Size new brass?

rkaine

rkaine

CGN Regular
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Hamilton, Ontario
Do you size brand new brass? I've got some winchester brass, .223, and was going to load it, however, not sure if I should size it first - my Lyman 48th edition says you don't need to.

Advice appreciated.

Ron
 
rkaine said:
Do you size brand new brass? I've got some winchester brass, .223, and was going to load it, however, not sure if I should size it first - my Lyman 48th edition says you don't need to.

Advice appreciated.

Ron
Click to expand...
Yup.
Apart from neck sizing...to make sure they're actually round and will give the
same bullet tension, you should also chamfer the case mouth.....
(With Lapua brass, neck size and you're good to go.....)
 
Yup me too !

Was running a bunch of new .264 Win Mag through the FL sizer one night and really didn't notice at the time. In one of the new, sealed ( Winchester) bags of 50 - .264's were two "bonus" .300 Win Mags. - Never happened before or since ... only way I noticed was that the 2- .300's were harder to size ... and no they didn't stick, just sized right down to .264 ... but the necks sure looked way too long !!!

Still in the habit 40 years later ... FL size, trim, chamfer in & out & deburr the flash holes. That way, you know exactly what you're starting with. At the very least, you'll bring the necks back to being round ... almost every bag of new brass I've opened has had a few "flattened" case mouths, to some extent or another - and more than a few cases are less than the generally recommended .010" under minimum !
 
rkaine,
Usually I will run new cases through a full length die to round out the necks if nothing else. In many cases the new brass is so close to minimum spec that no actual sizing is even done. This is a bonus as I don't even lube those batches, so don't have to clean it off. You will be able to feel the difference in sizing force, and this doesn't work with all brass/die combinations.
After that I inside chamfer the necks and load 'em up. After the first firing I'll trim them all and chamfer inside and out. If I trim them before the first firing then they are all different lengths after fireforming and I feel like I should trim them again to even them up. Did I mention I hate trimming almost as much as cleaning off lube?;)
Dogleg
 
I'm gonna go against the grain and say no. Brass is usually OK to go right out of the bag. I'll do the whole brass-prep thing on some calibers - usually the ones I want 1/4 MOA performance out of. But on others - the plinkers; 45-70, 30-30, 7.62x39, etc - I don't bother. I've even loaded some Remington RP 22-250's right out of the bag, then shot a 1/2" 5-shot group.

It all depends what you're trying to accomplish. With a properly set up gun and well-developed loads, it can be remarkable easy to get 1/2 MOA without any complicated processes.
 
Dogleg said:
rkaine,
Usually I will run new cases through a full length die to round out the necks if nothing else. In many cases the new brass is so close to minimum spec that no actual sizing is even done.
Dogleg
Click to expand...

After ther first firing, NECK size only - like with a collet die (don't full length), then trim. Build your tailored load based on these fireformed brass. You won't be dissapointed.
 
A bag of Winchester brass I bought recently, had lots of cases with neck dents, so I neck sized them, and trimmed, (what little would trim), deburred, etc. , flash hole deburred. The PMC cases I have bought in the past, always needed trimming but the necks were never dented. They must toss those Winchester bags of brass around a lot..:rolleyes:

One fellow mentioned full sizing new brass, with no lube...I think that might be taking a bit of a chance personally. Nothing like a stuck case to screw up a planned night of reloading..:eek: I never to bother to full size new brass.
 
With a bolt rifle, I will fireform first. I use the COW method to save powder and bullets. Then I do a full prep on each case.

This way I know each case is close to final chamber dimensions and any kinks/bends are taken out. Components are too expensive to waste dealing with flyers from wonky brass.

Most component brass today meets a fairly hard life during transit to you. Most are dinged up in some way. If you plan to always FL size your brass, then FL size them, prep and go have fun.

I almost always neck size so find fireforming makes my life easier. Makes brass life longer too as the case has a chance to fill into the chamber at moderate pressures.

If a new case is grossly undersized with respect to the chamber, it can stretch too much in that first high pressure firing. This can lead to head separation sooner then expected.

Jerry
 
Was wondering - with the cream of wheat fireforming - does all that high-velocity wheat flying through the barrel provide any significant bore cleaning effect?
 
prosper said:
Was wondering - with the cream of wheat fireforming - does all that high-velocity wheat flying through the barrel provide any significant bore cleaning effect?
Click to expand...


It can gunk up your bore a bit, I always clean after doign a Cream of Wheat fireform.

I odn't think it is abrasive enough to remove any copper fouling, although I really havent' ever thought of comapring before and after:p
 
Call it the new super duper lapping polishing match finish technique. Why not?

COW doesn't hurt the bore, might very well polish it a little. Certainly a lot easier on the bore then a bullet.

Never use it during the rain. Porridge doesn't flow through a barrel very well.

I just run a brush down the bore when I am done or every 10/20rds which ever comes first. A patch to wipe out the fine stuff, good to go. If you get loose COW in the chamber, it will ding up the brass. Just give the chamber and throat and extra few scrubs when cleaning the bore.

Otherwise, very easy to do and excellent results.

Jerry
 
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