New brass

[sable tireur]

Haha thank you!!! I really do appreciate the help!! I have tried to learn the reloading process on my own and the help of YouTube/forums/books.

I admire your tenacity, trying to learn the reloading process on your own. It's not easy and the trail can be strewn with pitfalls and boulders.

I am certainly not attaching any blame at all but usually I suggest trying real hard to find a mentor to assist with the training, at least for the basics. Then, if they are amenable, they can help you work through the tougher, more advanced concepts. I had an excellent mentor for reloading and he was ingenious with wildcats.

Fortunately there are dozens of reliable, technical books about reloading as well as the reloading manual themselves. More manual are better especially some of the older volumes with some great although dated information. I find them in the used bookstores.

Enjoy!

 

[SHEDKING]

I admire your tenacity, trying to learn the reloading process on your own. It's not easy and the trail can be strewn with pitfalls and boulders.

I am certainly not attaching any blame at all but usually I suggest trying real hard to find a mentor to assist with the training, at least for the basics. Then, if they are amenable, they can help you work through the tougher, more advanced concepts. I had an excellent mentor for reloading and he was ingenious with wildcats.

Fortunately there are dozens of reliable, technical books about reloading as well as the reloading manual themselves. More manual are better especially some of the older volumes with some great although dated information. I find them in the used bookstores.

Enjoy!

Thanks!! Yes I have bought around 15 books so far(used/new) including reloading manuals.
It's definitely something I really enjoy doing.

 

[sable tireur]

I am an avid reader and reloading manuals along with books about reloading fascinate me still. It's some of the best reading I have done!

Enjoy!

 

[338 dude]

Haha thank you!!! I really do appreciate the help!! I have tried to learn the reloading process on my own and the help of YouTube/forums/books.

It can be done on your own but it's tough !I had no mentor and learned everything I know since joining this site,I credit this forum for any skills I have today.

 

[BrentM]

I resize it mainly to ensure the necks are good to go and have some lube. I never just shoot new brass due to inconsistencies in neck tension etc

 

[misterc01]

pretty much prep as I woudl once fired. Biggest issue I have found is the neck MUST be deburred and chamfered. he edges are al fairly sharp.

 

[F&H1821]

Ok so my question is do you resize new brass? When I got my 338 lapua last year I bought factory ammo to do break in on the barrel and I have been using that brass since. The other day I picked up 200 new pieces of brass for a great deal. I know on the box it says fully prepped brass but was curious how some of you guys do it!!? Thanks TO resize or not?

I measure head space then prep as needed. An example -- a recent new box of 33 Nosler brass from Nosler actually chambered tighter than once fired factory ammo, indicated by the bolt being tight to close. I measured head space (on shoulder) and the new brass was actually longer than the once-fired. So I shoulder bumped new brass back about 0.002" or so and then the boat closed just fine. Also, when you look at the necks, in bulk packs (e.g. but not ADG who packs their brass in a plastic ammo box, each piece in a divided compartment, thick foam pad on top) their are often many necks that are dented. With that Nosler brass, I ran the standard expander ball when I shoulder bumped followed by a neck sizing die to at least make sure neck tension would be consistent. I have changed that part and now just use a Wilson neck mandrel, with a caliber-specific stem. Would be interested to hear feedback on that.
After all that, I ream the flash holes for consistent primer fire, then deburr and chamfer.
That may seem like a lot of work for brass claiming to be ready to load, but IMO it is worth it if you are going to the trouble of tuning a specific load for a precise rifle.

 

[Mike Matteson]

If new brass not ever been fired. I set up and cut all cases to one length. Then cut there necks to a thickness. I Deburr the flash holes, check the primer pockets for depth. I volume weight the cases. I generally don't FL size the cases. I do check the ID of the neck for tension. If it's move than I want I use a mandrel to expand. Set up and fireform the cases. Using 2nd in bullets, and primers I don't like. Some type of powder I don't use generally.

 

[308plinkerVT]

Look at Zedicker books about loading ammo - his last one was top notch and the book I hope my boys find first when they inherit my stuff. Sinclair has been in the accuracy biz for a while and are proven, they also offer dry lube for neck only sizing/operations that doesn't affect powder, so that's my go to. If you find the mandrel of choice doesn't create your desired tension they used to special order, and probably still do.

 

[parshal]

I run a mandrel in the necks of new brass. Load it up and take it to a PRS/NRL match. I've never noticed enough difference on targets in those matches to warrant anything more. Did exactly that with the 300 PRC for the NF ELR in two weeks. My misses won't be due to lack of new brass prep.

 

[lancetkenyon]

For the first firing all I do is run an expanding mandrel through the necks to ensure proper tension after fire forming then they get full resized

^ This

 

[xsn10s]

Ok so my question is do you resize new brass? When I got my 338 lapua last year I bought factory ammo to do break in on the barrel and I have been using that brass since. The other day I picked up 200 new pieces of brass for a great deal. I know on the box it says fully prepped brass but was curious how some of you guys do it!!? Thanks TO resize or not?

"Fully Prepped brass"? Is it Nosler brass? I have ran them through a mandrel and other times just a partial resize in a FL die. I'm not resizing, just deep enough to true the neck and ran over the expanded ball. Then VLD chamfer and deburr.

 

[spladi]

Haha thank you!!! I really do appreciate the help!! I have tried to learn the reloading process on my own and the help of YouTube/forums/books.

Study and follow a good reloading manual and you will be fine.

 

[SHEDKING]

It can be done on your own but it's tough !I had no mentor and learned everything I know since joining this site,I credit this forum for any skills I have today.

I measure head space then prep as needed. An example -- a recent new box of 33 Nosler brass from Nosler actually chambered tighter than once fired factory ammo, indicated by the bolt being tight to close. I measured head space (on shoulder) and the new brass was actually longer than the once-fired. So I shoulder bumped new brass back about 0.002" or so and then the boat closed just fine. Also, when you look at the necks, in bulk packs (e.g. but not ADG who packs their brass in a plastic ammo box, each piece in a divided compartment, thick foam pad on top) their are often many necks that are dented. With that Nosler brass, I ran the standard expander ball when I shoulder bumped followed by a neck sizing die to at least make sure neck tension would be consistent. I have changed that part and now just use a Wilson neck mandrel, with a caliber-specific stem. Would be interested to hear feedback on that.
After all that, I ream the flash holes for consistent primer fire, then deburr and chamfer.
That may seem like a lot of work for brass claiming to be ready to load, but IMO it is worth it if you are going to the trouble of tuning a specific load for a precise rifle.

Yeah I am with you I am not to concerned with the extra steps in the process I just want to make sure everything is consistent in my process

"Fully Prepped brass"? Is it Nosler brass? I have ran them through a mandrel and other times just a partial resize in a FL die. I'm not resizing, just deep enough to true the neck and ran over the expanded ball. Then VLD chamfer and deburr.

it is nosler brass.