New custom rifle with new brass

[Alibiiv]

I didn't catch what cartridge that you are loading for. First you have some great brass to work with. I load for a .270 Ackley Improved, unless you have a wildcat cartridge it is a little different to load for. I use the cream-of-wheat process to fire form my brass, from that point I blueprint the brass. (1) anneal the brass after fire forming and tumble/clean the brass, (2) full length resize with the expander plug removed from the die, then mandrel size the necks (4) trim to length (5) ream the primer pockets out and debur the inside of the flash hole (6) turn the necks to make them concentric with the inside of the neck. After 3-4 reloads I anneal the brass again. It might be a little different using Lapua brass; however, looking for either Lapua or Peterson brass in .270 Wincheser just "ain't" gonna happen. I have been looking for .280 Remington brass, however like the .270 Winchester brass, "it ain't gonna happen"!!! Good luck with your new build they're always fun to play with.

 

[bullet man]

that's a lot of work I put a slight flare to straighten out the mouth of the brass as well as making bullet seating easier less tension, then load them up I don't worry about the outside as I use a factory crimp die which will crush any burs left .

 

[Alibiiv]

that's a lot of work I put a slight flare to straighten out the mouth of the brass as well as making bullet seating easier less tension, then load them up I don't worry about the outside as I use a factory crimp die which will crush any burs left .

I answered the OP's question as to what I do and how I prep my brass. I also prep my "06" brass the same way, only I measure and bump the shoulder back a couple of thousandths. From my perspective I believe that making everything consistent makes for better accuracy!

 

[xsn10s]

Yeah it's lapua brass

Last time I looked at Lapua brass (2005) it was pretty good right from the box. I weigh sorted, checked flashholes, and checked concentricity, and it was really good straight from the factory. So it really depends on your rifle and the parameters you want. If it were me and my Gen 1 PSS, which is the most accurate I currently own, I'd just check the brass and maybe straight the case mouths with an expander ball. If there was a burr or raised lip on the case mouth I might vld chamfer and deburr. If you're benchrest or shooting beyond 1k then maybe delve into more case prep, otherwise I'd just run it. YMMV

 

[Dirt_Nap]

So I got my Sinclair mandrel die today. My lapua brass before the mandrel is pretty consistently around .2870 for the neck. After the mandrel it's right at .2880. Does that seem right? I thought it would be more

 

[cjl2010]

I'll usually mandrel the neck and load em up with a medium charge at .010 off. Then I'll set a plate from 400-600 and shoot it 100-200 times, depending how many pieces of brass I start with, from awkward positions. Unless it's a real barrel burner, that's how I typically start a barrel.

 

[Lenny Foffa]

I always neck size new brass first, then measure the cases. Sometimes I need to trim some of the cases 2 to 3 /1000ths. to the Specs listed in the books. Then chamfer, and deburr the case necks , then put a bore brush in the drill press and clean the inside of the necks. Also use the Lyman hand tool to deburr the inside of the flash hole. Then separate all the cases by weight. 2/10th to 3/10 max spread. Ex; 186.0 to 186.3 case weight. then 186.4 to 186 .7 the 186.8 to 186.9. ect. Then ,make some rounds at Recommended Max Coal as listed in the Loading books , based on the exact bullet you have selected , and some at 5/1000 under; and some at 10/1000 under, and some at 15/1000 under. Let you new rifle tell you which one it like the best!! All just standard basic stuff for rounds that will be used for hunting or target shooting. After your first range session, you will have fire formed all the rounds, and have separated them by weight, and will have some idea as to COAL you rifle will tolerate with a particular bullet. Keep the cases separated in the Blue ammo boxes and label the boxes to show what rifle/caliber they are being used in and the weight of the cases in that blue box. That's the beginning of the fun as you try different bullets with different powders. I find measuring to the OGIVE of a completed round is very helpful ( more so than just only COAL as bullet tips may vari as much a 5/1000 ths ) as you develop the loads. Hornady makes a special measuring Gauge for that, as well as a Gauge for measuring the overall cartridge length, with different bullets. I use them all the time. Date and and list the load and bullet used and save your targets in a three ring binder, and keep tract of you progress. Most of all go slowly and carefully and have fun making the new rifle perform. I love this stuff!!!!

 

[flyguy1]

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.

Surely you're not doing that to hand-lapped barrels, right?

 

[cjl2010]

Surely you're not doing that to hand-lapped barrels, right?

Should lap the crown in nicely