Brass Prep for long range accuracy

[Remmy700]

The ol neck sizing vs F/L sizing has been a battle for years in many, many threads. Do which ever u want but most importantly do the one that u have confidence in. 40% of the steps most reloaders do are unnecessary but to them gives them confidence which I think is a very important element in shooting. If u don't believe in it, outcomes may vary!

 

[Steve Sheasly]

The ol neck sizing vs F/L sizing has been a battle for years in many, many threads. Do which ever u want but most importantly do the one that u have confidence in. 40% of the steps most reloaders do are unnecessary but to them gives them confidence which I think is a very important element in shooting. If u don't believe in it, outcomes may vary!

Well said

 

[muleystalker]

I h

They dont with long range magnums

I have shot groups in the 0.2's with virgin brass in my 28 nosler.

 

[Doug Herold]

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Steve,
Love the post, love the truck, love where you live. You have been blessed in this life. Glad you are gonna give that bull a free ride in your truck from 1000 yds.

 

[SealT5]

@Steve Sheasly thank you for sharing your experience. I hope the replies here don't detour you from sharing again.

I think your comment "neck size ONLY" was taken the wrong way by many. Word choice is very important on these forums.

Keep up the good work and kudos on your success at 1000yds.

Joe S

 

[beaver hunter]

i am somewhat new to reloading, but just reloaded some once fired nosler brass in 7 STW and ran the cases through a neck sizing die , the bullets were seated in my rockchucker press and seamed to go in quite tight , then i reloaded some new nosler brass that said ( brass ready to load ) and the bullets went in quite easily compared the ones that were neck sized , how do you tell when the neck tenision is correct ??

 

[Remmy700]

Measure loaded round around the neck. Subtract the amount of neck tension u want so say .002, .003. And that is bushing u will want.

 

[misterc01]

My take on precision brass prep - I have one for new brass, another for fired brass.
New-to-me once fired brass is Fl resized, then treated as new brass.
Check, turn neck if necessary. Done once. Note size for Neck Bushing selection.
Fired brass: DePrime, Clean (tumble), inspect for wear.
Check Primer Pocket. Swage if necessary, then uniform PP. Done Once.
Use gauge to check PP size after each firing to ensure PP not worn beyond specs.
Deburr Flash hole - done once.
Measure Headspace. I use RCBS Precision Mic and Willis Digital.
Resize. Use bushing die, set headspace to .001 to .002 under SAMMI min
Neck sized to obtain .003 NT
Check with case gauge/Ammo Checker.
After resize, check length, trim If needed, deburr, chamfer.
ALWAYS deburr and chafer new brass as well.
Ultrasonic case clean to remove any lube
Prime
Add powder
Seat bullet - depth depends on what bullet/rifle and the rifle's preference.
Measured to ogive. Also measure COAL as consistency check.
Run through Lyman Ammo checker as doublecheck.
Measure runout and concentricity - adjust as needed.
Annealing is waiting for me to make an annealer.
I use checklist, so I always use and follow the same procedure, then add/modify as needed or I learn more (that is constantly happening)! It also gives me a ready reference for what I have loaded, as well as track how many times I have fired my brass.
Factory ammo: Like shawnb - load and fire. Usual source for my once fired brass
Time consuming. I do not rush, but gets me to what I feel is precision reloads.
Shooting it is giving me consistent velocity and MOA results, so works for me.
ALWAYS try to keep an open mind and consider what others are doing to see if I can refine my process.

 

[Barrelnut]

i am somewhat new to reloading, but just reloaded some once fired nosler brass in 7 STW and ran the cases through a neck sizing die , the bullets were seated in my rockchucker press and seamed to go in quite tight , then i reloaded some new nosler brass that said ( brass ready to load ) and the bullets went in quite easily compared the ones that were neck sized , how do you tell when the neck tenision is correct ??

Remmy is right for a bushing die. But, if you are using a regular die, you should run the new brass through the neck sizing die too. This will give the new brass the same neck tension as the fired brass. IMO it is always good idea to at least neck size the new brass too. Because the new necks are probably not perfectly round and could have a small dent or two around the neck.

 

[Remmy700]

Remmy is right for a bushing die. But, if you are using a regular die, you should run the new brass through the neck sizing die too. This will give the new brass the same neck tension as the fired brass. IMO it is always good idea to at least neck size the new brass too. Because the new necks are probably not perfectly round and could have a small dent or two around the neck.

This is also another good example when it's nice to have an expanded mandrel. That is the only thing I do to new brass. Run mandrel thru all the necks and then go play until all my stuff is formed, then the real prep and load work can begin.

 

[Steve Sheasly]

i am somewhat new to reloading, but just reloaded some once fired nosler brass in 7 STW and ran the cases through a neck sizing die , the bullets were seated in my rockchucker press and seamed to go in quite tight , then i reloaded some new nosler brass that said ( brass ready to load ) and the bullets went in quite easily compared the ones that were neck sized , how do you tell when the neck tenision is correct ??

