LC 5.56 brass

rebs · September 28, 2018, 08:43 AM

Can anyone suggest where I can buy Lake City 5.56 once fired same head stamp processed brass ?
How important is it to use all same year head stamp for accurate reloads ?

**Unclenick** · September 28, 2018, 09:33 AM

You could call Top Brass and ask them about headstamp consistency just because they are premium reconditioners. But I don't think I'm aware of anybody who guarantees matching headstamps.

How important is it? I've found that when I am shooting with others, having matching headstamps that aren't the same as anyone else's makes my brass easier to identify as mine rather than theirs.

As to shooting ability, some guns and loads and kinds of shooting can be sensitive to it, but I wouldn't worry too much about it until you have exhausted other accuracy loading steps. If they resize with the same force and they have the same internal volume afterward, have the same neck and body wall runout, they are probably about as well matched as you will see a difference in, even if the headstamps are from different years.

Charlie98 · September 28, 2018, 09:48 AM

Like Unclenick suggests... try Top Brass (Scharch.) I have see it in places like Cabelas, too, in 100cs bags (Top Brass brand.) I find it unlikely you will be able to source one lot of one headstamp, or only one headstamp (LC only, for example.)

I probably wouldn't segregate modern LC from each other, I don't think there is that much of a difference.

5whiskey · September 28, 2018, 11:16 AM

Quote:

As to shooting ability, some guns and loads and kinds of shooting can be sensitive to it, but I wouldn't worry too much about it until you have exhausted other accuracy loading steps. If they resize with the same force and they have the same internal volume afterward, have the same neck and body wall runout, they are probably about as well matched as you will see a difference in, even if the headstamps are from different years.

This, especially the bold. I don't sort 5.56/.223 brass by headstamp or brand anymore unless it's specific loads for coyote hunting. Even with those, 100 pieces of matching acceptable brass is plenty. For bulk blasting, even at longer ranges, I'm not seeking <1/2 moa. I can get sub moa with my mixed brand, mixed headstamp reloads (barely, but sub moa none-the-less). That's good enough for me.

I also load to middle of the road levels, so those 100 pieces of matching brass can last for 8-10 loads fairly easily.

None-the-less, if you want what you want who am I to judge? Some range pick-up, if you can find a range that allows you to police as much as you want, will be a cheap way to get a good amount. It's semi common for a group of several to bring in a bulk pack of LC 5.56 and blast away next to each other on the line. All of that will be same headstamp. That probably won't be common at every range, but it's fairly common at one range that I go to.

condor bravo · September 28, 2018, 11:25 AM

www.oncefiredbrass.com shows "Lake City 223 crimped primers" at $17.50 per 250.

jpx2rk · September 28, 2018, 02:50 PM

I sort 223 brass by brand as one likes LC and another prefers FC. Mixing lots/years does not affect my groups by anything that a pdog will care about. This method may give a pdog a haircut at times instead of a flying lesson, but it's fun seeing those guys scurry around.

hounddawg · September 28, 2018, 03:27 PM

I sorted 100 LC brass by year and measured th case weight dry and water volume last year and found no statistical correlations. Bear in mind that at the time I was using a .1 gn scale so accuracy was all that on the case weight or water weight

**Unclenick** · September 28, 2018, 03:54 PM

It's usually one of those deals where there is a correlation but it is so weak that the normal variation scatter is greater. Again, precision measuring to match overrides the value of lot matching. The only brass brand I am aware of that guarantees all pieces will come off the same tooling is ADG, and they don't currently do .223.

hdwhit · September 28, 2018, 05:21 PM

LEO Brass (http://leobrass.com) sells LC headstamp brass (various years, but all LC) at $7.00 per hundred.

I sort my brass by headstamp and the military headstamp by year because I have noticed variation in how the cases "feel" when I resize them and I like to have a consistent feel. As far as accuracy, I have never noticed headstamp making a difference at the ranges I shoot.

bacardisteve · September 30, 2018, 05:32 PM

Try brass bombers for once fired lake city. You can even get it cleaned deprimed and swaged.

tmd47762 · September 30, 2018, 10:07 PM

I’d guess that there is enough variation within a year of production that it makes the year stamp less meaningful. January to November means a huge volume of production at Lake City and so equipment gets checked. Their internal quality control matters, so a decade may make a difference but a year may mean December to January or more. The lot would matter more so being the one to “once fire” it matters there.

std7mag · October 2, 2018, 04:07 PM

I'm using LC brass in the wifes Savage110FP.
Course with my eyesight and reluctance to wear my glasses, i'm lucky to make out the LC on the head.
What year? I dunno...
20 rounds under 1 inch at 100 yards with boring regularity tells me there are bigger things to worry about.

