Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Fire-forming 223 Brass

I bought a bunch of once fired LC brass. As expected a fair amount of it is dented. Is there a benefit of using a specific powder to fire-form the dents out? I’ve got a fair selection of powders to choose from.

Thanks.

Frank

Loaded as normal and roll. Unless it's more of a crease than a dent a crease I throw away better chance of cracking

What he said🔝

Not wasting primers, powder, or bullets to condition salvaged brass these days. Actually shooting mostly factory .223 now as the spread in cost between that and reloads has pretty much vanished if you place any value on your time at all.

Exactly

Actually my creased ones become .300 Blackouts.

I've never factored in time spent. It's one of my hobbies and as such doesn't deserve to be time studied/cost analyzed. I had enough of that in my previous professional life.

I don't worry about dents/dings found in brass that cycled through automatic arms. My .223's go to feed a Browning single shot only anymore (the last AR went bye-bye), and I vacillate between LC brass and Lapua brass. The dents will snap out upon the first firing. Of course if you're running them through an autoloader you'll probably inflict more dings on them anyway.

While I agree with that to a point gnoahhh, there does come a point where you do have to consider time invested.

I’ll be shooting them out of a Kimber Montana or a 1960’s H&R Ultra Wildcat so hopefully no new dings.

Some will get sized hp to 6x45, also a bolt gun.

Thanks for the replies.

I enjoy loading too, but when the cost of good factory is neck and neck with my cunningly-crafted handloads, and the place where I can empty them out is literally within earshot, that tips the scale for me. Not long ago, I picked up a passel of Fiocchi .223 loaded with 50gr VMaxes for $30 for 50. Shoots really well in my Hawkeye AW, and about as good as can be expected from my Mini 14 (a pretty good case-denter in its own right). At that price, I don’t even scramble very hard to recover the empties. The Fiocchi (GFL) brass is pretty good, if a bit heavier than some, and often gets refilled destined for the Mini 14.

Another .223, currently resting in the tender arms of Fedex, is due Friday at the nearest LGS. This one should come in about 2.5 pounds lighter than the Hawkeye, a big deal for someone as old and feeble as poor Pappy.