5.56 blanks - scrap metal???

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I have about 10,000 5.56 blanks. You know, those brass pieces that the military uses when they want the gun to go bang, but have nothing come out.

I was hoping to cleverly devise a Green Group Karma thing, where I'd do up packages of like 500 pcs each, and do a bunch of karmas.

However, when I tried trimming off the crimp, I find that the crimp goes too far down the neck to clean up completely. That is to say, when I shaved off the crimp to the trim length, there was still some evidence of crimp. Not usable in that way.

Has anyone come up with a way to transform this otherwise wasteful brass into reloadable pieces? BTW, I am also guessing that the cannalure ring down at the base end would be an issue also.

556mm_M200_blank.gif
 
run a test piece through an old (just in case of epic failure) sizing die, and see if the expander ball will push out the remaining crimp.

that cannelure does worry me a bit. seeing as these were blanks, they were never subjected to the pressures .223/5.56 would see, and who knows if that cannelure would hold up.
 
Generally the overall opinion is that blanks cannot or should not be converted into reloadable brass because they are unable to withstand the same pressure. I wouldn't try it personally but that's just my $.02
 
I went through a similar process just a few months ago, and had no success in turning those (in this case, ceremonial .223) blanks into anything useful for reloading.

Of course, I did not have 10k. Just a 50 or so, not really enough incentive to make a detailed effort.

As mentioned, the top "pie" crimp was too extensive ...after running through the die and trimming the crimp was still evident, and the cannelure (around the base of the shell approx. 1/4" from the rim) is something that you'd just have to "live" with.

My cartridges were "L C 96 XinO" (Lake City).

PS - Use caution if you intend to disassemble these cartridges instead of firing then reloading. The powder is a type of very fast burning flash powder, and therefore, of course, I'm speculating, but from experience, this powder is probably less stable than Reloader 15, Alliant 2520, Vargret ...and the like.

PPS - I did notice that after firing some of the blanks, there was occasionally some micro-"splitting" that did occur at the mouth of the shell.

PPPS - Of course, given the correct dies (six point star crimp, etc.), you can reload blanks as blanks.
 
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PS - Use caution if you intend to disassemble these cartridges instead of firing then reloading. The powder is a type of very fast burning flash powder, and therefore, of course, I'm speculating, but from experience, this powder is probably less stable than Reloader 15, Alliant 2520, Vargret ...and the like.

Be very careful. My company armorer, when clearing rifles brought back in from a field
exercise, managed to shoot himself in the inside upper leg with one and it was pretty ugly.
 
Duke if they're still usable as blanks I might be interested in a few. Might be a good way to train new shooters on the AR and get them used to the noise/recoil without wasting live ammo ... 'course i'll need to find a blank adapter for my AR.
 
Actually, they are all FIRED brass pieces. If they were live blanks, I would have my compensator on the gun, and use them for developing a better trigger pull on my AR.

Guess I will just scrap them out. I have a barrel full of them (well..... including discards from reloading, etc)
 
If it wasn't for the cannelure, somebody could trim them to make .300 Whisper brass (although it's likely that 10,000 cases represents a lifetime supply for all of the existing .300 Whisper uppers put together).

However, that cannelure would have me worried about firing a full pressure load. A case separation there would be ugly.
 
However, that cannelure would have me worried about firing a full pressure load. A case separation there would be ugly.

The 7.62mm M852 Match ammo had a knurl (what the ammunition data sheet called it) in the same place. While not as desirable for loading in a semi-auto as the M118 Match cases (with out the knurl), they were still usable. In fact in a bolt gun (where you only have to size a little) they work fine. I've got about 600 I've been shooting out of a long range gun for a couple of years. If you only kiss the neck and shoulder when you resize they are good to go.

In a semi, the cases just get worked a lot more when they are being extracted and then they have to have the shoulders knocked back a lot more than a bolt gun so they will chamber.

Duke, some where in the cobweb filled recesses of my mind I remember reading about the heat treating of the case heads being a lot softer on the blanks than on regular ammunition. I've been looking through all my reference stuff to see if I can find it. I even looked to see if there was a pressure spec. for blanks and there is none. I'd be cautious. I'll keep looking to see if I can find something.

B
 
If it wasn't for the cannelure, somebody could trim them to make .300 Whisper brass (although it's likely that 10,000 cases represents a lifetime supply for all of the existing .300 Whisper uppers put together).

However, that cannelure would have me worried about firing a full pressure load. A case separation there would be ugly.

I'm going to try some in my 300 Whisper bolt gun. I'm shooting cast bullets at low velocity & pressure.

