Lake City Brass Purchases

riverwalker76 · March 14, 2010, 12:02 AM

Have any of you actually tried to buy new / unfired brass from Lake City?

Just curious to if they even allow it. I didn't know if they were strictly a Government operation selling strictly to the Government, or if they would allow civilian purchases.

I know they are government owned and private contractor operated, but I'm curious. Back when Remington ran it the answer was no. Then Olin ran it, and now it's in ATK's hands.

Lavid2002 · March 14, 2010, 12:13 AM

Why would you want it? There is much better brass that is already being sold. if you want LC that bad. Buy once fired. if you have to have it brand new...buy loaded ammo....If you REALLY want it new..... uhh... Buy new ammo and pull the bullets. Dump the powder, snap the primers and resize deprime??

Epic waste of time, resources, and $$$...

So0o0o...What gives?

riverwalker76 · March 14, 2010, 12:28 AM

What brass is better than Lake City LR or Match brass in .308?

Is Remington and Winchester that much better? Opinions?

HuntAndFish · March 14, 2010, 12:48 AM

You can buy lake city brass from Scharch's in CO. Not sure if they ever have new 7.62x51 though.

http://www.scharch.com/products.php?cat=61

riverwalker76 · March 14, 2010, 12:57 AM

Thanks for the link, but my main interest is in the 7.62 LR brass. The Long Range brass is M118 Long Range.

Lavid2002 · March 14, 2010, 01:10 AM

When I first started reloading I thought LC was the best (What could be better than military stuff right?!) But it wasnt...I learned winchester brass was better (lasted longer, no crimped primers) Im still exploring brass to find the best :P

HiBC · March 14, 2010, 02:41 AM

I just saw both .223 and 308(or perhaps 5.56 and 7.62) at Grafs,new.I might not seek out lake city as my first choice,but I remember a time when brass,primers,etc were in short supply.
Lake city brass is good brass.New,unprimed,it is not crimped.It is better than "unavailable,no backorder "brass

riverwalker76 · March 14, 2010, 11:49 AM

I looked on their website and they are 'Out of Stock' on 7.62.

oneoldsap · March 14, 2010, 01:07 PM

The only reason I use L C Match brass is because I have a friend that's a competitive military shooter and I get loaded ammo for free .

medalguy · March 14, 2010, 04:19 PM

Lake City Army Ammunition Plant is just that, a government facility run by a private contractor for the exclusive use of the government. I'm not sure how they are offering unfired bullets and brass for sale since if it's made in the Lake City plant it would be made on government equipment and could not, by law, be offered for commerical sale. I believe the stuff being offered is made in the private plant of the contractor, Alliant Techsystems, which is theirs to do with as they want, and offered for commercial sale. That said, it would really be no different from commercial brass and bullets.

L Puckett · March 14, 2010, 09:37 PM

Lake City Match or M118LR is good brass, some years are better than others though with a few not worth having.

If you want real good brass that is uniform and has a good long life, buy Lapua.

FYI,
LP

ForneyRider · March 18, 2010, 04:40 PM

LC .223 brass is excellent. I bought Federal Power Shok ammo with LC brass and still shooting it. It makes for very accurate ammo. I bought the RCBS reamer for the crimped primer pockets.

Tim R · March 18, 2010, 05:34 PM

I just cheked Bartlett. Type in "gi brass" in your search engine and he will come right up. Bartletts has once fired LC 118 LR which was fired in bolt guns. I used Bartlett before buying brass and there was no problem. I would and will buy from Jeff again.

BruceM · March 18, 2010, 06:50 PM

Jeff's web site:

http://www.gibrass.com/

He's been a straight shooter with me and he ships quickly.

Bruce

riverwalker76 · March 18, 2010, 08:54 PM

Yeah, I live 5 minutes from Jeff!

Notice my location.

<<<<<<<<

My problem is that he is charging OVER what you can get Hornady Match .308 for. I can get 100 ct. brass in Hornady Match for $35. It's exactly the same wall thickness as Lake City M118 LR.

Capndave · April 14, 2010, 11:21 AM

Hello all,in referance to your question about LC brass,I find that the quality of all your components is key.Lapua makes good brass,the annealing process makes for more loads.Neck sizing offers more to.It also depends on the quality of material to make the cartridge,metalergically speaking.Ive used LC catridges and found that less then half met my standards.these LC cartridges would no doubt be good for hunting purposes,but when it comes to accuracy at the bench,choose the quality stuff.

Capndave · April 14, 2010, 12:16 PM

The fact that LC is available through cheaper than dirt and other companies of the like,does not mean it is the "the real McCoy",it more than likely is downloaded maybe two full grains or more,they probably use the non complient components to sell to the general public.The US gov would not give away its secrets to the civilian population.Even though it is very accurate,it is not the same as the issue cartridge.(not to mention the issue cartridges are accurate up to and beyond 800 yards,the corps rifleman can hollow out a quarter from mindblowing distances.)

