M1 brass question for loading

geeguy

Experienced competition reloader for pistol and shotgun. Want to start loading for M1 Grand. Have read all the past threads I could find here about burn rates, primer, etc. (was a VERY good thing to know). However, not clear on the LC brass vs. commercial. I was planning on using Winchester commercial brass based on my past exerience with the ease of forming and primer seating (I have the Winchester and can get LC from the CMP). I understand the thickness difference will allow "more" reloads per case (have loaded much x-mil in the past), but other then that, why do you all seem to recommend the LC?

Thanks in advance.

jonk

Cheap. I have thousands. That's mainly why. No preference really, not for me.

Pinhead

LC or Lake City brass seemed to be the most uniform of the military brass that was commonly found on the government surplus market several years ago. All military brass was supposed to be made to a government specification which means it should have all been the same but there were some factories that did a better job of quality control than others. Government brass is a little thicker in the case walls and is therefore more likely to stand up to repeated loading than commercial. That said, the commerical brass by Winchester, Remington, Federal and others manufactured in the last 20 years or so is much better than it has been in the past. I mostly use commercial brass these days but I do cull the brass that has off center flash holes and only use them as plinking rounds. My Garand doesn't seem to know or care what brass I feed it. I shoot IMR 4895 powder(both suplus and commercial) and it shoots just fine with my load.

jonk

One other thought: the thickness of the military brass means that you use a grain or two less powder on the max end. Say 1 grain; in a 45 round match, that's 1 extra round of ammo loaded with 4895. Not much, but if you (like me) shoot 20, 30 pounds of 4895 a year... well that adds up to a few bucks anyhow.

B17-P51

Also on JONK's statement, pressures will run a little higher with Mil-spec vs commercial, assuming same powder charge. Be careful when approaching max and considering switching cases for any reason!!

bpost

quote:Originally posted by geeguy
Experienced competition reloader for pistol and shotgun. Want to start loading for M1 Grand. Have read all the past threads I could find here about burn rates, primer, etc. (was a VERY good thing to know). However, not clear on the LC brass vs. commercial. I was planning on using Winchester commercial brass based on my past exerience with the ease of forming and primer seating (I have the Winchester and can get LC from the CMP). I understand the thickness difference will allow "more" reloads per case (have loaded much x-mil in the past), but other then that, why do you all seem to recommend the LC?

Thanks in advance.


The brass thickness will not necessarily increase its firing life. If you anneal the case necks every third or fourth firing it will go a long way in preventing neck splits. The primer pockets will probably go loose before you lose a case to split necks if you anneal them.

For extended case life be very careful in setting up your sizer die. The gun needs to function flawlessly in rapid fire but a tight fitting case helps accuracy in prone.

I shot a lot of mixed brass and found that 46 grains of IMR 4895 with a federal primer pushing a 168 SMK was safe in any case used and very accurate in the M1's I shot.

GOOD LUCK SHOOTING!