Lake City Brass Mix

shelton573

Active member
Hello,

I just started reloading recently and have been doing a lot of case prep and set up. I recently got a chance to start working on a couple loads for 223 using H335/53 gr Vmax/win primer/Lake City brass and load 2 was all the same components but using H4895. The h335 shot decent with two five shot groups at or just over an inch. The H4895 made me very happy shooting 2 groups that were a bit over 3/4"! Beginners luck?! Now that that is out of the way, my question is on brass, specifically lake city. The brass I used for these loads are mixed from 07-12 on the head stamp. If I keep developing off this brass, will the potential for variance in case capacity be an issue? Do I need to use it as back up and use all like head stamp? I have 75 pieces of LC 09 that are factory loaded from BVAC. Should I shoot these for fun then develop only off this brass for the moment until I can by all new same lot brass? I have read that case capacity will effect accuracy quite a bit going from one brand to another, but will it be a huge difference with the same company's brass, just different lots? Or am I worrying about nothing and buying into more google chatter? Sorry in advance for the dumb newbie questions. Thanks for any info!

Shelton

PS...the gun is a savage model 11 223
 
If shooting competitively I would think about using all same head stamp, but for hunting, plinking, and recreational shooting I just load what I have. I do keep various lots of brass for different rifles shooting the same round, but often times it is mixed head stamp. The stag gets the hornady and rem brass, the savage gets the pmc, ppu, and fed headstamp, for instance.
 
Any variable that you can eliminate will make a difference. But in this case the differences will be extremely small. Be careful with the H335. It can be temperature sensitive, and loads developed in cool weather can show much more pressure in the heat. All of my 223s have shot better with Benchmark than they did with H335.
 
Thanks for the info guys! It was suggested to me by a guy that I know who reloads that I use all the same lot to keep everything on a level playing field but I have no intentions of shooting competition one because the gun and two because of my abilities lol. Maybe as time goes on, I will do some side by side comparisons with brass and weigh them. I am really hoping there will be little difference in the performance like you all are saying because my brother is in law enforcement and when they have to do qualification training 2 times a year, he said all the ammo they shoot out of their ARs uses LC brass and he said he will start picking them up if I want them.

Hidalgo, I will have to buy some benchmark and give it a try. I did not see it at Fin & Feather last time I was there but they may have some at Scheels. Is H4895 a temp sensitive powder? I plan on working up a load with my 22-250 with this powder plus it seems to shoot pretty good out of the 223.

Thanks again for the info guys!

Shelton
 
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Originally Posted By: shelton573 Is H4895 a temp sensitive powder? I plan on working up a load with my 22-250 with this powder plus it seems to shoot pretty good out of the 223.

Thanks again for the info guys!

Shelton

Hodgdon has two different classes of rifle powders, their normal powders (Spherical powders) and the powders they call Extreme Rifle powders. The Extreme powders were developed to be less temperature sensitive than the Spherical powders. H335 is one of their Spherical powders so it will be more sensitive to temperature than a powders like H322, H4895, H4198, H4350 and Benchmark. I have heard some say that temperatures don't make as much of a difference with H335. Don't believe a word of it. I developed a load with H335 that I shot in 65-70 degree temps with only very slight pressure signs. I then took the same ammunition to South Dakota and shot in 100+ degree conditions. The primers were flattened to the point that I quit shooting them and went to another caliber. And the ammo was stored in closed coolers out of the sun. Be extremely careful with these powders if you are taking them into high temperature shooting conditions. And the same changes (although opposite) can be seen in extreme cold, also.

READ HERE: https://www.hodgdon.com/extreme.html
 
Thanks for the info Hidalgo! I do believe I will try to stay away from H335 and like powders then. We have weird temp swings here in Iowa so i dont want to have to play a guessing game of when it is or isnt safe to shoot. Thanks for the link!

Shelton
 
Originally Posted By: shelton573Thanks for the info Hidalgo! I do believe I will try to stay away from H335 and like powders then. We have weird temp swings here in Iowa so i dont want to have to play a guessing game of when it is or isnt safe to shoot. Thanks for the link!

Shelton

I didn't say it wasn't safe. People have shot H335 for years and will continue to do so. You just have to be aware of the pressure increases as the temps go up. That said, there are much better options.
 
I keep certain lots of brass if I'm going to be doing some paper punching or long range shooting where I'm trying to eliminate all variables, but a lot of my general hunting ammo is often mixed head stamps and lots. Truth be told I may not be a good enough shot to actually notice a difference though, I do it mostly for piece of mind.

I'll second using Benchmark in the 223 I run it for virtually every weight bullet I shoot in the 223.

If I had to pick just one powder for all of my calibers though it would be H4895. Benchmark has a slight edge in the 223 but h4895 covers several of my rifles well 223, 22-250, 243, and a particularly fun predator load in my 270 with 110gr Vmax. I find it to be very versatile and every load I use it for shows very consistent accuracy. It is by far my most used powder.

I strictly use Hodgon extreme powders and I'll keep it that way until I find a rifle that don't like the stuff. I've only ever noticed one problem with temperature and that was with H380. Guys like Hidalgo who have far more years and experience than I do have enough stores about temp sensitive powder that I try and stay clear of the stuff.
 
