New custom rifle with new brass

[Dirt_Nap]

Does anyone do anything particular when reloading for a new rifle with new brass? Any special case prep?

 

[Rick Richard]

Does anyone do anything particular when reloading for a new rifle with new brass? Any special case prep?

Just fire form if it is quality brass. After a couple of firings, trim all the same length.

 

[Dirt_Nap]

Just fire form if it is quality brass. After a couple of firings, trim all the same length.

Yeah it's lapua brass

 

[QuietTexan]

I mandrel expand new necks to fix the bent mouths that inevitably happen in boxed brass, even Lapua. I use the LE Wilson new mandrels, which should result in an ID of 0.0015" under caliber on new brass:

Expanding Mandrel Die-EXP-

NEW Expanding Mandrel Die from L.E. Wilson – Ultimate Reloader

ultimatereloader.com

I also use the 21st Century set in 0.0005" increments for reloading cases, but I like the LE Wilson for new cases.

Caliber Specific Expander Mandrel Kits

Our caliber specific expander mandrels are available in .0005” increments in calibers 22 to 338 and will range from .001” above bullet diameter to at least .003” below bullet diameter depending on caliber. This will allow the reloader to find proper neck tension to fine-tune their loads. The...

21stcenturyinnovation.com

I also use Imperial dry neck lube on cases before I charge them. I've heard some people dunk bullets, I've been meaning to try that instead of dunking the case, not sure there's any benefit to lubing the outside of the neck like Redding mentions.

Imperial Dry Neck Lube Convenience Pak - Redding Reloading Equipment: reloading equipment for rifles, handguns, pistols, revolvers and SAECO bullet casting equipment

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www.redding-reloading.com

 

[Dirt_Nap]

I mandrel expand new necks to fix the bent mouths that inevitably happen in boxed brass, even Lapua. I use the LE Wilson new mandrels, which should result in an ID of 0.0015" under caliber on new brass:

Expanding Mandrel Die-EXP-

NEW Expanding Mandrel Die from L.E. Wilson – Ultimate Reloader

ultimatereloader.com

I also use the 21st Century set in 0.0005" increments for reloading cases, but I like the LE Wilson for new cases.

I heard some do this. I was told my barrel will take a few hundred rounds to "speed up". So if that's the case, would expanding the necks be a mute point until I really start reloading after my brass is fire formed?

 

[QuietTexan]

I do it because you can get new brass to shoot well and I'll start immediately on ruling out powders using them. No need to let bent mouths waste components. Some cases are very tight and need to be opened to seat bullets well.

 

[Dirt_Nap]

I do it because you can get new brass to shoot well and I'll start immediately on ruling out powders using them. No need to let bent mouths waste components. Some cases are very tight and need to be opened to seat bullets well.

That makes sense. Thx

 

[nealm66]

I like to get some measurements of the new brass before fire forming to see how much they change

 

[nealm66]

In my experience, if the brass doesn't grow very much then resizing can get you pretty close but if it grows a lot, I wouldnt go through too much trouble. Maybe get a rough idea on velocity but it's going to be off from a correctly sized

 

[budlight]

We have found that instead of doing some barrel breakin ritual. You buy a cleaning bore snake for your cal. Buy a bottle of Castrol chrome wheel and bumper polish. apply it to the bore snake and adding more as you go. Do about 100 pulls through the barrel in both directions. I actually do about 150 pulls through 416 Stainless because it's harder.

You have zero breakin per say. The rifle is ready to go sight in.

 

[MagnumManiac]

My brass prep on new cases for a new barrel is this:
Run all cases through Neck only die or mandrel to get the IF I want.
Prep all flash holes with CORRECT size drill bit.
Lube all necks with powdered graphite.
I then do seating depth tests, primer/powder combo tests and once all that is done, I should have about 50 cases ready to start OCW testing.
If need be, I will pick a middle powder and load a middle load to fire form all 200 cases with a cheap bullet.
But, I find if I load a batch, culling any that shoot out of the norm, I will have 100 cases that are exactly the same for my comp guns.
After all this, they then get trimmed, annealed every firing and bumped with modified FL dies or a combination of Body die, mandrel or FL die and mandrel.
I don't touch primer pockets, I adjust HOW the primer is seated, both depth and crush.

Cheers.

 

[nealm66]

In my experience, if the brass doesn't grow very much then resizing can get you pretty close but if it grows a lot, I wouldnt go through too much trouble. Maybe get a rough idea on velocity but it's going to be off from a correctly sized

Sorry, lol, meant to say if the brass grows a lot during fire forming, in my experience, it will need to be fire formed before development.

 

[Paulstarr]

Quiet Texan I'm with you,I use a mandril to expand the cases and correct the dented mouths then I use a RCBS 3in1neck chamfer tool just to put a chamfer on the case inside and out without taking anything off the length.Flash-holes on European brass are drilled not punched so I don't touch them,I then resize the neck with a bushing die so as to match my existing brass.
I then anneal them for uniformity.I also use mica powder on the inside of the case mouth usually 10 mins before I powder charge them, it works for me.

 

[esshup]

Pretty much what everybody else does. The only thing I do differently than my usual loading procedure to new brass is uniform primer pockets, drill and deburr the flash hole, chamfer inside/outside of the necks. Then after a full load firing I will trim to minimum , re-chamfer the necks again and go shoot. I only bump the shoulders back until the bolt closes with a hint of resistance vs. an empty chamber when FL resizing.