Marco Califo · October 4, 2018, 12:23 AM

http://www.gibrass.com/
I have bought 7.62 and 5.56 LC from there. They will polish and process the primer pocket with a swage machine for $25 per thousand. The 5.56 is $75 or $100 swaged and polished. Currently they are shipping mixed '10 and '11.
They also sell surplus powders and have WC844 in stock.

BrassBombers.com is shutting down permanently, has no 5.56 and some 7.62.

Metal god · October 4, 2018, 03:44 PM

Where do you live and how much are you looking for ? I can't get processed LC all same headstamp brass but I can get once fired same headstamp from my local range .

rebs · October 5, 2018, 01:36 PM

Metal god I sent you a PM

F. Guffey · October 5, 2018, 02:17 PM

Again, I pushed myself away from the keyboard and tried to cultivate friends, a few of them were in Yonkers, NY. They dealt in Junk. One day they offered me 24,000 cases, a wild guestimate would be there were 9,000 223 F.C, L.C etc. I purchases the cases in buckets, barrels and boxes and then I sorted and sorted and sorted, and then someone died in an accident so I purchased everything the family offered for sale. That bunch of 223 cases came with clips, lots of clips.

F. Guffey

rebs · October 5, 2018, 03:50 PM

Guffey are any of the cases once fired LC 5.56 of the same head stamp year ?

Metal god · October 5, 2018, 09:13 PM

Yes I received it . I waited to contact you because i was going to the range today . That fell through and I’m now going monday . I’ll pick some up regardless because I use them . I think they are $25 for 500 once fired , dirty , with crimp . I might even have some my self now but would need to look around .

rebs · October 6, 2018, 04:28 AM

Ok thank you, let me know

Stats Shooter · October 7, 2018, 01:35 PM

In my own testing, I couldn't find any discernible difference in LC head stamp years for 7.62 or 556 (all newer than 2008 though). Tens of thousands of them. I trimmed, swaged, and annealed it all. I loaded up my best loads in mixed year batches, and same year batches.

I found no difference in my .9 MOA AR-10 load using 175 smk's and 4064 with same vs different years. My national match AR load using LC brass increased from about 0.48 MOA to about 0.70 MOA with 77 gr bullets and varget, but no difference in the 1 moa load using 62 gr fmj's and H335.

Average velocities and ES's were similar. Especially in my non-match grade bull barrel AR's.

Bottom line is, if you dont have an honest 1/3 - 1/2 moa gun, you will be better served worrying about brass prep and good loading techniques for semi rifles than the year of your head stamp .

If it's for use in a bolt action rifle that shoots in the 2's or something, LC isnt the brass you should be using anyway

Shadow9mm · October 10, 2018, 03:14 PM

personally, i sort 223 and 556 separate. i try to use the same stamp and year (seem to have a lot of LC 15) for testing loads to keep everything as consistent as possible. Once i get a load dialed in I try to stick to the same brass, don't care about year.

rebs · October 10, 2018, 04:28 PM

I have some LC 15 also but not many. I need to buy some more LC brass. I may buy a bunch and process it my self over the cold winter months.

Metal god · October 10, 2018, 04:40 PM

Sorry Rebs they did not have any for sale at the range . I should clarify , they did not have any ready for sale . I know the club has it because the military is up there all the time and we keep all there brass . It just wasn't separated for sale yet .

It's $20 for 500

rebs · October 11, 2018, 06:36 AM

Metal god keep me informed when they have it ready

September 28, 2018, 08:43 AM	#1
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	LC 5.56 brass Can anyone suggest where I can buy Lake City 5.56 once fired same head stamp processed brass ? How important is it to use all same year head stamp for accurate reloads ?

