View Full Version : .308 Brass Headstamps to avoid?
I've been collecting range brass this past year and am now looking into getting a .308 AR. Are there any headstamps I should look for to keep, or ignore? I've got about 4, 1 gallon ziplocs full of .308/7.62 brass to pick through and am wondering if the same reputable .223/5.56 makers are the ones I should be looking for to use in the .308. I know there are a lot of Hornady, Federal, and Remingtons in there, and I know Lake City is a keeper, are there any others?
Digital_Damage
12-10-14, 12:17
Use the same rules you would use for .223
Federal is soft, and you might only get 2-3 reloads out of them
I would ditch Remington personally, but they are fine.
LC, Hornady, Lapua, Norma, IMI, Nosler, Winchester, Prvi are keepers in my book.
I like LC and LaPua... and FC. I've not noticed softness in FC, but maybe that's because I've not tracked it very close. LC Mk118 LR brass holds up the best as far as primer pocket life. Lapua is the best for making good match ammo though. I run them both.
I hate WIN, Hornady, and I think Black hills. They have those thin necks... I greatly prefer the thicker necked brass based on the results on my loading equipment.
From the brass I've picked up this past summer the FC in .223 has been very good. Some of them have been loaded 3 times already and have not had to be trimmed. After being shot, deprimed, full length sized, and gauged they still weren't too long to warrant trimming them, and virtually no signs of loose primer pockets so far. Although I was picking out the newest headstamps to keep for myself. Hopefully the FC brass in .308 will follow suit.
FC .223 is always worth reloading... even if just once. I think the .308 is better than the .223.
FC 223 brass had one reload in it before the primer pockets were toast and wouldn't hold a primer. I haven't used it much lately... hell I haven't used any brass lately. I have loads upon loads that I need to test out and chrono once deer season is over.
Digital_Damage
12-10-14, 14:59
FC 223 brass had one reload in it before the primer pockets were toast and wouldn't hold a primer. I haven't used it much lately... hell I haven't used any brass lately. I have loads upon loads that I need to test out and chrono once deer season is over.
My experience as well, but I have gotten 2-3 before they would not hold a primer.
FC 223 brass had one reload in it before the primer pockets were toast and wouldn't hold a primer. I haven't used it much lately... hell I haven't used any brass lately. I have loads upon loads that I need to test out and chrono once deer season is over.
I load FC .223 once, then decap and throw it in the recycle can.
I load FC .223 once, then decap and throw it in the recycle can.
Why decap? Does your guy not take primed brass? Shoot... I throw my spent primers in my recycle buckets.
Ok I sorted out what have.
FC - 3/4 of a gallon ice cream pail
RP - 2/3 of a pail
Winchester - 2/3 of a pail
Hornady/Hornady 308 Match - 1/2 of a pail
There weren't enough of any one nato headstamp to worry about so I left them in with the "to sell" bunch. Any of the 4 brands in the pails that are not worth keeping?
Any of the 4 brands in the pails that are not worth keeping?
Hard to say. I immediately toss WIN and Hornady... but that's based on my dies/gear. I've just struggled to get decent neck tension with their thin necks.
Brass lasts as hard as you push them.
I have FC .223 that is into it 5th firing, and I plan on a 6th for most.
Plinking rounds don't need to be maxed out.
Separate and try loads in each case to see what happens for you.
Gunnar da Wolf
12-11-14, 08:08
IMHO both .223 and .308 FC brass are soft, but I get the best groups with them while they last. Luckily I attended a shooting school several years ago where everyone was shooting .308 Federal Match ammo and no one but me reloaded. Then two co-workers attended the next year and added to my pile. The FC brass is definitely worth working up loads with if you've got 2/3 of a gallon.
Winchester seems to last well with hunting type loads and I get decent accuracy with my RCBS dies. RP brass seems to get hard and crack the soonest. Mark is right that Lapua is good stuff but I've never seen any laying around at the range. I've got some 9.3x62 Lapua that's probably on it's 8th or 9th loading and no signs of loose primer pockets or necks yet. Well worth the $1 each for new brass if you're loading for serious use.
With the recent shortages components are kind of like sex. It's all good if it's what you're getting regularly. I'd even save the mismatched brass to load with plinking ammo where you don't want to worry with finding the brass after you're done.
I've never been one to load hot for hotness sake. I load the ladders and chose the load that gives me the best group for the powder I'm trying. Speed isn't everything if you can't group shots together.
Keep all of those and load them all, but keep them separated and you'll be in good shape.
Keep all of those and load them all, but keep them separated and you'll be in good shape.
That is my plan as of right now, even if it eventually takes making different loads for different cases using the same bullet.
That is my plan as of right now, even if it eventually takes making different loads for different cases using the same bullet.
It is certainly possible that your load may vary by a few tenths across the different brass and their different capacities.
It is certainly possible that your load may vary by a few tenths across the different brass and their different capacities.
Yeah. .308 case capacity varies much greater than .223.
Dont throw out any brass. The only brass you should be tossing out are any that are too damaged to reload. Rem, Win, FC are all just fine to reload. People tell you to not throw out Lapua..lol like you will EVER find a piece of Lapua brass laying around at the range.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Winchester brass. I reload for an AR10 308 and have loads going on their 6th round. Just load up every single piece of good brass you find and shoot it. Keep all the same headstamped brass together and see which ones you end up liking better, or don't even bother and just load them all together its not going to matter unless you are going for ultimate accuracy and everything has to be exactly the same.
Ive reloaded Federal brass several times, no prob. I have had some Win and Fed primer pockets expand too far to hold a primer after 2 or 3 loads, but for the most part no problems. Just don't load to the absolute max and you'll get longer life...
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Winchester brass.
There's nothing wrong with it. It's just different than LC/FC/Lapua in the case neck thickness. My equipment is somewhat tuned to the thicker necks on those kinds of brass.
It becomes a real pain in the ass if you're unfortunate enough to be married to the bushing die setup. Because then, you need a bushing for every different neck thickness you have.
If you're just cranking out ammo with an expander ball die, then you probably can load it all interchangeably.
keep it simple. Go to brass bommers dot come and order all the brass you can afford to pay for. Head stamp won't matter much as long as you only get one. I prefer lake city but its only personal preference. There stuff is surplus military brass so the brass is think an should last. I'm up to 6 loadings on the lake city stuff I got and the primer pockets are still tight. I don't worry about work hardening. When the brass gets to that point, I toss it and order more.
I have one of the most used shooting ranges in the area about 10 minutes from my house. Every piece of .223 and .308 brass I have is picked up from there. This past season was very good to me.
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