Originally Posted By: HidalgoOriginally Posted By: shelton573Thanks for the info Hidalgo! I do believe I will try to stay away from H335 and like powders then. We have weird temp swings here in Iowa so i dont want to have to play a guessing game of when it is or isnt safe to shoot. Thanks for the link!

Shelton

I didn't say it wasn't safe. People have shot H335 for years and will continue to do so. You just have to be aware of the pressure increases as the temps go up. That said, there are much better options.

I guess I shoulda worded that different. I didn't mean it was unsafe as in dangerous, I shoulda worded it as "reliable", kinda like a "safe bet". From what I have read, one of those take it for what it's worth scenarios, that temp sensitive powders effect accuracy but typically don't have enough of a swing to be "dangerous" (if there are powders that could be dangerous with temp changes please let me know because once again I am a newbie to this lol). Thanks again for the info hidalgo!

Shelton
 
Originally Posted By: FairChase93I keep certain lots of brass if I'm going to be doing some paper punching or long range shooting where I'm trying to eliminate all variables, but a lot of my general hunting ammo is often mixed head stamps and lots. Truth be told I may not be a good enough shot to actually notice a difference though, I do it mostly for piece of mind.

I'll second using Benchmark in the 223 I run it for virtually every weight bullet I shoot in the 223.

If I had to pick just one powder for all of my calibers though it would be H4895. Benchmark has a slight edge in the 223 but h4895 covers several of my rifles well 223, 22-250, 243, and a particularly fun predator load in my 270 with 110gr Vmax. I find it to be very versatile and every load I use it for shows very consistent accuracy. It is by far my most used powder.

I strictly use Hodgon extreme powders and I'll keep it that way until I find a rifle that don't like the stuff. I've only ever noticed one problem with temperature and that was with H380. Guys like Hidalgo who have far more years and experience than I do have enough stores about temp sensitive powder that I try and stay clear of the stuff.

Thanks for the reply fairchase! My main intentions for reloading is for specific hunting ammo and to save money (yea right on the saving money! HAH the old "another $40 hobby" as I have heard it referred to and so far it's true for me!). I would assume for what I want the ammo to do, the slight variance in case capacity won't come into play according to the replies. I'm also glad to hear your comment about h4895 being a fairly good blanket powder because every caliber you named I intend to load for. I mainly bought it to try for 22-250 and 270. The 270, I plan on trying sierra or speer 90s and 110 vmax. Have you tried this powder with sierra or speer 90s? Thanks for the info!

Shelton
 
My 270 is a Savage 111 pre accutrigger. I can shoot .75 moa or less at 100 yards consistently with the 110 gr Vmax. I've never shot the 90s. As good as the 110s shoot I never seen a reason to try them in my gun. I load the 130gr SST for deer but I load that with H4831sc.

I hunt a lot of coyote contests and sometimes the weather is crap (40 mph winds and blowing snow), so I decided I needed a heavy bullet moving relatively fast that was gonna blow up and put a coyote on the ground right where I shoot him,for days like this. That's when i started loading the 110gr Vmax for my 270 and it is the only time I use the 110s.

I really don't see a reason to get too concerned about lot numbers and head stamps for general hunting ammo. Like I said there is a time and an application for it.

I also want to say that there is nothing wrong with the spherical Hodgon Powders they are just not for me. A LOT of guys use them with great success.

The only time I ever said I was gonna reload to save money is when my wife asked why I was spending so much on the equipment. I looked into shot shell reloading with the hopes of saving money but for my rifles I do it because I know what is in every shell I shoot and if I did my part correctly I know how it's gonna shoot.
 
Thanks FairChase! My 270 is a pre accutrigger 110. Very plain but has always shot great. It used to shoot 100gr corlokt ammo at an inch or less when I used it for coyote hunting when I was in college with no money. Then I bought a 22-250 and she got retired. Be nice to have it as a back up again for windy days like you are talking. As far as the headstamps go, the groups i shot the other day werent TOO bad for just starting and they were all mixed year LC brass so I do believe I am not going to worry too much about it.

Also, I need to get a wife to yell at me when I am spending too much money on gun related things because the only person that tells me not to do it is when the bank tells me I am about out of money hah! Thanks!

Shelton
 
Originally Posted By: bemart02Oh boy...... Don't ask for a wife for that reason...... I would much prefer to hear from the bank lol

Hahah I do believe I will have to agree with you!

Shelton
 
I can't speak for anyone else but mixed head stamps and a sudden gust of wind are great built in
excuses for the way I shoot when competing with friends
 
Originally Posted By: KeifusI can't speak for anyone else but mixed head stamps and a sudden gust of wind are great built in
excuses for the way I shoot when competing with friends

Good advice, sounds like I will be mixing head stamps then lol! I already use the wind excuse!

Shelton
 
When they change from year to year they don't throw out all the tooling. There is really very little difference year to year.

Actually my .223 is really tolerant of brass. But accuracy is addicting. It gets to the point where you'll do about anything to gain a few thousandths.
 
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