Has anyone had any experience with Federal Gold Medal Match Brass in the .223.....How does it compare with say: Winchester or IMI....I would appreciate any comments......

I have 500 of em that are on their 5th firing and going strong. I like em better than Winchester and not as well as IMI. Personal opinion with no factual basis for it.
I love IMI but try to find some, not this year from what I'm hearing.
I hear some think Fed is a bit soft but as I said I'm on my 5th loading with out a case loss. I don't however try to turn my .223's into .22-250's.

I acquired some of it, and hoarded my stash for quite a few years, thinking this would be the cat's meow, and since I was not likely to get any more... And, then one day, a new toy appeared, and with it the perfect opportunity to devote cases with this particular headstamp to said toy... Fast forward 1-2 reloads....

Well, it turned out the primer pockets must have been oversized or something. With VERY light lodas, primers were seating so lightly even on the second reload, that I have to realize these cases are unlikely to provide service for any length of time.

Was the problem with this batch a once-off?? Don't know. Since the brass is no longer sold to reloaders, I guess it is a moot point. These days, if I want good brass (MUCH better than Federal ever was, loose primer pockets or not), I buy Lapua and that IS the cat's meow.

- mike

MHO, Thanks for your comments...How does Lapua compare with say: Winchester, case capacity, long lasting, etc....Have you tried IMI? I know it cost a little more but I've used it in 6 BR and 22 BR as well as .243 win. and .243 AI and liked it a lot.....Thanks again, George

Hello,
MHO, what you describe w/ Federal brass is often reported. Most match shooters here in U.S. will use Federal for a couple times, but after that, the primer pocket enlarges and a blown primer in a AR15 w/ the pieces jammed up into the gas tube or other spots is not a good thing and ruins the match for a while.
Federal mfg's a bunch of ammunition for Law Enforcement use, but that group rarely uses home brew reloads for liability reasons and "one shot, cold barrel" purposes so Federal does not really care if you reload or not. Does not help their sale of ammo!! IMI, Lapua, LC (U.S.military) all good brass, but that Lapua has shown me to be the best you can buy.
Favor Center!!
dsiteman

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Originally posted by gsh284win:
MHO, How does Lapua compare with say: Winchester, case capacity, long lasting, etc....Have you tried IMI? George

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George, I don't know how Lapua stacks up against Winchester brass in terms of case capacity. I do know that Lapua is pretty sturdy brass. A lot of their brass is renown to have very thick case walls, and one of the reasons BR shooters prefer Lapua (over, say, Norma) is because it holds up well to the somewhat optimistic loads they prefer...

Winchester is great brass, no doubt about it. Very few (if any) of the US made brands can hold a candle to either Lapua or Norma in terms of dimensional uniformity, though. You can definitely get good results from Winchester brass (perhaps barring BR??), but it may require more work: more sorting, more deburring of flash holes, more outside neck turning etc.

I'm afraid I have not used IMI, LC or other brands popular with the High Power shooters.

- mike