September 28, 2018, 09:33 AM	#2
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,061	You could call Top Brass and ask them about headstamp consistency just because they are premium reconditioners. But I don't think I'm aware of anybody who guarantees matching headstamps. How important is it? I've found that when I am shooting with others, having matching headstamps that aren't the same as anyone else's makes my brass easier to identify as mine rather than theirs. As to shooting ability, some guns and loads and kinds of shooting can be sensitive to it, but I wouldn't worry too much about it until you have exhausted other accuracy loading steps. If they resize with the same force and they have the same internal volume afterward, have the same neck and body wall runout, they are probably about as well matched as you will see a difference in, even if the headstamps are from different years. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

September 28, 2018, 09:48 AM	#3
Charlie98 Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2006 Location: Great state of Texas Posts: 1,077	Like Unclenick suggests... try Top Brass (Scharch.) I have see it in places like Cabelas, too, in 100cs bags (Top Brass brand.) I find it unlikely you will be able to source one lot of one headstamp, or only one headstamp (LC only, for example.) I probably wouldn't segregate modern LC from each other, I don't think there is that much of a difference. __________________ _______________ "I have this pistol pointed at your heart!" "That is my least vulnerable spot."

September 28, 2018, 11:25 AM	#5
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	www.oncefiredbrass.com shows "Lake City 223 crimped primers" at $17.50 per 250. __________________ Ouch, the dreaded "M-1 thumb", you just know it will happen eventually, so why not do it now and get it over with??

September 28, 2018, 03:27 PM	#7
hounddawg Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2009 Posts: 4,232	I sorted 100 LC brass by year and measured th case weight dry and water volume last year and found no statistical correlations. Bear in mind that at the time I was using a .1 gn scale so accuracy was all that on the case weight or water weight __________________ “How do I get to the next level?” Well, you get to the next level by being the first one on the range and the last one to leave.” – Jerry Miculek

September 28, 2018, 02:50 PM	#6
jpx2rk Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2015 Posts: 387	I sort 223 brass by brand as one likes LC and another prefers FC. Mixing lots/years does not affect my groups by anything that a pdog will care about. This method may give a pdog a haircut at times instead of a flying lesson, but it's fun seeing those guys scurry around.

September 28, 2018, 03:54 PM	#8
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,061	It's usually one of those deals where there is a correlation but it is so weak that the normal variation scatter is greater. Again, precision measuring to match overrides the value of lot matching. The only brass brand I am aware of that guarantees all pieces will come off the same tooling is ADG, and they don't currently do .223. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

September 28, 2018, 05:21 PM	#9
hdwhit Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2017 Posts: 1,011	LEO Brass (http://leobrass.com) sells LC headstamp brass (various years, but all LC) at $7.00 per hundred. I sort my brass by headstamp and the military headstamp by year because I have noticed variation in how the cases "feel" when I resize them and I like to have a consistent feel. As far as accuracy, I have never noticed headstamp making a difference at the ranges I shoot.

September 30, 2018, 05:32 PM	#10
bacardisteve Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2006 Location: West virginia Posts: 653	Try brass bombers for once fired lake city. You can even get it cleaned deprimed and swaged. __________________ Kill em all and let God sort em out! USAF

September 30, 2018, 10:07 PM	#11
tmd47762 Member Join Date: April 30, 2009 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 96	I’d guess that there is enough variation within a year of production that it makes the year stamp less meaningful. January to November means a huge volume of production at Lake City and so equipment gets checked. Their internal quality control matters, so a decade may make a difference but a year may mean December to January or more. The lot would matter more so being the one to “once fire” it matters there.

October 2, 2018, 04:07 PM	#12
std7mag Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2013 Location: Central Taxylvania.. Posts: 3,609	I'm using LC brass in the wifes Savage110FP. Course with my eyesight and reluctance to wear my glasses, i'm lucky to make out the LC on the head. What year? I dunno... 20 rounds under 1 inch at 100 yards with boring regularity tells me there are bigger things to worry about. __________________ When our own government declares itself as "tyrannical", where does that leave us??!! "Januarary 6th insurrection". Funny, I didn't see a single piece of rope...

