[mugsie]

I reload .223 (I know - it's cheap but 1) I love to reload 2) I have the time 3) I work up perfect loads for my guns and 4) I love to reload) So anyway, I picked up a bunch of range brass the other day and resized and trimmed it. Resized it in a Dillon FL resizing die. All of it checked out perfectly in a Lyman case gauge except 7 pieces which were marked FC 68. I'm pretty sure this was military brass (I reamed out the primer holes earlier) but why doesn't it fall into the gauge properly? I passed it through the FL die again and it still does not fit the gauge. :banghead: It appears to be a few thousands too high. Any ideas short of throwing it out, which I most likely will. Ideas people?

[lamazza]

FC is a federal headstamp and its too high because you need to trim it down more.

[mugsie]

It's not the AOL which is NG - it's the base, it doesn't fit within the high and low limits of the gauge. It appears as though the shoulder is too far forward, but I would have thought that sizing it in an FL die would move it back - it hasn't. If I were to use this in my bolt action Savage the bolt would fail to close. I have no idea what would happen in the AR.
So -keep 'em comming - I need ideas....

[USSR]

mugsie,

The web portion of the brass is expanded from being fired in an autoloader with a generous chamber. You will more than likely need a small base die to return the web portion to spec. If there's just a few, throw them out.

Don

[KHawk]

I too picked up some of that brass at our range. It is NOT Federal! I checked an international headstamp web page http://www.cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes_bottom.htm and it is made in Mexico. I broke a depriming pin and got one stuck in my sizing die before I noticed that all of those cases had crimped primers. I spent all afternoon fixing dies and sorting brass because the FC was was similar to a Federal headstamp.:cuss:

[steve4102]

All brass is different, some is hard, some is soft and some is junk. If you have your FL die set up to resize brand X and try and resize brand Y you may get a different "head to shoulder" measurement. Why? Because of things like brass hardness and "Spring Back". It is very common for brass that has been loaded several times to become "work hardened". This can and does create some issues when FL sizing brass. You can remedy this by screwing your FL die down a bit or you can "Anneal" the brass. It is possible that your range brass has been loaded many times and is work hardened. In any case, just screw your FL die in until you get the desired "head to shoulder" measurement.

[Sunray]

"...picked up a bunch of range brass..." Another reason not to pick up unknow brass. Seven pieces would be turned into drawer pulls. Milsurp brass tends to be thicker than commercial. Measure it then pitch it. It's not worth fussing over 7 pieces.