Mixing 223 Headstamps

While I'm sure mixed brass for .223 ammo is no problem at all I just can't bring myself to mix the brass on any calibers, handgun or rifle. I'm just a little crazy like that and can't help myself!

I've shot mixed headstamp 8x57 Mauser with results like yours.

Although I have to admit I'm usually really anal about not mixing cases. Especially with my handguns.

If I am shooting out of my Sig 556, I do not bother sorting headstamps, the rifle itself is not accurate enough to justify the effort and my experience has been that is true for most black rifles. That is unless you build one with a heavy barrel and weighted stock, and what not. Not really my thing but I understand why since you cannot be truly competitive in cross the course stuff without it. So if I was shooting that with a hot rod black rifle I probably would.

At 100--200 YDS mixing headstamps is no big deal for the accuracy a majority of reloaders require. Now if you are trying to get everything out of your rifle ammo combination that you can it might be one of those things that will make a significant difference. If accuracy is desired then weighing charges/cases/bullets and separating by headstamp as well as neck turning, neck sizing, and flash hole uniforming will all improve your groups. I went that route for a time and feel that for 100--200 YD plinking and my hunting also being at those distances it is not really worth the extra effort. YMMV

Is that the brass I sold you?

Either way, good shooting!

For plinking 223 Remington ammunition, I do not worry too much about headstamps. It is what it is.

My service rifle match ammunition is a different story.

My plinking ammo for my AR is mixed brass. If I am trying for groupings, etc then I stick with one brand.

Parker51, Testing is the only way to know. Whats the components in the loading? What rifle? I dont mix.

its performing to spec or better, I'd say why worry about mixing?? m.o.a. is hard to argue with

I guess the next step in your search is, load all one headstamp same load & see what happens!

shed some more light, powder, bullet etc

But, as 4 me, mixed is plinking, accuracy is dedicated headstamp. Probably all about same until needing match results

I mix for pure plinking loads only with low quality bullets. Anything else gets same headstamp. Why waste an expensive bullet with a "?" case.

I cannot bear to mix them, either. This is unfortunate as it doubles prep time. :banghead: I have learned to just scrap some.

Mixing .223 stamps to me depends on what stamps we're mixing.

Commercial and military? No thanks, unless it's a very moderate/mild load. And the only commercial cases I keep in rotation are Winchester, which are actually due for retirement soon (neck splits).

Mixed recent vintage LC stamps (and a handful of WCC)? Ok for out to 300 yards. 25.0gr of Varget, a CCI-BR4 or Remington 7 1/2 and a 69gr Nosler will shoot cleans on the 300 yard target in mixed years LC cases out of an AR service rifle.

Max-throttle 600-yd .223 loads? Sorted headstamps, track the firings. When these are retired, they're good for scrap.

With my .30-30, I don't mix headstamps but I never reload more than 2 boxes (40 rds) in a sitting anyway, and haven't fired 20 in a sitting since it was new.

Handguns? Sort headstamps? Yeah, right. Shoot 'em, gather 'em up, clean 'em, reload, repeat. The only exception is with Magnums, and those get tracked in boxes of 50 anyway. Everything else gets loaded bulk into big buckets.

Mixed 223 cases shoot very well.

I shot mixed brass 223 out to 300 yards and shot HM scores.

At 600 yards I shoot same headstamp. But that is due to my 308 and 30-06 experiences.

Mixed 308 and 30-06, there are big weight differences between cases of different makes and years. The stuff will shoot fine out to 300 yards, am not going to try it at 600 yards.

Anyone else mix rifle Headstamps?

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For 223, I do all the time, I just don't mix 5.56 with 223.

Jim

as long as you are not loading near max charge,(or over!) i do not see a problem. i do this sometimes when i just want to plink, and excellent accuracy is not needed. just throw a medium amount of powder with cheap bullets, and put holes in tin cans. but most of the time i want to be able to shoot the eye out of a crow at 200 yards type of accuracy. so most of the time, i do everything i can to ensure optimal accuracy.

I have only shot mixed brass. I guess I'm too lazy to sort. I'm not looking for bench rest accuracy so 5 rounds in 1 inch at 100 yards in my stock Rock River will do for me.

If you are going for a tight group, can't you just pick out 3-5 matched headstamps from your mixed ammo pile for each string?

MY OCD will not allow me to mix headstamps.
Even though I use the same load data for all .223

For .223 plinking rounds and handgun ammo I mix headstamps. For my long range precision rifle ammo I never do it. If you want the highest levels of accuracy you really need to work up test loads for each brand of brass you are using as they vary in case wall thickness from manufacturer to manufacturer. The same charge of powder will therefore create differences in pressure in different makes of brass and this will show up in your long range shooting.

I dont care, as a hunter 1-2MOA is all i need, and generally mixed brass of any caliber I shoot will do that well.
I am carefull not to mix Commercial and Mil brass, but thats more to do with staked primers, so some of the commercial stuff gets tossed in to the Mil pile.
A couple years ago i scrounged a full USPS med flat rate box of .223/5.56, and i just finished processing it, so i have a pretty good grab bag of different shells. Most comerical, LC, RORG, and if i remember correctly another Mil brass.

Some of the old Norma and Lapua brass is much heavier, indicating a lot less internal volume. There may be others. You might want to weigh the different types.