Stab Crimps in Federal 11 Headstamps.

Just posting this here for a general FYI, I've picked up some Federal/Lake City 5.56mm because it was fresh clean ammunition at a great price and the previous LC ammunition I have purchased has had increased case capacity compared to the civilian cases, and has been lasting me longer than other stuff. However it appears that LC is switching primer crimp techniques. In one of the boxes of this ammunition there is some remarkably heavy stab crimping. (Talking four incisions) As opposed to the normal roll circular crimp. I recently ended 7 and a half years in the Army, with two deployments under my belt and of all the 5.56mm ammunition I have seen, This is the first time I have seen stab crimping used. The only time I've seen stab crimping has been on the .50 cal stuff. (Also, while I know this stuff is military seconds, released to the civilian market it is odd to see two different crimp styles in one box of ammunition. I've not opened the other two boxes, yet)

While this may not adversely affect me as I have a Dillion Crimp remover, it may affect others out there so I thought I would let you all know what I observed.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I have yet to see LC brass with the crimp you describe. Years ago, I used some oddball brass with a 3 point crimp and I have seen some others, but not for a long time.

 

Interesting. I think the proper term would be "staked".

 

Staked would be more accurate for the terminology used, yes. Like I said Its perhaps ten percent of this 100 value pack. I don't know if this is a signal that they are changing to a "staked" crimp as opposed to the circular, or if this was further subcontracted out or what, but its there for you folks to be aware of.

 

Might be that it was not a good enough crimp for the military contract as published and "we" civies got the stuff that was rejected cause of the legal details. Anyway there has been a ton of foreign surplus that use the three crimps and of what brass I found, I have used it all successfully so far as long as it was boxer primed.

 

You could have it right Frog027. Again, It is just very strange to see this after seeing hundreds of thousands of LC 5.56.

 

I've run across this type of "crimp" on some foreign brass. It goes away just like the circular crimp in a Dillon Swage tool.

 

They might have changed the tooling for the crimp process and now all will be this new style. We will have to wait and see.

 

The HXP 30-06 brass I have is staked crimp...it's alot easier to remove than the standard crimp LC uses.