is todays market you should buy what you can get your hands on. Just my humble opinion,

August 7, 2009, 04:18 PM	#5
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	The LC I have handled are stamped "LC" not "Federal". Genuine LC is good stuff. I would hop on it. I have a lot of LC, it really is good stuff. Federal, I have picked up coffee cans full of federal gold medal match at Camp Perry. The Service rifle teams shoot that stuff out to 300 yards. Given free I will use it. I would not buy the stuff. The brass is so soft that the pockets open early. Expect to toss around the fifth reload. I have some range PMC pickup brass. The stuff shoots well, when I weighed the brass it was within the same weight range as my Winchester. And it has held up. I am close to ten reloads with it, it is going good.