20 VT brass options
 

Hi all,

My Remington brass is wearing out!

Is there anybody forming from military brass anymore?

What are all the options I have considering most 221 brass has been discontinued?

Thanks

formed mine from LC 223. Good brass. Haven't lost any to split necks.

Nosler has 221FB brass in stock most times at the Shooters Pro Shop, might be worth checking out.

Or maybe it's time to invest in a set of forming dies so you always have a good brass supply. A bit spendy, but you'll have all the FB brass you'll ever want.

steve123,

Just a suggestion, but I've just started on (800+) pcs of new LC 5.56 brass to make into .20VT. Bought a Redding .221 Remington FB (to go from .222 or .223 brass) #1 Form (#90101) die.
I should have bought the Redding .221 #2 Form and Trim die (#83101) also, but didn't. Ended up using my Redding .20VT bushing die (without the guts) for the 2nd step...then that FL bushing die (for the final step) with the bushing installed. Worked okay. The .20VT Body die did not work well for the 2nd step.

You will need to turn the necks.

Good luck on your decision.

might look at 300 blackout brass, has to be done in steps just like reforming 223 lc without the case shortning, starline in stock at midway, also sig.

Steve123:

I'll have 1000 Vartargs done next week......on Lake City brass......Bridgeport turned to your neck requirement.....$695 per 1000 shipped CONUS.

Work in progress
 

This is timely for me. I just rebarreled my Cooper 21 to 20 Vartarg I purchased 250 rounds of new 5.56 brass from Everglades ammo. Looks amazing. I picked up a fireball form die and ran all brass without a problem. I purchased a trim die from Ebay to use with my Harbor Freight mini chop saw. When adjusted the cases are perfect. I've run them thru my Mach Iv form die and now I need to either turn or ream the necks as I'm about 8 thousands thick at his point. Is there a possibility of a donut that might benefit from reaming the necks? Everything looks so good to this point, I don't want to screw it up. I'd highly recommend the case trimmer for an easy perfect trim.

At that price it isn't worth making them yourself. Heck of a deal and made out of good brass.

I went with a 221 form die. It is the parent, and I use it for other wildcats.

You will have to neck turn from my findings. I have read where others say they had no issues, and used brass as is. I did some checking on my 20’s and 17’s, can’t chamber them as is.
As to neck turning or reaming, I will neck turn myself. Reaming will not true up neck wall thickness evenly.

I tried using 30x221/300BO virgin brass. For what ever reason my success ratio was not good at all. (I have formed over a dozen different wildcats over the years, so it is not new to me)
Maybe it was the lot of brass I had? Maybe not.

I used 222 brass from Starline with good success.
I annealed ALL of it after sizing, neck turning and final trim.

I bought a 221 form die, Wilson case checker, 20 caliber neck turning mandrel and Starline brass, chop saw and a jig, all of it for less than $500, I see no issue for my future use of 221 brass forever.

Making all of my brass also forced me into finishing my project for my Forster trimmer and neck turner

As JSH stated neck turning is a must in my opinion.
I wouldnt ream the inside of my necks either, i use k@m to turn my neck on the outside and they come out great.
If you anneal after they are formed right before you run them through the K@M mandrel it helps keep them uniform on the inside. I also do mine in 2 steps it really makes the necks very consistent in thickness you can tell the difference on the 2nd skim turn.
Loaded round unturned is about .234 give or take depending on brass.
I just got done making 200 - 20VT cases out of LC13 223 brass.