Double checking primer pressure signs

[TheDomFather]

Last year I loaded up my first batch of 5.56 ammo using lake city once fired brass, using 55 grain fmjbt , cci primers, and 25 grains of cfe 223 powder. COAL 2.25"

They have been shooting fine, and I just wanted to run the fired primers by you guys. My interpretation is they are doing just fine.

no signs of powder along the breech side, slightly dirty on outsides of cases, none seem to have any brass issues.

As a side note, how many reloads are most of you getting from the pre-fired lake city brass?
I was hoping to see around 5 to 6 uses from them.

Looks fine I dont see any ejector marks on the brass and primers are nice and rounded

 

[ms6852]

I

Of course, but real world test results make it more nuanced. I expected to get relatively higher velocities with CFE223 because the published data shows relatively higher velocities. I found the opposite to be true for this application wherein it was both slower velocity than comparable powders, and further departed from advertised claims.

Hodgdon website uses 24" barrel.

CFE 223 is 375fps slower for me than hodgdon website (24" vs 20"= 93fps/in)

748 is 143fps slower (33fps/in)

H335 is 64fps slower (16fps/in)

Ymmv

Interesting, thanks for the reply.

 

[Toprudder]

I have not played with CFE223 (I have a pound I bought, just have not gotten to it yet). I have often thought the velocity listed in the CFE223 load data from Hodgdon has been optimistic.

 

[glockky]

If shooting in a AR the primer is kind of irrelevant. You will see smears on the case head from the ejector, or even a slight burr raised up before the primer flattens.
That has been my experience anyways.