The 7.62 M852 match ammo has a similar cannelure and apparently does not have problems with the first firing. Some few people have reported shortened case life in the M14 rifle with full loads and repeated full length sizing.

The 300 Whisper loads that I have fired do not show any tendency to stretch the cases so case separations should not be a probblem. Also note that I use a Lyman M die to expand the necks. I don't pull an expander ball through them.

I wouldn't want to try this in the typically longer chamber of an AR. My rifle is headspaced short so that there is actually negative headspace with a full length sized case.

I am not suggesting that anyone else follow me down this path. There is a chance that this won't work as I anticipate.

Jack
 
I've got about 600 I've been shooting out of a long range gun for a couple of years. If you only kiss the neck and shoulder when you resize they are good to go.

That's good to know.

Duke, some where in the cobweb filled recesses of my mind I remember reading about the heat treating of the case heads being a lot softer on the blanks than on regular ammunition. I've been looking through all my reference stuff to see if I can find it. I even looked to see if there was a pressure spec. for blanks and there is none. I'd be cautious. I'll keep looking to see if I can find something.
B

Hmmm.... It would make sense that the case necks for blanks would be annealed, considering the amount the brass has to be worked to make that crimp. I wonder why they'd leave the case heads soft too.

I'm going to try some in my 300 Whisper bolt gun. I'm shooting cast bullets at low velocity & pressure.
Jack

What kind of rifle/barrel are you using? I'm intrigued by the .300 Whisper; it's going to move near the top of my short list when I move to a free state where I can own a can.
 
....
What kind of rifle/barrel are you using? I'm intrigued by the .300 Whisper; it's going to move near the top of my short list when I move to a free state where I can own a can.

I had a Savage 112 varmint model rebarreled with a Shilen super match barrel.
I had the barrel left over from an abandoned project and started thinking. You know how that goes. A new Shilen #6 contour supermatch barrel goes for a bit more than $300 these days

I bought a PTG reamer and headspace gauge from Midway and an action wrench and barrel blocks from a source that I've since forgotten, total for the tools was about $175.

I still have the original barrel and could easily reinstall it if I wish.

The original .223 magazine does not feed the 30-221 so I single load them.
It is just not important to me that the mag works so I didn't bother with it.
One of thesse days I will make a single shot adapter for the mag.

I started with a .223 so did not need to change the bolt head. If you have another sized bolt head, you can get a replacement from Savage for abut $40.
The dies are CH4D and about $100 for a dies set with a file trim die.
I have been using the file trim die only to preform the cases and am rough trimming on a bench lathe and finish trimming on a Forster case trimmer.

The 300 Whisper is trademarked and only available from a single source.
The 30-221 is freely available. There is a slight difference in the chamber dimensions. The 300 Whisper is intended to be formed by expanding .221 Rem brass and has a tight neck. The 30-221, despite the name, is intended to be formed from the body of .223 or 5.56 brass and the chamber neck is a couple of thou bigger so you don't have to neck turn the brass. There is also a 30-223 which is a completely different cartridge.

I bought the tools as I figured that the gunsmith would charge me for them anyhow, so I might as well own them.

The gunsmith charged me $100 to turn, thread, shorten, crown, ream the chamber and install the barrel. He did an awful lot of work for not too much money. He did a very nice job of it but I did have to relieve the barrel channel in one spot where the stock touched the barrel.

I only had the gun out a couple of times before I fell and broke my arm, but it seemed like it was going to work very well. I started with a 173 gr cast bullet over 8.0 gr of 2400. I did not chronograph them but estimated the velocity at around 1100 fps. When I have recovered enough to shoot and cast bullets again, I'm going to try the 200 gr Lyman 311299 cast bullet.

Subsonic loads in the 30-221 are about as quiet as a .22LR so a silencer is not an absolute requirement

Jack
 
Well, I hope it works out for you. I have a lot more of that blank brass, which was otherwise destined for the scrap metal place. It would make me happy to know that it's being re-used rather than melted down.
 
blanks

generaly blanks were made from rejects.so you take your chance.some may be good if there were not enuf rejects. you want to try with 60,000 lb
 
I have some more of these, if anyone wants them. I haven't finished sorting through the 5.56's yet, but it's looking like there'll be another thousand or so of the blanks when I am somewhat done.

If anyone can use them, same deal as last time...... scrap metal price plus shipping. Otherwise, they'll go into the brass scrap bucket, and get melted down.

PM if interested.
 
I have a small pile of them, I use them to make .300 Whisper brass for my AR, works like a champ!

Course, they are subsonic/low pressure loads.
 
Well, if anyone needs some, I will ship them for the value of the scrap metal, plus shipping. Or, will trade for something or other. I have a bunch again.
 
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