Brass prep

[Marcus99]

Hi guys, I've been reloading for a lot of years now but I'm really wanting to take my rifle loads to the next level and get a little more serious. That being said all of my rifles are pretty much stock from the factory, I'm not shooting benchrest or custom guns, but I do want to get the most out of my rifles in terms of accuracy.

My question is in regards to brass prep. I know that trim length is important but how precise does one have to be? I've never seemed to have a problem with any terribly long brass in pretty much every caliber I reload. In fact most of my 2-4 times fired brass falls right around the recommended trim length in my hornady manual and some even shorter. All of it is well below the max trim length. Whats an acceptable deviation in regards to length? 0.001? 0.003? 0.010?


I've also heard of people weighting brass and grouping them by weight, but what is an acceptable deviation in weight? within .2grains? within 1.0 grains? within 2-3 grains?

Any advice is appreciated.

[BobGun]

I trim all my brass to within .002 of the length I want. I do not weigh cases, but fill then with water and then weigh the water. Internal cap. is more important than what the case weighs. The weight can vary without effecting the cap. As what is acceptable that is up to the reloader. Some are more fussy than others.

[Bang]

BobGun, are you saying that two brass of the same manufacture having identical external dimensions and weighing the same will hold different volumes? What variations can be expected?

And why weigh it instead of a volume check via a graduate?

[Marcus99]

I've always just used the trim length listed in my reloading manual is that acceptable? or is there some other method I should be using. Does length make a difference(no chuckles please) as long as it's not above the listed max trim length and everything is uniform?

[Delkal]

Cases from different manufacturers can differ in internal case capacity. Especially for rifle cartridges. As a disclaimer I do not know if 10 year old Federal brass is exactly the same as their new brass but I never had a problem.

In general here is what I do.......

When I push a max load or for an accuracy load I always use the same headstamp.

For accuracy loads with rifles (<1/2 inch) I trim then to minimum after each shot.

Midrange loads for pistols I use any floor swept brass I can find at the range (or even in the trashcan).

I do not trim pistol cartriges. When the neck splits I throw them away.

[Marcus99]

When buying expensive brass like lapua what are you paying for? The capacities are more uniform? The brass is thicker or lasts longer?

[bamboomaster]

When buying expensive brass like lapua what are you paying for? The capacities are more uniform? The brass is thicker or lasts longer?

The weights (never measured capacities) on the Lapua rounds are NOT more uniform - where my Lapua cases for 7.62x51 are concerned.

In the 400 empty cases that I sorted at the time, there was a 2% difference between highest and lowest weight. I thought it was significant.

I used this brass to shoot 175 grn Sierra's. The Sierra's weighed between 174.8 to 175.2, roughly a .11% variance.

FWIW, while some say that everything depends on uniformity, while I'm inclined to agree, I'd just like to suggest something: around 25% of whatever to can do with case weights, bullet weights, trim lengths, chamfering the case, etc. are impeded if you don't ream the INSIDE of the primer pocket. Many of the primer pockets are "drilled in" and there is detritus hanging in there from the production process that will affect accuracy.

You'd be surprised how accuracy rises to a new node in your reloads in your rifle if you took care of reaming the inside.

Oddly, if you do this (ream the inside of the primer pockets) to Winchester, Federal, Black Hills, etc. brass, your accuracy is just gonna shine...

[Marcus99]

The weights (never measured capacities) on the Lapua rounds are NOT more uniform - where my Lapua cases for 7.62x51 are concerned.

In the 400 empty cases that I sorted at the time, there was a 2% difference between highest and lowest weight. I thought it was significant.

I used this brass to shoot 175 grn Sierra's. The Sierra's weighed between 174.8 to 175.2, roughly a .11% variance.

FWIW, while some say that everything depends on uniformity, while I'm inclined to agree, I'd just like to suggest something: around 25% of whatever to can do with case weights, bullet weights, trim lengths, chamfering the case, etc. are impeded if you don't ream the INSIDE of the primer pocket. Many of the primer pockets are "drilled in" and there is detritus hanging in there from the production process that will affect accuracy.

You'd be surprised how accuracy rises to a new node in your reloads in your rifle if you took care of reaming the inside.

Oddly, if you do this (ream the inside of the primer pockets) to Winchester, Federal, Black Hills, etc. brass, your accuracy is just gonna shine...

I do use a flash hole deburring tool, thanks.

[Fred762]

I mostly load for pistols these days since I have a "pistol pit" in the back yard.... but "back in the day" I grouped my brass by manufacturer if possible, then by weight. I never tried weighing the water. Trim to 0.002
I don't deburr the primer pockets any more..I bought a Dillon swadger tool wh I bolted to my bench. It has a couple of rams which resize the primer pockets fast. Chk it out.

My brass prep is:
1Tumble for 2-3 hrs per batch in walnut media w a bit of brass polish in it
2 resize and deprime and swadge pockets if needed
3. sort brass
4. soak a batch of brass in water + Dawn for 24 + hrs
5. rinse well.
6. check primer pockets and scrape any residue OUT w small screwdriver or other tool if needed..rarely needed
7. soak cases in vinegar or Coca-Cola for 4-5 hrs
8. rinse well and dry on towel for 24-36 hrs
9. sort and weigh brass if needed
10. trim and de-burr any rifle brass if needed.

Hint..for .223 reloads I save brass and mail it in to a commercial reloader in trade for 1000 comm'l reloads for practice.

[Marcus99]

I mostly load for pistols these days since I have a "pistol pit" in the back yard.... but "back in the day" I grouped my brass by manufacturer if possible, then by weight. I never tried weighing the water. Trim to 0.002
I don't deburr the primer pockets any more..I bought a Dillon swadger tool wh I bolted to my bench. It has a couple of rams which resize the primer pockets fast. Chk it out.

My brass prep is:
1Tumble for 2-3 hrs per batch in walnut media w a bit of brass polish in it
2 resize and deprime and swadge pockets if needed
3. sort brass
4. soak a batch of brass in water + Dawn for 24 + hrs
5. rinse well.
6. check primer pockets and scrape any residue OUT w small screwdriver or other tool if needed..rarely needed
7. soak cases in vinegar or Coca-Cola for 4-5 hrs
8. rinse well and dry on towel for 24-36 hrs
9. sort and weigh brass if needed
10. trim and de-burr any rifle brass if needed.

Hint..for .223 reloads I save brass and mail it in to a commercial reloader in trade for 1000 comm'l reloads for practice.

Wow that's too much cleaning for me haha. I deprime and then sonic cleaner for 1-2 hrs, rinse and dry in a food dehydrator.