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Back when I started shooting (Reagan's 1st term) I was encouraged to always save the empties, because I'd be reloading some day. In 2000, I did finally start reloading, and I've been reloading ever since.
I find myself in an interesting situation. I need to run a batch of 8X57 before November to replenish my supply. However, all I have is brand new brass. It dawned on me: I've not hunted with loads where I was introducing new brass to the mix. It's all been 1-fired brass, in a lot of cases it was 1-fired from the rifle for which I was loading. In other cases, it was 1-fired that I bought online. I've shot new bass before, but never where everything else was known and settled.
So how does new brass generally change the mix? These are hunting loads that are well OFF-MAX. The brass is from the same batch as the previous ones. Left on my own, I'd just full-length resize and keep going.
Last edited by shaman; 09/24/20.
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Campfire Ranger
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Load them and keep on going. I always keep a few new ones stashed with which to load hunting ammo. Guaranteed peace of mind that zero issues crop up when away on a hunt.
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz
"Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
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With the new brass there's no need to resize them. They will fire form to fit the chamber of your rifle.
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Campfire Tracker
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with most but not all new brass the necks are not perfectly round, I like to run new brass through a Lee Collet necksizing die then deburr. quick and easy and insures consistent neck tension before you prime and load
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Campfire Tracker
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with most but not all new brass the necks are not perfectly round, I like to run new brass through a Lee Collet necksizing die then deburr. quick and easy and insures consistent neck tension before you prime and load +1
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Well, this is interesting.
I've heard full-length resize, neck size, and no sizing. Going into this, I was of the prediliction of first-time full-length sizing, but it was not a particularly educated opinion. I'll be interested in how this issue pans out.
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Campfire Tracker
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Well, this is interesting.
I've heard full-length resize, neck size, and no sizing. Going into this, I was of the prediliction of first-time full-length sizing, but it was not a particularly educated opinion. I'll be interested in how this issue pans out. Full length sizing is un necessary and the die will only touch the neck anyway, also the expander ball will do you no favors with concentricity. plus most lube when full length sizing.........no sizing can work in some cases but certainly not all. The Lee collet neck die, no downside to it on new brass
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I normally sort "new" cases by looking at them for dings,etc, in the neck area. some QC on my part. Then load a few with my chosen components, shoot to varife POI, them go hunting. Up here I`m not shooting more than 150 yrds anyway, so anything about 1 1/2" works.
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I learned early on that new unfired brass absorbs much of the energy from the initial firing just to expand into its chamber. I've quantified it by shooting a known load in new brass, chronographing, and comparing it to loads with the same weight brass that have been fired in in the same chamber using fired brass. There is about a 1 gr. difference in velocity as compared to fired brass.
In order to not waste good bullets what I always did was to fireform my brass in the rifle I was going to use, then size and load as usual.
Used to be bobski, member since '01
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You would want to match the head stamps and shoot them together. I would load three rounds of each head stamp with the same load and look for a POI shift. Likely you won't find one big enough to make a difference for hunting purposes, but you might. "Never", "not possible", "can't happen" are not words I generally use when it comes to reloading. Variations can mean nothing or a lot. Never know until you try it.
Fact is I never used new brass on reloads for hunting. If I make a load on a batch of brass I keep that brass together for that load. Mark the box and put the empty's back in that box as soon as you fire them.
The older I become the more I am convinced that the voice of honor in a man's heart is the voice of GOD.
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shaman,
As some have already mentioned, full-length resizing new brass is usually not only not necessary, but in what I call "basic" FL dies (which have an expander ball) often does it no good, because the expander pulls the neck out of alignment with the case body.
New brass is formed at the factory by a die that, unless really worn, leaves the cases really straight--because the die is not a resizing die, but the FINAL forming die, so does not have an expander ball.
That said, while the neck is straight, it's often dinged up, especially around the mouth. It's easy to fixed this by neck-sizing only, either by using a Lee Collet die or a basic FL die. With the basic die, just push the neck over the expander ball, then withdrawn the case. This normally does NOT pull the neck out if line with the case body, because the base of the case is supported squarely by the case holder as the case is pushed upward. You also normally don't even need to lube the inside of the neck, since bare brass is pretty slick.
