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LC 52
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Rebel92 View Drop Down
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    Posted: May 02 2022 at 2:33pm
I have long heard about the infamous chinese copy cat of Lake City 52. A while back, I ordered some Lake City in bandoliers, and was headstamped LC 52. The bandolier had the correct markings on it indicating it was actual lake city so I was not concerned. A few months later, I bought some ammo from a guy online, and he said he was sending me all of his carbine ammo, which included about 20-30 loose rounds, either PPU Soft point and about 5-6 lake city, again LC52. Didnt look like reloads to me, so i shot them. I have also shot a bandolier of the LC 52. Today, when trimming cases, I noticed that the headstamps on both are different (to me anyways). Can anyone tell me if it is a machine difference, or did I run into some "fake" lake city? See pics of the diff headstamps. 
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Points: 214 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jond41403 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2022 at 3:10pm
I'm no expert but it's supposed to come down to usgi has one flash hole and fake Chinese has two
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Points: 541 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rebel92 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2022 at 3:12pm
That was my understanding as well, until I read where someone on the CMP forum from an old thread said that the chinese stuff can "be pulled and reloaded" and I do not know of very many people (or any) who go through the trouble of reloading berdan primed ammo.. 
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Points: 214 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jond41403 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2022 at 3:27pm
Hopefully someone that knows exactly the differences will chime in here pretty soon. It was quite a while back when I read about it and the flash holes is all that I remembered but you may be on to something with the different font sizes on the headstamp. I can't remember if anyone mentioned differences in head stamps or not. I will say the traces of primer sealer is a good sign though that they are usgi
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Points: 2865 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote W5USMC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2022 at 3:58pm
Look on GB, there is a bunch of the Chinese LC 52 listed, some of the listings have pictures of the headstamps.
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Points: 541 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rebel92 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2022 at 4:01pm
I see that. The one that most closely resembles the headstamps of the chinese stuff on GB is the one I was sure was actual LC (the one on the right in my picture)
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Points: 4504 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote New2brass Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2022 at 4:20pm
if it is not berdan primed I am thinking they just kept making them and switched over to boxer?
there were many reports of corrosive LC52

I have been looking for a box of Chinese made but  everyone is selling as USA
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30 carbine Chinese corrosive display collector - Rifle Ammunition at GunBroker.com : 931540668
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Rebel92 View Drop Down
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Points: 541 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rebel92 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2022 at 4:51pm
I do not see the difference. What do I have? which one is actual (or both?) ???
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Dan Pinto, Photo Editor

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Lake City ammo has red primer sealant. the Chinese does not.
LC is stamped heavier.
if you look at the rim it should be a little different shaped.
The bullet has a different curve to it, but very hard to tell

every picture I have seen they were Berdan prime. Recently I heard claims of non corrosive Chinese LC52, If yours were not sealed, and not Berdan primed then that suggests a change
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Rebel92 View Drop Down
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Points: 541 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rebel92 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2022 at 4:59pm
The case that looks most like the chinese copy listed for sale on GB was literally in bandoliers when I bought it, did he go through the trouble just to pass of the chinese copy as the real thing???
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So the one on the right in my picture would be the copy? That was the one that came in the bandoliers lol. 
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the one on the right looks to be LC
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Rebel92 View Drop Down
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Thanks! so the one on the left would be a copy?? 

And now I am curious to see some LC52 COPY that was berdaned primed?
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Seems like some good info and pictures here:

and some more here
where it is said that when compared side by side there are slight differences in the shape.


edit:
Charlie has saved a number of those photos full size here:
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Thanks Matt. 

But mine with a different headstamp is boxer primed. I am lost
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I'm seeing at several differences mentioned.
1. is the berdan primed.  Is this an absolute?  Im not sure.
2. is the powder and the bullet shape.  Well that's no help to you here.
3. is  if the sealant was clear - although not sure that's a help here but we're not seeing red residue.
4. is that the angle or chamfer of the casing where it joins the head is different.   So maybe a side by side comparison of your cases with a known cases will look different (if chinese) or not.

From Charlie's post, in this picture the neck where the extractor grabs looks longer.

I think what you and I were first looking at, the lettering may also be a clue.  That I'm not sure about, but its seems to me the L in the Chinese LC is a little cockeyed.

Neither L or the 5 on your shells look like the Chinese made L & 5 stamps in the photo above.  Look at how the bottom of the Chinese 5 is scrunched up.
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Points: 541 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rebel92 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2022 at 3:23pm
here is a side by side of the 2 with different font headstamps both LC 52 
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Points: 214 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jond41403 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2022 at 4:29pm
I'm starting to wonder if there's just two font styles of USGI LC 52 brass. Both look to have usgi characteristics to me even though the fonts are different. Again I'm no expert but I'd be curious if one of the forum members who has a lot of known real LC 52 would look through them to see if they have different fonts or not.
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Here is another CMP thread on the Chinese LC 52 ammo. 
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