"FC 10" .223 Brass?

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Peakbagger46

Peakbagger46

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I just got 500 rounds of new "Lake City" brass from Midway. Funny thing is, it it headstamped "FC 10". It looks like military brass as it is annealed and thick. Is lake city made by federal?

Also, I'm loading this for my bolt varmit gun. Any special considerations due to the fact it it millitary brass?
 
I didn't notice any crimps in the pockets. To be honest though, I haven't messed with military brass before.
 
Alliant Technologies is the parent company of Federal, Speer, Alliant Powders, RCBS and numerous other firearm related companies. They are also operating the Lake City Ordinance Plant under contract with the government, as they are very big in the Defense Industry. They sometime supplement their brass from one of the other companies they own, and that's probably what you've got.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
Interesting. Should it be as good as Lake City brass? Made in the same plant?
 
FC is definitely a Federal headstamp. LC (Lake City) is the government plant in Missouri (I believe) and a different facility altogether,

Federal brass has a rather poor reputation in competition circles, where it's said that you'll replace it twice as often as the cases from other sources. LA few months ago I scrapped over 800 FC-marked .223/5.56 cases because they were giving shoulder splits, neck cracks, and head separations after just one or two loadings. NONE of my other-make cases show any such problems, so it's not being caused by the four .223/5.56 rifles in my racks.

Given a choice, I will not buy any more Federal brass, military or commercial.
 
This stuff?

197849.jpg

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=197849

If midway is representing this brass a LC, then sending FC brass, I'd repackage it and send it back. A call to them first would maybe get you a UPS pickup authorization.

I toss any federal brass I find into the brass recycle bin. It develops loose primer pockets on even normal loads. The web area of the case head is thinner than on any other brass,
 
Snuffy,
Yes, that is the product I "bought" on Midway, but they sent me brass marked with the "FC 10". I'll be giving them a call... too bad I alreadly loaded 50 rounds of it.
 
You're correct in that you got Federal Brass.

Regarding the earlier post about the primer pocket being crimped, if you purchase NEW unprimed brass that has never been loaded it will not have a crimp. Crimping is done after priming.

Regarding Lake City brass, I got 5 cases of said LC that has now been reloaded 75 plus times. Its loaded fore accuracy with 22 1/2 grains of 2015 Accurate behind a 53 grain bullet, this is a mid range load according to the Accurate manual. These cases have yet to show any signs of giving up but who knows?
 
Well, I called Midway. According to them, the brass is from "ATK", the company that makes military brass under contract. Midway said they have no control over what this supplier ships to them and were not interested in taking the brass back.

So, I will keep it and see how it does. It is much stouter than the Remington brass I have been loading, so maybe it will do OK. I guess I can't really complain too much since I paid $80 for 500 new cases.

I will post back when I have the chance to fire some of the brass several times.
 
WOW

Peakbagger46 said:
Well, I called Midway. According to them, the brass is from "ATK", the company that makes military brass under contract. Midway said they have no control over what this supplier ships to them and were not interested in taking the brass back.

So, I will keep it and see how it does. It is much stouter than the Remington brass I have been loading, so maybe it will do OK. I guess I can't really complain too much since I paid $80 for 500 new cases.

I will post back when I have the chance to fire some of the brass several times.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting that info. I would report them for false advertising. If they have a picture of what you are buying & sell you something different it is false advertising. I haven't seen there add but I'm shocked that you got that kind of a response from them. I have never dealt with them & I'm not interested in dealing with them if there response is "they have no control over what this supplier ships to them and were not interested in taking the brass back."
 
I just went to there site & this is quoted from there site(I highlighted in read): "This is true 5.56x45mm mil-spec, new, unfired, heavy duty brass with that is recent production with a Lake City headstamp. It is the same brass supplied to our fighting forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and offers outstanding performance in AR-15 type rifles. We made a special buy on a limited supply and it will not last long. Cases should be sized, chamfered and deburred before loading. With this brass, there is no primer crimp to remove."

I'd be ticked. Actual I am a little ticked to see anyone cheated like this. Think I'll send them a email.
 
Well, I'm not THAT fired up about it. I figure I may see how the first 50 rounds (which I already loaded) do after a few firings.

Is military FC brass really that bad? I'm assuming the brass Bruce B posted negative comments about above is the regular (thinner) federal brass?
 
It isn't stamped NATO, just "FC 10". It is for sure not "civillian" brass and is much harder/thicker then the Remington .223 brass I've been using.
 
