Just kinda curious about something. I've been reloading for awhile, since 99 and have probably went through the phases reloaders progress through during that time, but I'm starting to wonder if sometimes, less may be more.
I started reloading when I was 19, so I could shoot more, and shoot I did. I went from shooting 22 lots to shooting centerfire lots. It was great. And then I began to start loading more accurate ammo, and progressed into wanting more velocity and on into bigger magnums and so on.
After awhile life happened and I began to have to limit the funds I was pouring into my vault and shooting. SO, typically, I try to save money on components and in the process learned how to make cases from a plentiful caliber to fit a not plentiful caliber. I learned early on how to make 270 cases from 30-06 and much more recently how to make 257 & 270 wby cases from 7mm rem.
In the pursuit of accuracy and wanting to have safe wildcatted cases, I started neck turning. My 257 wby cases made from 7mm brass were usually a little thick in the neck wall and would shoot much better if I just took a little and turned them down to the same thickness as factory 257 necks and they shot great, 1/2" out of an unfloated wby vanguard sporter. And it has carried from there into other guns that I want optimum accuracy from.
It turns out that it isn't the end all, some rifles are chambered with lots of neck tolerance and you get a nasty carbon stain on your case indicating a poor seal and likely big wear on your throat from the gases leaving the carbon there.
Other times, the brass is great from the factory and there was little point in messing with it. I found that with Norma and Wby 30-378 cases.
In the same manner, I started deburring flashholes and I'm starting to wonder if there is a point where less may be more.
Obviously, I don't turn all the necks for all my loading, but is there a point where you'll do more harm than good if you deburr the flashholes and neckturn enough to at least get a polish all the way around etc??
I usually only load this way for guns that I expect to shoot sub MOA or with cases that I have modified to fit another caliber because it takes along time to produce 50 cases ready to load.
If I am going that far, should I be uniforming primer pockets too??
THe reason I ask is, I have learned most of this stuff on my own and there are some target people on here that probably have already learned these things and more.
Generally, I have more time to sit down at my reloading bench for a 1/2 hour or so in the evening after dark than to gather up my stuff and go to the range, set up my chrony etc. For that I need a couple hours.
Basically, I am just wondering if there are other ways to make a rifle shoot well without investing that much time into each case.
I started reloading when I was 19, so I could shoot more, and shoot I did. I went from shooting 22 lots to shooting centerfire lots. It was great. And then I began to start loading more accurate ammo, and progressed into wanting more velocity and on into bigger magnums and so on.
After awhile life happened and I began to have to limit the funds I was pouring into my vault and shooting. SO, typically, I try to save money on components and in the process learned how to make cases from a plentiful caliber to fit a not plentiful caliber. I learned early on how to make 270 cases from 30-06 and much more recently how to make 257 & 270 wby cases from 7mm rem.
In the pursuit of accuracy and wanting to have safe wildcatted cases, I started neck turning. My 257 wby cases made from 7mm brass were usually a little thick in the neck wall and would shoot much better if I just took a little and turned them down to the same thickness as factory 257 necks and they shot great, 1/2" out of an unfloated wby vanguard sporter. And it has carried from there into other guns that I want optimum accuracy from.
It turns out that it isn't the end all, some rifles are chambered with lots of neck tolerance and you get a nasty carbon stain on your case indicating a poor seal and likely big wear on your throat from the gases leaving the carbon there.
Other times, the brass is great from the factory and there was little point in messing with it. I found that with Norma and Wby 30-378 cases.
In the same manner, I started deburring flashholes and I'm starting to wonder if there is a point where less may be more.
Obviously, I don't turn all the necks for all my loading, but is there a point where you'll do more harm than good if you deburr the flashholes and neckturn enough to at least get a polish all the way around etc??
I usually only load this way for guns that I expect to shoot sub MOA or with cases that I have modified to fit another caliber because it takes along time to produce 50 cases ready to load.
If I am going that far, should I be uniforming primer pockets too??
THe reason I ask is, I have learned most of this stuff on my own and there are some target people on here that probably have already learned these things and more.
Generally, I have more time to sit down at my reloading bench for a 1/2 hour or so in the evening after dark than to gather up my stuff and go to the range, set up my chrony etc. For that I need a couple hours.
Basically, I am just wondering if there are other ways to make a rifle shoot well without investing that much time into each case.
