NFOA MEMBERS FORUM
Ammunition & Hand Loading => Cartridge and Shotshell reloading => Topic started by: fortunateComa on November 06, 2015, 06:53:10 PM
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I bought flat box of 223 brass (some 200+ ) tarnished but good shape, no dents or cracks. Now for my two part question, can anyone identify the headstamp on these, they are all the same. Question #2: 20 of them are loaded, can the powder be reused, not going to reuse the bullets as they look terrible, powder looks good, smells good and is ball powder. I'm posting 2 pics. Any opinions ?
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Lake City 1971 M193 Vietnam Era
Obviously the brass has been reloaded
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Thanks, I figured it was Lake City wasn't sure. Now about the powder reuse or not? Took one apart, ball powder, looks good and not bad smell, weighed out at 24.3 grs.
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How are you going to identify the powder? I would not reuse it myself...20 rounds are not worth that to me
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Ok thanks, trash the powder, bullets and primers. Clean the brass really good, reload and have fun!
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Every established reloading information source I've ever read has said, loud and clear:
Never use powder which has no definite identity marked on the container.
Guess it could be argued that since these 24.3gr of powder were already loaded up, then the powder could simply be replaced and corked up with a newer, shiny bullet of the same weight as was previously extracted when the powder was dumped. But then, that argument leads to this point:
Every established reloading information source I've ever read has said, loud and clear:
Never shoot orphan (unidentified source; unknown reloading data) reloaded ammunition.
My recommendation to you is same as up above: Dump the Powder. (Sprinkled thinly in the garden. Excellent fertilizer. All that nitrogen.............)
Those twenty cartridges only contain a total of 0.07lb of powder, which is worth at the most, say..... $1.75. Not really worth messing with.
FWIW,
sfg
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Why get rid of primer? Why do more than lightly tumble the case, if that? Is it covered in tar/mud/feces? Any thing more that wiping off the exterior is more than needed.
Powder: if it was a factory round, it isn't any canister powder you can buy, but it also is a round that you can shoot (you've checked one round and found the powder to still be good). If it was reloaded, you have no way to identify what powder was used or to know if it is safe in YOUR gun.
Bullet: you pull the bullet and, even if the meplat is damaged, it will still shoot quite well out to 200 yards (if it ever could). Just doesn't make sense to load ONE bullet. If you have a lot of these rounds to break-down, have all the bullets and use them for plinking/family shooting/fun.