I just checked all three of these after running them over a Sinclair expander mandrel. All are good, but not the same. Lapua has 0.002, Nosler 0.001, and Alpha 0.000. All my new domestic brass is sealed in bags so I didn’t run any of that, but from experience it might be closer to 0.004. Not that this tells us much, but it is a comparison that can be measured.
New Nosler, Lapua, and Alpha brass run out.
- Thread starter chuck nelson
- Start date
It sounds like you measured neck runout and not bullet runout, I check neck runout after full length resizing to make sure the die is setup correctly and the expander is not pulling the neck off center.
If you full length resize without the expander and then check case neck runout the cases will be as concentric as they ever will be.
"BUT" if you did not turn your case necks and expand the necks you are just measuring neck wall thickness variations.
I check my case necks with a Redding neck thickness like pictured below, and I want the neck runout to be the same as the neck thickness variation.
After loading the cases I check bullet runout to make sure I do not have seating problems and inducing bullet runout.
So again I measure neck thickness variations and then check neck runout on unturned case necks and both readings should be close to each other.
NOTE, the U.S. Military considers match grade ammunition to have .003 or less bullet runout.
If you full length resize without the expander and then check case neck runout the cases will be as concentric as they ever will be.
"BUT" if you did not turn your case necks and expand the necks you are just measuring neck wall thickness variations.
I check my case necks with a Redding neck thickness like pictured below, and I want the neck runout to be the same as the neck thickness variation.
After loading the cases I check bullet runout to make sure I do not have seating problems and inducing bullet runout.
So again I measure neck thickness variations and then check neck runout on unturned case necks and both readings should be close to each other.
NOTE, the U.S. Military considers match grade ammunition to have .003 or less bullet runout.