Measure it, .002 to .003 crush/interference fit is what you want.

 

[Steve Sheasly]

My take on precision brass prep - I have one for new brass, another for fired brass.
New-to-me once fired brass is Fl resized, then treated as new brass.
Check, turn neck if necessary. Done once. Note size for Neck Bushing selection.
Fired brass: DePrime, Clean (tumble), inspect for wear.
Check Primer Pocket. Swage if necessary, then uniform PP. Done Once.
Use gauge to check PP size after each firing to ensure PP not worn beyond specs.
Deburr Flash hole - done once.
Measure Headspace. I use RCBS Precision Mic and Willis Digital.
Resize. Use bushing die, set headspace to .001 to .002 under SAMMI min
Neck sized to obtain .003 NT
Check with case gauge/Ammo Checker.
After resize, check length, trim If needed, deburr, chamfer.
ALWAYS deburr and chafer new brass
Prime
Add powder
Seat bullet - depth depends on what bullet/rifle and the rifle's preference.
Measured to ogive. Also measure COAL as consistency check.
Run through Lyman Ammo checker as doublecheck.
Measure runout and concentricity - adjust as needed.
Annealing is waiting for me to make an annealer.
I use checklist, so I always use and follow the same procedure, then add/modify as needed or I learn more (that is constantly happening)! It also gives me a ready reference for what I have loaded, as well as track how many times I have fired my brass.
Factory ammo: Like shawnb - load and fire. Usual source for my once fired brass
Time consuming. I do not rush, but gets me to what I feel is precision reloads.
Shooting it is giving me consistent velocity and MOA results, so works for me.
ALWAYS try to keep an open mind and consider what others are doing to see if I can refine my process.

I cannot stress the importance of blowing the case out with compressed air. I always and I mean always blow material out of the case after tumbling and soaking. It also makes certain the primer pocket is clean. If you do not have a compressor you can get one cheap or buy the compressed air in a can.

 

[Steve Sheasly]

@Steve Sheasly thank you for sharing your experience. I hope the replies here don't detour you from sharing again.

I think your comment "neck size ONLY" was taken the wrong way by many. Word choice is very important on these forums.

Keep up the good work and kudos on your success at 1000yds.

Joe S

Thank you! I am not sure how many of the people here have ever attempted a 1000 yard target ---- it is possible to put 10 rounds through the same hole, take the exact set up to a 1000 yard range and miss the target completely. It is hard to do and takes a lot of concentration, trigger pull, scope, DOPE, and you have to hold your mouth just right did I mention trigger pull?
I went back and edited my post I appreciate your kind words a lot. I thought I was doing pretty good. I shoot alone so the affirmation is very welcome.

@Steve Sheasly thank you for sharing your experience. I hope the replies here don't detour you from sharing again.

I think your comment "neck size ONLY" was taken the wrong way by many. Word choice is very important on these forums.

Keep up the good work and kudos on your success at 1000yds.

Joe S

 

[Steve Sheasly]

My take on precision brass prep - I have one for new brass, another for fired brass.
New-to-me once fired brass is Fl resized, then treated as new brass.
Check, turn neck if necessary. Done once. Note size for Neck Bushing selection.
Fired brass: DePrime, Clean (tumble), inspect for wear.
Check Primer Pocket. Swage if necessary, then uniform PP. Done Once.
Use gauge to check PP size after each firing to ensure PP not worn beyond specs.
Deburr Flash hole - done once.
Measure Headspace. I use RCBS Precision Mic and Willis Digital.
Resize. Use bushing die, set headspace to .001 to .002 under SAMMI min
Neck sized to obtain .003 NT
Check with case gauge/Ammo Checker.
After resize, check length, trim If needed, deburr, chamfer.
ALWAYS deburr and chafer new brass as well.
Ultrasonic case clean to remove any lube
Prime
Add powder
Seat bullet - depth depends on what bullet/rifle and the rifle's preference.
Measured to ogive. Also measure COAL as consistency check.
Run through Lyman Ammo checker as doublecheck.
Measure runout and concentricity - adjust as needed.
Annealing is waiting for me to make an annealer.
I use checklist, so I always use and follow the same procedure, then add/modify as needed or I learn more (that is constantly happening)! It also gives me a ready reference for what I have loaded, as well as track how many times I have fired my brass.
Factory ammo: Like shawnb - load and fire. Usual source for my once fired brass
Time consuming. I do not rush, but gets me to what I feel is precision reloads.
Shooting it is giving me consistent velocity and MOA results, so works for me.
ALWAYS try to keep an open mind and consider what others are doing to see if I can refine my process.

Good post -- I like the open mind it allows new thoughts to push out old paradigms.