Reloaded, reloaded, reloads?

[Blubyue]

How many times can you reload any .223 casings?

[Hoser]

Depends on more than a few things.

Bolt action with mild to medium ammo, 7-10 times.
Semi auto with mild to medium ammo, 3-5 times.

Pressure of ammo.
Load it hot and it dies sooner.

Quality of 223 brass.
Lapua, most reloads.
Lake City, almost as many as Lapua.
Winchester, pretty good.
Remington, so-so.
Federal, worthless. One reload and toss/leave it.

Another variable is your chamber and how big it is which means how much you have to work the brass when reloading it.

All in all, it depends...

[Passin' Thru]

Except Federal isn't always Federal. I have a box of Federal XM193 5.56 sitting here and all the cases say LC on them. Not the best 5.56 ammo I've ever shot but the brass is certainly worth keeping.

[Mott]

Gents,
You can flame me on this if you wish as I perhaps push the envelope but.. I reload the .223 for a couple autoloaders I use. I have used most kinds of brass but tend towards once fired discards from my buddies who do not reload and the surplus Lake City variety. I full length case resize as is suggested for autoloaders. I use a dry lube on the case necks first then I use Imperial Sizing Wax (in my experience the best lube hands down) to lube the case (not the outside of the neck). I use Lee Dies (not sure type of die makes any diff). After I decap and resize I tumble the brass every time until it is all "purdy" again. The tumble cleans the cases so I can really look them over well. Once out of the tumbler I inspect the cases visually for stress signs like bright rings near the base of the case and for case neck spits (common on .223s when the brass has reached its service limit). I also measure each case every time I reload for total case length. .233 is one of the more stretchy cases and will become over max length within one or two firings for sure! Then of course, I trim to the recommended length if needed and debur and chamfer the cases that were trimmed. Once all of this is done, I use a little paper clip I straightened out and formed a small 90 degree bend/hook on the end. I insert this into the case all the way down, then apply pressure on the end such that the hook contacts the inside of the case wall, then I drag the hook up to the neck. If there are any internal pressure rings forming the hook will catch in them and you can easily tell that case is NOT good for another reloading. All this may sound like a lot of stuff to do just to prep the case but honestly it is best to be safe and once you do this a few times it really does not take too long. In short, I have discarded cases used exclusively in an autoloader after 5 firings and some I have 8-9 reloads in and they still show no signs of eminent failure. Also, one or two cases in a batch may fail with the others ready for another reload. When I have a batch that starts showing case neck splits (like 4-5) I usually say that is it for that batch. That reminds me too, I strongly suggest you keep your reloads in batches and don’t mix them. It is much easier to track. Make your batch what the box you use will hold (20 or 50 or 100), one batch per box. I have to say I have never seen a pressure ring develop on my cases. I usually discard them before that happens as the case necks seem to fail prior to pressure rings forming. I know that was quite an answer but it is what I do and the process has served me well for over 20 years reloading for the .223 Remington case. Just as note I do not anneal the case necks nor do I turn them I just reload em! I hope this helps, with the short answer being unless you just want to set a number and say I am done after that (not a bad thing just preference) it really just depends on the individual lots as to how many times the cases can be reloaded.

Sincerely,
Mott

[SA Friday]

Except Federal isn't always Federal. I have a box of Federal XM193 5.56 sitting here and all the cases say LC on them. Not the best 5.56 ammo I've ever shot but the brass is certainly worth keeping.
Uh, ya. That's Lake City brass. Lake City is made in the factory in... (wait for it)... Lake City right? No; Independence, MO. [Coffee]

The brass is made to military specs. Federal sells some of it to the commercial market (don't know why or the details around it), but the brass is NOT Federal brass. You see this occasionally. Brass made at one factory and then used by another manufacturer. See it with bullets too. Go by headstamp and Hoser's info and you will be fine.