.223/5.56 range brass

[roundgun]

Anyone else having a hard time finding decent "once-fired" range brass for this caliber.

[TjB101]

Not at my range ... you’ll have two or three groups come and go and just leave their brass. Granted, you’ll need to weed through it and toss some junk out. When I first started to load for 223 I would sometimes come home with 2 to 300 cases.

[mmb617]

Surprisingly enough that caliber of brass is all over the place at the local range I go to. One of these days I'm going to spend some time picking up a bunch of it. I always save my own brass and usually come home with more brass than the number of rounds I fired just by getting what's in the area where mine is landing. I don't bother with stuff that's stomped into the mud but there's a lot of it on the ground under the pavilion where the benches are that's in good shape.

[Collo Rosso]

oncefiredbrass.com He's got 223 $12.50/250. I've bought 357mag and 44mag brass from him, never any 223. Sunday mourning I can go to my gun club and pick up a couple hundred cases of 5.56/223 laying around. Never see revolver brass or 45acp!

[Ivan the Butcher]

I was paying 4 cents apiece in 1984 for range brass, vergin Federal brass was 12 to 14 cents each retail in a box. I put together a batch of 20,000 in the fall of '84. when I was done, there wasn't any used brass to be found for 7 counties! Now, for an order that big you might get free shipping too!

Ivan

[Krogen]

Originally Posted by roundgun

Anyone else having a hard time finding decent "once-fired" range brass for this caliber.

Typically, I have a hard time finding once-fired 5.56 range brass when I don't use a brass catcher! Then "finding" brass is problematic . . . .

But seriously, I just buy bulk 5.56 for most AR-15 uses and then reload the leftover brass. I don't recall buying once-fired brass and generally don't raid the brass bucket. I also load for accurate bolt guns, but that's a horse of a different apple cart. That application gets Lapua brass and Berger bullets.

Finding once-fired 5.56 brass at the club is hit and miss. It seems more and more shooters are not reloaders, so sometimes the brass bucket is full of 5.56. Other times not; maybe because somebody already snagged it.

IMNHO, some shooters just "don't get" the idea of reloading. At the last Bullseye match we had a new shooter who didn't "get it." Despite the presence of my not-so-great brass catcher and marked brass he busily swept up ALL the brass and dumped it in the brass bucket. Thanks to him for pitching in, but it sure was a pain to sort through the bucket for my (thankfully) marked 45 ACP brass. The good thing is we had a good talk about reloading and he may become a convert!

[Collo Rosso]

Originally Posted by Krogen

But seriously, I just buy bulk 5.56 for most AR-15 uses and then reload the leftover brass.

With the price of cheap brass cased 223 being what it is - well, before the corona panic - it is economical enough to just buy it new and save the brass.
I sort my 223/5.56 separating the crimped primers, tossing them in a bucket for later and processing the commercial 223 for reloading. Haven't touched the military brass in years!

[fredj338]

Just google it, tons of brass. I see no point in buying new brass to feed an AR.
223 Range Brass, 5.56 Millitary Brass, Cleaned Bulk Brass, 223 Bullets, Bulk Reloading Bullets

[Moe Mentum]

Not at my range, they are all over the place.

[wyo-man]

Several friends in my neck of the woods have numerous 5 gallon buckets of brass they picked up at our local police range (with the sheriff's permission) and private range.

wyo-man

[roundgun]

Thank you fredj338. I just ordered some from the link you posted. I'm not sure why, but my usual sources have been out of stock. Thanks again.

[Skeet 028]

I used to shoot shotgun at an Airbase. I knew some of the air police fellows who shot on the rifle range. They gave me untold 1000s of Military once fired brass. I guess I still have 20,000 rounds. Last year I finally finished swaging all the primer pockets in it. Will set up the Dillon 650 one day and load it. I have accumulated enough bullets to load it all on the cheap at gun shows and estate auctions over the years. Partial boxes and full . Got a box of 6000 Hornady 55gr FMJS last year for a hundred bucks at an auction. 223/5.56 brass is easy to find at the local outdoor range.. I have one of those brass picker uppers if I need more. No more bending over

[Ivan the Butcher]

Back in long ago and far away 1960's and 70's, the only carbide sizing dies for bottle necked cartridges were from a long extinct company named Hollywood. But even carbide dies require the shoulder area to be lubed. Knowing that, I decided to come up with a method to lube is a fast amount if time.

For brass with crimped primers, I do sizing and decapping in a single stage press, and swage the crimps out in a different step. I cleaned in a vibrator with corncob media (about 400 in a batch) for 2 hours. then placed in a metal container (shaped and sized like an Oatmeal can) and put a large squirt of Breakfree CLP. And shook vigorously for 2 or 3 minutes to evenly distribute the CLP. (Do Not Use Tri-Flow, it will foul the primers!) Now days I use wax based spray-on lube like Hornady's "One Shot". I left the thin coating of Breakfree CLP on the cases in 1984, and as of last summer 35 years later not one misfire! Now days I size and deprime, then wet tumble with steel pins, then finish reloading.

Something that else has changed in 35 years; In 1984 the Lyman accuracy load was WW748 and a small Rifle Magnum Primer, Now everybody recommends small standard primers and a little more powder. My old reloads used CCI brand mag primers and shoot 1/4 MOA in good bolt guns. (my 1994 Bushmaster AR loves this load 1/4 to 1/2 MOA, my Mini-14 [2 to 4 MOA] didn't shoot well with anything!)

Many of us have nothing else to do, so may as well reload!

Ivan