TimT · April 14, 2010, 10:28 PM

I like LC brass. It always works well for me.

Winchester - not so much. Then again, I won't use any Winchester since I found a couple .222 in a bag of .223 and they wouldn't even respond to an email.

mrawesome22 · April 14, 2010, 10:35 PM

Quote:

What brass is better than Lake City LR or Match brass in .308?

Norma, Lapua, Nosler?

jhansman · April 15, 2010, 12:57 AM

All I feed my Saiga .223 is LC ('05 & '06) and it's held up extremely well. I consider it perfect brass for that gun, but I use Lapua in my target rifle. It all depends on the application. I agree that once-fired is the easiest and most economical way to to go if you are prepared to deal with the processing. Resizing, swaging, and trimming 1500 pieces was something of a chore, but I enjoyed it.

MR 8x57js · April 17, 2010, 09:02 AM

You can also get LC Brass cheaperthandirt.com. Ive used it in my .223 Remington with great results with a sort of powders like H380, IMR-3031 & IMR-4895. Ive got 2,500 cases of it and very pleased it.

mongoose33 · April 18, 2010, 03:01 PM

Grafs has Lake City .223 on sale (this week only, don't know when that ends) for $19.99 per 100.

That's new, not crimped, with the necks annealed. I picked up several hundred to experiment with. I'm interested in how well they work over time w/ the X-Die.

snuffy · April 19, 2010, 01:57 AM

Hey Mongoose, thanks for the heads up, I just ordered 500 of the lake city .223. And some armscoor 62 FMJ, just out of curiosity.

thallub · April 19, 2010, 02:31 AM

Quote:

I'm not sure how they are offering unfired bullets and brass for sale since if it's made in the Lake City plant it would be made on government equipment and could not, by law, be offered for commerical sale.

They are selling ammo and ammo components that the US military has rejected for some reason. Some of the loaded ammo is rejected for failure to meet velocity specs. Some of that loaded ammo may be rejected for other reasons like out of spec cartridge cases, etc. Yes, it is legal for them to sell it.

When the Army ran the plants, Army EOD units got millions of rounds of rejected ammo for disposal. Now it is sold.

March 14, 2010, 12:02 AM	#1
riverwalker76 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 993	Lake City Brass Purchases Have any of you actually tried to buy new / unfired brass from Lake City? Just curious to if they even allow it. I didn't know if they were strictly a Government operation selling strictly to the Government, or if they would allow civilian purchases. I know they are government owned and private contractor operated, but I'm curious. Back when Remington ran it the answer was no. Then Olin ran it, and now it's in ATK's hands.

March 14, 2010, 12:48 AM	#4
HuntAndFish Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2006 Location: Kansas City, MO. Posts: 580	You can buy lake city brass from Scharch's in CO. Not sure if they ever have new 7.62x51 though. http://www.scharch.com/products.php?cat=61 Last edited by HuntAndFish; March 14, 2010 at 12:54 AM.

April 14, 2010, 11:21 AM	#16
Capndave Junior Member Join Date: April 3, 2010 Posts: 4	Lake city brass Hello all,in referance to your question about LC brass,I find that the quality of all your components is key.Lapua makes good brass,the annealing process makes for more loads.Neck sizing offers more to.It also depends on the quality of material to make the cartridge,metalergically speaking.Ive used LC catridges and found that less then half met my standards.these LC cartridges would no doubt be good for hunting purposes,but when it comes to accuracy at the bench,choose the quality stuff. Last edited by Capndave; April 14, 2010 at 11:59 AM.

April 14, 2010, 12:16 PM	#17
Capndave Junior Member Join Date: April 3, 2010 Posts: 4	Medal guy is right. The fact that LC is available through cheaper than dirt and other companies of the like,does not mean it is the "the real McCoy",it more than likely is downloaded maybe two full grains or more,they probably use the non complient components to sell to the general public.The US gov would not give away its secrets to the civilian population.Even though it is very accurate,it is not the same as the issue cartridge.(not to mention the issue cartridges are accurate up to and beyond 800 yards,the corps rifleman can hollow out a quarter from mindblowing distances.) Last edited by Capndave; April 14, 2010 at 12:26 PM.

April 15, 2010, 12:57 AM	#20
jhansman Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2007 Posts: 680	All I feed my Saiga .223 is LC ('05 & '06) and it's held up extremely well. I consider it perfect brass for that gun, but I use Lapua in my target rifle. It all depends on the application. I agree that once-fired is the easiest and most economical way to to go if you are prepared to deal with the processing. Resizing, swaging, and trimming 1500 pieces was something of a chore, but I enjoyed it. __________________ Blessed is the man who has nothing to say, and cannot be compelled to say it.