In mid-2010, Midway had a similar offer for new-unfired 5.56 brass. I just looked at the brass I received from that sale, and it is indeed "LC" headstamped, with an 08 date.

Incidentally, the NATO mark appears as a cross-in-circle, like a scope's crosshairs. My LC 5.56 brass has that mark on each case-head, as do the thousands of other US military cases that live around my shop.
 
I don't really know to give you a correct answer but I thought it was marked with a + on the head stamp but i don't remember seeing it on the FC brass that I have. I also though the NATO brass was marked FC while civilian brass said FEDERAL but I got a box of brass the other day from a buddy & I know for sure that it came of the retail shelf in a blue Federal box & it was stamped FC but had the primers glued in not crimped.

Sorry that really wasn't a helpful post.
 
I find it hard to believe that midway would not take it back. If the description says it is lake city and u got FC federal I would think they would take it back.

One time I bought 100 .308 sp bullets that had some damaged. They shipped them in a blister envelope and the the bullet box lid broke off during shipment. About 30 of the bullet tips were very deformed. I called them and they sent me another box and told me to keep the damaged shipment. FREE BULLETS!

You should call back and complain because from everything I have read federal brass sucks compared to lake city.
 
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if you are having split or cracking problems - anneal it - its easy to learn easy to do - just use a motorized arbor to make annealing even around cases - use a factory mil case for an example - do not over heat - drop into bucket of water - do not dry in oven, it gets hot enuf to soften case heads to point pockets expand easily thus primers blowing out.
 
Heck, just look at the reviews on that link I provided. Towards the bottom of the reviews, they are only giving 2 stars.

Copied from a review on midway's site.
Usually get great products from Midway. This was an exception. Brass was very dirty and required 5hrs. in walnut media to get presentable. Midway should have labeled this: SCRATCH & DENT SALE! About 1/3 of cases had a bulge @ the web as though once fired. Abrasions on body as though these had been resized. O.A.L. ran 1.753" to 1.758". Many case mouths mangled. Long scratches running length of case. Couldn't recommend this product.
Click to expand...

What probably happened is they got a big box or barrel of brass, the top layer was as advertised. The lower layers were some FC brass and maybe some once fired. Looks like midway struck out on this product.

I got some similar .223 brass from Graf & sons, it really was/is LC brass. It's stained from being wet at some time, I tumbled it for a couple hours with no change in appearance. If I were worried about the staining, I would run it through my US cleaner.
 
Here is the result of my correspondance with Midway:


"Thank you for the email. We apologize your Lake City Brass 5.56x45mm NATO New Unfired Box of 500 had the "FC 10" headstamp instead of "LC 09." Both are made in the same plant and come from Federal, but we are now aware that some packages arrived from Federal with the "FC 10" mixed in the the correct "LC 09." Unfortunately, we are unable to accept returns on used brass, or partial packages.

Federal may be able to offer more assistance with this problem. They can be reached at 800-831-0850 or online at http://www.federalpremium.com.

If you have any additional questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-243-3220. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT; Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CT. You may also email us at [email protected].

Thanks for Your Business!

Chris
MidwayUSA Customer Service





Sent: Wednesday, March 9, 2011 10:56 AM
To: MidwayUSA Customer Service
Subject: Problem with "Lake City" 5.56 brass

Dear Midway Employee,
I recently ordered 500 rounds of Lake City 5.56 brass. Upon receiving the shipment, I opened the box to discover the rounds were not Lake City, but instead were marked "FC 10". I loaded up 50 pieces of the brass prior to speaking with other reloaders about federal brass. I learned that the federal brass is much inferior in quality and longevity as compared to Lake City Brass. Firing the fifty rounds I loaded seemed to confirm this opinion as a bright ring appeared in many of the cases near the bottom, not a good sign of brass life after only one firing.
I spoke with someone with Midway customer service on the phone and was told that "Midway has no control over what products come from the suppliers". Problem is, this brass is specifically listed on your site, with photographs, as being Lake City brass.
Please find attached a picture of the box label and a picture of the actual brass I received (sorry for the poor picture quality as they were taken with a cell phone).
Feel free to contact me by phone or e-mail to resolve this issue. I am more than willing to return the remaining 450 rounds of unused brass for replacement or refund."


Well, hopefully since it is made in the same plant, it will be of similar quality. I am not overly pleased with Midway though.
 
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