New reloader, should I buy new brass or once fired?
- Thread starter lord-humungous
- Start date
I would start with at least some of the cheapest brass you can find for the same reason your first mountain bike should be a piece of crap -- you are going to wreck stuff as you learn.
So long as it is cheap, known to be once fired, and has the same headstamp, you have all you need to start in to rolling your own uberload for next fall.
So long as it is cheap, known to be once fired, and has the same headstamp, you have all you need to start in to rolling your own uberload for next fall.
Mount Sweetness
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Ontario
I pick up a box or two of cheap ammo and have some fun shooting your new gun....then use the 40 cases to load up.
.270 Winchester or .270 WSM?
If you are new to the gun, calibre and reloading I would do a little of both. Buy a box or 2 of factory ammo to use and save the brass, also you could pick up some new and or decent used brass to load with as well. Having fired some safe factory ammo this will let you know how the gun works with less variables. You could also PM me and I'd be happy to send a new reloader some used brass.
If you are new to the gun, calibre and reloading I would do a little of both. Buy a box or 2 of factory ammo to use and save the brass, also you could pick up some new and or decent used brass to load with as well. Having fired some safe factory ammo this will let you know how the gun works with less variables. You could also PM me and I'd be happy to send a new reloader some used brass.
x2 but I'd keep a couple of factory rounds aside as a measurable reference for your reloads. This is by no means necessary but can be reassuring until you're 100% confident in your product.
This is how I'd add to my brass. IMHO this is why they call it reloading. If you're gonna buy new brass it may as well have a bullet and some powder in it
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mike shickele
Regular
I would suggest that you start out with a couple of boxes of factory ammo...........for 2 reasons. First, when you fire it in your rifle, it will be fireformed, and you won't have waisted components in doing so. Second, it will give you an idea as to what the primer should look like when fired at pressures that a factory conciders acceptable.
Mike
Mike
As a dedicated reloader I take pride in having a number of new to me guns that have never, and will never, shoot factory ammo. Thats just me though.
I buy once fired and new brass off the EE all the time. I also scrounge once fired brass off all my hunting buddies. 270 should be easy to find
I buy once fired and new brass off the EE all the time. I also scrounge once fired brass off all my hunting buddies. 270 should be easy to find
I buy only new,bulk brass,because I don't want brass that may have been stretched by firing in a longer chamber.If it has been fired in a longer chamber,and your rifle has a tight chamber,your dies may not bump the shoulder back far enough to chamber it easily.
I will go along with the -buy two boxes of factory ammo- crowd.
I am not a fan of unknown, once fired brass. It's true, 270 should have been shot in a good chamber, but after all, the 270 has been around for eighty plus years.
You shouldn't ruin the brass with starting out reloading, if you take your time and follow a proper procedure.
Also, with your factory ammo, make two or three, five shot groups at 100 yards, using the best rest you can get. Don't let the barrel cool off between shots, just normal, slow fire. Let it cool between groups.
What the groups look like will determine the condition of your new rifle. If you are lucky, the five shots may make a round group, of maybe 1 to 1½ inches.
If you are unlucky, the bullets may walk, with the last one hitting three plus inches, often higher, than the first.
If this happens, have your rifle bedded, before you waste more ammo on it.
I am not a fan of unknown, once fired brass. It's true, 270 should have been shot in a good chamber, but after all, the 270 has been around for eighty plus years.
You shouldn't ruin the brass with starting out reloading, if you take your time and follow a proper procedure.
Also, with your factory ammo, make two or three, five shot groups at 100 yards, using the best rest you can get. Don't let the barrel cool off between shots, just normal, slow fire. Let it cool between groups.
What the groups look like will determine the condition of your new rifle. If you are lucky, the five shots may make a round group, of maybe 1 to 1½ inches.
If you are unlucky, the bullets may walk, with the last one hitting three plus inches, often higher, than the first.
If this happens, have your rifle bedded, before you waste more ammo on it.
Was a time not so long ago when the CGN reloading forum wasn't worth looking at because the quality of the advice was just... bad. Interesting how things have turned around the last couple years. Sorry, back to topic 
.
I mostly start with new brass - be it loaded factory ammo or bulk brass, for the reason Stubblejumper said. It just takes away one unneeded variable. But i don't condemn using 1F from a different rifle - it's cheaper. You just need to be more thorough on your before and after-firing inspections, and you might not get as many firings from it because it will need to be FL resized before load it the first time, while brass from the same rifle shouldn't need FL sizing. For picky eaters like automatics and pumps that need to be FL resized every loading you may as well buy 1F brass.
On a new to you rifle - shooting a box of factory ammo that's the same make as your reloading brass is a good practise. It's useful to have 1F factory cases to compare to your handloaded fired cases from the same rifle. Combined with a chronograph and a good measuring instruments it can give you some valuable insight into the pressure levels of your reloads.
. I mostly start with new brass - be it loaded factory ammo or bulk brass, for the reason Stubblejumper said. It just takes away one unneeded variable. But i don't condemn using 1F from a different rifle - it's cheaper. You just need to be more thorough on your before and after-firing inspections, and you might not get as many firings from it because it will need to be FL resized before load it the first time, while brass from the same rifle shouldn't need FL sizing. For picky eaters like automatics and pumps that need to be FL resized every loading you may as well buy 1F brass.
On a new to you rifle - shooting a box of factory ammo that's the same make as your reloading brass is a good practise. It's useful to have 1F factory cases to compare to your handloaded fired cases from the same rifle. Combined with a chronograph and a good measuring instruments it can give you some valuable insight into the pressure levels of your reloads.
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New 270 brass is about cheap and easy to find as brass gets.Is once fired truly once fired? If you find the empty box and the shiny brass at the range,yes,but off sellers,maybe. The range brass might also be the wrong brand,say Federal and you have mostly Winchester. Those two brands shouldn't be mixed,they are usually very diferent weights.That happens to me all the time.I'm only thinking here,but I would think neck tension affects accuracy,brass stiffens with use.Once fired has a place,cheap plinking loads,for hunting loads,use the good stuff.
The guys are right. Go blow off a couple of boxes of factory ammo and have some fun. With the EE, you never really know what you're getting. I bought some "once fired" brass a while ago that wound up having reloading die scratches on it and no, they weren't full length sized and deprimed before they were sold. It's buyer beware out there. If you're just starting out, you'll have a few problems all on your own without somebody selling you more.
Here is an excert from my Lyman 49th Reloading Handbook;
Caution: Load only cases which you have obtained as new unfired brass or which you have on hand as the result of firing new factory ammo in the firearm for which you wish to reload. A few pennies saved on bargain "once-fired" brass makes little sense when one considers the cost of a firearm and/or medical treatment, or worse. Stay with new cases and keep the selection of brass worry-free and safe.
I am also new to reloading and prefer to err on the side of caution. Learning this new hobby and reading the endless resources is turning out to be one of the most interesting and fun hobbies of all.
Good day and keep safe!
Caution: Load only cases which you have obtained as new unfired brass or which you have on hand as the result of firing new factory ammo in the firearm for which you wish to reload. A few pennies saved on bargain "once-fired" brass makes little sense when one considers the cost of a firearm and/or medical treatment, or worse. Stay with new cases and keep the selection of brass worry-free and safe.
I am also new to reloading and prefer to err on the side of caution. Learning this new hobby and reading the endless resources is turning out to be one of the most interesting and fun hobbies of all.
Good day and keep safe!