March 14, 2010, 12:13 AM	#2
Lavid2002 Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2007 Posts: 2,568	Why would you want it? There is much better brass that is already being sold. if you want LC that bad. Buy once fired. if you have to have it brand new...buy loaded ammo....If you REALLY want it new..... uhh... Buy new ammo and pull the bullets. Dump the powder, snap the primers and resize deprime?? Epic waste of time, resources, and $$$... So0o0o...What gives?

March 14, 2010, 12:28 AM	#3
riverwalker76 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 993	What brass is better than Lake City LR or Match brass in .308? Is Remington and Winchester that much better? Opinions?

March 14, 2010, 12:57 AM	#5
riverwalker76 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 993	Thanks for the link, but my main interest is in the 7.62 LR brass. The Long Range brass is M118 Long Range.

March 14, 2010, 01:10 AM	#6
Lavid2002 Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2007 Posts: 2,568	When I first started reloading I thought LC was the best (What could be better than military stuff right?!) But it wasnt...I learned winchester brass was better (lasted longer, no crimped primers) Im still exploring brass to find the best :P

March 14, 2010, 02:41 AM	#7
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,350	I just saw both .223 and 308(or perhaps 5.56 and 7.62) at Grafs,new.I might not seek out lake city as my first choice,but I remember a time when brass,primers,etc were in short supply. Lake city brass is good brass.New,unprimed,it is not crimped.It is better than "unavailable,no backorder "brass

March 14, 2010, 11:49 AM	#8
riverwalker76 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 993	I looked on their website and they are 'Out of Stock' on 7.62.

March 14, 2010, 01:07 PM	#9
oneoldsap Senior Member Join Date: September 16, 2009 Location: I live in the foot of the Green Mountains of Vermont Posts: 1,602	The only reason I use L C Match brass is because I have a friend that's a competitive military shooter and I get loaded ammo for free .

March 14, 2010, 04:19 PM	#10
medalguy Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2009 Location: New Mexico Posts: 1,033	Lake City Army Ammunition Plant is just that, a government facility run by a private contractor for the exclusive use of the government. I'm not sure how they are offering unfired bullets and brass for sale since if it's made in the Lake City plant it would be made on government equipment and could not, by law, be offered for commerical sale. I believe the stuff being offered is made in the private plant of the contractor, Alliant Techsystems, which is theirs to do with as they want, and offered for commercial sale. That said, it would really be no different from commercial brass and bullets.

March 14, 2010, 09:37 PM	#11
L Puckett Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2002 Location: Mid-Tennessee Posts: 150	Lake City Match or M118LR is good brass, some years are better than others though with a few not worth having. If you want real good brass that is uniform and has a good long life, buy Lapua. FYI, LP

March 18, 2010, 04:40 PM	#12
ForneyRider Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2007 Location: Forney, TX Posts: 725	LC .223 brass is excellent. I bought Federal Power Shok ammo with LC brass and still shooting it. It makes for very accurate ammo. I bought the RCBS reamer for the crimped primer pockets.

March 18, 2010, 05:34 PM	#13
Tim R Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2004 Location: God's side of Washington State Posts: 1,601	I just cheked Bartlett. Type in "gi brass" in your search engine and he will come right up. Bartletts has once fired LC 118 LR which was fired in bolt guns. I used Bartlett before buying brass and there was no problem. I would and will buy from Jeff again.

March 18, 2010, 06:50 PM	#14
BruceM Senior Member Join Date: March 12, 2006 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 285	Jeff's web site: http://www.gibrass.com/ He's been a straight shooter with me and he ships quickly. Bruce

March 18, 2010, 08:54 PM	#15
riverwalker76 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 993	Yeah, I live 5 minutes from Jeff! Notice my location. <<<<<<<< My problem is that he is charging OVER what you can get Hornady Match .308 for. I can get 100 ct. brass in Hornady Match for $35. It's exactly the same wall thickness as Lake City M118 LR.

April 14, 2010, 10:28 PM	#18
TimT Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 147	I like LC brass. It always works well for me. Winchester - not so much. Then again, I won't use any Winchester since I found a couple .222 in a bag of .223 and they wouldn't even respond to an email.

April 17, 2010, 09:02 AM	#21
MR 8x57js Member Join Date: February 7, 2010 Posts: 36	You can also get LC Brass cheaperthandirt.com. Ive used it in my .223 Remington with great results with a sort of powders like H380, IMR-3031 & IMR-4895. Ive got 2,500 cases of it and very pleased it.

April 18, 2010, 03:01 PM	#22
mongoose33 Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 228	Grafs has Lake City .223 on sale (this week only, don't know when that ends) for $19.99 per 100. That's new, not crimped, with the necks annealed. I picked up several hundred to experiment with. I'm interested in how well they work over time w/ the X-Die.

April 19, 2010, 01:57 AM	#23
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 21, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	Hey Mongoose, thanks for the heads up, I just ordered 500 of the lake city .223. And some armscoor 62 FMJ, just out of curiosity.