223 brass life

mudbug

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I'm sure this has been talked about before but I couldn't find any sort of a definitive answer. How many times would a person be able to reload hornady brass for a 223? Would a different kind of brass make any difference in the life expectancy of a moderatly loaded shell?
Sorry if this is a repeat question..
 
It really depends on the load, but the quality of brass is a factor too.

If you are loading to max or near max, then the brass won'y last as long, also, if the ammo is shot in an auto, it too will play a factor in brass life.

I have some .223 brass that's been loaded at least 6 times, but fired from a bolt, that's not showing any signs of fatique. It's also a mild load.

I've had brass that was pooched at the 2nd and 3rd loading too.

How long does brass last? There really is no definative answer, but load it mild to moderate and you will a reasonable longevity, load hot and shoot from an auto and it will have severely shorted life.
 
Nosler brass in 223

You can check the claims being made by Nosler on their web site, loading 223 brass over 30 times with out the need of trimming. Now if this is indeed the case and their claims of their brass being so superior, then it may warrant the amount of money that their product sells for. I bought 50 pieces of their brass in 260 Rem, and it a great looking product, being sized, chamfered, deburred, weighed, primer pockets reamed. They say you can load their brass right out of the box?
You may want to check it our for yourself. FS
 
really depends on the manufacturer- the only 223 i've got is an ar, and some of the commercial stuff seems to last forever- however, i've also had some filipino surplus that came in bandoliers that lasted only about 3 reloads before the primer pockets opened up - still within spec, but the primer pockets came loose
 
I have a box of 50 brass of various { FC,Win ,and some Military} brands , that I use the Lee collet dies to neck size only and of the 50 pieces of brass I still have 26 or so of them that have been shot 33 times.I had a couple that had neck splits and some that had loose primer pockets on.I also had to trim 3 or 4 as they got to long but I would say I have got my moneys worth out of this lot of brass.My load is 21.5 gr of IMR 4198 with a 55 gr bullet and I shoot a Mod 12 SAV FV

Bearcat
 
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