What is the best option for .223 ammo that I would later like to reload?

Is there a brand that has better quality brass that would make reloading easier or that may last longer?

Or should I just buy something cheap like WPA or something to shoot and buy bulk brass when I'm ready to start reloading?

Thanks for any tips or suggestions.

Bill

I'm partial to Lake City myself.

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James

If you don't mind processing the primer pockets, then Lake City.

I bought some federal xm193 which is lake city brass, then I bought some freedom munitions blaster practice ammo which turned out to be lake city also.

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Grover Oathkeeper

Any issues with the ammo? FTE, FTF etc.

Nope not a bit, if you can buy 5.56x45 ammo for the most part it has heavier cases not much heavier but the military cases are heavier and I think they would last longer but there are many schools of thought on that!

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Grover Oathkeeper

Lake City cases are made of excellent quality brass, but most importantly the annealing is spot on. The term "mil spec" is thrown around a lot, but Lake City cases are actually made for ammunition destined for US military use. We are lucky enough to get over-runs now and then.

Do all the lake City and federal xm193 need to be swagged???


I am Looking ta get some more brass myself

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--Stav--

I have found in my experience that not all need to be swaged, I use the lee case chamfer tool and make one twist to remove the crimp lip and then they seat a primer with no problems. But I dont have a swaging tool and maybe should get one. You have to be careful with the chamfer tool, if you remove too much material then you primers will sometimes fall out. OOPS

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Grover Oathkeeper

What do you mean by "processing the primer pockets"? Do they need have a lip removed?

Natchezss.com has new LC unprimed brass for a good price. It doesn't need the primer pocket swaged but does require the rest of prepping.
F07FA556UPB/1000 for $119.95 + s/h. Very quick shipping, excellent brass. BTW, the annealing discoloration will polish out during tumbling.
I bought 2000 and love them. I put a brass catcher on my Sport so I can save them.

Hobie

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Laissez les bons temps roulez!

Military ammo destined for full automatic weapons have a crimped in primer. The primer pockets need to be swagged and then have a little reaming with a primer pocket tool. Some people get away with not swagging the pockets, but seating new primers can be a job.
Once the primer pockets have been swagged and reamed, you don't have to do it again.
The first removal of the old primer from "mil-spec" cases can be pretty hard on decapping pins too.
Lake City brass always seemed to look dirty to me so I'm partial to Federal Cartridge.

You need to remove the primer pocket crimp as others have covered pretty well.

The annealing is one of the things that makes LC cases so good. How the brass looks is irrelevant, and the strength of Federal brass is laughable by comparison.

Find an old drill bit the same size as your decapping pin and use that up side down. It's harder and won't snap in two. Also,if you run into double hole primer pockets by accident,you'll know it by feel and won't snap it off. Some times....you can use that hard drill bit to gently push through that double hole too. Then just take a larger bit to "clean" up the holes. Just don't get the hole so big it won't have a rim/lip to hold the seated primer.

Hmmmm

Ya I found some LC Brass at the desert Range.... ill do some Testing with it before i purchase any

had Great luck with the Remington American Eagle Tactical AE223 and PMC Rounds... Brass is good, and Some, are on there 6-8th re-load and no signs of damage

Good info Guys... thanks

...............

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--Stav--

Winchester and WC stamped cases are all G2G.

PmC are nice as are Remington. I actually have some Remington cases that have been fired 6 times.

I get 2-3 reloads from FC cases and then pitch. They are so plentiful and likely to split after too many loads I don't bother.

The stuff is ubiquitous. I have about 40# of every kind of .223 headstamp, all prepped and ready for loading, all trimmed, sorted 7 bagged, and the 5.56 military has all the primer crimps smoothed out. I shoot it till it cracks at the case mouth and then just go to the pile and get more. It ain't as if I haven't got my money's worth, y'know.
I also get bags of new brass at shows or when it's on sale. Same for bullets, primer & powder.
I don't think I will run out of any of the calibers I shoot.
Now I want to load some cheap .32acp......

My son shot on the Navy Team and saved me about about 5K Lake City. I had them processed the first time at sixty dollars per thousand. Best brass you can get for a AR, can be reloaded fifty times easy.