FC vs LC brass

[Lovesbeer99]

I've been under the assumption that LC brass is the same as FC brass. The both have the primer crimp and are heavy brass right? So when I work the LC brass I need to remove or swage the primer crimp and I should do the same for the FC brass. Is this right? Thanks in advance.

 

[1SOW]

If you're talking 'pistol', I never heard of "LC" brass.

 

[capreppy]

LC brass is normally associated with 5.56 NATO & 7.62 NATO and they will all have crimped primers unless they have been previously reloaded.

FC brass if it has a year (and I think the NATO symbol which is a Circle with a Plus sign inside, is NATO. I know I've seen it in 5.56 NATO, but not sure I've seen it in 7.62 NATO (doesn't mean that they don't exist, just never seen one).

FC brass also has a commercial line (.223 Remington instead of 5.56 NATO and .308 Winchester instead of 7.62 NATO). I know that in some FC headstamp .223 Remington brass there IS a crimped primer. I've not been able to discern why some have it and some don't. Headstamps on those with and those without are the same.

 

[Lovesbeer99]

Thanks for the responses. I just went back and looked at my post and realized how unclear it was. (it was late)

Yeh, I'm speaking of rifle .223 brass. I have some of the American Eagle with the FC headstamp and Lake City brass with the LC headstamp. I know that the LC has the military crimp and I think the LC and the FC are the exactly the same only the FC is cleaner with nicer brasss. In other words FC also has the military crimp. Is that right? Is there a way to tell for sure?

 

[243winxb]

Federal XM193F Nato ammo has a crimped primer that needs to be removed, same as Lake City brass.

 

[243winxb]

May be a photo will help. More from photo links below.

 

[medalguy]

Good images. The key is to just look at the base of the brass, and if it's got a crimped primer, then swage the crimp out. Simple as that, doesn't matter what the headstamp reads, or the year, or whether it has the NATO mark.

 

[Bula]

LC and FC are not the same. Lake City brass is good stuff, but the FC (Federal Cartridge) hasn't lasted as long, at least for me. All crimped primers need to dealt with the same way. After several tries with various low cost methods, i ended up buying the Dillon Swager, worth every penny.

 

[amlevin]

243winxb-

Your lower right hand picture looks like a bunch of Black Hills reloaded brass I recently ran across. Someone there evidently thought the correct way was to use a countersink bit in a drill press.

capreppy-

I have both FC with date and no Nato "cross", and FC with date and cross, in 7.62 X 51 brass. Both have crimped primers.

As for FC brass in 5.56mm, it goes to the scrap man. I'm tired of finding primers in the bottom of my finished ammo bin on my Dillon Press with unprimed finished ammo. The primers are actually falling out after one or two loadings with this FC brass. At least I get $1.30/lb for it.

 

[helotaxi]

The older FC headstamp brass is somewhat notorious for having a thin web and the result is primer pockets loosening after just a few firings. For the last few years, Federal has operated the Lake City Arsenal plant. The new FC stuff is very likely made at the Lake City Arsenal plant on the same machinery that is producing the LC brass with only the headstamp die swapped out. Newer FC stamped brass is essentially identical to LC brass. In .223/5.56 neither is any thicker than commercial .223 brass and the LC brass at least has been shown to actually have a higher capacity than Win or R-P commercial brass. Virgin brass with either the FC or LC headstamp can be purchased that does not require a primer swage.

 

[45ACPUSER]

ATK runs Lake City, NOT FEDERAL. ATK own Federal, CCI, and host of other companies.
ATK does take end of production runs to load ammo for their own use. LC brass is not that same as non crimped FC two different brass alloys. Federal uses a softer alloy then is used for Lake City Arnsenal use. Hence why FC brass is notorious for short case life, and loosening primer pockets even with non nuclear loads.

 

[helotaxi]

Actually the older Federal brass had a thinner case head leading to loose primer pockets.