Lake City .30-06 brass

[Rally]

I bought a bunch of .30-06 brass last year. In there Is a little over a gallon of Lake City with different head stamps, like Lc 65 NM or just match. I understand the LC is Lake City, the number is year made, and NM is National Match. I’m wondering if this brass is uniform in volume throughout years of manufacturing or changed with year of manufacture? Would be nice if there is a source for such info or if anyone is aware of such published data.

 

[358156 hp]

I'd stick to matching lot numbers for the best results. I sold a large lot of once-fired FA Match brass on the other site several years back. It went to a well known member who was happy to get it. He liked the old "red" brass much better than the newer yellow stuff. There are times I wished I hadn't sold it, but it went to a good home.

 

[StrawHat]

Not aware of a written source but easy enough to figure. Fill to the case mouth with water and weigh the contents.

Kevin

 

[Rally]

Yea I could do that but there is about 15 different years in there and I don’t need the brass that bad. Lol I thought I’d recalled hearing the brass changed a certain year but was uniform in volume. I think web shape changed maybe???

 

[fiver]

hard to tell if the specs were changed.
I'd just throw them on a scale and sort by close-nuff weight ignoring the H.S's until afterwards.

 

[Winelover]

I use a lot of LC military brass but not any of the National Match stuff. I sort by dates,up to a point. Can't find any discernible difference, accuracy wise, in my AR-10. I'm not competing, just paper punching.

 

[Bret4207]

I 'd get 20 or so of the same year and weigh the brass. See if they are all very uniform. There was a time when I'm sure that was wonderful brass of mythic proportion, but I don't know if it stand up to todays match brass. Might be worth doing some research to see if anyone know what they did to make it so famous. Might just have been uniformed primer pockets or something simple like that.

 

[RBHarter]

My experience with 308 LC Match was stuck cases with low node but supersonic loads . Thick necks etc .
Long ago I had a batch of LC 43 that had 3 very obvious different case capacities on target and like 10 gr of brass difference . I water scaled them also ....... Same volume groups as the scaled lots . (What can I say I had a rifle problem that I had eliminated all other possibilities from)

NM will likely be the most consistent with the smallest volume .
Match seams to have thick shoulders and neck , presumably to fill the GI chambers and full cut necks to take up dimensions in as issued rifles .

I base that on stuck cases and brass reamed to fit in 7.62 NATO it may be different for 06' . GI cost/value is higher from M2 to Match to NM in shipping volumes of 36-40,000 lbs about $10-14,000 .

400/can , 2 cans/box , 36 boxes/pallet , 11 pallets/truck ....... Not much per round cost difference .

 

[RicinYakima]

There was a time when I'm sure that was wonderful brass of mythic proportion, but I don't know if it stand up to todays match brass. Might be worth doing some research to see if anyone know what they did to make it so famous. Might just have been uniformed primer pockets or something simple like that.

All I can speak for is 30/06 brass. Match brass did not have crimped in primers. NM brass was made on the machines running a half speed and visually inspected. If you were a High-Power shooter, you could buy it from DCM for half the cost of commercial. It is about 5% heavier than Remington brass, used to be the heaviest. I am still shooting LC NM 78 brass for matches. HTH

 

[Rally]

Thanks for all the info. Not sure what I'll do with it for sure yet. Have it all tumbled and de-primed, so will probably just put it in the "maybe" pile.

 

[MW65]

I have a boatload of LC 66 from DCM/CMP days... Great brass, and once run thru a Dillon to remove the primer crimp, works great!

 

[CZ93X62]

I have a BUNCH of LC 68 30-06 brass on hand. No issues in my sporter Husq Mauser 98.

 

[MW65]

Thanks for all the info. Not sure what I'll do with it for sure yet. Have it all tumbled and de-primed, so will probably just put it in the "maybe" pile.

My suggestion... If you have a lot, get a Dillon super swager, especially if you shoot other mil brass. Otherwise it's great trading stock for those who do a lot of milsurp shooting.

 

[Rally]

Funny you mention that CZ, because most of this is LC 68. Got it all trimmed and primer pockets cleaned and crimps removed. There were also a few in the mix that have DEN and year on them. New one to me. May sort by head stamp and try some if I get real bored.
This shelter in place thing has been working out for me. I've been tumbling brass while working in the shop and trimming during the evenings. Got all the .30-30 done and working on .243 now Sure do like the Giraud trimmer.

 

[FrankCVA42]

Years back traded for a 50 cal ammo can with LC 63 match ammo on those col looking boxes. Even though its old enough to collect social security that stuff continues to amaze me by it's accuracy. Brass is also great for reloading. Shot some in my Sako 75 Hunter and still getting 1" or a little bigger groups at 100 yds. So when one of the companies sold pulled down match brass bought what I could afford at the time. With that brass and a bunch of LC M2 brass guess I'm set for awhile. No case bulges like the commercial stuff, Got a sealed tin of TW 44 AP ammo once. Pulled the bullets saved the powder and that kept me supplied with brass for years. Course had to deprime it Had an old m1917 with trashed barrel so load and fired the primers. But did really clean that barrel and rifle due to the corrosive primers. Lotsa fun. Frank

 

[Charles Graff]

GI brass is fairly uniform in it's powder capacity over the years. That said, the metal composition has changed over the decades. with older brass being better. Ed Harris has written about this, but dates of change did not stick to my brain cells. In 1960 I got two five gallon bucked full of LC 52 brass that was given me by the local National Guard. It keep me and some of my friends well stocked for many years.

 

[FrankCVA42]

I'd have to thank a bunch of WWII and Korean War vets who shot at the old Brookhaven rifle range on Long Island NY many years ago. Not the Brookhaven range that is/was in operation back in the 80's. I'm talking about the one back in the mid to late 60's. Fresh out of the Navy and shooting a 1917 Enfield in 30-06. They graciously had access to plenty of WWII and Korean War '06 ammo and shared the empty brass and load data. I had 5 gallon buckets full of brass. Back then the old 172 grain match bullets used in the M72 match brass were available for cheap. They put me on to a source and 1000 bullets would keep me shooting for a long time. IMR 4895,M72 match bullets and G.I brass and Remington primers. Even met a co-worker of my dad's out there and he helped me out a lot. Good memories. Frank

 

[L Ross]

I don't have a rational explanation as to why I like Mil-Surp brass. I think it goes back to my cartridge collector Father who had 1,800 lbs of live ammo in our old farm house. Dash calibers, paper patched buffalo gun cartridges from the Dakotas, and the military brass with their annealing colors intact have always appealed to me. I grab every stick of old military brass I can find. At gun shows, vendors often apologize for it being military brass and sell it cheap. I suppose due to the crimped primers. I don't mind at all.

 

[FrankCVA42]

U.S. military brass always performed well for me and usually was cheap or even free. Maybe one of the reasons that U.S. military brass has always been popular is the wide spread availability and low cost. That and the fact that it is usually heavier than commercial brass due to it's function in U.S. military firearms. Frank

 

[trapper9260]

Where do you find the LC 30-06 brass at ? I did find some LC 308 brass some time ago .