Bad brass?!

I'm workimg loads for a new bullet from my .223 rem- savage bolt action, 26 in barrel,1-9 twist heavy fluted barrel. Had to find the load info on line. Bought some once fired military brass online and loaded them with cci 400 primers which I've been using with my pet load for ballistic tips all spring. It is LC brass which I resized, deprimed and deburred prior to use. Loaded three kinds of powder all mid level loads-usually 24-25 grains. One bullet from each powder and had primers blow out of the sockets with each powder. None of them
Max loads. I'm guessing some numbnuts sold me some bad brass, any other thoughts?

Did you trim the brass? Mil spec brass has a longer neck than civilian brass, resulting in higher pressures in military brass.

DrMike":3gfm7svk said:

Did you trim the brass? Mil spec brass has a longer neck than civilian brass, resulting in higher pressures in military brass.

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+1 for what Mike says. Make sure your brass is prepped and your load data matches your chamber I.E. .223 vs. 5.56Nato. Milsurp brass has a lower volume(thicker brass) than commercial 223 which can lead to higher pressures. How did the primer pockets feel when you seated the primer... were they real loose? Sometime when the crimp(and how it is removed - swaged vs. drilled) is removed it leaves a looser pocket.
Scott

Did you deprime and swage them yourself? I back off my loads about 2 grains when I use Nato brass. Mm is right on about the decreased case volume.

I bought them once fired, tumbled and deprimed them myself, cleaned primer pockets with a wire brush, nothing else. I measured the overall length of a couple of them but not necks specifically. To solve the problem, I ordered some remington brass from midway. Shouldn't have wasted my time and materials on cheap, local brass.-thanks for your input

muleman":22puqadu said:

DrMike":22puqadu said:

Did you trim the brass? Mil spec brass has a longer neck than civilian brass, resulting in higher pressures in military brass.

Click to expand...

+1 for what Mike says. Make sure your brass is prepped and your load data matches your chamber I.E. .223 vs. 5.56Nato. Milsurp brass has a lower volume(thicker brass) than commercial 223 which can lead to higher pressures. How did the primer pockets feel when you seated the primer... were they real loose? Sometime when the crimp(and how it is removed - swaged vs. drilled) is removed it leaves a looser pocket.
Scott

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This is another reloading Myth that will not die.

Military 5.56 brass does not have less case capacity then it's civilian brother the 223. In fact Most Military Brass (LC) has more case capacity than 223 brass.

This is from Sierra.

The conventional wisdom to reduce loads with military brass is familiar to most reloaders and is generally good advice. The rationale here is that the military cases tend to be somewhat thicker and heavier than their civilian counterparts, which in turn reduces capacity and raises pressures. This additional pressure normally requires a one or two grain reduction from the loads shown in most manuals or other data developed with commercial cases. While this is most often the situation with both 308 Winchester and 30-06 cases, it is less true with the 223 brass. We have found that military cases often have significantly more capacity than several brands of commercial brass. Again, take the time to do a side-by-side comparison of the cases you are working with and adjust your load as needed. There may be no need for such a reduction with the 223. Know your components and keep them segregated accordingly.

Link
http://www.exteriorballistics.com/reloa ... reload.cfm

This is from Accurate Shooter. Note the LC and other Military cases have more case capacity then the 223 cases.



Here is one more.




Here is the brass on my bench.

GFL(223) dry weight-102.4gr
With H20-131.4
Case capacity in grains of H20-29gr

Remington(223) Dry weight-95.2gr
With H20-125.1gr
Case capacity in grains of H20-29.9gr

LC(5.56) Dry weight-96.3gr
With H20-126.7gr
Case capacity in grains of H20-30.4gr.

Note; My LC brass is consistent with the other in that it has More case capacity then 223 brass.

What this all means is that your choice of Brass is NOT the issue, if anything your military brass would have produced Less Pressure.

Looking at the brass is barking up the wrong tree and you may find yourself damaging your rifle or your body, if you do not search for the correct solution to your problem.

You left out a lot of important details in your OP concerning your loads.

Loaded three kinds of powder all mid level loads-usually 24-25 grains

What were these three kinds of powder?

What was your OAL and how far from the lands?

How did you measure your powder?

Did you zero and calibrate your scale?

What bullet and bullet weight?

Had to find the load info on line.

Where on-line did you find this data and did you double and triple check it with actual pressure tested data?

Again, you are looking in the wrong direction, your. Military brass is not the culprit.

Hope you was wearing shooting glasses.......

Weigh a sample of 10 of the new Remington brass and a sample of 10 of the LC and compare the average weights and the standard deviations. I would think a difference of 10grs or more in the averages on that size case would be significant.

Partisan":36mf9jd4 said:

Weigh a sample of 10 of the new Remington brass and a sample of 10 of the LC and compare the average weights and the standard deviations. I would think a difference of 10grs or more in the averages on that size case would be significant.

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If you took the time to look at the charts posted above you would have seen that there is no direct correlation between case weight and case capacity. A heavier case does not automatically mean less capacity.

nothing wrong with once fired LC brass, its what black hills uses in its ammo, it actualy rivals lapua in terms of quality.

Had to find the load info on line.

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there may lie the problem, what was the load?
RR

Thank you all for your replies. I loaded some of the new rp brass and some of my three and four times fired LC used mil brass. No problems whatsoever. My best guess is someone sold me brass that had been used extensively or was loaded incorrectly in the first place. Lots if military guys are selling used brass and I suspect I got taken.
My .223 shot all the powders I tested very well and most of them at max listed weights. I will put my results in bullet test section. Thx again
One lady thought-I damaged one of my eyes shooting a black powder rifle many years ago and never shoot without glasses now. Also after losing a significant range of hearing-not all from shooting-I also go overboard on ear protection. Do as I do. . .