October 4, 2018, 12:23 AM	#13
Marco Califo Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2011 Location: LA (Greater Los Angeles Area) Posts: 2,598	www.gibrass.com http://www.gibrass.com/ I have bought 7.62 and 5.56 LC from there. They will polish and process the primer pocket with a swage machine for $25 per thousand. The 5.56 is $75 or $100 swaged and polished. Currently they are shipping mixed '10 and '11. They also sell surplus powders and have WC844 in stock. BrassBombers.com is shutting down permanently, has no 5.56 and some 7.62. __________________ ............ Last edited by Marco Califo; October 7, 2018 at 01:56 PM. Reason: Update on Brass Bombers

October 4, 2018, 03:44 PM	#14
Metal god Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2012 Location: San Diego CA Posts: 6,875	Where do you live and how much are you looking for ? I can't get processed LC all same headstamp brass but I can get once fired same headstamp from my local range . __________________ If Jesus had a gun , he'd probably still be alive ! I almost always write my posts regardless of content in a jovial manor and intent . If that's not how you took it , please try again . Last edited by Metal god; October 4, 2018 at 06:38 PM.

October 5, 2018, 01:36 PM	#15
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	Metal god I sent you a PM

October 5, 2018, 02:17 PM	#16
F. Guffey Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2008 Posts: 7,249	Again, I pushed myself away from the keyboard and tried to cultivate friends, a few of them were in Yonkers, NY. They dealt in Junk. One day they offered me 24,000 cases, a wild guestimate would be there were 9,000 223 F.C, L.C etc. I purchases the cases in buckets, barrels and boxes and then I sorted and sorted and sorted, and then someone died in an accident so I purchased everything the family offered for sale. That bunch of 223 cases came with clips, lots of clips. F. Guffey

October 5, 2018, 03:50 PM	#17
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	Guffey are any of the cases once fired LC 5.56 of the same head stamp year ?

October 5, 2018, 09:13 PM	#18
Metal god Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2012 Location: San Diego CA Posts: 6,875	Yes I received it . I waited to contact you because i was going to the range today . That fell through and I’m now going monday . I’ll pick some up regardless because I use them . I think they are $25 for 500 once fired , dirty , with crimp . I might even have some my self now but would need to look around . __________________ If Jesus had a gun , he'd probably still be alive ! I almost always write my posts regardless of content in a jovial manor and intent . If that's not how you took it , please try again .

October 6, 2018, 04:28 AM	#19
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	Ok thank you, let me know

October 7, 2018, 01:35 PM	#20
Stats Shooter Senior Member Join Date: August 26, 2016 Location: North Dakota Posts: 1,636	In my own testing, I couldn't find any discernible difference in LC head stamp years for 7.62 or 556 (all newer than 2008 though). Tens of thousands of them. I trimmed, swaged, and annealed it all. I loaded up my best loads in mixed year batches, and same year batches. I found no difference in my .9 MOA AR-10 load using 175 smk's and 4064 with same vs different years. My national match AR load using LC brass increased from about 0.48 MOA to about 0.70 MOA with 77 gr bullets and varget, but no difference in the 1 moa load using 62 gr fmj's and H335. Average velocities and ES's were similar. Especially in my non-match grade bull barrel AR's. Bottom line is, if you dont have an honest 1/3 - 1/2 moa gun, you will be better served worrying about brass prep and good loading techniques for semi rifles than the year of your head stamp . If it's for use in a bolt action rifle that shoots in the 2's or something, LC isnt the brass you should be using anyway

October 10, 2018, 03:14 PM	#21
Shadow9mm Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 3,969	personally, i sort 223 and 556 separate. i try to use the same stamp and year (seem to have a lot of LC 15) for testing loads to keep everything as consistent as possible. Once i get a load dialed in I try to stick to the same brass, don't care about year.

October 10, 2018, 04:28 PM	#22
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	I have some LC 15 also but not many. I need to buy some more LC brass. I may buy a bunch and process it my self over the cold winter months.

October 10, 2018, 04:40 PM	#23
Metal god Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2012 Location: San Diego CA Posts: 6,875	Sorry Rebs they did not have any for sale at the range . I should clarify , they did not have any ready for sale . I know the club has it because the military is up there all the time and we keep all there brass . It just wasn't separated for sale yet . It's $20 for 500 __________________ If Jesus had a gun , he'd probably still be alive ! I almost always write my posts regardless of content in a jovial manor and intent . If that's not how you took it , please try again .

October 11, 2018, 06:36 AM	#24
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	Metal god keep me informed when they have it ready