Nosler 223 Brass: Why so short?

B

Brian Adams

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Anyone using Nosler 223 Rem brass? A friend gave me a box he didn't need. I wonder why in the world does Nosler cut them .005" shorter than SAAMI Minimum Case Length (not trim-to length - minimum case length)?

Yes, I called Nosler, and couldn't get an answer, just "We haven't heard any other complaints, sir. Don't worry, they're safe to use that way. Just seat your bullets deeper."

Gee, thanks mister!

The 223 neck is short enough as it is, even at max case length. I run mine as long as I can safely leave them, as determined by my Sinclair chamber length gauge.

Anyway, I gave them back to my friend.

Just blowing off steam.

Brian
 
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The Nosler 223 Rem brass I purchased (400 pieces) about 2 years ago was the same as yours, .005" shorter than SAAMI trim to length specs. I have also found that the brass seems to be very soft. After 4 firings in my AR-15 for 600yd F-Class (not max loads) the primer pockets are too loose to re-load again. I have also purchased Nosler Brass for my .300 Win Mag and .338 Rem Ultra Mag because it is very uniform in weight and the neck thickness only varies by .0005" but the brass is .010" shorter than advertised trim to lengths. I have only fired this brass once in each barrel so I don't know yet if I'll have the same primer pocket problem as my 223 brass.
 
ronchetti said:
The Nosler 223 Rem brass I purchased (400 pieces) about 2 years ago was the same as yours, .005" shorter than SAAMI trim to length specs.
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Sorry, I tried to be clear: It's shorter than SAAMI Minimum Case Length (not Trim-to Length.)

SAAMI specs for 223 Rem case length are:

Min: 1.740
Max: 1.760
Trim-to: 1.750

Nosler cases come 1.735. And the Nosler chap said "That's right - so what's the problem?"

Brian
 
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The title of the post was the rest of it...I had the same problem until I tied in the title.

"Email
Them and ask then let us know."

If the neck is short and that's all, it will work OK as long as you're not crimping. A few shots later it could be as long as the minimum. You may have to clean the neck area a bit if you go to longer cases. Seems like they could have trimmed them a bit longer...but they didn't.
 
Wilbur said:
The title of the post was the rest of it...I had the same problem until I tied in the title.

"Email
Them and ask then let us know."

If the neck is short and that's all, it will work OK as long as you're not crimping. A few shots later it could be as long as the minimum. You may have to clean the neck area a bit if you go to longer cases. Seems like they could have trimmed them a bit longer...but they didn't.
Click to expand...

I called Nosler (all this was in my post) and talked to a support chap. I'm well past getting any explanation from Nosler.

The problem with this short brass has nothing to do with safety. And I do not shoot AR-15. I did not explain my use - it's for a Rem 700 VS. I like to shoot light bullets, and need all the case neck I can get to seat bullets anywhere near the lands.

All I was pointing out was here is a major manufacturer violating (if you will) the SAAMI spec. It seems quite unusual to me, and I wonder why they would have made the conscious decision to do that. What are the SAAMI specs for, then, really?

Just musing out loud, in case someone was thinking of buying some of this brass. Since I don't even own the brass any longer, practical advice on how to "make do" with it is moot, so save yourselves the trouble, gents. ;-)
 
short cases

Having worked in a case area 12 years at lake city. It was probably either put it in production or scrap it. 90 % of the people that shoot it aren't checking total length anyway. Its all about the bottom line to big companies and if you scrap it you cant sell it so lets sell it maybe it will sneak by. Doug
 
Doug Casner said:
Having worked in a case area 12 years at lake city. It was probably either put it in production or scrap it. 90 % of the people that shoot it aren't checking total length anyway. Its all about the bottom line to big companies and if you scrap it you cant sell it so lets sell it maybe it will sneak by. Doug
Click to expand...

Interesting, but doesn't work in this case. The chap at Nosler said that's how they finish those cases. Nicely deburred and chamfered, too. Keep in mind this is "premium" brass, jewelry compared to regular production brass. Not as expensive as Lapua, but nearly 3 times as expensive as Lake City unfired brass.

Brian
 
short cases

When I worked at Lake City we had one buyer. That was the US govt. It wasn't like we ran crap. Soldiers lives depended on our product. It was inspected several times during the process. But every once in a while something got thru in final inspection. They would tear down the whole lot of ammo scrap it. I would bet money Nosler doesn't inspect their ammo as much as we did even if it is their premium brass.Peoples lives depended on ours. We didn't have saami specs. we had govt. inspectors. They would write your ass up if you got caught and so many write ups you were gone. The chap at nosler wasn't running machines he was answering the phone. He don't know what goes on in the case area.
 
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