It's only when RESIZING cases that problems with the expander ball occur, because only about half the rim is being held as the case is PULLED back over the resized neck.
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John Steinbeck
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You can bump it over the expander ball and call it good. Then chamfer that mouth, new brass often has a burr on the mouth. But chamber each empty case just to be sure.
Fact is, new brass or not, I chamber every round I'm taking hunting.
Last edited by Armednfree; 09/24/20.
The older I become the more I am convinced that the voice of honor in a man's heart is the voice of GOD.
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rather its new brass or used resized brass for my big game/coyote brass that i have loaded i always chamber my loaded or reloaded cartridges in the rifle i am hunting with,just to make sure it all fits good and i don`t get any bad surprises. have a great fall hunt,Pete53
LIFE NRA , we vote Red up here, Norseman
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Shaman, is there a reason you don't want to use your twice-fired brass?
'Four legs good, two legs baaaad."
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Some of it's tragic,
But I had a good life all the way."
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You can bump it over the expander ball and call it good. Then chamfer that mouth, new brass often has a burr on the mouth. But chamber each empty case just to be sure.
Fact is, new brass or not, I chamber every round I'm taking hunting. This. And I prefer 1x brass, since I only neck size. The 1x brass is now custom fit to my chamber. For hunting loads the difference isn't significant. P
Obey lawful commands. Video interactions. Hold bad cops accountable. Problem solved.
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shaman,
As some have already mentioned, full-length resizing new brass is usually not only not necessary, but in what I call "basic" FL dies (which have an expander ball) often does it no good, because the expander pulls the neck out of alignment with the case body.
New brass is formed at the factory by a die that, unless really worn, leaves the cases really straight--because the die is not a resizing die, but the FINAL forming die, so does not have an expander ball.
That said, while the neck is straight, it's often dinged up, especially around the mouth. It's easy to fixed this by neck-sizing only, either by using a Lee Collet die or a basic FL die. With the basic die, just push the neck over the expander ball, then withdrawn the case. This normally does NOT pull the neck out if line with the case body, because the base of the case is supported squarely by the case holder as the case is pushed upward. You also normally don't even need to lube the inside of the neck, since bare brass is pretty slick.
It's only when RESIZING cases that problems with the expander ball occur, because only about half the rim is being held as the case is PULLED back over the resized neck. OK. I'll neck size with the Lee Collet Die and go from there. Shaman, is there a reason you don't want to use your twice-fired brass? I've got 3 piles of brass for this rifle at the moment: 1) The unfired brass that came from Grafs when I acquired the rifle 2) A batch of brass that's had a few loadings and is partially used 3) A couple of small lots that I used when I was developing loads. Even if I threw them all in, they'd be too few. I intended to pull brass from pile #1.
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Shaman, is there a reason you don't want to use your twice-fired brass? I've got 3 piles of brass for this rifle at the moment:
1) The unfired brass that came from Grafs when I acquired the rifle
2) A batch of brass that's had a few loadings and is partially used
3) A couple of small lots that I used when I was developing loads. Even if I threw them all in, they'd be too few.
I intended to pull brass from pile #1.
Got it, makes all the sense in the world. Good hunting.
'Four legs good, two legs baaaad."
----------------------------------------------
"Jimmy, some of it's magic,
Some of it's tragic,
But I had a good life all the way."
(Jimmy Buffett)
SotG
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Campfire Savant
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I full length size mine, because I had 50 new pieces of 270 WSM brass that only half would chamber. I make sure every piece of brass will chamber before I load it for hunting now.
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I full length size mine, because I had 50 new pieces of 270 WSM brass that only half would chamber. I make sure every piece of brass will chamber before I load it for hunting now. Never seen that EVER !!!!!!!!........must have been some real Chit brass, I'd have tossed it all and started over
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I use Lapua and Norma brass. All I do is trim to length, prime and load.
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