Hi, anyone loaded aguila 556 brass before? I assume they are military brass like LC because not only it says "556" on the headstamp, it does have crimp as well. while commerical brass could have crimp too, I never heard commerical 556 ammo, but my rifle experience is very limited, hence the question. If it's military, do I need to treat it exactly like LC or other military brass to start with 1.5-2gr lower than what's in the regular manuals? Thanks.
reloading aguila brass, military vs commercial
- Thread starter luckey
- Start date
When working on a load, always start low and work your way up.
Try weighing some empty (fired) Aguila and commercial brass. The weight will be an indication of case thickness, and hence, internal volume as well.
The primer crimp will have to be removed before you re-prime; otherwise you're in for a load of grief.....
Try weighing some empty (fired) Aguila and commercial brass. The weight will be an indication of case thickness, and hence, internal volume as well.
The primer crimp will have to be removed before you re-prime; otherwise you're in for a load of grief.....
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- Meaford Ontario
I develop all my bulk loads (9mm,223) on the lower end of the recommended powder charge.
That way when my Dillon is cranking them out at 900 an hour, I don't have to sort cases.
That way when my Dillon is cranking them out at 900 an hour, I don't have to sort cases.
but military rifle brass is special though. at least you should separate military from commercial unless you never load military brass before. military brass is thicker at the shoulder and thus need to reduce further than what's in the manual by 1.5gr at least.
for the load, yes, always use the lowest, but in this case, 223 doesn't have a big range. by the normal process on military brass, I would reduced at least 1.5gr, but then the max would be lower than the lowest on the manual already. that's why I am asking anyone had experience with this brass. weighing the brass is not reliable at all as the weight range is too wide. can't use that as thickness test. not even remotely scientific.
Military brass has specifications relating to head strength, so the case heads or rims to not get ripped off in an automatic rifle.
The cases heads are usually harder and heavier (thicker) than commercial. In 308/7.62 the differences are quite noticeable.
For reloading, other than removing the primer crimp, the only thing that matters is the reduced case capacity. Powder charges have to be reduced a bit.
Case capacities are reduced because some cases (military) have more brass in them. More brass means less powder capacity.
And more brass means more weight. So the way to determine if a case is "military" is to weigh it and also the commercial cases you have on hand.
The cases heads are usually harder and heavier (thicker) than commercial. In 308/7.62 the differences are quite noticeable.
For reloading, other than removing the primer crimp, the only thing that matters is the reduced case capacity. Powder charges have to be reduced a bit.
Case capacities are reduced because some cases (military) have more brass in them. More brass means less powder capacity.
And more brass means more weight. So the way to determine if a case is "military" is to weigh it and also the commercial cases you have on hand.
Hi Ganderite,OldDude,
The numbers I got don't support your theory though. See below
Federal 223 1000-round bulk ammo brass: around 96gr. This is commercial I Believe
LC 556 with nato mark. This should be military, but also around 96gr.
Aguila 223 REM, around 100gr. this should be comercial, right? As I am not sure there is military 223 rounds.
Aguila 556 around 100gr.
The numbers I got don't support your theory though. See below
Federal 223 1000-round bulk ammo brass: around 96gr. This is commercial I Believe
LC 556 with nato mark. This should be military, but also around 96gr.
Aguila 223 REM, around 100gr. this should be comercial, right? As I am not sure there is military 223 rounds.
Aguila 556 around 100gr.
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If I remember correctly, I've seen Federal 223 Rem brass with crrimped primers. This would imply to me that it came off a milspec brass production line with the exception of the headstamp.
The Aguila grass (both commercial and milspec) looks consistent. I've heard of guys filling fired cases with fine table salt and weighing the salt to measure the internal volume. You want to make sure the cases are dry.... I haven't been this curios or picky yet.
Hi OldDude, thanks. how did you know my real name is "curious & picky"? lol...
besides keep learning as part of the fun with reloading, safety is the key thing here. I just want to make sure I am not overloading anything given 223 powder range is small already.
you are right that the federal 223 bulk I got do have crimp. so, that's another thing. are the crimp exclusive to military brass even though headstamp is 223? I thought I read somewhere(but my memory could play trick on me) that some commercial ammo do have crimp too. if not, do I have to work with the reduced load on these crimped federal 223 brass as well?
besides keep learning as part of the fun with reloading, safety is the key thing here. I just want to make sure I am not overloading anything given 223 powder range is small already.
you are right that the federal 223 bulk I got do have crimp. so, that's another thing. are the crimp exclusive to military brass even though headstamp is 223? I thought I read somewhere(but my memory could play trick on me) that some commercial ammo do have crimp too. if not, do I have to work with the reduced load on these crimped federal 223 brass as well?
In one of the many milspec vs. commercial brass discussions, BigEdp51 posted a comparison showing the weight (with some statistical analysis. IIRC), along with a cut open view of the head of a milspec as well as a commercial casing.
Hi Ganderite,OldDude,
This just came to me(sorry I am kind of slow). A more accurate and scientific way to confirm if the brass is commercial or military, other than measuring them with a micrometer which I don't have.
I think I could load different brasses with the low/safe enough charge and then chrono them. I assume, given the pressure would be higher in military brass, the average velocity, from the same gun under the same condition, if constantly higher, would come from military brass. Is that a correct assumption?
This just came to me(sorry I am kind of slow). A more accurate and scientific way to confirm if the brass is commercial or military, other than measuring them with a micrometer which I don't have.
I think I could load different brasses with the low/safe enough charge and then chrono them. I assume, given the pressure would be higher in military brass, the average velocity, from the same gun under the same condition, if constantly higher, would come from military brass. Is that a correct assumption?
You would be surprised at the variables. Neck tension and flash hole diameter being two.
Weigh the cases. Those that weigh the most have the least internal volume and need less powder.
I load this stuff by the bucket load. I use a moderate charge of powder (55 gr bullet at 3,000 fps) and don't care if it is military or commercial. All headstamps are mixed.
If I make ammo where I want some accuracy, I load the 68 or 69 gr bullet (or even the 77) and sort the brass so it is all the same headstamp.
Weigh the cases. Those that weigh the most have the least internal volume and need less powder.
I load this stuff by the bucket load. I use a moderate charge of powder (55 gr bullet at 3,000 fps) and don't care if it is military or commercial. All headstamps are mixed.
If I make ammo where I want some accuracy, I load the 68 or 69 gr bullet (or even the 77) and sort the brass so it is all the same headstamp.
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Hi Ganderite,
Thanks. Well said. I guess your mix-stamp approach would be great for plinking, I may try that in my x95 to see what the grouping looks like. I planned to start my load at around 3000fps as that 's what I got from AE bulk with pretty good accuracy. Worst case, sort the brass and go from there.
Thanks. Well said. I guess your mix-stamp approach would be great for plinking, I may try that in my x95 to see what the grouping looks like. I planned to start my load at around 3000fps as that 's what I got from AE bulk with pretty good accuracy. Worst case, sort the brass and go from there.
thanks. found the post: https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...practice-opinions-suggestions?highlight=brass
from the post, it doesn't show weight would properly reflect case capacity though. for example, in his example, hornady is heavier than lake city 06, but has less capacity.
I think the safe bet is to load low charges and chrono them. with the same charge, the velocity should be higher out of military brass compared to commercial given higher pressure.
from the post, it doesn't show weight would properly reflect case capacity though. for example, in his example, hornady is heavier than lake city 06, but has less capacity.
I think the safe bet is to load low charges and chrono them. with the same charge, the velocity should be higher out of military brass compared to commercial given higher pressure.
This makes sense. The heavier the case, the smaller the inside volume.
